Q&A WITH THOMAS (SPOILER THREAD)

[Donna]

Thomas wrote: ""Question(s): At what point in researching and writing the book did you come up with the format of the book: ie. going back and forth between the two men? And, did you at any time, consider focusin..."

Thanks for the wonderfully detailed answer, Thomas, and to John for the great questions. I think your decision to write the stories of both men on the human level, as you call it, was a good one. As a reader, it allowed me to form my own emotional responses to both men based on their stories as you presented them.

Question
I'm sure there is much from the research that you have done that was not included in this book. Do you plan to write more on the Holocaust or on any of the people mentioned in the book?

[John]

Thank you Thomas- your experience and answer enriches the reading of the book for me, partly because I know it is personal on a level for you. We need to know what happened so as not to allow it to be forgotten or swept under the rug. I know Eisenhower wanted photographs of the camps the Americans found for that very reason. In way your book does the same thing.
I really can't imagine what that must have been like to visit Auschwitz especially with members of the Höss family and interviewing them. I'm keeping pace with club as far as reading goes, so I don't know if you have addressed this in the afterword, but if you can share, I would be interested to know-
Question: - what it was like interviewing Höss's descendants and their reactions to what their ancestor did and/or his job? I imagine it was difficult and emotional as this is somewhat personal for them as well. Were they reluctant at all to talk with you?

Thank you again for your time and willingness to let us share this journey with you. I really appreciate it and the insight you've given us. It makes this a unique experience for the reader!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thomas post 101 was exceptional and it explained a lot of things. Thank you for taking the time to write it and I think that response should be on your site.

Thank you John for asking the question.

[John]

I agree- that response was very insightful and added so much context, especially in hand with your prologue.

[Sherry]

I loved your response as well. Not only did it make me - as Donna said -- respond to them emotionally, it made me wonder how would I respond when challenged with the same situations. It made it very human.

[Kristjan]

Hi Thomas,

I have a couple of questions regarding pre-war Berlin:

Questions:

On p. 73, you mention a Jewish Directory. How many Jews were in this directory? Did it contain all or most Jews in Berlin? What percentage of Berliners were Jewish?

How much segregation was there in pre-war Berlin? In other words, did the Alexanders' social circles mainly consist of Jews or a mix of Jews and non-Jews?

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.

[Thomas]

Questions: "On p. 73, you mention a Jewish Directory. How many Jews were in this directory? Did it contain all or most Jews in Berlin? What percentage of Berliners were Jewish? How much segregation was there in pre-war Berlin? In other words, did the Alexanders' social circles mainly consist of Jews or a mix of Jews and non-Jews?"

Hi Kristjan

A copy of this directory sits in the Weiner Library institute in London. http://www.wienerlibrary.co.uk/

It is a letter size book, with green cover, and has probably about 300-400 pages with, I would guess 300-400 names per page.

My great-grandfather was in twice, first at his home address, and second in the front at the president of the Berlin Physicians Association.

There were Jewish areas of Berlin, for example Wilmesdorf in West Berlin which was where many of the affluent Jews lived (including the Alexanders). But there were other areas. There was not a ghetto as such. This was a highly integrated society.

The Alexanders socialised mostly with Jews, but they also spent time with non-Jews as well.

For numbers on Jews in Germany see herehttp://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/arti...

Thomas

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thomas, we are nearing the completion of the discussion and we want to extend our deepest gratitude to you for spending your time with us and adding tremendously to the discussion. These threads are viewable on goodreads by millions of goodreads members as well as on the internet (in addition to our group's members who are able to participate on the threads). So I know that you will receive even more interest in your book and these discussions as time goes on. I look forward to seeing the movie whenever that is in production and released. Many thanks - and best wishes to you and your family.

Bentley

[Bryan]

Question: Near the end of the book, did you get a sense that Hedwig completely cut Rudolf out of her life for what he did, or did she want to reach out to him but did not, because she thought it was too dangerous?

[Sherry]

Bentley wrote: "Thomas, we are nearing the completion of the discussion and we want to extend our deepest gratitude to you for spending your time with us and adding tremendously to the discussion. These threads a..."

I agree you have been so gracious. And your book is a must read for everyone!

[Brian]

Hi Thomas and thank you for this wonderful story.

Question 1: Was there anything that you came across in your research that took you by surprise, either a different result than you expected or it changed your perspective?

Question 2: How would you characterize Hanns' and Ann's relationship? Do you feel, that in hindsight, Hanns would have done things differently in the period before their engagement?

