A review by birdkeeperklink
Hanns and Rudolf: The True Story of the German Jew Who Tracked Down and Caught the Kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding
4.0
I received this book through Goodreads' First Reads program. This is a great book, showing two opposing perspectives on the Holocaust. The structure of this book is easy to follow--one chapter from Rudolf's point of view, then one from Hanns', and then one from Rudolf's, and so on and so forth. The things you already know about will be familiar to you, but the more personal view of the two men is unique to this book.
What I particularly liked about it was how the author takes a very balanced, unbiased view of both men. Hanns was not painted as a saint, nor were his good qualities emphasized over his bad ones or vice versa. He was just a human being who did his best to help see justice done. Rudolf wasn't particularly vilified, either. Harding doesn't paint the child Rudolf, who hadn't yet done anything, as a monster or a sociopath, and he doesn't try to tell you that Rudolf was an abusive husband or father, either. At the same time, he doesn't apologize for any of the many evil things Rudolf did or try to cover them up. The result is a very realistic look at how very human evil is, which is more powerful than trying to paint him as dark and sinister even as a toddler.
The impression I was left with was of two human beings, one of whom chose to do the right thing and the other of whom chose to do many very wrong things, rather than caricatures in the mold of traditional heroes and villains. It's probably one of the most honest biographies or historical accounts I've ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended!
What I particularly liked about it was how the author takes a very balanced, unbiased view of both men. Hanns was not painted as a saint, nor were his good qualities emphasized over his bad ones or vice versa. He was just a human being who did his best to help see justice done. Rudolf wasn't particularly vilified, either. Harding doesn't paint the child Rudolf, who hadn't yet done anything, as a monster or a sociopath, and he doesn't try to tell you that Rudolf was an abusive husband or father, either. At the same time, he doesn't apologize for any of the many evil things Rudolf did or try to cover them up. The result is a very realistic look at how very human evil is, which is more powerful than trying to paint him as dark and sinister even as a toddler.
The impression I was left with was of two human beings, one of whom chose to do the right thing and the other of whom chose to do many very wrong things, rather than caricatures in the mold of traditional heroes and villains. It's probably one of the most honest biographies or historical accounts I've ever read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended!