SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

Linda’s Libraryby Linda WancelAs an avid reader and book lover, I have foundthat many other Scrabblers also share mypassion for books and for reading. So, I amhappy to have this opportunity to share some ofmy favorite books with you. These reviews, forthe most part, were written for Amazon.com,where I have been writing reviews under apseudonym for nearly ten years. I hope that thebook lovers among you may find their interestpiqued by some of these books.Non-fiction:Auschwitz: A New Historyby Laurence ReesL I N D A ’ S L I B R A R YThe author attempts to answer that question andsucceeds in doing so brilliantly. This is a verywell written book that will appeal to those whoare interested in the general human condition, aswell as those interested in the holocaust itself. Itis scholarly, yet, at the same time, immenselyreadable. This is because the author has put avery human face on the dreaded death camp ofAuschwitz. The stories and experiences of morethan a hundred people are integrated throughoutthe narrative, which delves into the historicalbackdrop of the Nazi political machinery and itsleadership. Survivors of Auschwitz, as well asNazi perpetrators, tell of their experiences in thehell that was known as Auschwitz, and they tell itfrom their own unique perspectives. Thesymbiosis that often existed between prisonerand prison guard is quite unsettling, as are theattendant moral and ethical issues.When one thinks of the labor and death campsinstituted by the Nazis during World War II, thenotorious concentration camp at Auschwitzcomes immediately to mind. One cannot help butwonder what kind of mind set would devise suchan infamy. How could Germany, a nation thatwas noted for its richness of culture, havedevised a plan of genocide that was so farreachingand so inherently evil?The author attempts to help the readerunderstand how it was that the "final solution"came about. It is an unsentimental, intellectuallyobjective, critical analysis of one of the mostinfamous episodes in modern history andwarfare. The author carefully delineates how theNazis developed their reprehensible strategy forglobal genocide, and how it came about beingimplemented. The creation of Auschwitz wascrucial to Nazi Germanys' desire to rid itself ofEurope's Jewish population; however, that desiremay not have been entirely ideologically driven.From his extensive research, the authorpostulates that there may have been a practical,more pragmatic component that dictated theactions of the Nazis in the final, waning days ofWorld War II that was no less immoral than theideological one.This is simply a stunning and authoritative bookby an author whose expertise in this area isundeniable. It is a comprehensive and insightfullook at one of the most notorious death camps inthe history of Nazi Germany. The author carefullyexplains the rise and fall of Auschwitz within thecontext of the Nazi mentality and ideology, as34