[Whitney]

Question: Do you know if Hedwig received the letters Rudolph was writing her after he was captured and imprisoned by the British? I was wondering if she got the letters and refused to write him, did not receive the letters, or if the British did not give Rudolph her letters as a punishment?

[Kristjan]

I just finished reading the book yesterday (very touching conclusion, BTW) and I have a few questions:

Question 1:
Were you able to find and contact Rudolf's children?
Question 2:
Do you know anything about how they fared in life (work/marriage/children) apart from what is revealed in the Postscript?
Question 3:
How did you come into contact with Rainer Höss? Did you find him or did he find you?
Question 4:
Regarding the structure of the book, chapter 10 starts in 1945, but chapter 11 starts in 1943. Can you comment on why you departed from the chronology?

Thank you for all the time you have put into answering our questions. It has really enriched the discussion a lot.

Kristjan

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

I am surprised that Thomas has not been back - maybe he is on tour or did not see these questions.

I will let him know.

[Thomas]

"Question: Near the end of the book, did you get a sense that Hedwig completely cut Rudolf out of her life for what he did, or did she want to reach out to him but did not, because she thought it was too dangerous?"

Hi Bryan

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

I never had a chance to interview Hedwig.

My impression from her family members is that she remained loyal to her husband, even after he died. It is less clear what her attitude was towards National Socialism during and after the war. I am told that both she and the rest of the family told people when asked what happened to Rudolf that he 'died during the war', and no more.

Thomas

[Thomas]

"Question 1: Was there anything that you came across in your research that took you by surprise, either a different result than you expected or it changed your perspective?

Question 2: How would you characterize Hanns' and Ann's relationship? Do you feel, that in hindsight, Hanns would have done things differently in the period before their engagement?

Hi Bryan,

Much surprised me in my research, the fact that my great-uncle was a Nazi hunter, that Rudolf Höss' family loved him, that Hanns may have been involved in the extra-judicial killing of Gustav Simon, that Rudolf's daughter that him the 'kindest father in the world', and much more besides.

Hanns and Ann had a long, intense and difficult relationship. They stayed together for 60 years though. She died 7 weeks after he did.

Thomas

[Thomas]

"Question: Do you know if Hedwig received the letters Rudolph was writing her after he was captured and imprisoned by the British? I was wondering if she got the letters and refused to write him, did not receive the letters, or if the British did not give Rudolph her letters as a punishment?"

Hi Whitney

Yes, Hedwig did receive the letters from Rudolf as well as his wedding ring.

It is not clear why she slowed down her correspondence towards the end. Perhaps this was British intervention, or her feelings towards her husband became complicated, or the letters simply became lost in the post-war chaos.

Thomas

[Thomas]

"Question 1:
Were you able to find and contact Rudolf's children?

Question 2:
Do you know anything about how they fared in life (work/marriage/children) apart from what is revealed in the Postscript?

Question 3:
How did you come into contact with Rainer Höss? Did you find him or did he find you?

Question 4:
Regarding the structure of the book, chapter 10 starts in 1945, but chapter 11 starts in 1943. Can you comment on why you departed from the chronology?"


Hi Kristjan

A1: Yes I was able to find Rudolf's children. See my article here http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifesty... and video here http://thomasharding.com/video/

A2: See article above.

A3: I found Rainer Höss.

A4: The point of the alternating chapters was to give a sense of progression of the narrative, mostly the dates coincided, but sometimes I need to jump a little ahead or back to make sure I didn't miss any major story signposts. In other words I decided that the telling of the story was more important than being a slave to the chronology. For example, I started Rudolf's story in 1901 when he was born but Hanns' story in 1917 when he was born. At one stage I started Hanns' story in 1901 and told Alfred's backstory, but this seem to detract from the dual biography even though it fitted the chronology better.

Thomas

[Thomas]

Well folks, as far as my participation in this book club, I think that about wraps it up.

I thank you all for taking part in this two-month-long mass-participation book event. It has been a very interesting and rewarding experience for me and I have learned a great deal. Thank you for your detailed comments, your honest feedback and your thought-provoking discussion.

If you want to track what is going on with the book or the soon-to-made film, do check in with my website www.ThomasHarding.com or the film website http://inkfactoryfilms.com/hanns-rudolf/

All the best

Thomas

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And thank you Thomas - thanks for popping back in.

We have also learned a great deal from your involvement - the discussion would not have been the same without you here with us.

I am enthusiastically waiting for the film.

Thank you very much for all of the time and thought that you put into your responses. Very much appreciated.