Wednesday 31 July 2013

A cupboard full of coats - Yvette Edwards

Despite a diverse cast Yvette Edwards manages to nail the characters perfectly.

We meet Jinx firstly with her own child and learn of the difficulties in that relationship. We then hear her story from child to adult. Along the way a family friend, Lemon, is by her side.
As a 3 year old Jinx becomes a part of a single parent family when her father dies, leaving her the only object of attention for her mother. When Jinx is 10 her mother meets Berris and he quickly joins the family unit.
He's arrogant, vain and along with those traits, as is common, he's jealous and insecure.
Jealous and insecurity are new emotions to Jinx and she takes a while recognising them. Parallel to jealousy quite often goes deviousness and hiding things from children is an art form.
When her mother dies Jinx is left damaged by the experience, convinced that it was her fault and there is a lasting effect on the relationship with her own child later in life.
The book is gently written but that doesn't stop it exploring the subject of domestic abuse with all it's complexities, it's slow burn from minor control to violence.
A very well thought out book which is a voyage of discovery, Montserratian cookery, 80's style, domestic abuse and friendship.
Recommended - Man Booker Longlist 2011
Publisher - Oneworld
#bookreview by +karentaylor

Kings of the Earth - Jon Clinch

Three brothers who have been managing on their own in a very rough farm environment are the main
characters in the story.
They're the ones nobody wanted to be next to in the playground and the ones with the most space around them in a restaurant.
One has managed to do national service and one is what we would now term 'special needs'.
Despite their undesirability the local community cares for them in an unobtrusive manner.
When one brother is found dead in the bed the share it's a surprise in the town that another brother is considered as a suspect for killing his brother.
It's a great picture of the environment but it's written in a very jumpy manner going between people and times in very short bursts.
Add to that the fact that you get to the end of the book without the answers to some of the questions and this becomes a strange book. Worth a read for its descriptive skills but if you like a beginning, middle and neat ending then it's probably not for you.

Publisher - Random House
#bookreview by +karentaylor

Monday 29 July 2013

Ghost Milk - Iain Sinclair

I admit I like the east end of London. I'm also unimpressed by the olympic village and it's demise.
This helps when reading the book as Sinclair has clearly heavily researched the creation of the village and it's impact then and now on local amenities, environment and business.
However as he says in the book his previous book 'Hackney, that Rose Red Empire' sold mainly due to a great cover and to lovers of the east end.
That doesn't stop this one being reminiscent of a very long diatribe.
It has some useful insightful moments but they're few and far between for a book of 400+ pages.
To be fair it's not only about London, Sinclair does travel and introduces us to other cities trying to recover themselves from disruption.
I have a feeling I'd have enjoyed this is far fewer pages.
Off now to my relatives. In Wanstead.

Publisher - Hamish Hamilton

Sunday 28 July 2013

The Curiosity - Stephen Kiernan

This has got to be one of the most enjoyable books I've read in quite a while.
With a proponent who is one of my favourites, Chris Bohjalian, it's one that had to be read.
Taking a subject where ethics can be argued is usually tricky but in this case Kiernan doesn't try to come down on either side and leaves the reader simply to enjoy.
Dr Kate Philo is part of a team searching for a particular type of iceberg and a particular type of ice to try and find frozen life within it.
With krill already reanimated the team is hoping for a slightly bigger catch this time. What they get is a human.
Back to base and it's time for the very varied team of scientists and computer technicians to get to work carefully trying to prove their theories on a larger subject.
It's a great opportunity for publicity for the institution and, if lucky, additional funding. Currently funded by private investors the use of public money is about the only argument they don't have to protest. The head of the institution Mr Carthage is so up himself he even talks about himself as second person. He inspires dislike, disgust, amusement and despair in his staff and gradually becomes more of a blunderer.
As the human is brought back to existence life becomes more interesting. Not only is he alive he's clever as well. He's curious and along the way there are a few observations that show life back then has not necessarily been improved upon.
As the human is awoken Dr Philo is charged with the responsibility of caregiver, educator, a role she embraces.
Life's not so simple though when there's male and female involved.
Entertaining, funny, sad, thought provoking. Drip feeds you the ending as you read through. If this author attains a diverse list he will be one to watch.
Great read.

Publisher - John Murray

She Rises - Kate Worsley

Local and good.

