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The Caduceus and the Swastika
A 2016 Editor's Choice Award Winner Historical Novel Society and 2017 Historical Novel Society Indie Award long listed.
This novel is written for the genre -Young Adult Fiction but has been enjoyed by readers of all ages.
When Nazi's became medical professors...
The Caduceus and the Swastika, is a thriller, filled with suspense and horror but also an endearing tale that follows the harrowing flight of three medical students as the Nazi's began systematic ethnic cleansing at the University of Breslau Medical School.
Max, Rebecca, and Stats want only to learn medicine, but the Reich has its own plans for their chosen profession, and still darker plans for them.
What reviewers are saying
"Hacker expertly mixes fictional characters with historical figures and brings them all to life with marvelous effectiveness, especially through vivid, often pungent dialog. This is a tense, vividly memorable novel, not to be missed. Highly recommended.
"Steven Hacker’s fantastic debut novel, The Caduceus and the Swastika, begins quietly enough, focusing on the small-scale academic and romantic challenges of Max, Rebecca, and Stats, a trio of medical students at the University of Breslau’s medical school. But the plot and the cast of characters steadily expand as the perspective becomes more wide-angle and begins to take in the dark forces of Nazism and rabid nationalism beginning to convulse Germany. The Reich begins to implement severe racist guidelines for the medical profession, and the trio of students and the larger cast are caught up in that tide of barbarism." Teresa Devine, Historical Novel Society Reviewer
This novel is written for the genre -Young Adult Fiction but has been enjoyed by readers of all ages.
When Nazi's became medical professors...
The Caduceus and the Swastika, is a thriller, filled with suspense and horror but also an endearing tale that follows the harrowing flight of three medical students as the Nazi's began systematic ethnic cleansing at the University of Breslau Medical School.
Max, Rebecca, and Stats want only to learn medicine, but the Reich has its own plans for their chosen profession, and still darker plans for them.
What reviewers are saying
"Hacker expertly mixes fictional characters with historical figures and brings them all to life with marvelous effectiveness, especially through vivid, often pungent dialog. This is a tense, vividly memorable novel, not to be missed. Highly recommended.
"Steven Hacker’s fantastic debut novel, The Caduceus and the Swastika, begins quietly enough, focusing on the small-scale academic and romantic challenges of Max, Rebecca, and Stats, a trio of medical students at the University of Breslau’s medical school. But the plot and the cast of characters steadily expand as the perspective becomes more wide-angle and begins to take in the dark forces of Nazism and rabid nationalism beginning to convulse Germany. The Reich begins to implement severe racist guidelines for the medical profession, and the trio of students and the larger cast are caught up in that tide of barbarism." Teresa Devine, Historical Novel Society Reviewer
430 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2016
10 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Steven M. Hacker
3 books12 followersSteven M Hacker, is the author and award winning recipient of The Editor's Choice Award and the 2017 Indie Award long listed from The Historical Novel Society for his debut thriller with a historical backdrop, The Caduceus and The Swastika, and also the author of the 3rd Edition of his popular business book, The Medical Entrepreneur was published.
Steven M Hacker was one of twelve students selected from a national pool to enter medical school early through the prestigious Junior Honors Medical Program. He graduated from University of Florida medical school. He spent two years training in internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Dr. Hacker returned to Gainesville and completed his dermatology residency at the University of Florida By the time he had completed all his training, he had published over twenty peer-reviewed medical articles in medical journals, and co-authored several textbook chapters in clinical medicine textbooks.
He is also the author/originator of several patents for inventions in the fields of electrical engineering, chemical engineering and electromagnetic resonance theory.
Twenty years ago, Dr. Hacker founded Skinstore.com (now owned by Walgreens). Skinstore was one of the first Internet sites to sell physician-recommended skin care products (cosmeceuticals) online. Skinstore grew to one of the biggest online skincare sites.
In 2004, five years before President Obama started talking about electronic personal health records, Dr. Hacker created a personal health record company called PassportMD (now owned by Verisk Analytics). PassportMD was selected by Medicare for its personal health record pilot program. It was recognized as one of the top personal health record companies in 2008 by the leading electronic medical record industry trade show. Dr. Hacker negotiated marketing and partnership deals with Microsoft Healthvault and many other Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Hacker sold the company in 2009.
