The Lion and the Lamb:
The True Holocaust Story of a Powerful Nazi Leader and a Dutch Resistance Worker
written by Charles Causey
288 pages // published in 2016 // World War II non-fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION
A true Holocaust story, The Lion and the Lamb begins with a mysterious plane crash which catapults architect Albert Speer into Adolf Hitler's inner circle. When the two Nazi leaders become close confidantes, Speer is forced into constant competition with Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Goebbels and the unstable Hermann GOring. After a botched assassination attempt reveals Albert Speer's name in an SS investigation, Speer is ostracized by the staff and falls under Hitler's suspicion for disloyalty. As the Russian army advances on Berlin, Speer is poisoned, lied about, and forced to fight for his standing with the most evil and calculating men in Europe. Will Speer survive his last-minute trip to the FUhrer's bunker just hours before the end?
The Lion and the Lamb also tells the story of a Dutch Resistance worker named Corrie ten Boom who leads her entire family into a desperate struggle against the Nazi's anti-Jewish policies in Holland. Like Speer, Corrie is thrust into a psychological torture chamber suffering daily anguish from abusive guards. She is forced to travel from prison to prison in Nazi death trains after her underground operation is raided by the secret police. A novel of innocence, betrayal and tragedy, The Lion and the Lamb is an absorbing tale of how war-torn people cling to the power of hope and faith.
A true Holocaust story, The Lion and the Lamb begins with a mysterious plane crash which catapults architect Albert Speer into Adolf Hitler's inner circle. When the two Nazi leaders become close confidantes, Speer is forced into constant competition with Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Goebbels and the unstable Hermann GOring. After a botched assassination attempt reveals Albert Speer's name in an SS investigation, Speer is ostracized by the staff and falls under Hitler's suspicion for disloyalty. As the Russian army advances on Berlin, Speer is poisoned, lied about, and forced to fight for his standing with the most evil and calculating men in Europe. Will Speer survive his last-minute trip to the FUhrer's bunker just hours before the end?
The Lion and the Lamb also tells the story of a Dutch Resistance worker named Corrie ten Boom who leads her entire family into a desperate struggle against the Nazi's anti-Jewish policies in Holland. Like Speer, Corrie is thrust into a psychological torture chamber suffering daily anguish from abusive guards. She is forced to travel from prison to prison in Nazi death trains after her underground operation is raided by the secret police. A novel of innocence, betrayal and tragedy, The Lion and the Lamb is an absorbing tale of how war-torn people cling to the power of hope and faith.
This book does differ from your regular textbook-style, non-fiction title. It's written slightly more in the style of how you would read a fictional book, but completely based on true fact. The characters do talk and interact with one another as you would find in a story, and there are also explanatory paragraphs that fill you in on the historical backdrop and context. I certainly wouldn't mind reading a few more factual titles that are penned in this unique way.
The other singular element that makes this book stand out is that it pairs two unlikely stories as one, piecing together two completely different angles of the World War II saga. The reader is shown the wide contrasts, the spiritual, political, and emotional differences between a powerful Third Reich leader and a hospitable Dutch watchmaker's daughter, each just trying to be their best when wartime calls and beckons.
A large portion of the narrative that talks about Corrie ten Boom, I recognized much of the material from The Hiding Place, even though it's been a few years back since I have read it, so I rather enjoyed the "refresher". I so relished in the fact that the author incorporated and highlighted so much of Corrie's faith and spiritual strength. This definitely stood out to me, and made me enjoy The Lion and the Lamb even more so because of its spiritual content.
I soaked in so, so much information from this book, it's unbelievable. I highlighted many passages and made so many notes during my reading time, that's it actually ridiculous. I sure gleaned more than what I expected to...
I feel that where I learned the most is where it concerns the German leaders, particularly with Hitler and the men ranking directly beneath him, most notably, Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. Not that I exactly desired to know all about these men, even though I do enjoy my historical research... but I took away a lot of facts that I never knew before about the time period, the historical significance of certain events, and about the personal lives of these men who guided worldwide distress into action. There's a ton of info about the Nazi viewpoint in this book, and while not all of it is fascinating to read, and some of it may rile you with disgust... still, it's good to know about, to be informed about what our world went through.
NOTE to the discerning reader & parents: There are mentions of how the prisoners at the concentration camps had to undress completely. Although NOT described in too much detail, this event does happen several times. There are some gory death scenes, a couple of which that were particularly graphic (related to blatant deaths committed by Nazis, sickening brutal mass murders).
Best recommended for high-school-age students or adults.
If you are a reader who enjoys non-fiction, researching World War II, or is inspired by the Ten Boom family's legacy, buy this book for you and your friends.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for a free copy of this book; I was not required to post a positive review.
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