pickI love Kehlmann‘s work and enjoyed this novel about director G W Pabst who made films for the Nazis during WW2. Full of moral conflict, tension & ambiguity which Kehlmann cleverly shows from different points of view (like camera angles). A tragi-comic story told with his intelligent, wry style. This felt to me more disjointed than his other books (a high bar) & lacked some momentum but still a fun, thought-provoking read and relevant today.
pickThere definitely has been a theme to my reading lately as I grapple with current events and view them through the lens of the past. Friedrich Reck was a conservative in Germany who was vehemently anti-Nazi and Hitler from the very beginning. His observations of Germany as they slid towards tyranny and horror are astute, cutting and incisive.
pickThis is published by Verso - a fabulous indie publisher. Based on as many historical documents as the author could access, it covers the life of Josef Mengele as he fled prosecution for his role at Auschwitz. A despicable man, it did raise questions though about the many complicit people in positions of power at corporations who benefitted from Nazi actions and were never punished. Thought provoking.
Hard to pick just one quote from this book, appallingly timely in its observations applied to current events, 90 years later.
“With his oily hair falling into his face as he ranted, he had the look of a man trying to seduce the cook. I got the impression of basic stupidity, the same kind of his crony Papen - the kind of stupidity which equates statemanshio with cheating at a horse trade.”
pickMy highest praise. It is written as diary entries, what is happening to him & society as Hitler rises to power. He sees the stupidity,the cruelty,the arrogance.How such a regime destroys everything in its wake .The past ,the present,the future.Unfortunately, It is too relevant in this particular moment. Very moving, so glad I read it. I had heard of it years ago, then Tim Miller mentioned it in The Bulwark podcast.Beautiful writing,sharp insights
Someone recommended this book to Tim Miller of The Bulwark, he added to footnotes, I borrowed it. Originally published in 1947, Reck details the rise of Hitler and Nazism with appropriate horror. I‘m only a bit into it , this paragraph !
pickThis book HURTS! I have, over the course of this trilogy; developed anxiety, heart palpitations, and my depression is definitely not living the good life. I think these books are an important read and a deeply emotional reminder. I learned a lot, and am horrified by all of it. 5/5 stars ⭐️
“We must be very, very certain of this,‘ Ana told them. ‘If we join the resistance, we may lose our lives.‘
‘And if we do not,‘ Bartek replied, ‘we may lose our souls.‘”
#March2025