In this book Dr. Hacker shares the lessons learned from both the mistakes and successes he had experienced in growing a medical practice and creating unrelated entrepreneurial ventures at the same time.
Steven M Hacker was one of twelve students selected from a national pool to enter medical school early through the prestigious Junior Honors Medical Program. He graduated from University of Florida medical school. He spent two years training in internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Dr. Hacker returned to Gainesville and completed his dermatology residency at the University of Florida By the time he had completed all his training, he had published over twenty peer-reviewed medical articles in medical journals, and co-authored several textbook chapters in clinical medicine textbooks.
He is also the author/originator of several patents for inventions in the fields of electrical engineering, chemical engineering and electromagnetic resonance theory.
Twenty years ago, Dr. Hacker founded Skinstore.com (now owned by Walgreens). Skinstore was one of the first Internet sites to sell physician-recommended skin care products (cosmeceuticals) online. Skinstore grew to one of the biggest online skincare sites.
In 2004, five years before President Obama started talking about electronic personal health records, Dr. Hacker created a personal health record company called PassportMD (now owned by Verisk Analytics). PassportMD was selected by Medicare for its personal health record pilot program. It was recognized as one of the top personal health record companies in 2008 by the leading electronic medical record industry trade show. Dr. Hacker negotiated marketing and partnership deals with Microsoft Healthvault and many other Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Hacker sold the company in 2009.
In this book Dr. Hacker shares the lessons learned from both the mistakes and successes he had experienced in growing a medical practice and creating unrelated entrepreneurial ventures at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 15, 2017
The Caduceus and the Swastika was one of my fastest reads. The characters are well formed and believable and the story is told in an easy format that allows the words to flow from page to page. I found myself reading into the early morning hours. Steven M. Hacker, himself an MD, is comfortable in the world of medical school and academia, making his tale of young Jewish medical students real and believable. Taking place in the 1930’s when medical school was far more difficult with the rise of Nazism.
The story is more than the story of students, but the story of allegiance, respect and truth. Even in the worst of times these values matter, a timely message for all. I highly recommend this read. Five Stars from this reviewer.
I did win this novel through Goodreads First Read Program. I have no connection to the author.
The story is more than the story of students, but the story of allegiance, respect and truth. Even in the worst of times these values matter, a timely message for all. I highly recommend this read. Five Stars from this reviewer.
I did win this novel through Goodreads First Read Program. I have no connection to the author.
April 26, 2016
Apart from some chronological errors pointed out by Anne Martin, I found the book interesting. Actually, it was difficult to put the book down once I got started. Happy the way it ended for Rosental, Max, Stats and Rebecca.
April 23, 2016
I'm still trying to understand how the author set up the chronology of this book, because the events did not happen in such an order and some of the facts related never happened.
At the beginning of the book, we are told that Hitler has been in power for 2 years. So we are in 1935, before the Spanish civil war. As far as I know, the horrors many minorities went through were at least not public. So, the idea of people being lynched in the streets -if it ever happened, was much later.
Much of the first pages are confusing. Breslau might have been a great university, but the best in the world? doubtful... The only medical school allowing girls? even after Hitler's rise, you still had 17% of medical students being girls in Germany (instead of 20% before).
In Germany, medical school begins just after high school, and I believe Hacker got mixed up between the American one. The heroes of this novel seem older than 19, the normal age then to finish high school, and get the Abitur. But they all wonder if they will be able to face the excellence of the university, as first year students would.
I have not understood either why Marta was angry at her parents, nor how the jobs some had on the side would enable them to feed a whole family. In the same line, I was very surprised to read the students all had apartments -not a rented room, but a whole flat, with commodities such as fridges, which were pure luxury then.
How did Rosenthal pick up the three students to escape with him? he hardly knew them. Maybe Max had connected with him, but not the other ones.
The feeling that the whole population was willing to kill and torture to support Hitler may be a bit far stretched too. Germany did not have any history of antisemitism, as weird as it sounds and there were only about half a million Jews in Germany.
