In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson Reviewed by Teri Davis Being a United States’ Ambassador to Germany obviously is an honor with tremendous expectations. Can anyone imagine what it would have... More

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an
American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik
Larson
Reviewed by Teri Davis
Being a United States’ Ambassador to Germany obviously is an honor with
tremendous expectations.
Can anyone imagine what it would have been like
to be in this position prior to World War II just when Adolf Hitler became the
leader of the Nazi party?
William E.
Dodd was an unlikely choice for an ambassador appointed by
President Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
His only qualifications were spending time in
Germany twenty years previously and knowing history, but obviously not
understanding it.
Many wealthy and experienced politicians had turned it down so it was a
surprise for a university professor to accept this.
Dodd started in this position with the idea that
it would allow him time to write his book, Old South.
He had no realistic expectations of his
situation nor how he was perceived by our politicians and the German leaders.

To begin with, Dodd decided to live with Less