Welcome to Litsy!

An epistolary novella about how anti-semitism was raised and Hitler praised in the 1930s in Germany.
Looking for excuses (the poverty in the country in the aftermath of WWI), denying the truth, hiding behind the ambition of the Gentle Leader as they call him, choosing not to see what‘s happening.
It‘s horrible and haunting and feels painfully timely today. How we got to this point again is beyond me.

#wickedwhispers #unknown
This isn‘t spooky in the Halloween way, but it‘s haunting in its own way!
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#aboutabook #shortbutpowerful

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I love an epistolary novel, and this one is a killer. A short, gut-punch of a story, written in 1938, about two friends whose relationship unravels as the Nazis rise to power. There's an abrupt shift in the tone and subject of the letters near the end, but the payoff is swift and mighty. I was taken by the story as whole, and even more so by the afterward which posits the idea of "using a letter as a weapon." Chilling and, unfortunately, timely.

A short novella in epistolary form. It's crazy that this was written in the 1930s without hindsight of what actually did transpire. Within this short book, it encapsulates the mood of the time.
#1938

It may be short but it makes an impact. Makes a person think about why people choose their alliances.

It was so short I read it last night in the bathtub (yet it was so frickin' expensive I am so mad at myself) but it was very interesting how people became nazi and make enemies from their friends

This is a powerful story. I'm surprised something like this was written during that time. It gives such a raw, honest view that usually is only seen in hindsight. I really admire the author for this piece of work.

Read this little gem while waiting for my son at track practice! Wow, does it pack a punch! Knowing it was written during the time of Hitler‘s rise and not as a historical book makes all the more amazing!

Thanks to @BarbaraJean and @monalyisha because this was a #auldlangspine recommendation!

I read this epistolary novella in an effort to finish up my 2022 Goodreads challenge. Kressman Taylor was from my hometown and I sadly had not heard of her. Written in 1938, the fictional letters between two friends show the growing appeal of Hitler to a previously good person, with horrific consequences. I strongly recommend.

So excited to be matched with @BarbaraJean for #AuldLangSpine!

I had already read and loved some of her list: Passing, People of the Book, The Night Gardener, Sea of Tranquility, Crossing to Safety. Pictured above are the titles I can't wait to read!

Thanks to @monalyisha for matching us and setting this up!!! So fun!

I read this book probably in middle or high school, so a reread was long overdue.

This short novella shows the quick endoctrinement of a German, recently back in Germany from the United States, in the 1930s through the letters he exchanged with his Jewish business partner living in the United States. Betrayal and revenge play a big part. It's a novella that invites reflection.

Another belated review—I read this short but powerful epistolary novella back in March. It took completely unexpected and gut-punching turns for such a brief narrative, and I‘m still thinking about it months later: how quickly events can change (or reveal) a person, and the power of words to save or to destroy. This had been buried on my to-read list, but a #NewYearWhoDis recommendation from @Blaire bumped it to the top and I‘m glad it did!

Its unimaginable to think about reading this tiny but mighty epistolary novel when it first published in 1938. What starts as a charming correspondence turns quickly chilling. Published first in ‘Story‘ magazine then Readers digest, then as a book that sold 50K copies, a LOT back then! But then almost disappeared. At B&N, we picked this as our ‘Rediscovered Classic‘ recently and its truly an excellent choice. Foreword and Afterword are must-reads.

Haunting, that's what this book is. Letters make powerful weapons indeed. This book was certainly ahead of its time, foreseeing the dangers of unchecked ideology, and perpetuating a cult of personality. I can't stop thinking about the story here, and I am still stunned by how it all unfolded. I cannot recommend this enough.

⭐: 5

More book mail! Saw someone post about this book last week, and when I saw that it was an epistolary work, I was intrigued. Fortunately, I found a secondhand copy online. (It's the thrill of the search for me. 😂) Not too many physical copies of this, I think? 🤔

Glad Litsy put this one on my radar. Sad that it feels so relevant again/still. It‘s a timely reminder of how impossibly brave acts of protest and resistance often are.

😳 On the heels of The Betrayal of Anne Frank, this was startling and made all the bigger impact. I went into it blind not knowing the premise.

Yikes, what a prescient short story from 1938! Read it! It will take under an hour to read, including the Intro & Afterward.

Best book I read in November and possibly all year. Short. Power packed. Everyone should read it.

