Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Devil in the White City, delivers a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power.
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Nazi Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.
A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and … Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another, including with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance — and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.
Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming — yet wholly sinister — Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.
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Another great book from Erik Larsen!
I learned a lot of history from this book. As with all of Erik Larson’s books it seemed well-researched and included information not commonly found. It wasn’t as gripping as others of his books, but I’d still recommend it.
Substantive literature
Typical of any Larson book, this brought history vividly to life by the fascinating details of people and place. So revelatory of this horrific period, its actors and circumstances that we today must better understand and never forget!
Great story. Included lots of historical information, which I loved.
Outstanding historical non-fiction. If FDR had paid attention to his ambassador, history might have been different.
Great read..It’s easy to read about history when it’s written like a novel…
loved it
This book provided a great look at Nazi Germany from an unusual perspective.
I read this during the runup to the 2016 Presidential election. The detailed description of how Facism rose up in Germany and what was actually going on in this country during that election was very scary.
Really liked this book.
Interesting account of a family of Americans in 1930’s Germany and their involvement and reaction to the events of that period.
I loved this book. I’ve loved every book of his I’ve read. Ambassador Dodd had his hands full. His daughter and more importantly Hitler. He sure did his best to warm the USA.
Frighting look into the rise of Adolf Hitler through the eye of an American diplomat. Chilling in view of our current political climate.
This author was recommended to me. I don’t normally read this genre, but Larson has me hooked. The style is so easy going that it make you want to read, read, read. The historical information is very accurate. If you ever thought about reading something out of your normal genre, try Larson.
One of those books of improbable events beyond belief. If “Unbroken” grabbed you, this book should more than satisfy. Set in pre WWII Berlin, the daughter of a U.S. diplomat is sleeping around with many of the players on all sides. It wasn’t a good outcome for some of those players.
We all know the story of World War II. In the Garden of Beasts is a nonfiction account of events leading up to it. The book reads like fiction — a compelling account you can’t put down. For all of his books, Erik Larson does extensive research. In this book, he especially benefited from our vanishing use of written correspondence. Much is that of …
Loved and hated this book!
i finished reading this book just as the campaigning for the 2016 presdiential election was gearing up. i was appalled at the parallels between Donald Trump and his followers and those of hitler and his followers. the powers to be in both europe and the united states refused to beleive ambassador Dodd when he tried to sound the alarm. if you read …
It is another window to the period of Nazism from the direction of the United States and its part in the matter.
So scary that the people of Berlin did not pay attention to what was happening around them