Het geheime netwerk dat Josef Mengele liet verdwijnen

by Betina Anton, Kitty Pouwels (translator)

São Paulo, 1985. Betina Anton is zes jaar als haar kleuterjuf van de ene op de andere dag ontslagen wordt en uit haar leven verdwijnt. Juf Liselotte bleek goed bevriend te zijn geweest met Josef Mengele. Met een klein groepje gelijkgestemden had zij de kamparts van Auschwitz, berucht om zijn medische experimenten, geholpen om in Brazilië in het geheim een nieuw leven op te bouwen. Mengele werd zelfs een familievriend, haar kinderen noemden hem 'oom Peter'.
Op basis van interviews en talloze nieuwe bronnen reconstrueert de bekroonde Braziliaanse onderzoeksjournaliste Betina Anton het leven en de vlucht van Josef Mengele. Hoe kon de meestgezochte nazi ter wereld 34 jaar lang aan vervolging ontkomen? En wie zijn de mensen die hem hielpen en daarvoor bereid waren hun eigen leven te riskeren?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, World War II, Holocaust, Biography, Germany

413 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2024

Reviews

[Monica Cabral · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... Para Mengele, Auschwitz era um grande depósito de material humano a ser usado nas suas pesquisas particulares.
Não bastassem as várias linhas de pesquisa, ele ainda colecionava esqueletos de judeus, embriões humanos e corpos de recém-nascidos mortos."

Ouvi falar deste livro pela primeira vez no podcast Maquiavel para Principiantes do Rui Calafate e fiquei curiosa com ele, principalmente depois de ter sido uma das suas  melhores leituras de 2024.
As minhas expectativas eram altas e não foram defraudadas, a autora através de uma minuciosa pesquisa que durou 6 anos, traz-nos um verdadeiro documento histórico que nos conta a vida do médico Josef Mengele, o tão conhecido Anjo da Morte do campo de concentração de Auschwitz.
Ao longo da narrativa vamos conhecer a juventude de Mengele,  a sua ascensão nas SS, como fazia a selecção para as câmaras de gás e para as suas macabras experiências mas também como conseguiu escapar à justiça e viver como um cidadão anónimo na Argentina e nos cerca de 20 anos no Brasil onde faleceu.
Quando acabei o livro fiquei incrédula e, confesso, zangada com a facilidade com que este monstro conseguiu fugir e ter uma vida tranquila como se nada se tivesse passado, como se não tivesse matado milhares de mulheres, homens e crianças ou como se as pessoas que conseguiram sobreviver às suas mãos não tivessem ficado com sérias sequelas para toda a vida.
Baviera Tropical é acima de tudo um retrato do que de pior o ser humano tem:  a maldade. Através da escrita irrepreensível da Betina Anton conseguimos perceber perfeitamente que, embora Mengele se escudasse pelo seu amor à ciência para matar, torturar e mutilar os prisioneiros,  principalmente crianças, era um homem sem qualquer tipo de empatia pelo próximo e até tinha muito prazer no que fazia.

"Enquanto as suas vítimas sofreram ao longo da vida tormentos físicos e mentais, ele terminava os seus dias com os amigos, a escrever, a ler, a passear com os cães, a cuidar do jardim,  a fazer churrascos e a tomar banhos de cachoeira e de mar na sua Baviera Tropical."

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betina Anton's historical narrative reads like a cat-and-mouse thriller that will have the reader wanting to read just one more chapter.

One of the biggest frustrations of WWII Holocaust history is that Josef Mengele, the "Nazi of Death," escaped capture and never stood trial for his unspeakable war crimes against humanity. How did he elude his hunters? We know the outcome of this story. However, Anton's meticulous research shows how Mengele's network of sympathizers in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil allowed him to stay one step ahead of capture as his surviving victims tried to bring him to justice.

"While his victims suffered physical and mental torment throughout their lives, the Angel of Death ended his days with friends - writing, reading, walking his dogs, tending to his garden, Barbequing, bathing in waterfalls, and in the sea of his tropical Bavaria" (Anton).

The best history books tell a story -- this one is a compelling one!

[Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Als eerste laat je niet misleiden door het aantal pagina's, de helft van het boek zijn voetnoten geraadpleegde werken enz meer.
Daardoor is ook te zien dat deze schrijfster gedegen onderzoek heeft gevoerd. Het boek is eigenlijk het beste dat ik ooit al gelezen heb over Mengele. Ik heb een paar dingen geleerd die ik nog niet had gelezen of kende en ik denk dat ik mag zeggen dat ik redelijk veel over deze materie heb gelezen. Het is een compleet verslag niet alleen over het netwerk maar ook over zijn leven.
Als je interesse hebt over de persoon kan je hem nog een mens noemen na zijn daden ?) dan moet je deze zeker lezen. Voor mij is dit zowat het complete Mengele verhaal.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting, well-researched, heart-wrenching in the opening chapters as Mengele's war crimes are detailed--a very good read. Thank you for the recommendation, Donna!

[Cristiana Carolini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Não diria que se trata de uma biografia, mas uma análise de contexto e fatos em torno de Mengele, especialmente do período em que viveu no Brasil. É possível entender a linha equivocada de pensamento que levou Mengele fazer o que fez sem, no entanto, minimizar sua crueldade. Betina não passa pano para criminoso, se referindo a Mengele diversas vezes como 'velho nazista". Dá para sentir na escrita o desprezo por ele e pelas pessoas que o ajudaram.
O grande mérito do livro é sua postura ética em torno de um tema tão espinhoso.

[Aubrey Bass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of WW2 books, but this one was unique in the information I learned. Full disclosure, I didn't think the horrendous acts Dr. Mengele did would be in the book a lot, but I'd say it consumed at least the first 40% of the book. Because the author interviewed victims who survived and later wanted answers, their accounts were told in detail and without censorship. Those who survived aided in the story with their desire to find Mengele and bring him to justice. For readers more sensitive to human torture and suffering, I'd caution against this novel. The "Angel of Death" was truly a monster by every definition.

I thought it was jaw-dropping how Mengele escaped any type of punishment and died by drowning on a beach swimming in Brazil. It infuriates me to no end that his victims never saw any justice or retribution for all the pain he caused. Many victims had mysterious illnesses and health problems until the end of their lives due to the mysterious expirements done to them under Mengele's care.

This was a really well written book and was devoid of dullness that can so often be found in non-fiction novels. I have always been baffled by how this sadist wasn't one of the first Nazis captured. I appreciated the six years it took this author to research how and where Mengele hid for the majority of his life, and how he evaded punishment.

[Alexandra - Alexs books and socks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik heb de dagboek fragmenten van Josef Mengele en zijn onderduiken enkele jaren terug gelezen, net zoals zijn gruwelijk misdaden tijdens WOII en was dus niet zeker of dit boek nog veel nieuws kon brengen maar dit boek moet gelezen worden.

De auteur bracht de gruwelijke daden van Josef Mengele naar voor, zijn karakter, hoe het mogelijk was dat hij nooit gevat is, wie dat sterke netwerk nu was dat zich rondom hem bewoog en dat allemaal op een heel sterke manier. De schrijfstijl is duidelijk, makkelijk te lezen maar zo ongelooflijk krachtig.

Misschien leerde ik niet zoveel nieuws, (qua grote lijnen niet, toch las ik details die me onbekend waren en indrukwekkend) maar toch was ik helemaal onder de indruk van dit boek. Echt een aanrader voor wie meer wil leren over de Engel des Doods.

[Rita Costa (Lusitania Geek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro excecional e cativante, que não só narra a história da vida deste criminoso que morreu sem ser punido, mas também explica como ele conseguiu evitar a captura com a ajuda de outros nazistas, seja na Argentina, Paraguai ou Brasil.

Fico sempre impressionado quando um autor consegue realizar um trabalho monumental, neste caso como a Betina Anton fez. Encontrar pessoas ainda relacionadas com a estadia do criminoso nazista no Brasil e entrevistar agentes do Mossad em Israel que estiveram envolvidos na caça ao monstro Mengele, como o agente Rafi Eitan, é um feito notável e incrível.

