The Holocaust: An Unfinished History

Any book about the Holocaust will be a horrifying, sickening read; this is no exception. However, the focus is not to assemble a comprehensive document of Holocaust experiences, but rather to give a high-level overview of the shape of the travesty, from inception to implementation, all the way to modern day implications. In doing this, it necessarily recounts truly incomprehensible statistics, punctuated by intimately personal witness accounts that expose the barest tip of the iceberg of suffering. This is sufficient; I appreciated that it avoided maudlin fascination, instead treating the victims with utmost respect and humanity.

The book, with meticulous and extensive research, argues that the Holocaust was, at base, the product of a racist ideology. Importantly, it also shows how the confluence of other factors such as technology, global and local politics, and endemic human greed led to the destruction being as comprehensive as it was; ideology alone was not enough, although that was the driver. It also exposes the complicity of the rest of Europe, from governments at all levels to ostensible friends and neighbors. The Holocaust is not “a lesson”, but we can learn from it if we will. This book shows us how.