"address Unknown"

[xstitcher]

Has anybody read the book Address Unknown" by Kressmann Taylor? It is one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read.

[Georgiesmum]

No. What is it about?

[RATTER15]

I'm not sure!

[xstitcher]

What did it mean to be Jewish in the late 1930's in Nazi Germany? How powerful was Hitler's fascist brainwashing of the German race? How quickly did he influence the German people ?
In an instant this book answers these questions and a great deal more regarding the Jews and Nazi Germany. It is a concise and compelling compilation of letters between a Jew in the States and a German returned from the States to live in Germany.
Martin, the German, after voicing initial hesitation, succumbs to the temptation of following Hitler and rejecting his Jewish friend and business partner in the process.
What is particularly disturbing is that it is clear from the outset that he is an intelligent, open-minded and well-educated individual. If even he is totally taken in by Hitler and his regime, what chance did those of a lesser education and a lesser quality of life have in the face of Hitler and his positive promises for the future ? They would have been swept along by his current of hope in an instant, even if that hope involved the elimination of minorities in the process.
Only much later could the majority of Germans step back and realise the true implications of the Hitler regime. 'Address Unknown' captures this and much more in an exchange of but a few letters. The simplicitiy of the work emphasises the horrors of Hitler.
It's no more than a two hour read but you will wonder why you have never heard of it before. I can highly recommend it.

[Georgiesmum]

Thanks for that xstitcher.x

[xstitcher]

This can be bought on the Amazon Marketplace for £0.01. I've read it several times and given it to my children.

[Canary42]

For a more comprehensive non-fiction account I recommend the Klemperer Diaries.

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

It is however a considerable longer read.

[xstitcher]

Thanks for this Canary. I just ordered the first one.

[DTCwordfan]

For kids, 7 to 11, the Silver Sword is a good yarn about Jewish kids escaping Germany...Ian Serraillier is the author.

[xstitcher]

My "children" are all in their 40's.