About this book
Erik Larson follows William E. Dodd, a history professor who was appointed United States ambassador to Germany in 1933, and his adult daughter Martha, who accompanied him to Berlin. Arriving in the first year of Nazi rule, the family at first saw much to admire in the city and its social life.
Over the months that followed, both father and daughter gradually came to understand the violence and ambition at the heart of the regime. Larson traces that awakening through their diplomatic work, their social encounters with senior Nazis and the growing persecution happening around them, culminating in the bloody purge of the summer of 1934.
The book stands out for showing the early Nazi years from an unusual angle: through outsiders who could have sounded the alarm and struggled to be heard at home. It is tense and absorbing, and it makes a fine companion to the much broader The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Who it’s for
Ideal for readers who enjoy narrative nonfiction with a strong cast; easy to read, with a slow-building, unsettling atmosphere.
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