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nduck1 has commented on (2) products.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

nduck1, January 19, 2012

Magical, suspenseful, philosophic, and dreamlike--I couldn't put this book down (despite it's heft). Besides the intriguing story, the broader questions about life, connections, love, and reality stayed with me long after I finished. A truly remarkable book!

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In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

nduck1, September 15, 2011

I never understood how the world allowed Hitler to gain power and commit such ruthless crimes against humanity. "In the Garden of Beasts" is at once an account of life in 1933 Berlin through the eyes of America's Ambassador, William E. Dodd and his family; yet it also chronicles the chilling, calculated, and ultimately deadly takeover of Germany by the Third Reich. The truth unfolds for the reader--as well as for the ambassador and his family--as a slow recognition of the approaching threat. Through Dodd's diary; his daughter's scintillating account of her many affairs--including the first Gestapo chief; and first-person testimony from victims, increasing uneasiness creeps in as it becomes clear that the unthinkable is actually happening. A page-turner to the end, it is a compelling read and an eye-witness account of how the events actually happened--leading up to most surprising climactic day of horror when Hitler demonstrated his true character. I loved this because it was so well researched and, for me, finally explained how such a dark part of history was allowed to happen.

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