In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin - Erik Larson This book along with Isherwood's 'The Berlin Stories' offer a portrait of Germany's descent into madness and evil during the rise of Hitler and under the dominance of his Nazi machine. It is an incomplete portrait told only by observers without the voice of the victims. Still it is a compelling read though it sometimes dips into a shallow stream given the complete darkness of the times.