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This is the first comprehensive book in English on the fate of the homosexuals in Nazi Germany. The author, a German refugee, examines the climate and conditions that gave rise to a vicious campaign against Germany's gays, as directed by Himmler and his SS--persecution that resulted in tens of thousands of arrests and thousands of deaths. In this Nazi crusade, homosexual prisoners were confined to death camps where, forced to wear pink triangles, they constituted the lowest rung in the camp hierarchy. The horror of camp life is described through diaries, previously untranslated documents, and interviews with and letters from survivors, revealing how the anti-homosexual campaign was conducted, the crackpot homophobic fantasies that fueled it, the men who made it possible, and those who were its victims, this chilling book sheds light on a corner of twentieth-century history that has been hidden in the shadows much too long.… (more)
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Plant does well describing the particular nature of the dilemma homosexual concentration camp inmates faced. For example, while the overall numbers of homosexuals who ended up in concentration and work camps was relatively low compared to other groups, their mortality rate was the highest of all the groups, because they were particularly reviled by the SS guards and often disdained as well by their fellow inmates.
On the other hand, because Himmler believed that homosexuality represented a cultural disease that could help bring about a society's downfall, he was much less interested in persecuting homosexuals in the countries the Nazis conquered, as he was fine with the idea of, for instance, the Slavic cultures being "weakened" in this way.
This book was published in 1986. Plant himself explains that he feels he has only begun to scratch the surface of the topic. I would be interested to know whether there's been more detailed research conducted and/or published since. Either way, this book provides an effective entry into this grim subject matter.
Sometimes the other seems to go off on other tangents that does not focus entirely on the homosexual plight in the camps and holocaust, but once you get to the end you understand how it all ties together. I feel he could have organized the book slightly better, but overall you learn a great deal about a subject that seems to get swept under the rug a lot. This book will educate you on how it was possible for even gay men to be treated horribly during this time period. Also you will learn how the Nazi party would use homosexuality to weed out people they didn't like in their party. It is a book that will teach you something you didn't know about the Holocaust and as a result you will understand the modern day world better.