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Summary: I met Martin in 1998 while stationed in Germany
Review: I enjoyed this book thouroughly. When I finished, it left me wondering who Martin really was. I am in the Army, and was recently stationed in Germany. Some friends and I went to Dachau, and the SS shooting range where the Soviet soldiers were executed, and met Martin standing in front of the statue, and he made his speech, just like in the book. While in Germany, I had the opportunity to serve side by side with German soldiers, and met many German civilians, and the past still haunts them. It has been my experience that for the most part, they have come to terms with what happened, and are making sure it doesn't happen again. But it is still difficult for some to deal with the past. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn more about what happened during and after the war, and how the Germans of today are trying to come to grips with history. If the Japanese government would follow Germany's lead and deal with their role in WWII, and not be in such a deep state of denial, they might be able to put the past behind them once and for all.
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Summary: One of the best books I've ever read.
Review: I have just finished reading this book and all I can say is that it should be mandatory reading for anyone who has any interest in The Holocaust. This narrative offers a fresh perspective on the horrors of the time and the ugly scar it left on history. Rarely does one find a non-fiction book as absorbing as this one.
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Summary: The best non-fiction book of the year!
Review: I highly recommend this book to any reader out there. Although the intriguing character of Martin Zaidenstadt is the locus of this book, the people of the town of Dachau are really its subject. Zaidenstadt is a fascinating character study, but Ryback's non-judgmental portrait of the town, related through his interviews with various townfolk, is truly fascinating. To see the ambivalence and anger in these people today is a testament to the power of a horrible shared history. I think this would be a great book to teach to young people because it raises difficult questions about responsibility, history, identity, and truth. Read it.
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Summary: The best non-fiction book of the year!
Review: I highly recommend this book to any reader out there. Although the intriguing character of Martin Zaidenstadt is the locus of this book, the people of the town of Dachau are really its subject. Zaidenstadt is a fascinating character study, but Ryback's non-judgmental portrait of the town, related through his interviews with various townfolk, is truly fascinating. To see the ambivalence and anger in these people today is a testament to the power of a horrible shared history. I think this would be a great book to teach to young people because it raises difficult questions about responsibility, history, identity, and truth. Read it.
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Summary: Really a ten star book!
Review: I spent half a year in Bavaria during the mid sixties and alas what I got out of this book is that not much has changed. Denial marches on.What the people of Dachau have to come to terms with is that they were part of and are now custodians of history. That men can do these things to each other has to be confronted. Otherwise it will go on -- whether it is in East Timor or Waco.The sign in the camp saying that the gas chamber was never used was there in the 1960's. At the time I thought it was an insult to my intelligence. Martin Zaidenstadt has confirmed my view that this monstrosity would never have been built without a purpose.My thanks go Timothy Ryback for putting together a signifcant book.
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Summary: This book was partially published in The New Yorker.
Review: I think that the essence of the story was summarized in the above chapter. The book seemed to drag, perhaps because it was written over a period of 8 years. Other than the central character, nothing new was added to my understanding of the limbo in which Germans live with their country's past. Although the book is well crafted, I expected something deeper from the writer.
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Summary: Really a ten star book!
Review: I visited Dachau Concentration camp in May 1994. While at the crematorium site, I saw this old man talking in German with an older couple. I knew instantly that this man must had been a survivor because of the passion in which he spoke and pointed things around the camp. I did followed them for a while and then, overwhelmed by the whole experience, I walked away.Five years later Mr. Ryback have answered for me who that man was; Martin Zaidenstadt. In what I consider the best book I have read this year (and possibly one of the year's best), Mr. Ryback presents a compelling journalistic account of the everyday existence of Mr. Zaidenstadt, and while doing so, he takes you on a rollercoaster ride as he explores the varied attitudes of present day Dachausers towards the camp and the associated infamous past. Amazing writing, I could not put this book down. The best thing about this book is the respect Mr. Ryback shows to his readers when he does not passes judgement or reaches conclusions, but rather allows the reader to make his/her own. Mr. Ryback raises the high mark of excellence in journalistic writing. I am looking forward to more of his work.
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