In the Garden of Monsters: Love and Terror in Hitler's Berlin

Renowned journalist and author of several bestsellers Erik Larson invites the reader to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s, during a pivotal period in Germany's recent history - from Hitler's appointment as Chancellor to his usurpation of power and the transformation of the country into a "garden of monsters" - a dictatorship actively preparing for war. During this period, the United States maintained a position of non-intervention and preferred to ignore the militarization, persecution of dissenters, and signs of future terror. The main characters of the book are William Dodd, appointed U.S. Ambassador to Berlin in 1933, and his daughter, a socialite who initially admired the Hitler regime. The plot is based on official documents, memoirs, diaries, and letters that reveal the fates of the main characters: diplomats, public figures, journalists, members of the Nazi elite, and ordinary people. Together with the ambassador and his family, the reader journeys from denial of reality to the realization of the evil that the Nazi regime brings, and then to desperate but futile attempts to warn the world of the impending danger.