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Reading the Holocaust (Canto) Reprint Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

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The events of the Holocaust remain unthinkable to many men and women, as morally and intellectually baffling today as they were a half century ago. Inga Clendinnen seeks to dispel what she calls the "Gorgon effect:" the sickening of imagination and the draining of the will that afflict so many of us when we try to confront the horrors of this history. Clendinnen explores the experience of the Holocaust from both the victims' and the perpetrators' points of view. She discusses the remarkable survivor testimonies of writers such as Primo Levi and Charlotte Delbo, the vexing issue of "resistance" in the camps, and survivors' strategies for understanding the motivations of the Nazi leadership. She focuses an anthropologist's precise gaze on the actions of the murderers in the police battalions and among the SS in the camps. Finally she considers how the Holocaust has been portrayed in poetry, fiction, and film. A Prize-winning archaeologist, anthropologist and historian of ancient Mexican cultures, Inga Clendinnen has spent most of her teaching career at La Trobe University in Bundoora, Australia. Ambivalent Conquests: Maya and Spaniard in Yucatan (Cambridge, 1989) and Aztecs: An Interpretation (Cambridge, 1995) are two of her best-known scholarly works; Tiger's Eye: A Memoir, (Scribner, 2001) describes her battle against liver cancer.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Reading the Holocaust, is not, despite its somewhat generic title, just another book about the Holocaust....this is an important, insightful, superbly written meditation on a sorrow beyond words, well worth the attention of outsiders and insiders alike." New York Times Book Review

"Reading the Holocaust is an excellent introduction to Holocaust studies and a lucid, morally stringent reflection on genocide."
Susan A. Crane, University of Arizona, Journal of Modern History

Book Description

This 2002 book explores the Holocaust from both the victims' and the perpetrators' points of view.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (May 6, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0521012694
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521012690
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.54 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

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Inga Clendinnen
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4.6 out of 5 stars
23 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2000
    Scholarship and criticism simply doesn't get more gutsy than this! Think about it: An obviously brilliant and sensitive Anthropologist takes on virtually the entire field of Holocaust studies (ostensibly not her field of expertise), reads fearlessly through a massive and established literature, and dares to take on a scholarly establishment that she argues has clouded and mystified an area of study that -- while perplexing -- should not defy explanation.
    The only problem I had is that, by the end of the book, her self-proclaimed stance as a naive and fresh reader is more than overwhelmed by what is obviously genuine expertise. But it is expertise fearlessly put to the task of re-reading an entire field and arguing that we should never convince ourselves that some events are too horrible to read, engage with, and understand.
    You gotta read it to believe it. And Ill tell you something else. Not an ounce of post-modern jargon seeps into this complex and brilliant analysis.
    Most excitingly, it makes clear that one of the most studied episodes in human history -- The Holocaust -- can and should productively be the subject of many more years of fruitful inquiry.
    You think I liked it? Criticism gets no better. Period. (I would be afraid that you would think I am the author or related to her, but another aspect of her critical stance is a humility that at least I have never seen in similar work. I guess I am saying: She would never write this about herself.)
    Order now!
    26 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2014
    An enthralling and thought provoking read even tough I am reasonably knowledgeable about the Holocaust. It is not about the experiences and killing of inmates or new arrivals. It's about trying to understand and explain how the perpetrators, frequently non-violent and amicable people in normal life, are transformed in concentration camp conditions when they have power. Simultaneously it challenges the reader to ponder situations prevalent at the present time in many places. The book is very well written, not judgemental of the perpetrators as it strives to distinguish facts from fiction without ignoring the atrocities of that time and avoiding biases which do not reflect 'good' history. Highly recommended as one tries to experience, at least intellectually, the inexplicable deeds of perpetrators and the life of victims and survivors.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2014
    This is the best book I've ever read on trying to understand the Holocaust. Well written, clear, wise, human book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2002
    This is a small book in size only. The author has taken it upon herself to review the field of literature on the topic and try and take a new look at the perceptions for why it happened and why it happened to the Jews. This is a interesting and gutsy look at the topic, some would say it is the "third rail" in many circles to look at this topic, but the author does it and does not do a bad job of it. I think she correctly provides and overview that the holocaust was not a unique event in world history and that it is possible to understand the motivations of the people who committed these crimes, just like it is to understand common criminals.
    The author is taking on a big issue and one that could easily bog the reader down in a large amount of complicated theories and terms, but she does not. The book is well written and straightforward. If you are interested in topic this should be one of the books you start out reading.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 1999
    Clendinnen's small book is a good antidote to mystifers of the Holocaust like Saul Friedlander and Elie Wiesel. Her "just the facts" attitude is refreshing and paradoxically leads to more comprehension of larger issues (although I think she is too easy on Hannah Arendt and too tough on Viktor Frankl.) This is a good supplement to Ron Rosenbaum's masterful "Explaining Hitler."
    24 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Nigel Taylor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Prompt service
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2024
    Book received in perfect condition, thank you.
  • Lynn Griffin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inga Clendennin turns her scholarly eye on the writers who ...
    Reviewed in Australia on September 8, 2014
    Inga Clendennin turns her scholarly eye on the writers who have told us about the Holocaust. You will not be able to look away and you will go on to reread Primo Levi and others with the fresh insight she provides
  • Kai Linder
    3.0 out of 5 stars Standard and safe
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2013
    Gives very safe and standard views of the holocaust and its interpretations, offers nothing new, but works well as an introduction to a variety of theories and perspectives for complete newcomers.