Eichmann in Jerusalem

A Report on the Banality of Evil

By: Hannah Arendt

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Sparking a flurry of heated debate, Hannah Arendt's authoritative and stunning report on the trial of German Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann first appeared as a series of articles in The New Yorker in 1963. This revised edition includes material that came to light after the trial, as well as Arendt's postscript directly addressing the controversy that arose over her account. A major journalistic triumph by an intellectual of singular influence, Eichmann in Jerusalem is as shocking as it is informative - an unflinching look at one of the most unsettling (and unsettled) issues of the 20th century.

©1963 Hannah Arendt (P)2011 Tantor

Compelling, concise, colloquial

Arendt is one of the most important political thinkers of the 20th century and her career shows she can be as pedantic and academic as any. In "Eichmann In Jerusalem" she allows herself an almost journalistic style that's clear, fair and often devastating. The criticisms of this work end up appearing quite trivial in hindsight. This works subtitle became a common expression for a reason. The central thesis is hard to dispute. A must read for anyone interested in philosophy, law and ethics.

Awe inspiring to see such a great mind at work

This is my first exposure to Hannah Arendt. It won’t be my last. The way she takes apart complex questions and reveals the inner workings of them puts her among the first tier of logicians. Her ability to understand the limitations of others and fully put herself into the mindset of Eichmann puts her in the company of skilled novelists. Those gifts together? Amazing. Sharp mind and a sharp tongue, which clearly (from the introduction’s explanation) got her in a lot of trouble.
The narrator was amazing, too, using a consistent accent for Eichmann that helped me place when words were quotations when otherwise the heard text wouldn’t have made that clear. Brava.

An American Historical Classic

Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a remarkable history of the trial of Adolf Eichmann who was responsible for the transportation, exportation and ultimate murder of millions of Jews during World War II. Arendt attended the trial and her book puts Eichmann in perspective by describing his prewar and post war activities as well as his undeniable guilt which led to his hanging. The book was controversial in part because of Arendt’s truthful description of Eichmann’s strange personality, his seeming lack of hatred for Judaism and her honest description of the Judenräte consisting of Jews being forced to aid the deportation to concentration camps and the collection of the victim’s assets. Amos Elan’s forward to the book addresses these criticisms and points out their misreading of her work. Arendt also puts the holocaust in perspective detailing the reactions of the other European Countries from the good (Denmark, Sweden) to the horrible (Romania, Serbia). She also deals with the ability of Israel to hold the trial and the various actions of the judges and lawyers. In the end she acknowledges that Eichmann was a horrible criminal who deserved to die and even has a wonderful passage of her conclusions were she the person passing judgment. She is a wonderful English writer and her understanding and use of her native tongue German as well as French gives context and power to her observations, research, and thoughts. A true classic.

More than just a trial, a comment on what is right and just

Excellent narration including passages in other languages.

This was not a report of trial details such as motions, what was said, but a wonderful discussion of the essence and context. The author brought up a lot of background and needed information so it was easy to understand why this story is relevant even today.

A journalistic masterwork

Arendt complicates the Israeli narrative about the Holocaust. This is the best example of scholarly journalism.

Use Your Own Rational Logic Reading Arendt

Arendt is controversial, but not without reason. Don't take the snips on You Tube for truth. Read her work yourself and apply your own logic and reasoning. It is easier to kill more people, and quicker, with a bureaucracy set up for the purpose, and more people can get away with it. These bureaucrats, whether they be pencil pushers in charge of train tables or staff officers arranging the liquidation of villages, share traits Arendt finds in Eichmann. This is an amazing book, which weaves Arendt's theory with a hard core history of the Holocaust, and Wendy Weaver's narration works best at the deliberate pacing of Arendt's carefully structured sentences. I must read in many categories: history, philosophy, morality, etc. A cautionary example of where we can go so wrong as humans.

Must listen to!

Brilliant! With Eichmann in Jerusalem Hannah Arendt not only cracks wide open the myths we perpetuate about the idea of how evil exists in the world, what form it takes and how it acts, but moreover she forces us to confront our own compliance in the horrific atrocities carried out through our ignorance of how systems of power perpetuate oppression and exploitation around the world. I would highly recommend this book.

Still has Great Power to Offend

This work was (and is) highly contreversial and has lost none of it's power to offend. Hannah Arendt, no doubt felt that she was being honest and straightforward. Her narrative often seems far more critical of Israel than the perpetrators of The Holocaust. This is a hard, cold and uncaring narritive. There is an almost complete absence of sympathy for the victims of The Holocaust - only the flippant dismisal that is only appreciated by those who exercise it. It is easy to see why Arendt is often portrayed as a "self lothing Jew". Her unrelenting theme seems to be: this was a ridiculous and unneccesary show trial and look at all the bad and silly things that Israel is doing. Why - how dare Israel kidnap Eichmann and take him to Israel. When she occasionally manages to put her axe aside, the details are useful. Apart from this the "Banality of Evil" can easily be applied to Hannah Arendt herself.

<br /><br /><br />Eichmann in Jerusalem

Absolutely essential reading in these times. So applicable to today's political climate. A must read.

A Must Read!

Gripping, shocking and highly relevant. Arandt’s insight and analysis of the trial from historical, legal, social, philosophical and even, implicitly, religious viewpoints is game changing. This book should be required reading to graduate high school for everyone in the world.