audiobook The Search for Major Plagge: The Nazi Who Saved Jews; Expanded Edition by Michael Good in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Good Read from a Man Named GoodBy B. AnnA page-turning read that is a gripping personal account. It was written by a doctor who has a practice in the town where my 88-year-old dad lives and I bought it for him because Michael Good truly seems like a good man and I was hoping my dad would want him to be his new doctor - and after enjoying the book so much; my dad wanted to meet Dr. Good as well. Alas; his practice is not taking any new patients but his book is now making the rounds to various family and friends in Connecticut's Middlesex County.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. An important and beautiful bookBy BarokeI recently became interested in German resistance to Nazi atrocities and wondered why there seemed to be relatively little attention to the subject. This book sheds light on this question and so much more. The author is not a professional writer; and perhaps because of rather than despite this; he manages to transcend the enormous complexity of his subject with simplicity and grace.Among the many difficult questions Good explores is what makes a "hero." Does a hero have to be a martyr and if so; what does that say for us mortals who may not have that strength? Is a moral life possible for ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances? What choices can we make in our everyday lives that will allow us to participate in the project of Major Plagge and others like him; to resist absurdity and groupthink; follow our inner conscience; and just be better people?The research paper trail the author provides is surprisingly interesting; as are the communications between present-day Germans and Holocaust survivors seeking to learn more about Major Plagge and in so doing; to learn about themselves. There are some repeated details and rough edges in the writing; but they are outshone by the book's other virtues. Warning - this story is not for the faint of heart; and it contains descriptions of unspeakable horrors. But the author's focus is not on the dark side of humanity except as contrast for the light. I am grateful for this book and for the people who made it possible. I wish there were more stories like it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Life and Death HeroesBy P. C. GomezMichael Good will lead you to ''ponder humanity's dual nature--our propensity to act violently out of fear and bigotry; juxtaposed against our often unexpected capacity for acting with nobility and moral courage.'' This story of the author's search for the facts behind his mother's rescued life from a Polish concentration camp and the German Nazi officer credited with doing so will both encourage you and disgust you. It's not just the typical villainizing of the evil Nazi Germans; but an even deeper look into the nature of all who either watched; aided or benefited from the extermination of a defenseless people.The book is well written for the author's first attempt. The only criticism I have of the book is that it seems to start and stop in strange places. It seems there could have been a unifying story line more along the lines of a screen play which integrates the stories the author discovers after the story of his mother concludes.Nevertheless; I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in this era or in the way people treat each other. Whatever you do; do not put the book away until you read the letters that Major Plagge wrote to the attorney in the appendix of the book. Brilliant!