Review of The Errors of Mankind - Second Edition

[Steinkar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Errors of Mankind - Second Edition" by Curt A Canfield.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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In The Errors of Mankind, Curt A. Canfield presents three diverse characters: Will, a disillusioned Vietnam War veteran; Johann, a proud German WWII veteran; and Lena, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. The story begins in a nursing home with Will introducing himself to Johann as a distant relative researching his family tree. Very quickly, Will is repulsed to discover that Johann fought in the military branch of the Nazi Party during WWII, and he questions Johann’s deplorable loyalty to Hitler’s National Socialist government. As Johann slowly explains how world economics and geographic power virtually forced Germany into WWII, Will is skeptical of the shocking “historical facts” that Johann offers. However, after doing his own research, Will discovers all that Johann tells him is true, and Will begins to develop sympathy for Johann’s experiences. When Lena enters the story, the conversations turn away from Johann’s objective details of the world at war to a personal story of the horrific deaths of Lena’s family in Auschwitz. Will is left trying to reconcile these true but contradictory versions of WWII.

I love this book! Canfield’s use of sympathetic characters to explain the disturbing but factual history of WWII is nothing short of genius. Canfield gives a voice to his readers in the narrator of Will. All of Will’s reactions and questions are exactly as ours would be. And, by creating Lena and Johann as flawed but charming characters, Canfield tugs at our hearts for the plights of both of them. Also, Canfield’s structure of Socratic questioning offers readers a way to analyze historical concepts and uncover preconceived ideas that a simple, plot-driven storyline could never do. Finally, I love how all three characters learn and grow throughout the story. Johann and Lena come to understand their different perspectives on WWII, and they both help Will come to terms with the dark experiences in his childhood and Vietnam.

The only flaw in this book is a total lack of editing. While some of the errors are technical, most of them are evidence of sloppy proofreading: misspellings, missing periods, double punctuation, etc. These obvious errors definitely detract from the success of the book.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, but the obvious errors throughout the book force me to subtract a point.

History fans will love this book! Because it focuses on complex issues and has some vulgar language, I’d recommend it to mature readers.

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The Errors of Mankind - Second Edition
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[Williams Jaden]

The Errors of Mankind by Curt A. Canfield is a thought-provoking exploration of history and perspective, weaving together the lives of a disillusioned Vietnam veteran, a German WWII soldier, and a Holocaust survivor. Through tense conversations and unsettling revelations, the novel challenges readers to grapple with the complexities of war, morality, and personal accountability, leaving Will—and the audience—searching for understanding amidst conflicting truths.