John Gribbin
Science for Sale
Serving the Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics under Hitler
By Philip Ball
The Bodley Head 303pp £20
Anew book from Philip Ball is always an eagerly anticipated event, but this one exceeds expectations. This is partly because his writing reaches ever higher standards, but also because the passage of time now makes it possible to take a dispassionate view of his subject matter: the behaviour of scientists in Hitler’s Germany. Were they ideological Nazis, active supporters of the regime? Or self-serving cowards, out to save their own skin? Or something in between?
The answer, of course, is the third option; but Ball’s triumph is to tease out the shades of grey and leave us with some sympathy for even the most deluded, while elevating our appreciation of some of those who were perhaps less cowardly than certain historians have suggested. His focus
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk