I found this book fascinating but I think you need to be a history fan! This is the story of William Dodd. I had never heard about him. He was the first American Ambassador to serve in Germany when Hitler was in power. Dodd was a college professor in Chicago and he was happy. Then President Roosevelt called him to serve his country. (Roosevelt tried to get others to do it but no one wanted the job!). Reluctantly Dodd accepts and moves to Berlin with his wife and grown children, Bill Jr. and Martha. Dodd did not fit in well with the diplomatic climate in Berlin. He was a frugal man and sought to save his country money whenever he could - this was after all during the depression. As Dodd saw in which direction Hitler was going and was witness to the treatment of the Jews he relayed his impressions and fears to the U.S. government. But no one was really listening. Martha plays a major role in this story. Swept away by all of the glitter of the upper echelon in Berlin, she had many affairs. She could easily have an entire book herself! This book offers a rare perspective of Germany during this era.
1 comment:
The book is well written, and I enjoyed the private look into ordinary people thrust into an untenable but fascinating new world. Their initial hopes and their approval of the Hitler government was to slowly unravel. They went to Germany thinking, and especially in Martha's case, that Hitler was good for Germany. They were to become disillusioned, gradually, and learn that Hitler was not only bad for Germany, but bad for the world as well. It seems to me that history repeats itself endlessly, but even a historian doesn't always recognize that something really bad is just around the corner. I came away from the book with admiration for Dodd and his tribulations at the hand of "friends" and enemies. This book was riveting from beginning to end, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The characters are well drawn, and their lives and experiences are told at a good pace. It is never too much or too little. I would definitely read more from this author.
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