In this book, we learn of the changes in early 1930s Germany after Hitler came into power - as
experienced through the Dodd family. We meet German Ambassador Dodd, his wife, his
adult daughter and his son. Daughter Martha, age 24, kept a diary, accounts of which were
published in her memoir Through Embassy Eyes (available as an inter-library loan
through mel.org).
Quoting from the book's prelude, the opening paragraph, the stage is set:
"Once, at the dawn of a very dark time, an American father and daughter found
themselves suddenly transported from their snug home in Chicago to the heart
of Hitler's Berlin. They remained there for four and a half years, but it is their first
year that is the subject of the story to follow, for it coincided with Hitler's ascent
from chancellor to absolute tyrant, when everything hung in the balance and nothing
was certain. That first year formed a kind of prologue in which all the themes of the
greater epic of war and murder soon to come were laid down."
Appointed because of his academic achievements rather than wealth or position, Dodd was
regarded as "rather stuffy and a bit of a party-pooper." In contrast, Dodd's vivacious, flirtatious daughter Martha led a very active social life. Her biographer described her as:
"Nazism meant good-looking , tall, blond men to her and she liked what she saw. She
went out on the town every night, flirting, drinking and dancing, mostly with young
men who happened to be Nazis."
We are presented with an eyewitness account of pre-World War II, life in Berlin, Germany.
Why didn't we recognize the threat that Hitler posed to the world? What happened?
Come join our discussion on Thursday, December 7th at 10 AM...