Kate Worsley has based her book in the coastal town of Harwich, it's surrounding villages and on travels on
a merchant ship.
It's not as simple as a naval story, focussing on the life of the main character, Lou. Initially she's a maid in a grand(er) house but is moved to be a lady's companion in Harwich to a much loved daughter.
It's a great eye-opener for her as she struggles to attend her lady's every wish. Although she's aware of the mistress' self-absorption she's still in awe of her.
While she's in Harwich it's an opportunity to search for her brother and father, both at sea, possibly by being 'pressed' into service.
There's something in this book from just about every social strata, high society down to revelling bordellos.
It is very cleverly presented with the story flipping between Lou and her brother as they continue in their roles. His story is told as he is on board ship having been pressed. He finds himself the subject of attention due to his young age and the length of time the sailors are asea.
However the book is far trickier than this but to say any more of their lives would give away the sheer pleasure of the complexity in this well researched, highly atmospheric book.

Very unusual. Also a very stylish physical book, up there in the challenge to keep readers buying paper.

Publisher - Bloomsbury

Lambeth Country Show 2013

Enviable diversity attended by around 150,000 peaceful people. Totally surreal camel racing in Brixton.
KISS ideas floating around everywhere.
Hopefully my local festival will steal some of them.

Right-borrow a lorry and show cycles whether they can be seen.












Community consultation?
Take it to the people, don't expect them to turn up at a village hall at 7.30pm on a Thursday night when Eastenders is just starting.







Choose a theme for your vegetables.....













or be really, really neat about them....










Get an eagle and some camels....


make sure everyone knows what's where with clear signage...









and party on!

Thank you Lambeth Council, will be back next year

The heaven tree - Edith Pargeter


 

 
Since I loved Pillars of the Earth I thought I'd have a read of an earlier cathedral building book.The downside of a 1993 edition is that we appeared to be much more paper conscious so the print is dense and the book is small.
The upside of a 1993 edition is that we appeared to be much more paper conscious!
In the reign of King John I the class structure included serfs and lords of the manor with jurisdiction over them. Punishment could be swift, effective and cruel.
With all of the social awareness of Robin Hood helping the poor the hero of the book quickly gets himself into trouble with the local lord defying current rules.
A rather unlikely escape from the area sees the two main characters overseas plying their trade as masons.
Excellent descriptions of design techniques and workmanship throughout the book makes it a very atmospheric read even 20 years after first publication.

Publisher - Warner books

Monday 22 July 2013

Requiem - Lauren Oliver

The final book in the Delirium trilogy.
As escapees from a regime which operates on teenagers to remove the erratic 'love' gland-the cause of strife and war down the ages - Alex & Lena join forces with other escapees. Outside of the city there is no easy availability of food and shelter and survival is not definite.
Inside the city is no guarantee either, a class system is still evident and there are rumbles of overall social discontent.
As a young adult book this is an excellent read. It's not really a stand alone, so much of it relates back to the previous two without explanation.
A very good series to get teenagers interested in reading.
Recommended.

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Sunday 21 July 2013

Whitecross Street Party


Flier by Wreckage International
July 20th and 21st 2013

There's a Festival of Neighbourhood on the South Bank at the moment, there's also a little tiff about some skateboarding facility.

The true Festival of Neighbourhood this weekend was in Islington.

An amazing street party with a real community vibe organised by St Luke's Trust
Lots of community literature on offer covering things like teaching
people how to cook cheaply, to EC1 Men's shed, a targeted job finding service, music for youths including "Suspicious B" on the decks and a great welcome to the street in the form of this local band.....and they are good.
A few photos to try and get across the atmosphere and at the very bottom a succinct history of the street itself.
Welcome just outside the school at the very entrance to the festival, gotta love the top hat flourish.





Up and dancing came into it.......














Despite the serious concentration in playing the drums....









A touch of local radio from Bramble FM, with free exercise thrown in for good measure and a colouring book doing the rounds for the adults to colour a page each while they relaxed...

 But this is a festival celebrating art, particularly street art. A taster, and at the bottom the street's origins in concise terms that twitter would be proud of.  





 





Wednesday 17 July 2013

Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

Libby Day's family is mainly murdered around her when she is just 7 years of age. Her remaining sibling,
Ben, is jailed for the murders while she is passed from carer to carer getting more and more unmanageable and draining the compensation money awarded. Only her father doesn't care for her.
We meet her as the money is nearly gone and she receives a proposition from a group of people calling themselves 'Kill Club' and asking her to come along and be a special guest at one of their murder solving conferences.
Without having relived her experience to that point she is surprised and shocked that the group don't pity her and do think that her brother is innocent. She's stuck in a time in her mind when she was the poor innocent and is perturbed that the group see her as the adult she now is.
Encouraged by the group's payments she attempts to contact people around at the time of the crimes digging up old feelings, visiting prisons and travelling across the country to see her father in his very unusual living space. He's only interested in her for the mmoney he thinks she still has.
As we learn of her story we're also privy to the group's ideas about other crimes that they are interested in, both those the police know about and those that the group think that they have uncovered without anyone else being aware of them.
With two time spans running parallel this is an excellent crime thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Publisher - Phoenix Books

Tuesday 16 July 2013

The Untelling - Tayari Jones

Based in deep south America this is the tale of a girl down on her luck but still trying to keep her home
The Untelling - Tayari Jones

together. She works but only earns enough to just about make it work. So no flash clothes and no flash lifestyle and living in an environment you can only try and work your way out of.
She's not got a high opinion of herself and when she gets a boyfriend she really wants to keep hold of him. Whether or not he's a great catch. He's not a bad boy but there's nothing to write home about.
When she thinks she's pregnant it's a secret not to be shared. After a visit to the doctors however it's not as straightforward as pregnancy and she is left with how to deal with another possible life blow.
Written in Tayari Jones' easy style this is a poignant tale dealing with an issue that's rarely spoken about.
Not quite up there with her "Silver Sparrow" but still a good read.

Publisher - Warner Books (now Hachette)

Wombling -Colchester


And because I haven't done it for a while, a little bit of wombling.
And it all adds up to: 5 hats, 1 coat, 1 pair of earmuffs, £2.50, 1 necklace, 1 car park ticket, 1 fake rose and a £25 top man voucher, one tom-tom case, 1 toy.....so far

Crafty Days

It's hot. There's lots of festivals on and the water bottle won't fit in my handbag. Cue the solution.

Half an hour with a needle and cotton and I have this......like it?

Swear Down - Russ Litten

A two attempt book.
First attempt broken by a review that said a man from Hull should not attempt the lingo of a boy from a sink
estate in the East End. Example "wasn't like tiefing out of cars"
But then if authors never attempted to step outside of themselves for fiction we'd have an awful lot of books about middle-aged men from Hull.
So, second attempt. This one partly inspired by an imminent attendance at the Arts Club in Mayfair by the author which I was lucky enough to go to. (organised by Litro)
This time I managed to get completely into the speech.
The book is based on a young boy trying very hard to get away from his environment, working, saving and avoiding gang trouble, drugs, knives and fighting. He meets up with an older man from Hull who seems never to have saved a penny in his life, using it for gambling, drinking and the occasional spliff.
Sometimes he may buy food.
They've both given a statement to the police that they are guilty of murder. The same murder.
Someone has to decide which one of them is the guilty one, so enter Detective Ndekwe.
Ndekwe is the straightest of straight cops much to the irritation of his colleagues who are impatient with his pernicketiness (is that a word?). As far as they're concerned they have two people in front of them, one of whom is a young black boy and therefore he is the guilty one.
Through the book are the statements of the two,long and waffly from the older man who, of course, has a life story to tell...and does.
The innocent nature of the young boy comes across well despite his forays into gang culture when he was a little bit younger, as does the protective nature of the old sot.
Despite the crime featured it's not a run of the mill crime fiction, it has much more dependence on the relationship between the two and this adds magnificently to the tale.
It's an excellent read with an unexpected twist written by a man who has spent a while teaching creative writing in prisons.
At the Arts Club Russ Litten was an entertainment, rather than the bland monotone reading that you occasionally get from authors he threw himself into it and acted out the part brilliantly. I'd be surprised if anybody there who hadn't read the book didn't go away wanting to.
A quick question about his previous book "Scream if you want to go faster" established that it was very different from this one so it looks like he's an author who will keep us entertained with diversity rather than churning out factory crime fiction. I hope so.