#12booksof2021

Wow this is impactful in such a short story. Really something everyone should read.

32 books total.
16 books by Native American authors this month including 7 graphic memoirs, 5 MG, 2 YA, 1 memoir, 1 poetry.
My favorite this month was the tagged impromptu read.

This hour long #audiobook includes a foreword and an afterword which definitely helped place this epistolary work of fiction in the historical context of the beginning of Hitler‘s rise to power. We, as readers, know it‘s often best to illustrate a point with a story. This collection of fictionalized letters between friends (one in America, the other in Germany) clues modern readers into the answer to the question: “how could this have happened?”

No matter how short this story is it manages in less than 100 pages to knock you on your backside. You want to try to understand how Nazi Germany and the belief systems managed to grow is explained here. Told in letter writing form this story is heartbreaking while so very very real.

As I read this power-packed sucker punch short novel, first published in 1938, I thought to myself this is perfection. After reading, I found the 1939 NYT Book Review stated, ‘This modern story is perfection itself. It is the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction.‘ I have nothing else to add but: read it!

Wow. This short epistolary novel packs a punch. Correspondence between a Jewish art dealer in San Francisco and his former gentile partner in Germany, it tracks the rise of Hitler in the early 1930s and how easily self-protection and power overtake common humanity.

So many excellent books this month!

This was a short, sharp, & powerfully brief story. It‘s fascinating to think about a world where people don‘t associate Nazis with evil quite yet. The 1930s were time of denial when it came to Germany & this book captured that perfectly. This epistolary novel gave us a glimpse into the life of an American Jewish man & his German business partner. Their correspondence was brief, but world-shattering. I know I‘ll think about this one for awhile.

Short but impactful. Originally published in 1938 and eerily ahead of its time, a cautionary warning of how quickly a civilized society can break down. Written as a series of correspondence between 2 dear friends & business partners, one German the other Jewish. Kressmann Taylor foresaw what others chose to ignore.

This short story is bound as a book, which is perfect because this story is as powerful as any novel. The story was published in 1938, and takes the form of letters between two owners of an art gallery. Max remains in the U.S. while his German partner, Martin, moves back to Germany in 1932. The letters reveal the horror of Martin‘s indoctrination into the Nazi party. It only took a half an hour to read, but this story will stay with me always.

Brilliant 80 page epistolary history lesson!

Address Unknown was first published in the United States, in Story magazine in September 1938, it caused an immediate sensation. Written as a series of letters between a Jewish American living in San Francisco and his former business partner, returned to Germany, the story, early on, exposed the poison of Nazism to the American public.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a very quick read - as in 79 pages with the introduction and afterward. Set in the early 1930s, this is written in letters between a Jewish American and his business partner living in Germany. Originally published in the US in 1938, it must have been such a warning about nazi Germany. So short but so moving, it‘s easily one of my favorites this year. I highly recommend!!

Brilliant short story. Her story telling using only letters all in 64 pages. Is amazing. Published in 1938. Her publisher did not use her first name since they thought the story was too powerful to be written by a woman. So glad I read this. Highly recommend. 4 🌟

What a beautiful book!
It's really, really short but it has a big power in it and I think I will not easily forget this one! ❤
I wish you all a Happy New Year 🥂🍾🎊❤

#addressunknown #kressmanntaylor #WWII #letters #happynewyear

Found this delightful little book in the ships library. It was written a long time ago. It‘s a short but poignant read. At the end a history of how it came to be. Very interesting. @MrsMalaprop

19 lettres échangées entre 2 amis qui se lisent à une vitesse hallucinante. J'ai fini ce livre... et je n'ai eu qu'une envie, le faire lire à tous !

A journey to the roots of hatred, an intense and passionate book, which represented with a lucid clairovoyance the climate of ruthless racism in which the Holocaust matured.

#book #leggere #libro #libri #lettura #booklover #litsybook #goodreads #toread #Holocaust #kressmantaylor #destinatosconosciuto #readingchallenge2018

This is what happens when you make one teensy tiny mistake with an address... 🤦🏼‍♀️

Grateful to the UK postal system for getting the parcel back to me so I could try again!

As of yesterday TWO parcels are coming your way, @jhod . I checked the address at least 10 times to make sure it was correct this time.

Also, the tagged book is awesome. 😎

#whodunituk
@ScorpioBookDreams

Erschreckend, bewegend und gerade in der heutigen Zeit leider wieder aktueller den je