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

by Erik Larson

*** 3/5

This is an interesting account of the US ambassador to Germany during the rise of the Third Reich. I read this book because I am interested in this period but in general I am not a fan of the author. Ambassador Dodd experiences a frustrating time in his embassy but his thwarted in his attempts to communicate the coming danger of the Hilter era. He was harshly treated by the state department and made a series of mis-steps that created challenges through the course of his service. The book does a good job of painting a picture of pre-war Berlin and the culture of the time.