Erik Larson talks about In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and An American Family in Hitler's Berlin on Bookbits radio.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin is a 2011 non-fiction book by Erik Larson.[1]

Summary

Larson recounts the career of the American ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, particularly the years 1933 to 1937 when he and his family, including his daughter Martha, lived in Berlin. The ambassador, who had earned his PhD in Leipzig forty years earlier, and who, at the time of his appointment, was head of the History Department at the University of Chicago, initially hoped that Germany's new Nazi government would grow more moderate, including in its persecution of the Jews.[2] Martha, separated from her husband and in the process of divorce, became caught up in the glamor and excitement of Berlin's social scene and had a series of liaisons, most of them sexual, including among them Gestapo head Rudolf Diels and Soviet attaché and secret agent Boris Vinogradov. She defended the regime to her skeptical friends. Within months of their arrival, the family became aware of the evils of Nazi rule. Dodd periodically protested against it. President Roosevelt was pleased with Dodd's performance while most State Department officials, suspicious of his lack of background in their area of expertise, as well as his inability to finance embassy activities from his own wealth, found him undiplomatic and idiosyncratic.

The title of the work is a loose translation of Tiergarten, a zoo and park in the center of Berlin.

The other historical figures who appear in Larson's account include:

American officials
German officials
Journalists
Diplomats
Other Americans
Other Germans

Reception

According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on thirteen critics: ten "rave", one "positive", and two "mixed".[3] The BookScore assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 8.7 out of 10.[4] On The Omnivore, an aggregator of British press, the book received an "omniscore" of 3.5 out of 5.[5] In the July/August 2011 issue of Bookmarks, the book was scored four out of five. The magazine's critical summary reads: "Well known for his meticulous research, Larson draws on letters, diaries, and other primary sources to paint a vivid, richly detailed portrait of this critical era, immersing readers in the electrifying and decadent city of 1930s Berlin, perilously poised on the brink of ruin".[6]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ Janet Maslin (May 19, 2011). "Perched in Berlin With Hitler Rising". New York Times Book Review. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  2. ^ Erik Larson, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, Crown Publishers, ISBN 0307408841, 43, 66, 79-80
  3. ^ "In the Garden of Beasts". Book Marks. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ^ "In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson". The BookScore. Archived from the original on 28 Aug 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ "In the Garden of Beasts: Love and Terror in Hitler's Berlin". The Omnivore. Archived from the original on 18 Jun 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin By Erik Larson". Bookmarks. Archived from the original on 13 Sep 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. ^ Staff writer (April 29, 2012). "The Sojourn Wins Inaugural Chautauqua Prize". The Post-Journal. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  8. ^ "15 best nonfiction books of 2011: CSMonitor picks". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Garden_of_Beasts
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