"Aftermath" gives us a fascinating look at German life following the end of World War II. I've always wondered what happened when people looked out over the total destruction of their cities, the millions dead, the ignominious end of the Fascist state so many had embraced. Jahner's answer--they got to work, cleared the rubble, and tried to create a kind of local government. Women, disgusted at what the toxic masculinity of Nazism had wrought, were ready for a different future. What people didn't seem to do is wonder about the millions of missing Jews, worry about the fate of so many displaced persons with no countries to return to. They would become angry at the DPs, saying that most of the available food was being given to them while civilians starved. Jahner points out that DPS did get more calories than civilians because they were in such poor condition after years of slave labor.

You do see people celebrating their survival with dances in anyplace not littered with chunks of broken buildings, music, plays. Women took up important roles during this time, and Jahner's description of the change in male/female relationships when men returned from the East makes for powerful reading.

The structure of "Aftermath" is awkward, but the writing is strong. This is an important book for anyone interested in the years following the war.