Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from June 26

Last night was a beautiful summer evening, but eight people left their backyard patios or decks to attend the book discussion. Many thanks, as always, for their presence.

Our book was The Monuments Men: allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history by Robert M. Edsel. During the Second World War, as German troops conquered and occupied Europe, special Nazi unites were deployed to loot the art and valuables of the occupied nations, both public and privately owned. Every painting, statue, and piece of jewelry or furniture- anything of value-was stolen and taken to Germany. After the Allied invasion of France, special teams, made up of curators, artists and architects, were sent by the Allies to both protect and recover these priceless objects. These were the monuments men. Never numbering more than a few hundred, these men and women followed or sometimes preceded soldiers into combat zones in order to save and rescue the cultural heritage of humanity. The books reads like a novel and, indeed, was made into a popular movie. The dedication and courage of the men and women who struggled to preserve Europe’s art is inspiring, as was our conversation last night. We spoke about collective guilt and responsibility, the looting of the Baghdad Museum, the destruction of ancient art in Afghanistan, escaped German scientists, and the relative value of human life versus an artistic masterpiece.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 7:00 pm. The book to be discussed, Charlie Wilson’s War: the extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by George Crile, is available at the Circulation Desk. All are welcome.