In the Garden of Beasts

Set in 1933-1934 Berlin, the book follows the U.S. Ambassador to Nazi Germany, William E. Dodd, and his daughter Martha, as they witness and experience the early years of Hitlerian rule in Germany.

It is a work of novelistic history that reads like a thriller assessing the dilemmas of diplomacy in the face of dictatorships.

This marvelous historical account of the American Ambassador to Germany during the first years of Hitler’s dictatorship describes the growing recognition (and horror) of a very perceptive and sensitive diplomat and his fruitless efforts to inform the American Government of the danger of what was happening in Europe.

Above all, I was impressed by the depiction of the efforts of this intelligent man to break through the blinding prejudices of American bureaucrats in Washington to warn them of desperate events occurring in Germany.

In the Garden of Beasts follows the story of William E. Dodd, who was sent to Hitler’s Nazi Germany in 1933 as an American ambassador.

The Dodds move into a mansion across the street from Berlin’s public park called the “Tiergarten,” which means “the garden of beasts.” The mansion’s owner, a Jewish banker who lives upstairs, hopes that the American ambassador’s presence will dissuade authorities from breaking in and arresting him.

Along with his family, Dodd experiences the glamour and romance of Germany—until he becomes disturbingly aware of the Third Reich’s oppressive practices and terrifying plans.

It’s fascinating and horrifying… show more.

Does Erik Larson really need another plug? I can’t help it – his work is popular for a reason, and this one is among his best. It is full of extraordinary and well-drawn characters who are struggling to make sense of what is happening to Germany. I initially found the main character, William Dodd, US Ambassador to Berlin from 1933 to 1937, a bit of a bore. He could be humorless, hectoring, sanctimonious, and arrogant (and a history professor to boot – yawn!). But as the story unfolds he emerges as the moral centre, a voice crying in the wilderness… show more.

Larsen never fails to entertain and educate while bringing his reader's surprising stories. Here he takes up the story of William E. Dodd, a mild-mannered professor from Chicago who was appointed as ambassador to Germany by Roosevelt in the days before the Second World War. It was an inappropriate appointment and Dodd stumbles, failing to appreciate the signs of coming troubles. The same can be said for his daughter Martha who accompanies her father to Germany and is enamored by life in the nightclubs and salons of the fascist society. Both come to sit across a table from Hitler and… show more.

I love this book because it reads at times like a page-turning suspense thriller, or a horror story when you know what is coming next in history. The book focuses on the first American Ambassador to Nazi Germany in 1933 and his family, as it weaves a terrifying tale of their experiences and the outcome these events will have for the German citizens and the rest of the world. I recommend this one for people who love learning more about this period in history, since I am also an avid fan of WWII stories, I learned so much more than… show more.

Larson brilliantly captures the mood of Nazi Berlin in this compelling novel, based on real people and events, charting the years 1933 to 1937 during which William Dodd was American Ambassador to Germany. Ensconced in Berlin with his wife, son, and vivacious daughter, Martha, the family has a close-up view of the Nazis’ consolidation of power. The atmosphere of the time is evocatively captured as Martha enjoys the attentions of assorted dashing young men, true believers in the Third Reich’s enthusiasm to restore Germany to its former glories. Meanwhile, increasing persecution of Jews is enacted through new laws and although… show more.