In post-Katrina New Orleans, a criminal finds a lampshade in an empty house that he claims is made from a human being. The lampshade eventually finds its way into the hands of a journalist who takes up the lampshade's cause and tries to determine if it is really human, if it really did come from Buchenwald, and what he should do with it if it is. I was eager to read this book, and some parts of it were especially interesting and informative about little-talked of parts of the Holocaust. Other parts of the book, where the author goes on a philosophical bender were rather dry and somewhat tedious to read. Overall, I liked the book; I just wish that some of the parts were better tied together. An interesting, unusual read.