Berlin 1936

I was granted my wish by the publisher to read and review this book from Net Galley. I am an avid reader of WWII books, and had read another book covering the Olympics in 1936, it was awesome. So I had expected this book to cover the Olympic events, that was not so.
The best way to describe this book is a “medley”. It is a medley of many, many people, their lives, situations, and activities leading up to and during the 16 day event of the 1936 Olympics. It does cover a few of the events such as Jesse Owens and his interactions with fellow Olympians, but for the most part, this book is a journal of historical events happening to the members of the Third Reich administration, the journalist Thomas Clayton Wolfe, the movement of Jews before the Olympics started, the daily weather report for each day, the police highlights for the day and other people who attended the Olympic festivities. It also covers our USA delegates who went to Berlin before the games to investigate the participation and treatment of Jews, of which I was rather appalled at their attitude and opinions.
This book is hard to keep track of the names of the people involved. BUT, it is chocked full of true stories of multiple different people in multiple different professions and covers the extravagant social events that took place during this 16 day period. The best part was the ending, the author tidied up the entire book by going back and telling us what was the outcome of the people he touched on during the story. It wrapped the book up so nicely. I am giving this book 5 stars because I learned so much from it, it wasn’t what I had expected, but I almost consider it was better. This book clearly shows the lull before the horrific storm to follow and the extreme measures taken to deceive and cover up horrendous acts.

Superb. A quick and easy read that chronologically covers the progress of the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. We view each day through the eyes of a diverse cast of characters: politicians, senior Nazis, nightclub owners, Jesse Owens, displaced Roma citizens, Jewish citizens etc. It works brilliantly. The Nazis skilled PR exercise convinces many that their intentions are benign, whilst secret memos, nascent concentration camps, and the already visible anti-semitism, all tell a very different story.

Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August is a mere 270 pages, and manages to tell a powerful story, and evoke the terrifying rise of Nazism, very succinctly and accessibly. I can't praise it highly enough and feel sure that it would appeal to the casual reader and the informed historian alike.

The tantalising glimpses of some characters, for example Thomas Wolfe and Leon Henri Dajou, leave me eager to find out more about their lives. I will most certainly be reading I Have a Thing to Tell You by Thomas Wolfe.

I read Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August quite quickly. I will certainly be revisiting it again, this time reading it more slowly and carefully.

5/5