Para mim, este é o livro definitivo sobre os anos desaparecidos de Josef Mengele na América do Sul, principalmente no Brasil. Esta obra foi escrita sobre este tema, antes da morte das principais personagens, como Tante Liselotte (em 2018), mulher que ajudou Mengele até depois da sua morte e Rafi Eitan (em 2019), chefe do Mossad responsável pela captura de Eichmann e que também participou na caça ao "Anjo da Morte".

O livro responde brilhantemente à pergunta: "Como foi possível que um dos nazistas mais procurados do mundo tenha vivido no Brasil durante tantos anos sem ser perturbado, capturado e tenha sido apenas julgado pelas águas do mar de Bertioga, estado de São Paulo ?"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Michael Esquivel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part thriller and part WWII history, this was hard to put down. Betina Anton starts by briefly describing the history of antisemitism, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the idea of the “final solution,” and the construction of the German concentration camps.

Dr. Josef Mengele, AKA the Angel of Death, is best known for his horrific experiments on people in Auschwitz. Many of these experiments were difficult to read about, and miraculously, some of these victims not only survived these evil experiments but survived Auschwitz and lived to tell their stories.

Part of what makes this such a good read is the detailed research that was done to put this book together, such as actual letters from Mengele, interviews, and first-hand accounts of what Mengele did to his victims. To say that it was a miracle that Mengele was able to not only escape Germany but live the rest of his life in South America is not an exaggeration. Mengele not only managed to elude the Mossad (the Israeli Nazi hunters) but he managed to find people who not only did not care who he was but also did not care to collect the millions of dollars in reward money to turn him in. Unlike other high-ranking Nazis who were brought to justice by the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, sadly, Mengele was never brought to trial for his unspeakable crimes against humanity. This one is very highly recommended!

[Mariana Almeida]

É muito inquietante pensar o quão aparentemente fácil foi para Mengele fugir e esconder-se de toda a Europa. Um livro que gostava que não fosse baseado numa história real. Teria poupado sofrimento a muitos. Li este livro com um constante lembrete em mente: Visitar o campo de Auschwitz-Birkenau antes de morrer.

[Maria Quintinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mesmo tendo passado a vida a fugir, conseguiu viver ao contrário da maioria das suas vítimas. A pesquisa e o relato do que foi a vida de Mengele, não exclui o julgamento que faltou, o confronto com as suas vítimas. Ele e muitos outros deveriam ter sido expostos ao mundo com todos os seus crimes. Como se esquece tão facilmente...

[Vânia Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para quem como eu é é fã da temática segunda guerra mundial este é um excelente livro. É inacreditável como Mengele. conseguiu sair impune das atrocidades que fez e que são relatadas no livro e viver um resto de vida pleno. O livro explica muito bem como mengele conseguiu tudo isto.

[piet van genderen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een betere titel zou zijn geweest "Het leven van Jozef Mengele". Een kundige arts en onderzoeker die zich ontpopt tot een sadistische folteraar en meedogenloze massamoordenaar. Geholpen door een kleine kring oud nazi's en door het toeval weet hij aan berechting te ontkomen.

[Lucia Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fundamental ler esse livro, para ver o que aconteceu com um dos maiores criminosos do mundo: Mengele. como pode escapar das entidades da caça aos nazistas e morreu no Brasil sem pagar e se responsabilizar por seus crimes contra judeus, ciganos e comunistas. um grande trabalho de pesquisa escrito por Betina Anton.

[Arquivo de leituras · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3,5

[Ilidio Calado · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Kayla Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that people hid Mengele. Even after they heard about his crimes against humanity. Shame that he never truly paid for the things he did.

[Legens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong in its original research (interviews and even a find of Mengele’s private letters). Stark contrast between the first and the second half of the book – Mengele’s gruesome human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp and his simple, quiet life in South America after the war.

[Joao Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para quem conhece história da segunda guerra mundial e das fugas de nazis, poucas novidades apresenta. preferia um livro mais centrado apenas na parte brasileira e latina da fuga de mengele,da Baviera tropical. Mesmo assim, valeu bem o esforço e a leitura.

