Andrewj.comObserver
Architect
Developer
Photographer
Traveller
Writer
Reviewer
Thoughts on the World
    • Welcome PageArchitectDeveloperPhotographerTravellerWriterObserverReviewerLinks

Thirty Four

The inspriring true story of Albert Goering, By William Hastings Burke

Posted on 17 April 2011 by Andrew - Please share: All Addthis servicesTweet thisFacebook thisLink thisYam thisShare on Google

Summary

cover
Content 7/10
Readability 7/10
Presentation 6/10
Ideas 8/10
Value for money 7/10
Did it do what it said on the box? 7/10

How do the rankings work?

The Review

An inspiring true tale of a very unexpected hero

Imagine you are a wealthy industrialist, but also a humanitarian with a keen sense of justice. Imagine you live in a brutal totalitarian regime which is waging war over half the world and subjecting those under its control to acts or repression and genocide the like of which the world has never seen.

OK? Now imagine that your brother is one of your country’s top military and political leaders. He’s Hermann Goering, and you are his younger brother Albert.

Thirty Four is the remarkable story of how Albert Goering protected and saved the threatened and dispossessed throughout the duration of the Third Reich. He also led acts of anti-Nazi defiance and even sabotage. His innumerable exploits ranged from moving people round the Skoda empire to places where they would be less vulnerable, through remarkable political interventions such as persuading Goebbels to classify Franz Lehar’s Jewish wife as an “honorary Aryan”, to acts of almost unbelievable audacity like driving a convoy to a concentration camp, demanding that it be filled with “workers” for Skoda, and then freeing those supplied in a nearby forest. What’s even more impressive is that through a combination of the protection afforded by his brother’s name, his own charm and political skill, and Hermann’s occasional protective or helpful interventions, he survived to tell the tale.

I’m always captivated by these “edge” stories from history, of those who didn’t fit the mould, and this is a fascinating, uplifting and inspiring tale. It’s not a hagiography – Albert’s personal weaknesses and his difficult post-war years are fully acknowledged – but throughout there’s a strong sense of his moral compass and his need to do something.

Although almost forgotten by history, Albert Goering needs to be remembered alongside Schindler and Wallenberg, and this book attempts to make that a possibility.

William Hastings Burke has made a decent job of telling the story, although by his own admission it should probably have been researched and told twenty years earlier, when it might have been possible to talk to those who knew Albert Goering themselves, rather than their descendants. The style of the book is deliberately chatty, mixing historical findings, dialogue from interviews and the author’s own wry observations from travelling around Europe with limited support and an even more limited budget.

If I have a complaint, it’s that the book is a bit short (maybe reflecting the difficulty of researching very personal stories at this distance), and it would have been great to include a few photographs of the central characters. However, these are minor niggles.

This is a good read, and very inspiring. Recommended.


Buy It From Amazon

Amazon.co.uk
cover

Amazon.com

Please note this page contains associate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Categories: Reviews. Content Types: Book and History.

This entry was posted in Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.
Previous Post: Crashers
---- Next Post: The Nemesis List

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Thoughts on the World Proudly powered by WordPress.

Main Pages

Welcome Page

Architect (Consultancy services)

Developer (Services and Products)

Photographer

Traveller

Writer (Publications and Papers)

Observer (My blog)

Reviewer

Links

Blog Contents

Post Category:

Review Type:

  • Recent Posts

    • A Bit of Variety
    • The Beauty of Tuscany
    • The World’s Second Worst Panorama 2024
    • (In)Correct Tripod Technique!
    • Welcome to Tuscany
  • Recent Comments

    • Nomad on The Coming Global Superstorm
    • Divitel on It’s Screen Time!
    • Mike Parnell on Camera History
    • ValueBlue on What Do I Mean by "Agile Architecture"?
    • Robert on Combining Risk Factors
  • Blog Indexes

    Favourite/Major Articles

    All Articles by Category

    All Articles by Title

    Review Index

    Search

    References to www.andrewj.com

    References to www.agilearchitect.org

    Contact Me

    Email me

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Others

    Share

    Facebook

    Google

    Twitter

    Linked In

    Yammer

    Share

    Feeds

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Thoughts on the World (Main Feed)

    Main feed (direct XML)

    Professional Blog

    Photo Blog

    Photo Album

    Review pages

    About my feeds

    © Questa Computing Ltd. 1994 - 2025:
    Questa Computing Ltd. is registered in England and Wales number:2889117.
    Registered office: Coppertrees, Forest Road, Effingham, Leatherhead, KT24 5HE
    Credits, copyright details and cookie policy