In the Garden of Beasts

ΓÇ£Larson is a marvelous writer…superb at creating characters with a few short strokes.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöNew York Times Book Review Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction,and in his new bookthe bestselling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a remarkable story set during HitlerΓÇÖs rise to power. The time is 1933the placeBerlinwhen William E. Dodd becomes AmericaΓÇÖs first ambassador to HitlerΓÇÖs Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from ChicagoDodd brings along his wifesonand flamboyant daughterMartha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pompand the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the ΓÇ£New GermanyΓÇ¥ she has one affair after anotherincluding with the suprisingly honorable first chief of the GestapoRudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mountsconfirmed by chilling first-person testimonyher father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attackedthe press is censoredand drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepenthe Dodds experience days full of excitementintrigueromanceΓÇöand ultimatelyhorrorwhen a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals HitlerΓÇÖs true character and ruthless ambition. Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the periodand with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre G├╢ring and the expectedly charming–yet wholly sinister–GoebbelsIn the Garden of Beasts lends a stunningeyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real timerevealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzlingaddictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlinand Europewere awash in blood and terror.