In The Garden of Beasts: Love Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Erik Larson)

Perhaps I read a little too much about World War II. I hadn't really thought about it until a friend of mine pointed it out. However, if you take a look at the fiction and nonfiction that is making it to bookstores, a lot of it is set during World War II.

And why not? Those times had everything that makes a good story--though I would never say I'm sorry I missed living during those troubled times. But all the best and the worst in people came out then. Obviously, readers today still create a demand for books on the subject.

Erik Larson decided to tell a story about World War II from the point of view of a family that saw itself in the middle of the storm as it gained momentum. Lets face it: most of us have heard about the appeasement policy implemented by Lord Chamberlain, but we seldom hear about what the American ambassador in Berlin thought or did. Larson tells their story.

William Dodd, the unfortunate soul that found himself having to deal with a Germany plunging into darkness, became ambassador to Berlin in 1933. President Roosevelt assigned him after having five other men turn down the job. Dodd asked for the job because he believed it would allow him time to finish his History of the South, an encyclopedic collection that was his life's work. He had studied in Germany as a young man and had always loved the country. He had quite a rude awakening once he arrived in Berlin. Between the internal drama with people in the State Department and dealing with the rising Nazi leadership, he saw himself in a situation that would have taxed any diplomat.

Dodd took his entire family with him, including his daughter, Martha. She was quite a character--at 23 she'd had several lovers and an estranged husband. She managed to sleep with Nazis, communists, and a few men in between. She caused quite a scandal within the State Department, given that her father did nothing to curve her behavior. I'm not sure if that shows what a blind spot Dodd had in regards to his daughter or if he just let her live her life as she saw fit. Martha definitely personifies how many people felt during the beginning of the Nazi regime. At first, she defended it vigorously. As she saw more of what was going on, she changed her tune. It's easy to forget how many people didn't see the Nazis as a threat at all.

Larson's prose reads like fiction. He doesn't quote anything that he hasn't read in documentation of the time, but he still manages to drive this story in a way that deeply engrosses the reader. It could have been another dry book on American diplomacy during Hitler's rise to power, but his approach and his writing style make it a pleasure to read.

Next up: Secret of the White Rose, by Stefanie Pintoff.