Book review: “Hitler: Ascent” by Volker Ullrich

A political outsider with a mass following comes to the top post in the nation at the invitation of an embattled party wanting to ride on his popular appeal. They are convinced they can control him, but woefully miscalculate. Sound familiar? I picked up Volker Ullrich's recent biography of Adolf Hitler, wanting to understand all the details that led to the fall of Weimar Germany's democracy. In this first volume of a three-part biography, Ullrich covers Hitler's beginnings as transient artist to political agitator to chancellor of Germany.

November 21, 2020 0

Book review: “The Banality of Evil”

"I was just following orders." "I personally don't hate Jews." "What was I supposed to do?" All of these were justifications put forth by Adolf Eichmann for his role in the death of millions of Jews in Nazi Germany. The moral of the story: each individual is responsible for their own actions.

November 21, 2019 1

Book review: “Berlin” by Jason Lutes

Increasing political polarization, politicians that don't listen, and violence in the streets? Described as "devastatingly relevant", Berlin is a fantastic piece, and there are more than a few elements that seem eerily familiar to the present. Cliche comparisons aside, this fantastic piece in the genre of the graphic novel captures not just the events but the feel of living in 1920s Germany.

August 24, 2019 0

Book review: “1917” by David Stevenson

Like playing Axis and Allies, but for real. I've always been OBSESSED with WWI/II, and what makes this book really shine is experiencing the war from multiple perspectives, whether it be emperor of Austro-Hungary, or a floundering and short-lived democratic Soviet Union.

April 16, 2019 0

Book review: “The Pity of It All: A History of Jews in Germany, 1743-1933”

The Pity of It All by Amos Elon is my most recent delve into German history through the eyes of German Jews. I have encountered many of the characters in the dramatis personae before: Moses Mendelssohn figured prominently as one of the great rationalists in The Age of Reason: From Kant to Fichte. Hannah Arendt,... Continue Reading →

October 19, 2018 1

My mission president changed my life and other obvious musings

I was called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Germany Hamburg mission. I can already tell that I am most likely going to overwhelm my readership with Mormon-esque lingo, but I'm going to do my darnedest to explain myself. Young men and women members of the... Continue Reading →

August 18, 2018 0

The Politics of Cultural Despair

I forget exactly where this book popped up initially-- but I assume it was a Goodreads recommendation based on some of the politically oriented books or German history books I've been into as of late. Here's the Goodreads blurb: This is a study in the pathology of cultural criticism. By analyzing the thought and influence... Continue Reading →

August 6, 2018 3

When Fuβball gets real: Experiencing the World Cup in Germany

With the world cup upon us, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the first time I really got excited about the soccer when I was in Germany back during the 2010 games in South Africa. At the time, I was still serving in my first assigned area, the beautiful city of Münster.... Continue Reading →

June 22, 2018 0

Husky pride: Book review of “Boys in the Boat”

We got our Husky pride on this month for our lab book club and tackled the inspiring story of the 1936 University of Washington Olympic rowing team in Berlin. I had heard of previously-- I doubt you can attend UW and not hear about it (the UW library alone has 6 copies of it.... Continue Reading →

May 1, 2018 0

Pre-war Berlin in “Before the Deluge” by Otto Friedrich

The Goodreads algorithm that predicts books that you might like is getting to know me exceptionally well. I used to ignore the recommendations that Goodreads made for me, because they seemed totally off. But increasingly, I find that I check out the book summary, and it is entirely up my alley. Dang. Kudos to you,... Continue Reading →

March 8, 2018 1

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