A Reader: "Holocaust: A History" by Deborah Dwork & Robert Jan van Pelt
Nationalism & The Blame  

Nationalism needs an enemy. In the United States of America, this blame has almost always fallen on the shoulders of immigrants. In Nazi Germany, the blame fell primarily on the shoulders of the Jewish people. Once an enemy has been created, a powder keg for extreme violence and cruelty is set to blow. In this book, I found it both heartbreaking and fascinating to watch Hitler couple this hatred with economic populism and then to follow the cascade toward concentration camps and genocide.  

The Swiftness of It All  

Germany’s surrender to authoritarian rule gave birth to concentrated power which led to ghettos, mass deportations, annexations, mass genocide, a war in Europe, a world war, and finally Hitler’s death by suicide. As I read this book, I was floored by the swiftness of it all. In a little over a decade, the decisions of a few and the complacency of millions changed the course of human history for eternity.  

Cruel  

It is impossible to experience something about the Holocaust and not be struck by the cruelty of it all. Beginning with laws meant to punish and isolate Jewish people, the Nazi’s dangerous worldview soon morphed into ghettos, concentration camps, mass executions, and demented forms of punishment. Reading the stories of families torn apart and lives lost because of this genocide made a profound and life-altering impact on me. After reading these stories, I will never be the same again.  

Lingering Impact  

After discovering the damage done by the Nazis, the world promised to never let this happen again. Yet, it has occurred again. Rwanda, Burma, Yugoslavia, and China, we have allowed this to happen again. For fear of starting another massive conflict, we, as the United States, have relegated ourselves to sanctions, official press releases, and media stunts. The rest of the world has followed suit and people have continued to die.  

A Reader: “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin

Reading This as a White Man 

After the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I found myself frustrated. Frustrated with the battles we continue fighting and frustrated with what I did or did not understand. So, like countless Americans last year, I reached for books to educate myself. As I soaked up the words of James Baldwin, I was confronted with my own privilege and the part I play in the continuation of an unequal and unjust society. On several occasions, I was forced to put the book down and sit with my discomfort. I was forced to question my actions and what I would do now that I know better. One book will not undo 400 years of misery, but “The Fire Next Time” is a mind-opening place to begin the journey.  

The Same Battles  

As I alluded to in the first paragraph, I find it exhausting that we continue to fight the same battles. Yet, my exhaustion is born of this moment. My privilege affords me an opportunity to walk away from this moment. I cannot imagine the exhaustion people of color feel or how it must feel when you are confronted with your race and the race of others daily. If we possess any empathy at all, then we must understand what our neighbors are living through and then question boldly the ways in which we can help.  

Equality, Not Violence  

This literature-based journey of mine meant reading the works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.  It is too simplistic to boil their arguments down to non-violence and violence, if necessary. The goal of both men was equality. Reading their words, I sense frustration, impatience, and action. On many facets of civil rights, they were in total agreement. Deliverance may have seemed different, but they seem to have dreamed of the same promised land.  

A More Just Society  

The summer of 2020 was another heartbreaking chapter in the history of the United States of America. The continuous perfecting of our union meant violence at the hands of police and the birth of a worldwide movement toward a more just and equitable society. This pursuit landed in the laps of us all. Big questions were being asked and even bigger conversations were being had across this country. But reading is not enough. Talking is not enough. Protesting is not enough. Alone, these things are not enough. If we want to progress, we must be people of action determined to stop at nothing. A more perfect union will not come easily. Determination alone will deliver us there.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

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