In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson was this month's book for the book club I'm in. It is the true story of William Dodd, a history professor who unexpectedly becomes America's ambassador to Germany in 1933. He brings along his wife and young adult children. The book chronicles the transformation the family goes through over time--from admiring Hitler to being repulsed by him. It is a fascinating look (through primary sources and accounts) at how America viewed Germany at the beginning of Hitler's "reign" in Germany and the role of the Dodd family in all that took place.
This was a very interesting book. I am always happy to be "forced" into reading a book I wouldn't normally read. I really love books about WWII but typically pick up historical fiction more than nonfiction. But this book read like a story and kept me interested in what took place. I was very involved with the people in the story and learned a lot about this pre-WWII time period. [A sidenote here is that this is the first book I've ever read on a Kindle. (No, I did not get a Kindle.) When I put this book on hold at the library, for some reason, I was number 400-something, which meant I was never going to get it in time for our meeting this week. So, a lady in the book club lent me her Kindle. Nice!]
Rating; * * (2/3 = Liked it)
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