In the Garden of Beasts

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I spent a lot of time deciding how to rate this book. I try not to review what isn’t there, but in this case, I’ll make an exception. Although the book was meticulously researched and is a quasi-interesting read, there seemed no reason to tell the story.

The book begins with William Dodd, a milquetoast college professor who is appointed ambassador to Hitler’s Germany. He arrives in Berlin with his wife, adult son, and his sexually indiscriminate, married daughter, Martha.

Given the premise, I was disappointed there were no real insights into US isolationism and this country’s reaction to the rise of Nazi Germany—something that’s always baffled me. No one cared. I get that. It's evident from the historical record, but why? The US didn't want to anger Germany for fear the country wouldn't repay its debt? That's the whole of it? I remain baffled.

Then there’s Martha. Fine, she’s promiscuous. Good for her. While reading the book, I kept thinking there has to be more to this bed-hopping airhead and [eventually disillusioned] Nazi sympathizer than meets the eye. After all, she ended up an accused Russian spy. Russia actively recruited her. Read this book, and you might wonder why they wanted her—at least once her father resigned his ambassadorial position.

Bill, Dodd’s son, is barely a blip on the book’s radar, but he did run for congress in ’38 (he lost). The epilogue tells us Bill ended out his life working in the book department of a Macy’s in San Francisco. Now, that sounds like a story.

On the surface, these are compelling characters at a pivotal time in history, but they are so disengaged from what’s happening around them, it’s nearly impossible to care or stay interested in their lives, and so I didn't.



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