Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Not...
Hunting Eichmann is the first complete narrative of a relentless and harrowing international manhunt. When the Allies stormed Berlin in the last da...
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Jun 07, 2011
Fascinating and reads like a good action film without explosions and violence. The dark undertones of devoting a period of time to finding one of the world's most evil men spills into the lives of those who searh as well as the reader. This is not an easy read but I was compelled to read this book as I was 12 when he was found and heard my parents talk about it as well as saw reports on the media. This was a profound awakening for me as to the harm that one humnan being can do to others. Tho
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Dec 25, 2011
Pedro
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Há mais de 50 anos atrás, Adolph Eichmann, um ex-oficial nazista fugitivo, foi seqüestrado num subúrbio de Buenos Aires próximo à sua residência na Argentina por agentes do Mossad, o serviço secreto israelense. Logo após, foi julgado e condenado à morte em Jerusalém por sua contribuição ao holocausto, nesta que foi a primeira e única aplicação da pena de morte em toda a história de Israel. Os relatos dessa operação, contudo, somente vieram à tona há pouco tempo. Sabe-se hoje, por exemplo, que a
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Dec 17, 2011
Ryan
rated it: 
Interesting, though didn't learn as much as from IBM and the Holocaust.
If you're planning an extra-legal project on foreign soil, the things that Mossad had to execute in Argentina to capture Eichmann can be used as a "checklist" of what you would need.
Basically, you need huge amounts of cash, your own flag carrier, your own embassy, and diplomatic pouches so that you can transport everything required into the country.
For people who believe international c More...
If you're planning an extra-legal project on foreign soil, the things that Mossad had to execute in Argentina to capture Eichmann can be used as a "checklist" of what you would need.
Basically, you need huge amounts of cash, your own flag carrier, your own embassy, and diplomatic pouches so that you can transport everything required into the country.
For people who believe international c More...
Mar 16, 2011
Bridget
rated it:
This book didn't hit its stride until about halfway through. The beginning was very weak - aside from Eichmann, there is no one standout character. It's all a mess of 20- and 30-something newly minted Israeli Jewish men cluttering up a crowded background. I needed a hero to root for, to get behind, and there really wasn't one. The narrative suffered as a result. I realize that may have been how it was in real life, but if you take a look at the footnotes, Bascomb took plenty of liberties with th
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Jan 14, 2011
Trev
rated it: 
Hunting Eichmann is an edge of the seat tense adventure story, and made all the more exciting when you realize that this is a true account of the life and eventual death of a notorious nazi killer. There is no more greater satisfaction than seeing someone of great evil being made to pay for his crimes and few people in history have been guilty of more crimes than Adolf Eichmann. He was the operational manager of the genocide that saw the dispatch and murder of some six million jews during the se
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Apr 30, 2010
Brian
rated it:
From other recent histories, and the way this book is described, you'd expect it to be a thriller. But Neal Bascomb seems to realize early on the difficulty of writing it that way and maintaining the "action," especially with a decade long break in the middle. Instead, he proceeds to write a study of ordinary people, who became involved in momentous events.
Adolf Eichmann was an officer in the German SS during World War II, and "architect" of the murder of well m More...
Adolf Eichmann was an officer in the German SS during World War II, and "architect" of the murder of well m More...
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Apr 11, 2010
Anne Hawn
rated it:
This book is the story of the identification and capture of Adolph Eichmann in Argentina. The author first details some of the elements of the capture and then backtracks to help the reader understand the role Eichmann played in brutality of the “Final Solution.” At the end of the war, Eichmann went into hiding and after 2 years, with the help of a division of the Roman Catholic Church, he was spirited out of Germany and given a new identity in Argentina. I had no idea until recently that the
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Aug 13, 2009
Judy
rated it: 
Having listened to and loved another book by Neal Bascomb, "The Perfect Mile," and having read some very positive reviews of this book, I was a bit disappointed. This is the story of the sixteen-year search for Adolf Eichmann, major operative in Hitler's "Final Solution for the Jewish Problem." His nickname is "architect of the Holocaust," and he was particularly active in Hungary, where he sent over 400,000 Jews to their deaths in the gas chambers. It was origin
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Jul 12, 2009
Mike
rated it:
An intense tale of the quest to bring Adolf Eichmann, the operational manager of the Final Solution, to justice.
Made me think of what a great thing it is that Christ will bring the world to justice. All oppressors will be justly dealt with; all innocent suffers will be vindicated.
Contains a powerful quote from Robert Jackson, the lead American prosecutor at the Nuremberg trial. In his opening statement he said:
The privilege of opening the first trial in histor More...
Made me think of what a great thing it is that Christ will bring the world to justice. All oppressors will be justly dealt with; all innocent suffers will be vindicated.
Contains a powerful quote from Robert Jackson, the lead American prosecutor at the Nuremberg trial. In his opening statement he said:
The privilege of opening the first trial in histor More...
