Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning

Veteran voice actor Bramhall gives a sturdy and compelling reading of Snyder’s riveting examination of the rise and implementation of the Holocaust. The book offers a detailed analysis of how the collapse—rather than the excess—of Central and Eastern European nation-state power (a collapse instigated by both the Nazis and Soviets) led to the Holocaust. Bramhall does a fine job as narrator. The complexity of the author’s argument poses a challenge, but Bramhall’s focused yet conversational delivery holds the listener’s attention throughout. Most effective is his unflinching portrayal of the stories of those who suffered horrendously and died, not just at the hands of the Nazis, but from their neighbors and supposed friends. A Crown/Duggan hardcover. (Sept.)