The Man with Miraculous Hands

The Extraordinary Story of Himmler's Therapist Who Saved Thousands of Lives

by Joseph Kessel

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Pub Date Jun 21 2023 | Archive Date Apr 25 2023

Elliott & Thompson

Biographies & Memoirs | History | Nonfiction (Adult)

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Description

Shedding a new light on the darkest days of the twentieth century, The Man with Miraculous Hands gives us a new way of viewing the history of the Second World War, one that goes beyond the simple idea of heroes and villains…
In 1938, Dr Felix Kersten, an avuncular Finnish physician, was introduced to Heinrich Himmler, the chief architect of the Holocaust. Seemingly the only person who could cure Himmler of his crippling stomach cramps, Kersten worked on his vanity and gratitude to save the lives of thousands of people, and was Celebrated across Europe, culminating in Joseph Kessel’s 1961 bestseller, The Man with Miraculous Hands.
And yet, Kersten’s historical legacy is not flawless, and a new introduction by bestselling author Norman Ohler deals with some of Kersten’s more exaggerated claims, asking why a man who had done so much good would risk damaging that reputation. The Man with Miraculous Hands is an extraordinarily revealing portrayal of the deranged atmosphere in Himmler’s court, where paranoia and vicious rivalries reigned.

Shedding a new light on the darkest days of the twentieth century, The Man with Miraculous Hands gives us a new way of viewing the history of the Second World War, one that goes beyond the simple...