Never Enough

Never Enough by Elise Garibaldi is the story of Carl Katz, a divisive figure whose tireless work for the Jewish community in the German city of Bremen both during and after WW2 is not in doubt. There are,however, those who accuse him of collaboration with the Gestapo to keep himself and his family safe while others perished.
While the book is of interest in it's depiction of the Camps and Ghettos the Jews were forced into during the war it also shows the lesser-known side of German after the war when the the judicial system and the police were largely made up of former Nazis. This led to the incredible situation of former Nazi Judges presiding over the trials of those accused of former Nazi soldiers and officials and it was Katz's view that some of these people had scores to settle with him.
While I enjoyed the book ,once I realised that Katz inspired extremely polarised views I found it to be very one-sided with the thoughts of Katz's enemies put into their heads by the author,thoughts the complete opposite of what the actual people have said in their books,depositions etc.
I enjoyed the book,it's very well-written but I became suspicious of the fictionalised conversations in a non-fiction book,not least on such a controversial figure. It has however sparked an interest in the subject and I'll be reading further on Carl Katz.

One if the best books I've read this year. It captivated me from the beginning and as the events happened I felt every emotion the characters felt (except Nette because he's a prick).

Never Enough, the Carl Katz story, by Elise Garibaldi, Katz’ great granddaughter, is a remarkable nonfiction story that sheds light on the difficulties of the post-WW2 years in Germany. Told in two timelines, we readers get the story of Carl Katz and his family of Bremen, Germany, from Kristallnacht, through the deportations to the camps in the East, to the bitter years of survival, and Katz’ return with his daughter to Bremen where, with the defeat of Nazi Germany, he sought to rebuild the centuries-old Jewish community.

The other timeline which alternates in chapters throughout the book with the Holocaust timeline gives the reader post-war Germany where, although many upper Nazis were tried at Nuremberg, many who delighted in their persecution of Jews survived and were surprisingly made a part of the new postwar Germany as the international focus turned to fighting Communism and the Red menace. Some who survived the war and were guilty of Nazi collaboration turned against the surviving Jews such as Katz and used the judicial system to attack Katz and brand him a collaborator too, though one who was marched off to the death camps and barely survived. The deNazifaction of Germany was not thorough and many endured despite their crimes against humanity to rebuild new lives casting off their rotten skins.

What makes this book so powerfully told is that it reads more like a novel than like a history book and personalizes everything that happened to Katz and those around him. Indeed, the shock value of the Holocaust never ceases and, when you hear about how the Aryan wife of a Jewish man turned on him when the Nazis began thei reign of terror, having him sign over everything to her and then divorcing him and throwing him out on the street, you begin to realize how widespread the Nazi terror was and how, in the face of the powerful, few had courage or conviction to stand up to them and the Jews were left, unarmed and alone, in the midst of Nazi evil.

An intriguing account of the Carl Katz story and whilst I enjoyed the book it was an emotional and sometimes difficult read. Whilst it is based on the true story of Carl Katz and very well researched, it is an emotive subject and therefore not for everyone. I would still recommend it as a good read for anyone interested in WWII history

Fascinating. I have read a lot of different accounts of people’s experiences of the Holocaust from many different perspectives and this was a new one for me. I had to double check that it is, in fact, based in truth as some of the circumstances seem so incredible when reflecting back on that time in history. It’s incredibly easy to read - the author has done well to present facts in an interesting and engaging way.

Really enjoyed readying this book. Based on true events. It was very well written. Informative and interesting