[Rajeev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor-criminal is known by the intimidating sobriquet of “Angel of Death.” Any account of the holocaust perpetrated by the Third Reich would be incomplete without a mention of the atrocities that Mengele oversaw as the doctor in charge of the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps in Poland. It is surprising that even though Mengele worked in these camps for only about a year, his holocaust legacy has come to identify with the excesses perpetrated on Jews during the Second World War.
Betina Anton mentioned that she had undertaken extensive research to author this book, lasting almost eight years. She begins the narrative with the death of a septuagenarian Mengele in a drowning accident on a Brazilian beach and the surreptitious way he was buried under a false identity by his faithful friends. Betina then goes on to narrate the life of Mengele in his youth in Germany. He comes across as a sharp medical student with a special interest in genetics and the misplaced idea of racial purity. He took a special interest in twin siblings as a method of differentiating between environmental and genetic factors responsible for the aetiology of diseases. Mengele worked at the Kaiser Institute after his graduation. Being a staunch believer in the theory of racial superiority, it was not surprising that he became an ardent supporter of Nazi ideology. He volunteered for commission into the Shutzstaffel (SS) during the war and was promptly obliged by the authorities.
Mengele was appointed as one of the doctors in charge of Auschwitz. It is widely believed that Mengele used to be at the disembarkation points of the cattle trains that brought the Jews to the concentration camps. He was actively involved in selecting people to be sent to the gas chambers. Families and loved ones were separated as per his directions and the fit people were earmarked for hard labour. Mengele took a keen interest in segregating twins who came in these trains. He separated the twin children from their parents and arranged special diets and other creature comforts for them at the camp. However, the ulterior motive behind this seemingly generous act was to earmark the twin siblings for medical experiments.
As mentioned earlier, Mengele had a special interest in performing studies on twins. This was his primary field of research before coming to Auschwitz. One can imagine the joy he must have experienced at the veritable gold mine of study subjects available in the camp, where he could carry out his experiments without any compunction for adhering to ethical propriety and without any oversight. It was during this period that Mengele is alleged to have performed inhumane experiments on young subjects, most of them being twins.
At the end of the war, he was smart enough to go under the radar and manage to move to South America. After the comprehensive defeat of the Axis powers, many Nazi war criminals managed to flee to the South American continent. Israel and its allies made a concerted effort to lay their hands on as many Nazis as possible and bring them to trial. Prominent Nazis like Eichmann were captured by the Israelis from Latin American countries and scores of them were sent to the gallows following the Nuremberg trials. Mengele kept an extremely low profile and spent most of this time in Brazil. He was either exceptionally good at deception or more likely the Nazi hunters did not pay enough attention to him until it was too late.
From Betina's account, it is clear that Mengele was exceptionally adaptable and a man of very few needs. Besides, he was close to the people who were protecting him, and, in all probability, he was good company with an endearing personality. That was the reason the German expatriates in Brazil probably went out of their way to shield him and enable a comfortable life for the fugitive.
I think for a person who is alleged to have caused so much pain to scores of people, Mengele had a good life. The separation from his family, the exile from his homeland and the relative isolation that he experienced late in his life were the price that he had to pay for the bad karma he indulged in his early years. The fact that the Israelis could not lay their hands on him was something that he was extremely proud of.
The first part of the book is quite engaging where Betina talks about Mengele’s education and training. The account of the atrocities in Auschwitz has been clinically described without too much of a hyperbole which is a sine qua non in a vast majority of Holocaust literature. However, the latter part of the book that describes Mengele’s life in Brazil becomes a bit pedantic and slow. Notwithstanding, Betina Anton’s book is a valuable addition to the vast body of Holocaust literature and is recommended reading for anyone interested in the events related to the Second World War.

[Dario Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outra biografia de Josef Mengele, o médico nazista que cometeu incontáveis crimes no campo de concentração de Auschwitz e depois se refugiou na América do Sul, acabando por morrer afogado em uma praia na cidade de Bertioga, litoral paulista.
Este livro tem vários pontos positivos. O primeiro é contar a história de um ponto de vista brasileiro. Ele se escondeu por aqui por quase vinte anos e tem muita coisa que acaba sendo ignorada ou malcompreendida quando apresentada por um estrangeiro. Nisso a autora se sai muito. Ela acaba por colocar em perspectiva algumas coisas. Enquanto para o Posner, ele vivia em uma situação de miséria, apavorado e escondido, ela apresenta um Mengele que vivia modestamente, em casas ou sítios humildes, mas que estava longe de ser miserável. Era capaz de manter empregados – doméstica, jardineiro –, bem como adquirir propriedades mesmo que fossem registradas no nome de outros e ter os confortos típicos da maioria dos brasileiros de classe média da década de 1970. Ainda podia se movimentar com liberdade pelos bairros periféricos da cidade de São Paulo – ia ao cinema, visitava uma livraria, comia uma torta de maça em um café – e até mesmo se arriscar a fazer algumas viagens, caso da ida até praia em Bertioga, onde veio a morrer.
Outra virtude do livro é o fato de ela ter tido acesso a fontes que não estavam disponíveis ou que foram ignoradas por obras mais antigas. É o caso do material guardado na Polícia Federal, em Brasília. Eram cartas escritas ou recebidas por Mengele e ajudam a esclarecer muitas coisas. Também ela conseguiu acesso a material que deixou de ser sigiloso apenas recentemente, caso de relatórios do Mossad, o Serviço de Inteligência de Israel.
O lado negativo é que o livro é, no final das contas uma grande reportagem, sem a análise mais profunda que um especialista muito provavelmente daria ao material.
Os anos em que ele passou no Brasil é a melhor parte do livro. O período anterior ao campo de concentração fica um pouco desejar. A parte relacionada a Auschwitz é boa (e chocante), mesmo que não seja exaustiva. Aí o livro do Posner é melhor.
De resto, o livro tem uma conclusão diferente do Posner. Para a autora, “enquanto suas vítimas sofreram ao longo da vida tormentos físicos e mentais, ele terminava seus dias com seus amigos, escrevendo, lendo, passeando com seus cachorros, cuidando do seu jardim, fazendo churrasco e tomando banho de cachoeira e de mar em sua Baviera tropical”.
Era uma vida prosaica. Sem luxos, sim, mas ele conseguiu viver quase vinte anos no Brasil sem ser incomodado, essa é a verdade. Enquanto isso, outros vários criminosos nazistas foram presos e julgados. Como ele conseguiu isso?
Em parte, por um pouco de sorte. O Mossad chegou a encontrá-lo no início dos anos 1960. Agentes israelenses chegaram até mesmo a fazer contato visual e identificá-lo. No entanto, em razão da necessidade de usar os então escassos recursos da Agência para enfrentar temas mais urgentes – casos das ameaças dos países árabes – ele foi negligenciado. Israel só voltou a se interessar seriamente por Mengele no final da década de 1970.
De outro lado, ele contou com recursos financeiros fornecidos pela família na Alemanha e a ajuda fiel e constante de alguns poucos apoiadores no Brasil. Também levou uma vida discreta, sem muita exposição.
Além disso, a displicência – para não dizer desinteresse– da polícia e da justiça alemã o ajudaram muito. Quando resolveram procurá-lo com um pouco mais de esforço – em meados dos anos 1980, quando ele já estava morto –, foram encontradas, sem muita dificuldade, provas e mais provas que indicavam onde ele estava escondido. O funcionário da empresa da família que lhe servia de apoio mantinha agendas e vastos registros com informações sobre Mengele e seus contatos no Brasil.
O fato de ele não ter sido preso talvez também seja explicado pela própria mediocridade dele. Não era um gênio. Longe disso. Ele, tanto quanto o Eichmann, encarnava essa banalidade do mal. Essa sua mediocridade é que também assegurou que nunca fosse capturado.
Por fim, provavelmente novos livros serão escritos sobre ele no futuro. Os diários de Mengele – leiloados há pouco tempo – ainda poderão ser fontes para novos livros, como também é o caso dos arquivos do que fez em Auschwitz, que talvez estejam escondidos por aí.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

In at least a fictional account of the last stand in the Battle of Thermopylae, these words were uttered by King Leonidas to Ephialtes of (but not necessarily “part of”) Sparta after he betrayed them to the Persians. In a society focused on giving one’s all and going out with a bang, nothing can be more devastating than to live a full life into old age and mediocrity.

