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Book Review of In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
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1933 Germany was the beginning of Hitler's brutal reign in Germany. Things were beginning to look grim in Germany, but the rest of the world was mostly unaware of events happening or simply chose to ignore it and hope it would get better. William Dodd became the U.S. ambassador to Germany that year and was thrust into a tense and very difficult situation. His family joined him during his stint in Germany. Daughter Martha was initially enamored by what she saw in Berlin, but became more disillusioned as she began to witness what was truly happening. Dodd himself was initially optimistic that he could help keep the peace diplomatically, but everything drastically changed during the Night of the Long Knives. This book is a fascinating look at how the world failed to recognize and act against this horrifying dictator.