Publisher - Tindal Street Press

Sunday 7 July 2013

The Gamal - Ciaran Collins

The first thing to note is the style of writing. It takes some getting used to as you read through and is
buy from your local indie bookseller
interspersed with Gaelic.
The Gamal of the title is a boy who is treated as mentally deficient although his own telling of the story indicates otherwise.
He adores Sinead but she only has eyes for James.
As an attractive young girl Sinead draws attention but doesn't respond, provoking local boys to try and make sure they're noticed.
All the while in the background the Gamal is relating different incidents. Parallel to this are extracts from a court case and diary notes of his visit to the psychiatrist.
The court case is gradually revealed with the resolution not becoming apparent until close to the end.
Very cleverly written even if it takes some determination to get into the swing of it.
Leaves a lasting impression.

Publisher - Bloomsbury Circus

The Fear Index - Robert Harris

Take an intelligent man who is well versed in possibilities and probabilities but less so in social behaviour and
http://www.hive.co.uk/book/the-fear-index/13414945/
add to one man who is gregarious, persuasive and avaricious and you have the formula for a successful investment company. Especially when the geek invents a programme that can predict the market's 'feelings'.
By reading data from various websites and combining it with the knowledge already stored the programme gets more and more efficient.
It gets slightly worrying when it predicts the downturn of an air company just before an air crash.
Fascinating in it's easy read of the stock market the book doesn't quite reach the standards of Enigma as the characters surrounding the idea are not as strong.
At the end you're still left wondering why the geek's wife married him.
There's no strong relationship between the three main characters.
Overall it brings the world of hedge funds to an easy level, the idea of the programme is great but the book as a whole doesn't quite work for me.

Publisher - Hutchinson

The Dinner - Herman Koch

Wow.
If this is the first book translated from the Dutch by this author I'm in the queue for the second.
At a dinner two brothers, one successful, one not, and their wives tiptoe around the big issue of their sons' behaviour.
In the poshest restaurant in town they gradually get aound to discussing the elephant in the room. Or rather the successful brother tells them what's going to happen.
The sons have committed a heinous crime and the fallout is going to be big should it be revealed that they are guilty, impacting greatly on the career of the successful brother.
This is an amazing rollercoaster of a book where you find your reactions to the characters changing constantly ranging from a level of understanding to complete disbelief.
The boys themselves feature intermittently. There are three sons, two biological , one adopted. The subject of nature versus nurture arises but it's really an unnecessary part of the book and fortunately a small discussion.
The whole book is great for provoking conflict in your own mind, just imagine it in a book club setting.

Publisher - Atlantic

Saturday 6 July 2013

Mind the child- Camila Batmanghelidjh

From a marvellous woman a book guaranteed to have at least one fact in it that you didn't already know.
It tells the back stories of several of the children and adults passing through and staying within the care of Kids Company in Camberwell.
Showing horribly the attitudes of the general public to the children and the damage inside the children's heads for a lifetime afterwards.
A very important book which should be read also by councils before deciding budgets.
A book with genuine heart.
Hopefully this has been published both as a part of the Penhuin Underground Lines series and independantly.
Since reading it I have seen a quote from the book carefully painted in enamel paint onto a ceramic tile and affixed discreetly to a wall outside embankment tube station.
Given the number of homeless that have always congregated there I wonder if the tile did originate 
at Kids Company, either directly or indirectly.
Either way I hope lots of people see it.

Publisher - Penguin

Valeria's last stand - Mark Fitten

Described on the back of the book as 'a caustic old woman' Valeria lives up to the description.
But then she decides that a certain man in the village will be hers. No wondering or dreaming about it, just simply 'will'.
Great one liners in the book and some brilliant scenarios as she goes about her mission dismissing the local blowsy barmaid as irrelevant almost.
Well worth a read for a break in routine.

Publisher - Bloomsbury

One million tiny plays about Britain - Craig Taylor

There's not one million :(

 Should I get a refund?
As much as I liked Londoners and it remains in my permanent collection this is not as impressive.
It has a feeling of riding on the back of Londoners.
There's the occasional blast of recognition but nothing really to get your teeth into. But then there wouldn't be, it's tiny plays.
Snippets of life and conversations painting a social portrait this one will probably come into it's own in about 50 years time when it becomes a historical record.
Not for me this time but I'll still try Craig Taylor's next book and see if it's back on track.

