Hunting the Truth

January 8, 2018
The husband-and-wife Nazi-hunting duo revisit their improbable exploits in this tumultuous memoir. Writing in alternating chapters, Beate Klarsfeld, who was born in 1939 and grew up in postwar Germany, and Serge Klarsfeld, a French Jew whose father died in a concentration camp, recount how they improvised a family business unmasking Nazi war criminals. They specialized in publicity stunts: Beate made headlines by slapping German chancellor (and ex–Nazi propaganda official) Kurt Kiesinger; the couple tried to kidnap a wanted ex–Gestapo boss living openly in Cologne and then dared German authorities to arrest them for it. They weathered jail stints and survived a car bomb, but there was quieter work too: sleuthing through archives for evidence, and running undercover ops to locate war-criminal Klaus Barbie in South America. The Klarsfelds’ rambling narrative sometimes obscures the big picture of criminality amid legal minutiae and bogs down in minor doings and awards, but at its best it gives an exhilarating picture of amateurs assuming investigative duties in search of long-overdue justice.

February 1, 2018
In a joint memoir, a pair of notable Nazi hunters review their half-century of disputing acceptance of mass murderers in decent society.The authors, husband and wife, tell their story by turns. Serge was hidden in a cupboard in the south of France as his father was taken by the Germans to be killed in Auschwitz. He was 8. Beate was a German Christian child living in the ruins of the Third Reich. They met as adults, and their reciprocal affection complemented their innate passion for justice. Aware of the importance of press coverage of the atrocities around them, they publicized the histories of the perpetrators who carried out the Nazi regime's killing of France's Jews. In one wonderful photo-op, Beate contrived to publicly slap the face of German Chancellor--and quondam Nazi--Kiesinger. They created commotions, brandished placards, held press conferences, broke windows, and traveled the world. In acts of civil disobedience, Beate chained herself at appropriate venues and arranged to get arrested in diverse jurisdictions; some courts, anxious to avoid publicity, were not ready to prosecute. Serge researched, produced irrefutable documentation, and provided exhaustive dossiers to reporters and prosecutors. He became a lawyer and, with his son, took part in many trials and legal proceedings, several of which were provoked by the Klarsfelds. They were active in the exposures of Klaus Barbie, "the Butcher of Lyon," and of Kurt Waldheim, the former secretary-general of the U.N. The Klarsfelds believed there were no closed cases. There were always more war criminals, anti-Semites, and Holocaust deniers in more places--more than enough for the independent anti-fascists to continue their lifelong mission despite bomb threats and attempted murder. Avenging the memories of the millions who lost their lives was, and remains, an important vocation. As their story unfolds, readers may note a faint, unavoidable touch of vainglory; never mind, what they have accomplished is worthy of high praise.With bravery and chutzpah, a husband and wife demonstrate that there's no moral compromise with history.

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February 15, 2018
This remarkable dual memoir from husband-and-wife Nazi hunters Beate Klarsfeld and Serge Klarsfeld tells of their half century of work bringing to justice perpetrators of atrocities against French Jews during WWII. In the postwar years, those who abetted Hitler's efforts blended back into society and even served in elected capacities. Beate's and Serge's courageous efforts brought public attention to such men. Serge is a French-born Jewish survivor, while Beate, though not Jewish, feels it's her moral duty as a German-born French citizen to undo the scourge of Nazis ideology. The couple's daring efforts included carefully crafted publicity stunts and organized protests performed at great personal risk. The Klarsfelds detail their associations, investigations, and activities in Europe, the Middle East, and South America, which sometimes resulted in imprisonment by repressive regimes, revealing the terrible fact that while perpetrators of the Holocaust were living with impunity, those seeking justice were entrapped. Throughout their harrowing work, they maintained a home in Paris and remain to this day devoted to and inspired by each other. A masterful work of historical importance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2018

Beate and Serge Klarsfeld (UNESCO special envoys, recipients of the French Legion of Honor and German Order of Merit; French Children of the Holocaust) followed their consciences to bring Nazis to justice. Not long after the famous Nuremburg trials, men responsible for the murders of countless innocents resumed free lives, often reclaiming positions of authority. Using painstaking research, public awareness strategies, and legal action, the Klarsfelds relentlessly exposed and sought consequences for these killers. The most prominent was Klaus Barbie, "The Butcher of Lyon," who was finally extradited from South America to face trial for his crimes thanks to years of hard and persistent work by the Klarsfelds. This fascinating dual memoir recounts how their childhoods, hers as a non-Jew in Nazi Germany, his as a Jewish refugee in Vichy, France, led them to become partners in love and work. In alternating chapters, they recount how they revealed killers living in plain sight, and honored the lives of those senselessly murdered during the Holocaust. VERDICT This inspiring memoir of persistence and staying true to one's beliefs will remind all readers that although it may be slow, justice will triumph.--Laurie Unger Skinner, Coll. of Lake Cty., Waukegan, IL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017

Beate grew up in devastated post-World War I Germany, French-born Serge hid as his father was marched off to Auschwitz, and after meeting on the Paris Metro, they married and spent a half-century hunting down Nazis and their collaborators, e.g., SS official Kurt Lischka and Gestapo captain Klaus Barbie. Told in alternating voices, and it's some story.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.