Josef Mengele, runner-up for worst human being in the 20th century, in a way ‘suffered’ a similar fate: a firm believer in the Third Reich hoping for greatness and worldwide recognition of his medical prowess instead lived a life in liminality where fame of an other kind was amassed. Tranquil? Yes. Full of fear? Yes. Idyll? Yes. Despised even by those who protected him? Yes. Receiver of just desserts? Sadly—and all the grisly reasons why as explained in this short refresher on his career as “The Angel of Death” and broken man on the run—absolutely not.

In Hiding Mengele, probably the 35th book written about the most infamous ‘doctor’ of the 20th century, we are presented with an account that attempts to make this the book to read if one is interested less in his upbringing and then time in Auschwitz and more about what came after. Sadly, one major issue is in spite of the book’s sub-title being “How a Nazi Network Harbored the Angel of Death”, a decent chunk of it is still dedicated to what made him truly subhuman.

The author in a post-script that would better be served as an introduction noted they spent quite a few years researching Mengele’s whereabouts and life story after WW2, but one gets the feeling that on its own would make for a book that was too short so their editors had them also pen several thick chapters focusing on you-know-what.

The issue remains: most likely any who read this book already are pretty familiar with the individual and don’t need a refresher and those not familiar with him probably are not going to be reading this book before reading others.

Nevertheless, be it his time as worst doctor on earth or the old broken man with unrealized dreams of greatness living out his remaining days in liminal space, the book is well-written and thus in some ways, could still serve as a nice introduction for those wanting to learn more about a darker side of an already dark time for all humanity.

[Joanna Mucha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Znacie postać Anioła Śmierci?

W tej opartej na nieznanych dotąd faktach, wciągającej książce dziennikarka Betina Anton opisuje historię pobytu Mengelego w Brazylii z unikalnej perspektywy. Kiedy Betina miała 6 lat, nagle bez słowa zniknęła jej ukochana nauczycielka przedszkolna. Znacznie później autorka dowiedziała się, że właśnie Tante Liselotte chroniła potwora z Auschwitz… To stało się punktem zwrotnym w jej dziennikarskich poszukiwaniach.

Josef Mengele. Anioł Śmierci. Człowiek, który prowadził pseudomedyczne badania. Doprowadził do śmierci niezliczonej ilości osób. Człowiek, który eksperymentował na bliźniętach. Jego głównym celem było znalezienie sposobu na genetyczne warunkowanie cech aryjskich u dzieci.

Ból. Bezsilność. Znieczulica. Mogę wymienić wiele słów, które kojarzą mi się z tą książką. Krycie zbrodniarza. Pisanie dla niego usprawiedliwień. Życie na obczyźnie wśród ludzi, którzy nie znali jego przeszłości. Nawet po śmierci, nie czuła wyrzutów sumienia. Historia człowieka, który nie czuł nic, kiedy wybierał kto ma przeżyć. Uważał, że nie należy leczyć, a eliminować. dwa dni po przybyciu do obozu zadecydował o posłaniu do komór gazowych wszystkich 1042 Romów, w których barakach wybuchła epidemia tyfusu.

Autorka w niezwykle wnikliwy sposób przedstawia historię Mengelego. Przytacza historię osób, które miały z nim styczności. Osoby, które przeżyły piekło, na które nie ma właściwych słów. Czułam każdą emocję, ból. Wściekłość. Człowiek, który zrobił takie rzeczy nie odpowiedział za nie. Żył spokojnie na obczyźnie i odszedł na własnych warunkach. Książkę tą można czytać jak thriller, gdyby nie fakt, że opisuje prawdziwe wydarzenia, okrutne i niewyobrażalne.

