- This event has passed.
“The Dilemma of Ordinary People in Hitler’s Germany” with David Wessel
Tuesday, September 1 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Join us at the Camden Public Library for a presentation by David Wessel, author of Choosing Sides.
This presentation will provide a summary of how historians over the last 80 years have characterized the role of ordinary German citizens as their country slipped into a harsh, militaristic dictatorship in the 1920s and 30s. Were they willing participants and perpetrators of horrific crimes? Or were they victims of a megalomaniac and his henchmen? We will also discuss the options that German citizens had open to them, what they may have known about the atrocities of the Holocaust, and what they did about the Nazi menace.
David K. Wessel will share the story of this own father, who grew up on both sides of the Atlantic in the 20s and 30s, and how members of his own family chose to deal with the demise of democracy within their homeland. Following his presentation, he will be signing and selling copies of his novel, Choosing Sides, that captures their story, bringing a personal touch to a tragic chapter in world history.
David K. Wessel is one of six children born to Karl-Heinz Wessel, the main character of “Choosing Sides”. David is a retired elected government official and U.S. diplomat, published historian and award-winning novelist. When it comes to writing about the years leading up to World War II he relies not only on his family story, but fifty years of studying how the Weimar Republic shaped the lives of ‘ordinary Germans.’ At university, he majored in history with a focus on Germany between the wars and has continued his interest in the subject ever since. After leaving foreign service, he returned to those studies and dove into the specific research so well reflected in Choosing Sides.
In addition to writing Choosing Sides, David has developed several presentations that provide details on various historic elements of the novel. He is available to deliver talks at booksellers, libraries, colleges, historical societies, museums and other venues.