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Feb 06, 2012
Mickey
rated it:
This is a hard book for me to rate, because I feel that some of my problems with it stem from circumstances that have to do with me as a less-than-ideal audience as opposed to the book itself.
I think that this book did a passable job of relating the facts. If you do not know the story about the capture of Eichmann, then it would probably be fascinating reading. However, I was already acquainted with almost all of the details related and kept hoping for something underneath the surfa More...
I think that this book did a passable job of relating the facts. If you do not know the story about the capture of Eichmann, then it would probably be fascinating reading. However, I was already acquainted with almost all of the details related and kept hoping for something underneath the surfa More...
Mar 18, 2011
Joshua
rated it:
Rare five star for me. This non-fiction book by Neal Bascomb concerns locating, capturing and putting on trial one of the key Nazis who escaped from Germany after WWII--Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann was in charge of orchestrating the removal of Jews from Hungary and other locations and getting them to the death/labor camps. Millions died as a result of his zealousness. The book covers his wartime efforts, his escape to Argentina aided by sort of an "underground railroad" via Catholic church
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Nov 14, 2010
George
rated it:
Excellent book. The story moved at a rapid pace, it was excellently and authoritatively researched, and it was well-written. It was a spy novel, an adventure novel, and a history of post-WWII Israel and Germany. Really, an excellent read.
I think the author did a great job of portraying the heroes who captured Eichmann, too. It was a real account -- the captors felt fear and sympathy and strain and conflict. Likewise, Bascomb gives us a look at what Eichmann was like before, during, More...
I think the author did a great job of portraying the heroes who captured Eichmann, too. It was a real account -- the captors felt fear and sympathy and strain and conflict. Likewise, Bascomb gives us a look at what Eichmann was like before, during, More...
Nov 26, 2009
Caitlin
rated it:
Adolf Eichmann was the model for Hannah Arendt's banality of evil. Kafka could not have written a more bloodless bureaucrat than Eichmann - the Chief Operating Officer of the Final Solution. Although he was manifestly responsible for the deaths of 6 million or more Jews, Communists, prisoners of war, Gypsies, political dissidents, homosexuals, mentally retarded people, and anyone else who had the misfortune to be caught in the wheels of the Nazi system, he never accepted responsibility. He wa
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Jun 17, 2011
Susannah
rated it:
Loooooooved this. LOVED. It was like a really excellent heist movie, but with super high stakes and TRUE. Even though I knew the ultimate outcome (as will anyone who has access to Wikipedia), there were times when my heart was pounding as I was reading and I couldn't tear myself away from the book even though the suspense was giving me chest pains. The thing that really takes this book to the next level for me is that it's not just a simple heist or spy story -- there are so many other dimension
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Oct 23, 2011
Lisa B.
rated it:
Wow – this book was very, very good. I love it when an author takes a true story and writes about it in such a way that it is still suspenseful. Even though we know the ending, how does it all go down? How does Eichmann escape from Germany? How did he stay under the radar for so long? How was he found? And then the big question – how did they get him??
I learned allot by reading this book. Eichmann was responsible for heading what was called “The Final Solution of the Jewish Question. More...
I learned allot by reading this book. Eichmann was responsible for heading what was called “The Final Solution of the Jewish Question. More...
Jun 15, 2009
Joanne
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 29, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
A look at the expedition by the Israeli Mossad to capture Adolf Eichmann. I caught a television special about this book one night on National Geographic, and I was hooked. I got the book on the bargain rack at Borders three days ago and I couldn't put it down.
It reads like an action film, but it's all 100% what actually happened. (Well, according to those who were there, at any rate). A gut-punching book, it reminded me exactly why I have a hate-on for Holocaust deniers. I knew what wa More...
It reads like an action film, but it's all 100% what actually happened. (Well, according to those who were there, at any rate). A gut-punching book, it reminded me exactly why I have a hate-on for Holocaust deniers. I knew what wa More...
Jul 31, 2011
Linda
rated it:
Great book, loaded with history, facts,politics and wild goose chase for a war crime criminal, I will say it posed interesting questions for me, how involved do you have to be to be a murderer?I felt the heart and soul of those involved in the capture and was touched by the stories shared of family lost.I will say I was worried the writer would just make eichman out to be an evil monster and really he just let Eichman do that all on his own, I felt both sides were depicted fairly and really in
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May 17, 2010
Chris
rated it:
I haven't read Tom Clancy, so I don't know if the blurb on the back cover is correct.
I wouldn't describe the book as a thriller, though the story is told very well. It makes a good companion piece to the essay in The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction written by one of the "hunters". Bascomb doesn't waste words and doesn't waste description. He also is kind enough to presume that his reader has basic background knowledge, so he doesn't give unneeded explanations. More...
I wouldn't describe the book as a thriller, though the story is told very well. It makes a good companion piece to the essay in The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction written by one of the "hunters". Bascomb doesn't waste words and doesn't waste description. He also is kind enough to presume that his reader has basic background knowledge, so he doesn't give unneeded explanations. More...