[Ad Pluijmers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diverse nazi’s hebben na de tweede wereldoorlog hun ‘heil’ elders gezocht. Eén van hen was Josef Mengele (bekend van brute genetische onderzoeken, o.a. op tweelingen) die via Argentinië en Paraguay uiteindelijk zijn laatste jaren in Brazilië slijt. Daar bevindt hij zich onder diverse andere Duitsers, maar de lokale bevolking is zich niet (altijd) van hun achtergrond bewust. De schrijfster, Betina Anton, ontdekt dat ze op de lagere school les heeft gehad van een lerares (juf Liselotte) die jarenlang onderdak heeft verleend aan Josef Mengele, uiteraard onder een valse naam. Zijn misdadige oorlogsverleden was in het begin niet bij haar bekend, maar toen dat wel aan de orde kwam mocht hij wel in haar gezin blijven. Liselotte weet zijn geheim te bewaren, zelfs bij zijn overlijden door verdrinking in 1979, totdat een jaar of zes daarna het speurwerk van de Israëlische Mossad en andere nazi-jagers uiteindelijk toch bij haar en het graf van Mengele terechtkomen.

Betina Anton, een onderzoeksjournalist, gaat op zoek naar haar oude juf. Ze krijgt van haar niet heel veel informatie, maar slaagt erin via diverse andere kanalen de levensloop van Mengele in Zuid-Amerika gedetailleerd uit te werken. En passant wordt nog de brutale ontvoering van Adolf Eichmann uit Argentinië door de Mossad besproken.

Het boek leest als een spannend spionageverhaal, maar dan met de gruwelijke ware gebeurtenissen in WO2 als basis. Dat brengt je diverse keren toch weer met beide voeten terug op de grond, zoals bij de uitgebreide beschrijvingen van het ‘werk’ van Josef Mengele in vernietigingskamp Auschwitz, waar duidelijk gemaakt wordt hoe grondig de nazi’s tewerk zijn gegaan om hun doelstellingen te verwezenlijken.

Mooi geschreven, gedetailleerd, heftig en verhelderend.

[Danilo Lipisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro excelente, cativante, detalha não só a história da vida desse canalha que morreu sem punição, mas também a história de como ele conseguiu evitar ser capturado graças a ajuda que recebeu de outros nazistas, seja na Argentina, Paraguai ou no Brasil.

Apesar de serem distintos em suas propostas, esse livro de Betina Anton sobre os anos de vida de Mengele no Brasil é superior ao "romance" de Olivier Guez "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele". O livro de Guez, tem muita "liberdade poética" do autor, o livro de Betina Anton já é uma obra jornalística investigativa.

Sempre fico admirado quando um autor(a) consegue fazer um trabalho monumental como Betina Anton fez. Conseguir encontrar ainda algumas pessoas relacionadas a estadia do criminoso nazista no Brasil, entrevistar agentes do Mossad em Israel que estiveram envolvidos na caça ao mostro Mengele como Rafi Eitan.

Esse é pra mim o livro definitivo sobre os "anos ocultos" de Mengele no Brasil. Que grande presente aos leitores deu Betina Anton ao escrever este livro antes das mortes dos principais personagens como Tante Liselotte (2018), a mulher que ajudou Mengele até após a morte do criminoso, Rafi Eitan (2019), chefe do Mossad na captura de Eichmann e que participou na caça do "Anjo da Morte".

O livro responde brilhantemente a pergunta de "Como foi possível que um dos nazistas mais procurados do mundo tenha vivido sem ser perturbado por tantos anos no país e tenha sido julgado apenas pelas águas do mar de Bertioga?"

[Kamila Biegańska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josef Mengele niemiecki zbrodniarz z Auschwitz, który był obozowym lekarzem.Miał na swoim sumieniu dziesiątki tysięcy ludzi. Niestety nie dosięgnęła go ludzka sprawiedliwość i zmarł zanim ktokolwiek go złapał. Czy można było tego uniknąć? Pewnie tak, gdyby nie Ci, którzy przez lata pomagali mu w ucieczkach.
Jego działania w tamtych czasach były okrutne i brutalne.Stał za selekcją Żydów i wyszukiwaniem ofiar do swoich bezlitosnych eksperymentów.
Był bezwzględny w tym co robił i nic go nie obchodziło z wyjątkiem własnych korzyści.

