Don't Ever Get Old (Daniel Friedman)

Daniel Friedman’s Don’t Ever Get Old is one of the most original novels I’ve read in a very long time.  It takes the reader on a whirlwind ride that is not only highly disturbing and downright sad but also managed to have me in hysterics much of the time.  You’ll feel every emotion while reading this and probably be a little sad when it ends too.

Eighty-seven year old Baruch “Buck” Schatz is our narrator, and boy, is he ever a cranky one.  Buck has long ago retired from his detective job, having gained “legendary” status at the station, and just wants to live quietly with his wife, Rose, and his ever-present Lucky Strikes.  After he is called to the deathbed of someone he knew a long time ago, he unwittingly goes, only to be told something that shocks him to the core.  What ensues is a mad-dash caper to get his hands on Nazi gold, and most importantly, the ex-guard hiding in plain sight in America.  This is anything but easy, with non-stop murders being committed along the way.

While Don’t Ever Get Old has an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, it is Buck who is the star.  His words are never minced, and many times, you’re not going to believe what comes out of his mouth.  But if you read between the lines, you clearly see that he truly has a heart of gold.  This has “movie” written all over it, so let’s hope it’s as well-written and entertaining as the book.

MY RATING - 4

In the Garden of Beasts (Erik Larson)

It’s not always the easiest task to review a work of nonfiction. While with fiction, the reviewer can concentrate on how interesting the characters and plot developments are, she can’t do that with nonfiction. Every word Larson writes is true and well researched using a plethora of sources. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin tells the story of an American ambassador who was one of the only ones who recognized the unprecedented danger of the Fuhrer. When he tried to tell his colleagues back home as well as President Roosevelt, he wasn’t taken seriously enough for the terrible damage to be contained.

Ask almost anyone if they have ever heard of William Dodd, and chances are, they will look at you with a blank stare. But he was a very important historical figure, acting as the American ambassador to Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime. Larson tells the story of Dodd’s surprising ascent to the role, like a fish out of water, and the family’s eventual move to Berlin. Once there, the reader is taken deeply into the terrifying regime, where names like Hitler, Goebbels, Goring, Himmler, and Diels made their unfathomable marks in history. Today in the modern day, one cannot understand why things weren’t done to overthrow the government and deal with the unimaginable injustices, but Larson explores why many German people and foreign leaders just accepted the status quo…some even going so far as to glorify Hitler.

The best nonfiction books delve thoroughly into the subject matter without disrespecting their subjects. Larson does a masterful job at this, never spoon feeding his readers or mincing words. This is a story that deserves to be told, and the author does a masterful job at it.

MY RATING - 4

Pictures at an Exhibition (Sara Houghteling)

There is nothing better than a great historical fiction piece to take the reader to another era. Pictures at an Exhibition accomplishes this for the most part. This is often the little known part of the Nazi reign of terror...how their invasion of France also resulted in one-third of all privately owned art being stolen. The Louvre was evacuated to prevent this from happening there.

This is the story of the fictional Berenzon family. The father, Daniel, is a well-respected French art dealer who spends his days educating his son, Max, in the differences between Mattisse and Manet. Max is in medical school, but cannot seem to find his place in life let alone the family business. With the Nazi invasion, the Berenzons are forced to flee, leaving their stash of priceless artwork in the hands of their gallery assistant, Rose Clement. When they return, the collection has vanished. Pictures at an Exhibition continues in Max's quest to retrieve the paintings and find Rose.

While parts of the book move slower than others, it lets the reader in on a haunting truth. The locations of 40,000 French art items pillaged by the Nazis remain unknown.

MY RATING - 4

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