In the Garden of the Beasts

Bibliography
Larson, Erik. In the Garden of the Beasts.

My Thoughts


Even though this was a non-fiction book, it read like a novel. We follow William Dodd's appointment as Ambassador in Berlin and learn of how Germany was changing as Hitler gained more power in the government.

Dodd tried to warn the U.S. Government, but the warnings fell on deaf ears. I wondered how history would have changed (if at all), had the United States done something. I'm not sure what they should have or could have done, but when repeatedly warned about the conditions of life, it seems plausible (of course, looking back this is easy to say), that something could have be done.

Dodd's daughter Martha was quite a character, and I wondered how my perception of women differs from the actuality of Martha's life. She goes with her father for adventure. She is naive and thinks what is happening in Germany is for the greater good. It's not until a certain weekend that Martha begins to question her belief in this new Germany.

The author does a good job giving us the history of Germany. I have a better understanding of Hitler, the Gestapo, and the "real" Germany during this time. I enjoyed reading this book.