In the Garden of Beasts

Author: Erik Larson
Published: 2011
Genres: Narritive non-fiction, historical non-fiction
Rating: 4.5

Summary
In 1933--a year that proved to be a turning point in history--William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, 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.

Review
A well-researched and well-written work of narrative non-fiction. Despite it's length, this is an accessable and fascinating read. Dodd is remarkably insightful--despite his lack of political background--in his analysis and concerns about Hitler's regime. Martha's flamboyant nature and evolution are intriguing. And the personal interactions these two have with Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi officials are both fascinating and chilling.

A Woman's Place

Author: Lynn Austin
Published: 2006
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.5

Summary
They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well. Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world. Under the storm clouds of destruction that threaten America during the early 1940s, this unlikely gathering of women will experience life in sometimes starling new ways as their beliefs are challenged and they struggle toward a new understanding of what love and sacrifice truly mean.

Review
The characters are flat and stereotypical--especially most of the men. The character development is predictable. And the author intentionally manipulates her audience's opinion of the different male characters. Not one of Austin's better novels.