The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

     You might have heard about a new movie coming out, or maybe you have seen the trailer already. This movie is called 'The Monuments Men', and is based off the true story of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Artifacts division of the military back in World War II. In this book Robert M. Edsel chronicles the struggles and accomplishments of the Monuments Men. It is an inspiring story, with great insight and brilliantly told. Edsel did his research and it shows. He compacted a lot of information into the book, so it was on the slower side to read, but worth it. You really get a sense of the struggles the Monuments had as the small group of men (Small, as in originally less than twelve, but more were added over the years, and many more were added when the war was won), traveled across the whole of Europe on what is indeed 'The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.'

We do not want to destroy unnecessarily what men spent so much time and care and skill in making...[for] these examples of craftsmanship tell us so much about our ancestors...If these things are lost or broken or destroyed, we lose a valuable part of our knowledge about our forefathers. No age lives entirely alone; every civilization is formed not merely by its own achievements but by what it was inherited from the past. If these things are destroyed, we have lost a part of our past, and we shall be the poorer for it.

British Monuments Man Ronald Balfour,

draft lecture of soldiers, 1944

     It is somewhat surprising on how much you can learn by studying art. You see the greediness of the Nazis, the desperateness of them as they lost more and more lead-way. The struggles of the Monuments Men as they traveled all of Europe mostly by hitchhiking, putting themselves at risk for the sake of art. They were driven by their passion, and that is clear in this biography. 

     I especially enjoyed the last chapter as it went on to tell what happened to many of the people mentioned in the book after the war had ended. It is somewhat sad that practically all of them went without recognition until now. That just now we are starting to learn the truth because someone (Robert M. Edsel!) took the time to research what he was writing about. I am interested in reading more of Robert M. Edsel's work on art and the quest of protecting our heritage through it. I would recommend this book for any history buff, art buff, or war buff. Fantastic read, and you won't regret it.

One of the goals for this blog is to provide information for parents and readers alike to find 'clean' reads suitable for their children or themselves. In all my reviews I will mention general themes from the book, language, sexual/romantic interaction, and violence.

     Themes:
 War, history, art, Nazi's, WWII

       Language:
Light to light mild. Nothing dramatic

       Sexual/Romantic Interaction
Nothing objectionable

       Violence
mid-heavy on the violence. Since this is a book centered on a war effort it is unavoidable  Some death, descriptions of concentration camps and the after effects of war on human beings. Depressing at many points, but in an eye opening, learn from it, let it change you for the better way.

      I would give The Monuments Men a rating of light PG-13


      On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = horrible, 2 = OK, 3 = I liked it, 4 = I really liked it, 5 = I loved it), I would give The Monuments Men a 4