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Jun 17, 2011
Jon
rated it:
A rather riveting narrative of the capture of one of the most notorious Nazis of all-time - Adolf Eichmann who his captives for 15 years. The book covers his time as a callous and remorseless SS officer who ordered the gathering and extermination of countless numbers of Jews during the Nazi's reign of terror to his time holed up in Argentina assuming a proletariat lifestyle. Although this is a work of non-fiction, Neal Bascomb wrote it as if it was a suspense thriller. Very readable and extre
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Jan 16, 2010
Mike
rated it:
Sensational story about Israel's search and capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Eichmann, an architect of the Final Solution during World War II, escaped the clutches of the Allied armies, and moved to Argentina, where is wife and three sons followed later.
Piecing together bits of evidence, Israeli investigators find Eichmann and decide to capture him and fly him secretly out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel.
I won't go into too many of the details, but needless to say, Basc More...
Piecing together bits of evidence, Israeli investigators find Eichmann and decide to capture him and fly him secretly out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel.
I won't go into too many of the details, but needless to say, Basc More...
Sep 16, 2011
Jim
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book as it deals with a subject that I am rather unfamiliar with. The story is fascinating in that it reveals a good deal of history surrounding the holocaust and the involvement and capture of Adolf Eichmann. At times the great amounts of details and the number of characters involved makes the story hard to follow. I appreciated gaining some perspective on one of the most important tragedies in world history and how the world responded to the need for justice. Eichmann is
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May 10, 2009
Jeremy
rated it:
What a great read! Amazing story of the capture and conviction of Adolf Eichmann. One of the things that amazed me was the struggle these survivors and this spy agency had in bringing Eichmann back to Israel for trial. I'm amazed they didn't simply shoot him and be done with it. I love this quote from Elie Wiesel: The trial was almost more important in the field of education than in the field of justice. It was important for the Israeli youth to know what had happened, where we came from. And th
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Dec 23, 2009
Carl
rated it:
I recently spent some time in Bavaria and wanted to learn more about what happened after WW II. This is a new book that details how Eichmann, the man who planned and carried out rounding up Jews in Poland, Hungary, Austria and Germany, managed to live in Germany for 5 years after the end of the war and then move to Argentina and live for another 10 years. A bank of dedicated men from Israel tracked him down, captured him and returned him to Israel. He was put on trial, convicted and then hang
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Aug 20, 2010
Monk
rated it:
You know how you pick up a history book that says it reads like a great novel, and instead it reads like a novel with all of the verbs removed? This isn't that book. This is a great narrative of the capture of Adolph Eichmann (he and his boss really ruined that "Adolph" name for everyone). Doesn't get bogged down in the back stories of all of the participants, but focuses on the process of finding Eichmann and planning and executing the capture. It reads like an early-60's episode
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Aug 13, 2009
Jean
rated it:
You can almost forget that this is non-fiction while reading this spy-thriller book. Adolf Eichmann, the operational manager of the mass murder of Europe's Jews during the Third Reich, escaped to Buenos Aires after the war. A persistent group of Nazi hunters mostly consisting of Holocaust survivors, along with the Israeli secret service, managed to find him after 15 years on the run. Although you know how the story ends, the author manages to tell the story of how the found him and how they mana
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Feb 05, 2012
Michael
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 29, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Historical Non-fiction telling how Eichmann was found and brought to justice. The Israeli's always get their man. Fascinating and while non-fiction reads like a thriller. Tense. I literally wept once they caught him which is crazy since I knew that was going to happen. Eichmann's lack of responsibility and compassion for what he did is the definition of a psychopath. Highly highly recommend it. A proud side note: The presiding judge at the Eichmann trial was a Landau and relative of mine.
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Jun 09, 2009
Ray
rated it:
If this was non-fiction, which it isn't, I would have assumed the adventure and close calls in the book were simply thrills added by the author. But it's historical, so I want the movie rights. I had known that there were people who hunted Nazi's after the war, but never fully understood how Nazi leaders eluded their hunters, how they escaped from Europe, how they were found, etc. In this world of global positioning devices, computer tracking of bank accounts, credit card usage, passport appl
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Jul 08, 2011
Adam
rated it:
Neal Bascomb has a gift for propelling a narrative forward, and he makes this piece of nonfiction read like a John Le Carre novel. I tore through this fascinating book in a week.
I do have to wonder how much of this information was already available in other sources - the appendix lists only 4-5 primary sources from Eichmann and a giant raft of secondary material. Still, props to Bascomb for an excellent, meticulous job of packaging all of it for popular consumption. Highly recommended
I do have to wonder how much of this information was already available in other sources - the appendix lists only 4-5 primary sources from Eichmann and a giant raft of secondary material. Still, props to Bascomb for an excellent, meticulous job of packaging all of it for popular consumption. Highly recommended
