In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts tells the story of the U.S. Ambassador to Germany during the 1930s. William Dodd was a professor at the University of Chicago when he was selected for the position. Many deemed him unqualified and inexperienced, which was warranted given his lack of foreign politics. He brings his family along and discovers firsthand how Germany was being quietly transformed. He meets with Hitler and different government officials often. At first Dodd was naïve of the real things occurring around him. But after living in the country for a year, he believed war was eminent unless the world intervened. Unfortunately, his worries fell on deaf ears.

Many details come from Dodd’s daughter, Martha, because she kept an immaculately detailed journal of everything. There was more Martha in the story than I initially expected, but she does play an important role in networking with officials. Contradictory to Martha, her brother was completely absent from the book even though he was in Germany the entire time. Maybe because I’m a guy, but I thought there was too much about all the men Martha chased. (A book written about past lovers is not ideal.) I wasn't that interested in all the romances; although it’s sort of justified because she did almost became a Soviet spy after dating a Russian man and she was set up on a date with Hitler himself. 

The author writes very eloquently. He uses the most complex vocabulary that I’ve read since I’ve started the blog. But it does not disturb the flow. It’s quite refreshing to be honest. Difficult parts for me (a.k.a. made for slower reading) were all of the German terminology. Hard to sound things out and names/places can be a bit forgetful, but that is expected because of the circumstances. My only complaint is I wish there was more to the book. The first two years are told in entirety; the last few years are summed up too quickly for my liking.

This book was recommended by a friend and it is right up my alley. I am starting to appreciate books based on true stories and I may give those more preference going forward.

My rating for In the Garden of Beasts: 3.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Remember, if you would like this book, send me a message and I will be more than happy to send it to you.