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A review by thisfoxreads
The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Story of the Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel
4.0
Edsel's book in a young adult edition.
When you learned about World War II, it's likely you had no idea that Eisenhower made the wonderful move of working to protect the cultural history of Europe at the same time as fighting in Europe. It wasn't just a proclamation, either: the Monuments Men were soldiers with backgrounds in art and museums, chosen to locate and protect the cultures of Italy, France, and Germany (with a very brief mention at the end of the book about Japan) as the Allies defeated the Axis powers.
I appreciate the page with photos/brief descriptions of the so-called Monuments Men (and the French woman who played a major role) at the beginning--I often flipped back to it while reading. The book is also filled with photos (sadly just the standard black & white of the times--and sometimes quite dark).
My only complaint is that, in trying to demonstrate the simultaneous efforts of the MM, the constant change of locale (and characters) is confusing.
A great historical nonfiction read. Having just been to Italy last year (including seeing Monte Cassino), this book showed me the kinder side of war. It was not a "to the victor go the spoils" mentality, but instead a sincere effort to return art works (Hitler and Goring were quite greedy!) to their proper homes.
When you learned about World War II, it's likely you had no idea that Eisenhower made the wonderful move of working to protect the cultural history of Europe at the same time as fighting in Europe. It wasn't just a proclamation, either: the Monuments Men were soldiers with backgrounds in art and museums, chosen to locate and protect the cultures of Italy, France, and Germany (with a very brief mention at the end of the book about Japan) as the Allies defeated the Axis powers.
I appreciate the page with photos/brief descriptions of the so-called Monuments Men (and the French woman who played a major role) at the beginning--I often flipped back to it while reading. The book is also filled with photos (sadly just the standard black & white of the times--and sometimes quite dark).
My only complaint is that, in trying to demonstrate the simultaneous efforts of the MM, the constant change of locale (and characters) is confusing.
A great historical nonfiction read. Having just been to Italy last year (including seeing Monte Cassino), this book showed me the kinder side of war. It was not a "to the victor go the spoils" mentality, but instead a sincere effort to return art works (Hitler and Goring were quite greedy!) to their proper homes.