Title: The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi
Author: Neal Bascomb
Summary: Adolf Eichmann was a decorated Nazi officer and a key figure in the transport of Jews and other ‘undesirable’ populations from Hungary to overcrowded ghettos and eventually to the deadly concentration camps located throughout eastern Europe. He prided himself on his efficiency and the lengths he would go to in convincing that these moves were in the best interest of those who would eventually perish in the Holocaust. After the war was over and Nazi Germany had fallen in 1945, Eichmann disappeared. This is the story of how this wanted man was found, captured half a world away in Argentina and brought to Jerusalem to stand trial for his atrocities 15 years after the end of the war.
This gripping page turner delves into the espionage work done by several key players, from ordinary citizens whose lives had been shaped by the horrors of war, stake out artists and military men who could be compromised in an instant, and up to the highest offices in the Israeli government. The seven-year operation had to be completed with absolute secrecy and precision and even though you know the outcome, it reads like the best kind of spy thriller and is a great choice even if you aren’t a fan of non-fiction reading.
The Nazi Hunters won the 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults.
Who will like this book: Anyone in interested in World War II or Israeli history. Readers who like learning about ‘secret’ or lesser-known stories in history.
If you like this, try this: Mature readers should check out Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt. Eichmann in My Hands by Peter Malkin, a key figure in The Nazi Hunters.
Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian