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siria's review against another edition
informative
3.75
In A Demon-Haunted Land, Monica Black explores how the emotional and psychological fall-out of WWII led to a surge in belief in faith healers and in witchcraft accusations in 1950s/60s Germany. She argues that this particular uptick in such beliefs arose at least in part from a collective denial of guilt/responsibility for Nazi war crimes which led to many Germans seeing themselves as the war's true victims. Black's argument is sometimes more convincing in the micro than in the macro, and the structure didn't always best support it, but this is still an interesting and clearly argued read.
I'd recommend this more for an academic/upper-level undergraduate or graduate classroom audience, however; despite the sexed-up subtitle, this is an academic book, not a work of popular history.
(The audiobook narrator's pronunciation of German was very "..... Well, you tried.")
I'd recommend this more for an academic/upper-level undergraduate or graduate classroom audience, however; despite the sexed-up subtitle, this is an academic book, not a work of popular history.
(The audiobook narrator's pronunciation of German was very "..... Well, you tried.")
ladyeremite's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the premise of this book more than the execution, but stilll a fascinating angle on post-war Germany that belies the triumphalist narrative of the sudden turn to consumer democracy
lindsayb09's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator's German pronunciation was...not great. So that may have detracted from the experience somewhat, but I'm basing my rating on content only.
bookslovejenna's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Five things about A Demon Haunted Land by Monica Black 📚📚📚📚📚
1. This is an exploration of how emotional and psychological effects led to an environment rife with faith healers in the aftermath of WWII Germany.
2. It’s meticulously researched.
3. An engrossing read.
4. A take on WWII German history I was completely unaware of.
5. I genuinely enjoyed this. It felt new, fresh, enlightening, and full of relevance for today.
1. This is an exploration of how emotional and psychological effects led to an environment rife with faith healers in the aftermath of WWII Germany.
2. It’s meticulously researched.
3. An engrossing read.
4. A take on WWII German history I was completely unaware of.
5. I genuinely enjoyed this. It felt new, fresh, enlightening, and full of relevance for today.
kim_isa's review
2.0
Zäh und sehr detailverliebt, wenig Kommentar im Vergleich zum Umfang des deskriptiven Teils. Vielleicht geeignet als Lektüre im Rahmen der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung (kann ich nicht beurteilen) aber nicht für den Laien.