Review 24: Er ist wieder da

Er ist wieder da by Timur Vermes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun read. Being a topic that is still taboo in Germany, Vermes walks a fine line between ridiculizing Hitler and humanizing him. The latter should always be possible in an open society, the latter should be treated with care, though should also not be off-limits. The book does a great job of relating the general feeling towards Hitler, WW2 and the Holocaust. There seems to be a certain acceptance of the fact that it happened, an understanding that it should never happen again, but not this immense feeling of guilt. This is perhaps the question that the book asks; would Hitler return, would that really be bad within the context of today's society? Given that Hitler is in a good place by the end of the book, the answer to that question seems obvious to the author.

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