Publisher- Bloomsbury

Water Witches - Chris Bohjalian

Why is this prolific US author not better known in the UK?
Another unusual book. Dowsers meet corporation meet lawyers.
The main character is a male lawyer working for a ski corporation and married to a dowser.
With a drought in the area and the corporation wishing to divert water from the local river to produce snow he is in the unenviable position of defending himself at home and at work.
The book revolves around the tug of love between earning the money and believing in his family.
But where does his heart lie?
Great elements of eco arguments and social arguments make up another good read from Bohjalian.

Publisher - Touchstone

Out of the Easy - Ruta Sepetys

Born to a prostitute mother and named after a famous madam Josie doesn't have a great start in life.
What she does have, however, is the love of all the people around her in this beautifully described deep south book. We're plonked in the time of speakeasy attitudes and local enforcement people who are definitely not the police.
Living her life between a bookshop and a brothel Josie has a fair number of incidents to deal with and a determination to better her life.
Excellent, atmospheric read.
Sepetys' other book is based in World War 2 and if it's as realistic as this one I can't read it, it would be too upsetting. I will have to wait for book three.
Great choice of author, Penguin

Publisher - Penguin

Weirdo - Cathi Unsworth

Based on the east coast of England this one appealed because it's relatively local to me.
A cold case is re-opened and an inspector assigned to research the case after advances in DNA forensics shows different possibilities for guilty persons.
It's a closed community where most people know eachother and a lot have never left the town. Still a secret has been kept for many years.
Mixing in school years and current time with visits to a secure unit this is a convoluted book that doesn't seem to hit the mark a lot of the time. It's a shame because the premise is good but it's not for me.

Publisher - Serpent's Tail

The Low Road - Chris Womersely

When a petty thief is hiding out in a nasty motel and an on the run disgraced doctor checks in a few doors
down things can only get interesting.
After they are introduced by the motel manageress neither are keen on staying in touch.
Telling the back story of both characters as well as current day interaction the book leads us steadily through their lives.
This author has a knack of taking a simple sentence and packing a hefty punch. There's sadness and brutality in the story and you're torn between sympathy and disgust.
Well worth a read, only two books from Womersley so far but another promised this year. On my wishlist.

Publisher - Silver Oak

The Flight - M R Hall

This one came as part of a book club from Goldsboro books. It's not one I would usually choose because I
find M R Hall incredibly hard going for not a lot of story. And this one was no exception. In addition to the usual struggle the book also places a fair amount of dependence on knowledge of flying - the mechanics of it, not the getting on a plane bit. I know nothing about flying. Even after reading the book I know nothing about flying.
There's a plane accident, a body and a mystery with a bit of political subterfuge. All of these should add up to thriller.
For me it missed the mark.

Publisher - Mantle

Human Remains - Elizabeth Haynes

Following a launch party at which the masses descended I brought home the latest from Elizabeth Haynes.

This is one author where the question "Did you base the character on yourself?" should really not be asked. She has a knack for the strange minds of people.
The novel starts with a crime analyst wondering why so many people are being found dead in their houses.
We get to know the person 'responsible' for the deaths and follow him around as he befriends individuals. Alongside that story are the death reports of various people found in their homes.
The challenge is to relate the death reports to the peope you've been reading about and that the main player has been cultivating.
As it progresses the crime analyst herself becomes the sort of depressed person he may be interested in - but is he?
Oddly since reading this I've also read Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson and there's a short chapter there of a criminal who is very similar. And a quite famous crime author has brought out a similar book.
Elizabeth however is still true to her roots and has yet to get to churning out pop culture crime books so hers are more raw.
Well worth a read.

Publisher - Myriad

Master Georgie - Beryl Bainbridge

My first Beryl Bainbridge. I'd always thought she was more Catherine Cookson but this cover appealed with
it's painting of the Crimea.
Although Master Georgie is the central character this is more from the perpective of people around him. Movng from home to the Crimea and cross country on arrival it does describe the situation well alongside the reactions of people landed there. From upstanding English gentlewomen to accepting of alternate lifestyles when under pressure to conform to survive we get to see how a romantic notion of war is quickly dispelled.
Whilst some of the writing seems to jump around even within one person's narrative this is still a good introduction to Bainbridge.

Publisher - Abacus

You're Next - Terry Green

Every so often I intersperse my reading with a nerd book and this is one of them. Lurking on a bookshelf
with the spine looking like a crime thriller it is reminiscent of it's author - blending into it's environment.
Which is something Terry Green does a fair bit of, watching how both customer and supplier deal with their queues.
Mainly based on retail environments the book does touch on the difference between those and healthcare queues, but only in passing.
He starts by introducing himself as the voice behind "cashier number 3 please" at the post office and then manages to write a whole book on queue management illustrating bottom line improvements should a business be inclined to care about customer satisfaction.
An interesting book with bits and pieces that could be applied to a business with no queues at all.
My final impression? a small bookseller in Inverness has got it right and BHS need to read it!

Publisher - Marshall Cavendish Business

Friday 5 July 2013

Babble - Charles Saatchi

Horrible shiny pages from an art expert? An extremely heavy book with no nod at FSC paper standards.
That said the content is interesting enough. With more emphasis on art collections, including plates of various works, this book is Saatchi's opinions on a range of subjects.
From mafia to depression to schizophrenia Saatchi has a take on most subjects and this proves to be an enjoyable book. If you have a strong coffee table.
A dip in and out of book that shows just how full of little facts Saatchi is. And how well he has educated himself since leaving school early.

Publisher - Booth-Clibborn

The Night Rainbow - Claire King

Bittersweet I think is the word I'd use for this book.
After a family bereavement the child tries hard to both be noticed and also not to be noticed. The first for herself and the second for her mother. With some help from a lonely man in the area she gets through her days in an imaginary world.
There's occasional intervention from neighbours in the area but nothing consistent.
It's an interesting tale in a year that seems to have produced a fair number of books published by authors with unusual tales.
It's alongside My Imaginary Friend and Snow Child and The earth hums in B flat for surreal strangeness.
I'm not sure I'd try another one.

Publisher - Bloomsbury

Butterfly Cabinet - Bernie McGill

 For some reason I had thought that this was a crime thriller. It isn't.
After disciplining one of her children Harriet is jailed when the discipline goes fatally wrong.
Based in the 19th century in an era of seen and not heard the story tells the tale of the mother and her household from the maid's perspective 70 years later and the prison diary of the mother.
The sharp contrast between today's nanny state and the 19th century really gives pause for thought.
Just how unhinged was this woman? or was this acceptable behaviour? With added interest in the families this is a clever book that actually makes you wonder about your own viewpoint as you read it.
I may have been mistaken about the type of book but I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it.

Publisher - Headline Review

Wrong time wrong place - Simon Kernick

Designed to encourage reading this is a quick read book.
Rather than lurking in the shadows of the library quick reads books are now front of house. Maybe because of the calibre of authors they attract.
As a sample of Kernick this is good. It has the high octane chase from the baddies, the innocents caught up unwittingly and the crime thriller aspect.
It's also a great introduction to reading with wide spaced wording and an easier way for a person to read a whole book at a time.
All for a £1 if you're not lurking in the shadows of the library.

Publisher - Arrow

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Born to run - Michael Morpurgo

I know- it's a children's book. But you have to make an exception for 
a Morpurgo children's book. Aimed at ages 8 plus Morpurgo has transcended the bracket defined with this one.
With such classics as Private Peaceful in his collection a Morpurgo book has to be a dream for teaching children both history and social science.
Born to run is in the social science category.
Using a dog's life to travel around social issues Morpurgo tells of tower block living, bullying, step families and the closure of old people's homes.
The books raise an awareness subtly while telling a story entertaining enough to keep a child enthralled.
And an adult for the duration of a bus journey.

Publisher - Harper Collins

Two Brothers - Ben Elton

Based in Germany and starting in 1920 with the arrival of a set of twins to a
Jewish family this book has the pportunity to become a glorified history of the holocaust with lots of titillating cruelty added in. It doesn't take the opportunity and is instead a sensitive tale of the lives of one family and their friends. When one twin dies at birth an immediate replacement is available in the hospital and so a life of deception begins. But how long can a Jewish mother keep secret from a child that he's not Jewish?
While the history is in the book a lot of the story is pre war and tells of the insidious way the German mind was distorted until horrendous became normal and acceptable.
This is a skillful book with subterfuge all the way through from the 20's to the early 21st century.
A credit to it's creator.

Publisher - Bantam Press