Germany, at Odds by Eldad Beck is about looking at Germany through a different lens. It is about a peculiar voyage of a journalist from Israel. The journey began at the beginning of the 21st century. The book throws many questions on this country’s stability, democratic image, and its legacy past. The book, at large, shows the face of Germany entirely in a new perspective.
What I liked in Germany, at Odds by Eldad Beck is the intensity with which it has been written. German-Jewish relations have been analyzed in a very interesting manner. You get a very concrete walk through the history of Germany as analyzed by a Jewish journalist. The book prompts you to think and questions quite a few WHYs on what Germany has gone through during a decade. It talks about a transformation of Germany through the eyes of the author. I also liked the precision of the facts that have been observed quite minutely by Eldad Beck. The book also touches deeply about the restlessness between Germany and Israel. The credit for crisp facts highlighted by the author goes to his profession. He is a journalist. That is why there is an intense depth in his writing. He has an ability to talk about reality as a reality without deviating it here and there. The author narrated intense situations quite smartly like the way Israeli athletes that were massacred during the Munich Olympics or the discomforting situations in Iraq, Germany, or Syria.
If the author had not touched the problematic and darker side of the past Germany went through, it would have become a void in the book
. In Germany, at Odds Eldad Beck has been able to show the praiseworthy side of Germany. The country has been able to put its sincere efforts in erasing the memory of its darker past.
I would like to rate Germany, at Odds as 4 out of 5. It is a must read for people keen in learning about the world in general and Germany in specific.
