The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story From Buchenwald To New Orleans (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
As I was pawing through the various books in the second hand bookstore near my home, the title "The Lampshade" on the spine of the book jumped out at me. Piquing my curiosity, I pulled it from the books knowing what I suspected the book to be about floating somewhere in the back of my mind. You see, I grew up and was educated during the 50's and 60's. Just so I'm not keeping you in the dark (no pun intended), this book is about a lampshade made of human skin which shows up in New Orleans, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I suspected that the book was about THE lampshade because we were told of such things as part of our history education in public school. We learned about The atrocities along with the complacency of the German people which allowed it to happen. The history of WWII was drummed into our heads along with the coda that history must be studied and remembered because if not, history would repeat itself. I remember being particularly uncomfortable during this time because I am of German descent. I would ask myself how people like myself and my relatives could have allowed this to happen. And I took some comfort in the knowledge that all my relatives were here in the US before the turn of the century and had even taught in the war against the Germans. The book contains several storylines - of the "camp" at Buchenwald, various terrors committed (supposed and real) by the Nazi's against humanity and more specifically the Jewish population in various parts of Europe. More specifically of the Commandant and his crazy wife Ilsa Koch who is credited with ordering the creation of various items made from skin- the authors searh to determine the lampshade origin and his subsequent struggle to determine what should be done with it- along this journey the author makes comparisons to Nazi Germany and the tragedy that is New Orleans especially after Katrina. There are philosophical discussions with various individuals at Holocaust Museums, Buchenwald, Germany in general and some interesting although abhorrent characters such as David Duke of KKK fame. The rise of Neo-Nazism is also discussed both in Germany and without.Altogether the book is a very interesting read, well-written and very educational on a number of fronts. it is unsettling at times, which is as it should be given the subject. I found myself feeling self-conscious as I had back in school about reading such a macabre story. The cover of the book depicts just the lampshade (lit) against a black background (no title on the front or spine). But, to those of us raised immediately following that period of time the cover tells you what this book must surely be about and we must never forget what happened there (and yes he included the Holocaust deniers as well). A very interesting book, easy to read considering it is non-fiction which is not my usual genre. I liked the use of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and how the author related that sad scenario to the Nazi atrocities at Buchenwald. I learned many facts about the concentration camps, the lives of people in East Germany, and the behind the scenes politics of New Orleans after the flood that I didn't know before.
What do You think about The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story From Buchenwald To New Orleans (2010)?
This book wasn't what I had been expecting, but was still an enjoyable read.
—coalinga1
Well done. A good blend of history and story, and yes, disturbing.
—gentayangan
