Gabrielle Robinson’s book is an amazing read. It’s really two books in one. The first is the story of her grandfather, a civilian doctor just trying to survive through the final battle for Berlin and the following months of the Russian occupation, when people living in the rubble of the destroyed city were literally dying of starvation in the streets. This portion is so well written it reads like a page turner novel, and it gives us an insight into what civilians trapped in war zones around the world have gone through (and still go through).
The second part of the book deals with Gabrielle’s emotions following the discovery that the loving grandfather who largely raised her until his death when she was a teenager, was also a member of the Nazi party. It’s clear he in no way participated in the many crimes of the Nazis, and apparently joined primarily as a professional requirement in order to pursue his career as a surgeon. But she also believes his upbringing and military background growing up in Prussia predisposed him to support the Nazi ideology, at least initially.
In a deeply personal way Gabrielle examines the complex issues for her, and for her generation of immediate post war Germans (she was born in 1942) in dealing with the Nazi era and the collective guilt of that generation. Her experience not only informs some of the societal factors that led to support of Hitler and the Nazis, but also may inform our understanding of contemporary political happenings and the support for authoritarianism in our own country.
I give the book 5 stars.
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Reviews with images
A Gentle Guide on the Quest to Understanding
Gabrielle Robinson’s book, Api’s Berlin Diaries is an honest look into the fullness of humanity of her grandfather, and her family, during the fall of Berlin, and WW2. While that’s a simple thing to say, it’s clear that this was not a simple book to write, nor is it a simple story. Gabrielle delicately, and honestly, unpacks layers of insight, research, and context for her beloved Grandfather, and her family. As children, we are fated to never know our parents and grandparents as young people, and are in the main kept from their full emotions and experiences. Walking with Gabrielle as she retraces physically and through research the steps of her Grandfather, was a very powerful experience. The book is easy to read, very engaging, and a German-voiced context of the war experience that most Americans have not often encountered. And if that’s not enough to intrigue, or connect you, Gabrielle explores the meaning of our personal roles in systems that overcome and overwhelm us, exploring family guilt, history, and how to use this knowledge and vulnerability to shape our own living days.I have not stopped thinking about this book since I completed it. This is a book that resonates and will cause the reader to wonder about their own family history.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I completed it. This is a book that resonates and will cause the reader to wonder about their own family history.
A Gentle Guide on the Quest to Understanding
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
Gabrielle Robinson’s book, Api’s Berlin Diaries is an honest look into the fullness of humanity of her grandfather, and her family, during the fall of Berlin, and WW2. While that’s a simple thing to say, it’s clear that this was not a simple book to write, nor is it a simple story. Gabrielle delicately, and honestly, unpacks layers of insight, research, and context for her beloved Grandfather, and her family. As children, we are fated to never know our parents and grandparents as young people, and are in the main kept from their full emotions and experiences. Walking with Gabrielle as she retraces physically and through research the steps of her Grandfather, was a very powerful experience. The book is easy to read, very engaging, and a German-voiced context of the war experience that most Americans have not often encountered. And if that’s not enough to intrigue, or connect you, Gabrielle explores the meaning of our personal roles in systems that overcome and overwhelm us, exploring family guilt, history, and how to use this knowledge and vulnerability to shape our own living days.Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I completed it. This is a book that resonates and will cause the reader to wonder about their own family history.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
Gabriele Hansen-Pietrusky, Passau, Germany
A highly interesting reflection on national guilt.
Reviewed in Germany on August 19, 2022John M. Lewis
A Profoundly Wise Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2021Winfried Geppert
Wer schweigt, macht sich mitschuldig!
Reviewed in Germany on February 4, 2021