Nazi Germany and the Jews, Volume 1

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A superb achievement of weaving history with memory - Rated
The history of Nazi Germany and the Jews has never been told before in such a convincing fashion. Friedlander's knowledge of West European history and culture is second to none, a fact which enabled him to write, for the first time, a "total" history of the crucial, but often neglected years prior to the War. Like a master artist, the author weaves the history with the memories, the voices of the victims with those of the perpetrators, the every day lived experiences with high politics. While rich in telling details, Friedlander makes sure that we never lose sight of the larger picture; of the abnormality in the midst of seemingly normal existence.

Professor Friedlander's interpretation of Nazism is highly nuanced and therefore convincing. He sucessfully avoids two common pitfalls: to write this history "backward" and construct its narrative in "black and white." His life-long dedication not only to the study of Nazism, but also to the problems of its historical represntation are clearly obvious in the innovative manner with which he approaches the subject. In his distinctively understated style he is both highly evocative and extremely analytical.

With the second volume, which is due to follow, we will have gained a comprehensive understanding of Nazi Germany and the fate of the European Jews, written by a historian, who is a thinker, who is a master story teller.