Martin Fletcher (1) (1947–)

Told over the period of 3 months in 1945, it's the story of concentration camp survivor Jacob, who returns to his home town, and Sarah, who wound up in Heidelberg also. They are the only 2 jews there. As they finding housing....such as it his, and Jacob figures out how to hustle to make money, they start believing in a future. But when the SS guard who killed Jacob's brother returns to town, Jacob wants to kill him. In a twist at the ending "the rat" is indeed killed, but there are a lot of ethical issues raised. Are the jews German or not? What about the families that moved into their deserted home - who gets them? I'm not sure I'd stay in a country that imprisoned me in a concentration camp, but how do you find the will to start over?… (mer)

In this book, NBC foreign correspondent Martin Fletcher talks about his career in journalism, which lead to covering a number of horrific events from suicide bombers in Israel to genocide in Rwanda. Along the way, he also stops to discuss journalistic ethics (is it worse to film a dying person so that their final moments aren't peaceful or to not film them so that the world remains oblivious to suffering and does nothing to stop it?), his own family's history as Holocaust survivors -- and victims -- and the role this plays in his views toward the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in each conflict he records, and the ways his field and he personally sometimes failed (like unwittingly amplifying the effects of colonialism in Somalia).

Although a little bit dated at times (e.g., a reference to Bin Laden still alive and in hiding), this book is interesting and thought-provoking. It is not for the faint of heart as Fletcher describes in some detail violent deaths that he witnessed, or reports on the experiences of those who narrowly survived horrific acts of violence. This isn't exactly a history book, although Fletcher usually provides the most relevant information; however, some readers may want to brush on their modern events knowledge before or after reading this.… (mer)