Review by Choice Review
The 2015 murders of a dozen African Americans in a Charleston, South Carolina, church motivated Neiman (director of the Einstein Forum; former professor of philosophy, Yale and Univ. of Tel Aviv) to write this book. Her question is a basic one--How can the US openly confront its failure in dealing with racism?--and her title reveals her thesis. In the first third of the book she provides a solid summary of Germany's efforts to gain mastery over the country's recent past. She describes the generational split and political call to accountability after 1968, and spells out the concrete steps in public and private spheres to promote awareness and accountability. For Neiman, enshrined myths of States' Rights and the lost cause represent an American version of Holocaust denial. Neiman (who has lived in Germany for decades) offers numerous suggestions for dealing with the US's legacy of denial. Among them is historic tours of plantations that bring slave conditions to the forefront and thus acknowledge that the suffering of many made possible the great wealth of a few. More controversial is Naiman's proposal of compensation for theft of labor, denial of civil rights, and racially motivated violence. Undoubtedly provocative to many, Neiman's call to action resounds in the present climate of increased acceptance of bigotry. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, general readers. --Jeffrey Kleiman, University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point at Marshfield
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Philosopher Neiman (Evil in Modern Thought) presents an insightful comparative analysis of post-WWII German sentiments about Nazi atrocities alongside southern American attitudes about the Civil War and slavery, suggesting how Americans might better come to terms with their country's history. Neiman-who is Jewish, grew up in Atlanta, and currently lives in Berlin-argues that "our past will continue to haunt us if we do not face it down," and she provides numerous examples of Germans doing just that. One heir to a cigarette company, whose father had been involved with the Nazis, reacted to learning of his father's past by selling his share of the company and using the money to fund a museum installation detailing the war crimes of the Wehrmacht. Visiting the southern U.S., Neiman explains the prevalence of the Lost Cause narrative (the idea that the Civil War was fought over states' rights, not slavery) and explores the argument in favor of removing Confederate monuments, noting that "Germany has no statues of Nazis." From memorials to Emmett Till, Neiman gleans some guidance on how to preserve the memory of a terrible event while educating the public on the dangers of intolerance. Neiman's commentary is thoughtful and perceptive, her comparison timely. This exceptional piece of historical and political philosophy provides a meaningful way of looking at the Civil War's legacy. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
Neiman (Why Grow Up?) argues that a nation's failure to deal appropriately with the disagreeable aspects of its history will result in the seeping away of its moral vitality. This is a challenging work both in the scope of the ideas it seeks to convey with a practical earnestness and with its face-the-mirror message. It takes courage to confront honestly and with humility one's failings; how much more difficult is it for a country to own its faults? Neiman examines Germany's sometimes faltering but nonetheless advancing journey of recovery from the dark and heavy shadow of its Nazi past. The German experiences are compared to the less successful attempts of Americans to grapple with the ongoing consequences of slavery. It is excellently read by Christa Lewis. The message may not be appreciated in every corner but Neiman clearly loves her country and desires a moral renewal that will win back for the United States some of the legitimacy it has lost as an upholder of universal human values. VERDICT Recommended for those who want to dig deeper into the snares and mercies of collective memory.--Denis Frias, Mississauga Lib. Syst., Ont.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pointed demonstration of how Germany offers lessons for attending to polarizing issues of the past and present."It cannot be too much to expect the U.S. Congress to do in the twenty-first century what the German parliament did in 1952," writes Einstein Forum director Neiman (Why Grow Up? Subversive Thoughts for an Infantile Age, 2015, etc.), in favor of legislation that would create a commission to investigate the possibility of reparations for the pains suffered by African Americans under slavery and by other populations, such as Native Americans in the way of so-called Manifest Destiny. In recognizing the necessity of making real amends for the crimes of the Third Reich, Germany has paid just such reparations in many wayseven though, as the author notes, most Germans opposed such payments in the years immediately following World War II, just as it seems that most white Americans oppose reparations today. The issues extend: Germany bans expressions in support of Nazism even though extreme right-wingers have been recently emboldened by the widespread controversy over immigration, another topic familiar to Americans today. Even with such outbursts, Germany holds a lead over the U.S. in dealing with errors of the past. Where the wartime generation tried to brush aside the legacy of Nazism, the present one exemplifies "how far Germany has come in taking responsibility for its criminal history." While direct equations between, say, the American secessionists and the Nazis are problematic, there are plenty of points in common. Interestingly, it took the unification of Germany to arrive at full acknowledgment of past wrongs: The East took one view, the West another, each accusing the other of complicity. Today, Neiman writes, quoting a German scholar, "Germany is one of the safest countries for Jews in the world." Neiman's account is long and at times plodding, but her examination of how that situation came about serves as an important lesson for those who seek to face up to the past wrongs in this country.A timely, urgent call to revisit the past with an eye to correction and remedy. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
