Reviews

Wonderfully researched and superbly written, this book is the finest available introduction to how historians write about the Holocaust. Forcefully arguing that the Holocaust must be demystified and studied as an event within history, Marrus summarizes the most recent, authoritative historical scholarship pertaining to critical themes on the Holocaust, such as the centrality of anti-Semitism to Nazism; the uniqueness of the Holocaust; the role of bystanders, collaborators, Jewish leaders; and Jewish resistance. Marrus juxtaposes historical disagreements and consensus on specific issues, periodically offering his own cogent synthesis and judicious conclusions. A first-class historiography, recommended wholeheartedly for scholars and laypersons alike. History Book and Jewish Book Club Main selections. Benny Kraut, Judaic Studies Dept., Univ. of Cincinnati

``More suitable for students of the discipline than lay readers, this is a masterly, engrossing assessment of the vast Holocaust literature,'' commented PW of an ``evenhanded'' study that places the Holocaust in a broad historical perspective. (Jan.)