PositiveLibrary JournalDougherty is adept at dissecting Lina Heydrich’s attempts to exonerate her husband from the label of \'the Hangman,\' and gets to the essence of what it was like to enjoy the privileges of living so close to the center of Nazi power. Dougherty periodically moves beyond the Heydriches’ story to go into great detail on some events, such as Kristallnacht; here she risks losing her focus. She is, however, extremely dexterous in demonstrating Reinhard Heydrich’s role in policy making and implementation in Nazi Germany. Dougherty also deconstructs the internal dynamics of the Nazi party, in which Heydrich excelled. Of particular interest in this biography is its discussion of the postwar experiences of Lina Heydrich and her children, and what they reveal about the families of high-ranking Nazi officials ... A dual biography that will have wide appeal for fans of World War II history. Recommended for all libraries.
Elizabeth D. Samet
PositiveLibrary JournalUtilizing a variety of primary sources, Samet effectively demonstrates that this nostalgia has permeated popular culture throughout the 20th century and up to the present day. She makes the intriguing assertion that there is a direct link between World War II propaganda and the U.S. Civil War...Her contention about the connection between World War II and the Civil War in the popular consciousness, however, seems informed more by current conversations surrounding collective memory ... A thought-provoking, thoroughly researched work that asks readers to reconsider World War II mythology. Samet\'s analysis, solidly based in pop culture, will be welcomed in public library collections and will appeal to readers of military history.
Philip Zelikow
PositiveLibrary JournalZelikow carries out a meticulous examination of this series of largely forgotten negotiations ... This thought-provoking history is based on vast primary sources, and while the narrative sometimes bogs down in excessive detail, Zelikow’s sharp account brings World War I into focus and raises a number of fascinating \'what if\' scenarios. Recommended for all extensive history collections.
Simon Read
PositiveLibrary JournalHere, journalist Read (Winston Churchill Reporting) makes a compelling case for the Allies’ naval engagements to be better understood in order to gain a greater perspective of the war. In this latest work, the author provides a vivid and detailed analysis of the most significant events of the surface campaigns between the British and German fleets from 1940 to 1944 ... His narration [...] make[s] for fascinating reading. The fast-paced narrative draws on a solid foundation of primary sources ... Though accessible, the prose is sometimes bogged down in excessive details that seek to provide a full accounting of the war ... Overall, an engaging history recommended for all U.S. history and World War II collections.
James Carl Nelson
PositiveLibrary JournalWhile his narration of the movement of York’s unit, and the wider strategy of the American Expeditionary Forces, are sometimes ponderous, his reconstruction of the details of the \'York Patrol,\' and how the York legend developed are solidly done. However, Nelson’s work is marred by an overuse of colloquialisms ... In addition, Nelson does not take advantage of recent World War I historiography. It would have been beneficial if Nelson explained why German soldiers were more willing to surrender by the fall of 1918 ... A flawed work that will probably best suit World War I completists.
Peter Ross Range
MixedLibrary JournalThe author is particularly adept at describing the byzantine plot twists of Weimar politics that first brought Hitler to the point of political oblivion by 1928 ... The depiction of the self-destruction of German democracy makes for sober reading. Range does not break any new historical ground, and periodically he makes broad assertions that, though attention-grabbing, are of questionable historical value. For example, it is unlikely that many historians would accept the assertion that the Nazi party was a \'smoothly running political machine\' ... Despite a few missteps, Range exhibits a deft hand at keeping track of the multiple plot lines of German politics. This will be of interest to readers of his previous book and those looking for more insight into the beginnings of Hitler’s rise to power.
Helmut Walser Smith
PositiveLibrary JournalSmith rejects the notion that German history is the story of militant nationalism marching toward genocide, and instead focuses on cartographers intellectuals who, prior to 1918, often described the landscape and ethnography of Germany in pacifistic terms. This new perspective on German history should be welcomed by all libraries.
Debbie Cenziper
PositiveLibrary Journal...Cenziper provid[es] fascinating insight into the personalities, motivations, and procedures of the OSI prosecutors who successfully exposed (after some missteps) men such as John Demjanjuk and Reimer. The accounts of Lucyna and Felix, whose families were murdered by alumni of the Trawniki training camp, are told with a great deal of empathy, but unfortunately, these two main threads never manage to meet in the book.
Brendan Simms
MixedLibrary JournalThe argument feels forced at times, yet Simms points to some important correctives in our study of Hitler\'s ideology ... A new perspective on a figure whose actions continue to have a profound and lasting impact on world history.