Betina Anton w swojej książce opisuje historie pobytu Mengelego w Brazylii. Opisuje jego poczynania, wchodzi w głąb psychiki i porusza czytelnika tym, czego nie sposób zapomnieć. Wspomnienia osób, które kiedykolwiek miały styczność z potworem, zdjęcia oraz jego listy, które wydobywa z policyjnych archiwów. To wszystko znajdziemy w tym świetnie napisanym reportażu, który aż chce się czytać choć w moim przypadku reportaże czytam raz na jakiś czas, więc z czystym sumieniem polecam.
Tutaj sama autorka wspomina,że mając 6 lat jej nauczycielką była Liselotte, która jak się później okazała pomagała Aniołowi Śmierci.
Może to był jakiś zapalnik by zdobyć wszystkie informacje i napisać tak rzetelny reportaż.

[Gustavo Adami]

Ouvi o audiolivro e a história me chocou. Especialmente os detalhes de como e onde ele se escondia no Brasil e era o tio Pedro para os desavisados.
A narração sobre as crueldades nazistas não são agradáveis e nem foram novidades pra mim, mas foi interessante descobrir a ligação de Mengele com seus "experimentos" e o terceiro Reich.
O cara era um sádico egocêntrico que desumanizava as pessoas e reduzia elas a ratos de laboratórios, tudo em nome de uma ambição por fama e reconhecimento dentro do regime e do mundo científico.
Uma frase que foi dita me marcou: O casal lotte que o abrigou acreditava que ele era só um soldado cumprindo ordens, mas "ele era um oficial do terceiro reich, e como podemos observar pela diferença do seu trabalho com seu predecessor, ele tinha desenvolvido um método próprio de extermínio"
em suma, mengele exterminava de vontade própria, fazendo da maneira que lhe conviesse ou agradasse.
ps: gostei da imagem de caçadores de nazistas e senti um "anticomunismo", e "pro Israel " vindo da autora

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested to read this as there are already lots of books on Mengele out there, but nothing from a perspective like this writer’s, whose schoolteacher was one of the people who helped to hide Mengele in Brazil.

Having said that, due to the passage of time I didn’t think there would be anything new to add, or anyone left who’d still want to talk about this case. I wondered what more could be said or discovered, but I was impressed with the amount of research and how much new information there was.

I also appreciated the writer’s different perspective on Mengele’s post-war life. I think many writers emphasise the negative aspects, as if to reassure us that this man was punished in some way, if not directly then by his own paranoia and isolation. This book offers another view on that.

If you’ve read other books on Mengele, many of the details will be familiar; if not, this is a good choice.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many books written about Josef Mengele- detailing his childhood, his horrific title as the "Angel of Death" at Auschwitz and his role in Nazi Germany. I had not read any of the extensive books- only knowing who he was and what he did. Anton's book gives the uninformed reader insight into Mengele- not only the selector at the concentration camp but also a doctor who experimented on humans at his disposal.

But, Anton's research goes further into the 3 decades that Mengele hid in South America along with other Nazi criminals. He lived out his life comfortably cloaked in a supportive community of German expatriates who continued to "hide" him from American, Israeli and European Nazi hunters. The story of his hiding reads like an adventure or mystery. Did these "hiders" know his identity? Yes, most did. The bigger question- and most unsettling- is why?

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tough rough for obvious reasons but I also found myself questioning those in authority worldwide who let this man go on living his life in peace after his actions. So many frustrating times throughout the book people knew where this man was, seen him and were following him without any real attempt to bring him to justice. The people, outwith family members, who sheltered him clearly had a motivation to keep him safe that really didn’t make sense and I fear will never be known with their deaths. Fantastic book regarding the research and insight into the man, the crimes, the aftermath and the corruption that lives on. I really enjoyed the voices given to the victims and survivors throughout.