Erik Larson — In the Garden of Beasts
Erik Larson has made a name for himself by writing plot-heavy narrative nonfiction. As is the case with his most popular work, The Devil in the White City, his latest book illuminates a familiar event in time and a cast of many famous characters by highlighting some of that story’s lesser known participants. In the Garden of the Beasts follows the rise of the Nazis in the years preceding World War II. We’re shown that world from the point of view of America’s ambassador to Germany, William E. Dodd, and his family.
This is a good book with a little problem. The problem is not that the story isn’t interesting. The problem is that the book follows some of the least interesting characters in the story. If this were a novel, I would ask Larson why Hitler and Goebbels don’t receive more face time. The simple fact is that the Dodds will never be as compelling as Adolph Hitler, despite Martha Dodd (William’s daughter) and her numerous sexual indiscretions. However, the details of Berlin in the 1930s serve to make the city the story’s second most compelling character (again, it’s tough to top Hitler).
Filed under: ADULTS, HISTORY, NEW BOOKS, NONFICTION
