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The last few years I‘ve stepped back from reading about WWII because it felt so overdone. But with the rise of authoritarianism currently happening in the US it has pushed back to reading about that era. The 2 on the left I found at Hachette Books (I signed up for the newsletter & got a 20% off coupon). I have not been able to find “What We Knew” anywhere. The other 2 I found wondering around the bookstore.

From at erinreadstheworld on Instagram. I‘m going to post each page for those of you not on instagram. This is the third page of 6. For those of you on Instagram, here‘s the link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMuilAfyip4/?img_index=1&igsh=MWxyZDVpZTMyd2hseQ==

Links to books above are tagged below in the comments.

There 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.

#OffMyShelf “started before”

A powerful novel about resistance in Nazi Germany based on true events-both depressing and hopeful to read now.

“As it was, we acted alone, we were caught alone, and every one of us will have to die alone. But that doesn‘t mean we are alone, Quangel, or that our deaths will be in vain.Nothing in this world is done in vain, and since we are fighting for justice against brutality, we are bound to prevail in the end.”

Hinrich finds his wife Doro dead at her desk, with an annotated manuscript of his in front of her. She had things to say about his embryonic novel, about him and about their life together, and it's not pleasant. It's also at odds with his view of himself and his own memories (although those are unreliable too). This definitely wasn't a feel-good novella, but it made me think.
#Germany

#whereareyoumonday

I‘m in Nazi Germany this week. Not a fun place. But I think this is going to be a good book - worth reading and a particularly timely reminder.

This was interesting. British Colonel and his wife in post WW2 Hamburg. Lewis - strongly of the view that reconstitution is going to need kindness more than strong arms agreed to share his requisitioned home with its owners a widower and his angry 15 year old daughter. The set up was fascinating and I appreciated the colour of both Hamburg and the period but found the characters quite flat. There were other perspectives I would have liked to see

This is the definitive account by someone there to document the events. I mean, he was in the crowd witnessing historic speeches and running for shelter during bombing raids. If you want to know almost everything about the Nazi regime, this is the book. The infamous question: ‘How did the German population let this happen?‘ Is somewhat answered here. Terrifying, and highly recommended. Happy 'NO KINGS' day!

This reads as a sort of diary of the author‘s investigation and interviews with those who lived in East Germany and whose lives were forever altered by the ever present Stasi and their hordes of informal agents. She also interviews former Stasi agents and former GDR propaganda mongers to understand how they feel about their work behind the wall and whether it was all worth it. I enjoyed reading this. It‘s beautifully written which was unexpected.