The book is interesting, well researched, and quite informative. It is also well-written.
That said, I found the authors way too sympathetic with the German people of the town. They were quick to find “Good Germans” and “Good Nazis”, but somehow nearly all the true evil derived from some amorphous “elsewhere” in Germany.
For example, the authors talk about how the Villagers were “brainwashed” to regard Russians, Poles and Jews as “subhuman”.
The brainwashing thus reduces or eliminates blame or guilt for the Germans’ many atrocities and war crimes. Villagers weren’t at fault as they were brainwashed by others.
This is but one example. Throughout the book the tone is quite forgiving. Too forgiving, in my view.
