Last year I read “Devil in the White City,” which is a fascinating historical account of the World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1893 and the serial killer who was using that venue to stalk and kill his victims. So when I was trying to find a good non fiction book to take on vacation, Erik Larson was my first thought.  In the Garden of Beasts: Love Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin,  is the about the William E Dodd, who was the US Ambassador to Germany from 1933-38 , and who along with his family witnessed Hitler’s rise to power.

William Dodd was probably the most undiplomatic diplomat of his time. He was a scholar, a professor at the University of Chicago, who had no family wealth or any particular political connections, which at the time was almost a prerequisite for a diplomat.  He did, however, seek a diplomatic post, not so he could influence policy or to achieve some measure of fame, but rather because Dodd thought that a position like that would finally give him the uninterrupted time he needed to complete his book on the history of the American South- time that his duties a a professor never gave him!  As unlikely a motivation as this was, it seems even more unlikely that he would end up with an appointment to Germany. But few people wanted the posting to Berlin and in the end Roosevelt, under pressure to appoint someone, appointed Dodd, despite the grave reservations within the State Department about his abilities. Dodd gratefully accepted and persuaded his two adult children to go with them to Berlin so they could enjoy a few more years together as a family.

The Dodd family arrived in Berlin in 1933 and moved into a home right across the square from the Garden of the Beasts, or zoo in Berlin (hence the title,) and which was also just a few doors away from Nazi party offices.  The political climate in Germany at the time was very unstable, with Hitler still trying to consolidate his power after winning the recent elections. Ambassador Dodd quickly comes to see that it is not always clear what is happening, or whose version of events you can believe or trust within the German government.  However his daughter Martha, quickly takes to the social scene of Berlin and becomes quite enamored with the “New Germany” the Nazi’s were trying to create. For Martha, who was getting divorced and who had many luminary friends in Chicago, the heady and lively social scene in Berlin was intoxicating and soon she was scandalizing the Embassy personnel and State Department with her affairs and behavior.

It is hard to imagine why anyone would believe in the Nazi’s given what we know now, but I found it quite fascinating that even among the Jewish community in the US there were widely differing views on what was the proper response to the Nazi’s rise to power. Certainly, Dodd never quite believes the Nazi’s excuses or their claims of non aggression, but even as he tries to warn the US that things are not as they seem, his admonishments fall on deaf ears and the various pro and anti German factions within the US create a climate of inaction.  

Martha, slowly becomes aware of the lethal terror that is emerging in this “New Germany,” that she is so attracted to.  Incidents of people being beaten because they do not do the “Heil Hitler” salute, or her lover having to flee Germany when he becomes a pawn in the struggle for Nazi power slowly opens Martha”s eyes to the reality around her. 

Erik Larson does a great job in making history come alive. He uses diaries, journals and personal letters and other resources, from the Dodd family and other first hand accounts, which gives this book such a personal and intimate feel.  He is also able to convey the Dodd’s loss of innocence and then their shocking confrontation with the growing evil right outside their doorstep that the Dodd’s experienced as they lived in the Garden of Beasts.

Brenda’ Rating: ****1/2 Stars ( 41/2 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend This Book To: Keith, Ken and Sharon

Book Study Worthy: Yes

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