The Book Thieves
“While the Nazi party was being condemned by much of the world for burning books, they were already hard at work perpetrating an even greater literary crime. Through extensive new research that included records saved by the Monuments Men themselves—Anders Rydell tells the untold story of Nazi book theft, as he himself joins the effort to return the stolen books. When the Nazi soldiers ransacked Europe’s libraries and bookshops, large and small, the books they stole were not burned. Instead, the Nazis began to compile a library of their own that they could use to wage an intellectual war on literature and history. In this secret war, the libraries of Jews, Communists, Liberal politicians, LGBT activists, Catholics, Freemasons, and many other opposition groups were appropriated for Nazi research, and used as an intellectual weapon against their owners. But when the war was over, most of the books were never returned. Instead many found their way into the public library system, where they remain to this day.“
I usually get through a book pretty quickly, unless I am studying it and just breathing it in, as with this book. First of all, I just want to say that if I could speak the languages needed, and lived nearby, I would totally dedicate my life to the searching and sorting of the books that were STOLEN by the Nazis and get them back to a family member of the rightful owner of the book. Books to me are life. The sheer torture of destroying and stealing the books is almost too much to take in. The fact that people are working on trying to resolve this makes my heart smile.
The amount of history about the plundering of books, the Nazi involvement, what the world was like at the time, and each persons part of this tragedy described in this book is just phenomenal. It’s a gift of a history lesson. ( I LOVE history) Like an extremely delicious meal that never ends. I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through this book. Although at times I was reading through tears at the sheer horror of it all. The vast amount of evil on so many levels…..it’s hard to take that in without stopping for a second. This is an absolute necessary read. I believe this part of history needs to be taught in every literature class in high school.
I once read a quote that said “books are so much a part of me, I don’t know where I start and they end”. It is exactly how I feel about some of my very favorite books. I have passed these books to my children, grandson and kids I mentor. Imagining them being stolen or burned and have that privilege taken from me is unimaginable. I have my grandmas copy of Gone With The Wind. Although not my favorite, it was hers, she wrote in it, in high school! It is one of my most prized possessions. These opportunities all stolen away from people, many people and their cultures, religions, etc. Reprehensible.
I am known for saving books, rescuing books, giving books. I tell people all the time, “We DO NOT throw away books, I will find a use and a home for them!!!” Reading this book gave me so much encouragement to keep up this fight. It also made me realize how many people have no idea these atrocities even occurred and how we need to speak up and out.
I love books, words and history. This book covered it all and so much more.
Never again. Never forget.
Peace.
