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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The May book club meeting is scheduled for 7:00 PM, Wednesday, May 6.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The book is the Garden of Beasts. Please find questions attached and below. I am also including the Zoom information.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note, the NFB live Presidential release is scheduled for 8:00 PM on the same day. Thus we may have a short meeting.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1 What surprised you most about how slowly the world recognized the danger of Hitler\u2019s regime? Did the book change how you think about early Nazi Germany?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 How did William Dodd\u2019s outsider status shape his effectiveness as ambassador? Was he in over his head, or was he exactly the kind of person the moment needed?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3 Martha Dodd is one of the most controversial figures in the book. How do you interpret her fascination with Berlin\u2019s social scene and her relationships with Nazi and Soviet figures?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4 Larson uses a narrative<span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif">\u2011</span>nonfiction style. Did the storytelling approach make the history more vivid, or did it blur the line between fact and interpretation?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">5 What moments in the book felt like clear turning points\u2014signs that the world should have acted sooner? Why do you think those warnings were ignored?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">6 Do you see William Dodd as a tragic figure, a moral one, or simply an unprepared academic caught in a political storm?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">7 How do you interpret Martha\u2019s transformation over the course of the book? Is she naďve, reckless, curious, or something more complex?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">8 Which secondary figure\u2014Goebbels, Göring, Putzi Hanfstaengl, Boris Winogradov\u2014left the strongest impression on you, and why?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">9 How did the Dodds\u2019 personal conflicts with the U.S. State Department affect their ability to respond to events in Germany?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">10 What does the book reveal about the U.S. government\u2019s reluctance to confront Hitler in the 1930s? Do you think this reluctance was political, cultural, or simply denial?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">11 How did ordinary Germans appear to respond to the tightening authoritarianism? Did the book challenge your assumptions about life in Berlin at the time?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">12 The Night of the Long Knives is a major turning point. How did Larson\u2019s depiction of it shape your understanding of the Nazi consolidation of power?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">13 What does the book suggest about the dangers of normalizing extremist behavior?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">14 How does the story illustrate the tension between diplomacy and morality?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">15 In what ways does the book feel relevant to modern political climates around the world?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">16 What role does willful ignorance play in the rise of authoritarian regimes? Did any characters embody this idea?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">17 Larson relies heavily on diaries and letters. How does that intimacy affect your reading of the events?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">18 Did the dual focus on William and Martha work for you? Or did you find one storyline more compelling?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">19 If Larson had included more German voices\u2014ordinary citizens, resisters, or victims\u2014how might the book have changed?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">20 What is the single most important lesson you think Larson wanted readers to take from this book?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">21 Did the book change how you think about the early warning signs of political extremism?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">22 If you could ask William or Martha Dodd one question, what would it be?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="WinZmBookmark_z6265F">Join Zoom Meeting<o:p></o:p></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F"></span><a href="https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=IxBkHB29q0XT0lucFjOe3vrA9ViSOU.1&omn=98155870236"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F">https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=IxBkHB29q0XT0lucFjOe3vrA9ViSOU.1&omn=98155870236</span><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F">Meeting ID: 829 725 6345<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F">Passcode: 20201940<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:WinZmBookmark_z6265F">One tap mobile<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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