Nora Krug

Started yesterday, finished this morning: this is the first adult picture book I've wanted to read, and as anticipated, I couldn't put it down.

I suppose you could shelve this in some rather specific way. The 'my grandparents were Nazis' memoir shelf. Or the 'ordinary people in the period 1930-1950 in Nazi Germany' shelf. For me, I'd put it under 'everybody should read this'. It asks all the questions, without coming up with any answers. But keeping those questions on the tip of our show more collective tongue is vital to stopping such horror in the future. We need an autistic attitude, we have to feel that these things have just happened, and could happen any moment again. I do believe that the reason we are seeing the resurgence of the extreme right now is at least partly because our memory is slipping, too many feel like it's a past that isn't connected to the present. But it is. By blood, by education, by culture, by belief, by greed and by all the bad features of being a human which are after all, the reason why we created society in the first place. To try to hold them in check.

Thank you Nora Krug, for your search for answers. It is your contribution to our never ending discussion about the meaning of life. show less

Started yesterday, finished this morning: this is the first adult picture book I've wanted to read, and as anticipated, I couldn't put it down.

I suppose you could shelve this in some rather specific way. The 'my grandparents were Nazis' memoir shelf. Or the 'ordinary people in the period 1930-1950 in Nazi Germany' shelf. For me, I'd put it under 'everybody should read this'. It asks all the questions, without coming up with any answers. But keeping those questions on the tip of our show more collective tongue is vital to stopping such horror in the future. We need an autistic attitude, we have to feel that these things have just happened, and could happen any moment again. I do believe that the reason we are seeing the resurgence of the extreme right now is at least partly because our memory is slipping, too many feel like it's a past that isn't connected to the present. But it is. By blood, by education, by culture, by belief, by greed and by all the bad features of being a human which are after all, the reason why we created society in the first place. To try to hold them in check.

Thank you Nora Krug, for your search for answers. It is your contribution to our never ending discussion about the meaning of life. show less

I would give this book ALL the stars, but Goodreads restricts me to 5 so this book is 5 stars with a hidden zillion stars.

There are only 2 types of books about the Holocaust/WW2 published in English: heroic British/American/non-Brit Europeans (in that order) fighting evil Nazis, or tales of suffering Jews. These books can be non-fiction or fiction but only these two types of narratives are allowed. And now, finally, something else. Something new. And this something else is not just new, but show more it is real and honest and sad and hopeful.

Highly, highly recommend. show less

This is an incredible and very timely book, something everyone should read. Right now. Not only for the knowledge it shares and historical repetition it points out, but even the historical repetition it is actively doing itself.

"Snyder follows Victor Klemperer in observing that truth dies in four modes: 1) open hostility to verifiable reality; 2) shamanistic incantation, 3) magical thinking, 4) misplaced faith."

It is bizarre to be on the opposite side of the culture war and see someone show more describe your side the same way you see theirs, even as they actively do what they accuse you of.

How can someone with so much knowledge of the fascist, totalitarian playbooks be so unaware of the fascism they perpetuate, the fascism they wholeheartedly support and believe in?

I suppose all we can do is our best to operate morally, truthfully and without blind faith, and pray that by the end of it we still would have acted the same. Act as authentically and with as much awareness as you are able and pray you don't end up a good little Nazi who only thinks they're doing the right thing. show less