The following of the story tells you how the students escaped Germany. But in 1935, Jews could leave Germany easily if they had a country willing to accept them...
So, I'm left wondering. I noticed comments towards the end of the book, where it says since Germany has invaded the Netherlands, it was more complicated. But the invasion happened in May 1940??
Too many chronological errors for me.
At the beginning of the book, we are told that Hitler has been in power for 2 years. So we are in 1935, before the Spanish civil war. As far as I know, the horrors many minorities went through were at least not public. So, the idea of people being lynched in the streets -if it ever happened, was much later.
Much of the first pages are confusing. Breslau might have been a great university, but the best in the world? doubtful... The only medical school allowing girls? even after Hitler's rise, you still had 17% of medical students being girls in Germany (instead of 20% before).
In Germany, medical school begins just after high school, and I believe Hacker got mixed up between the American one. The heroes of this novel seem older than 19, the normal age then to finish high school, and get the Abitur. But they all wonder if they will be able to face the excellence of the university, as first year students would.
I have not understood either why Marta was angry at her parents, nor how the jobs some had on the side would enable them to feed a whole family. In the same line, I was very surprised to read the students all had apartments -not a rented room, but a whole flat, with commodities such as fridges, which were pure luxury then.
How did Rosenthal pick up the three students to escape with him? he hardly knew them. Maybe Max had connected with him, but not the other ones.
The feeling that the whole population was willing to kill and torture to support Hitler may be a bit far stretched too. Germany did not have any history of antisemitism, as weird as it sounds and there were only about half a million Jews in Germany.
The following of the story tells you how the students escaped Germany. But in 1935, Jews could leave Germany easily if they had a country willing to accept them...
So, I'm left wondering. I noticed comments towards the end of the book, where it says since Germany has invaded the Netherlands, it was more complicated. But the invasion happened in May 1940??
Too many chronological errors for me.
September 3, 2016
As a fan of WWII history I enjoyed Mr. Hacker's novel coming from the perspective of young people caught in its treacherous net. In spite of some historical inaccuracies, their escape from Germany facilitated by the underground serves as an example of ways and reasons why Jews wanted out. I remembered the US complicity in controlling the number of Jewish immigrants, but hadn't been aware of the Ivy League pattern of discrimination.
Since we've had a rewriting of history in the past couple years, I am glad to read something that might help young adults realize what a terrifying time the Nazi era. Hopefully it will lead people to read more about the holocaust which cost 6 million Jewish lives and millions more of the "undesirables" -- artists, gypsies, homosexuals, religious people, intellectuals.
Thank you, Mr. Hacker, for helping to shed a bit of light on such horror.
I won this novel through goodreads.
Since we've had a rewriting of history in the past couple years, I am glad to read something that might help young adults realize what a terrifying time the Nazi era. Hopefully it will lead people to read more about the holocaust which cost 6 million Jewish lives and millions more of the "undesirables" -- artists, gypsies, homosexuals, religious people, intellectuals.
Thank you, Mr. Hacker, for helping to shed a bit of light on such horror.
I won this novel through goodreads.
May 21, 2016
In my estimation this book was written for young adults as an introduction into the tragic world of Nazi Germany and the many injustices brought upon the various segments of the Jewish community, particularly in this case, Jewish medical students. This book by far is not intended to be a great or significant historical work. Yet it is a true enough depiction of what took place in Germany as Hitler and his cronies gained power. The book reads quickly, moves at a fast pace and the dialogue feels more contemporary rather than what it would have been in the 1930's between the Jewish students of Breslau University. Using contemporary language will allow today's young adults to better associate with young adults of the 1930's.
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April 13, 2021I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and was very excited about that--it's always great to win something, and even better if the prize is a book! I give this book 2 stars, as I felt like a few of the other reviewers on here. I wanted to really be absorbed in the story, as I'm interested in books about this era and this one's premise sounded really intriguing. But it fell a little flat for me. It read a bit like a YA novel with its characters, flow, and stilted conversations. I could never really get into it and didn't care about the characters like I wanted to. I actually stopped and started a few times, so that's usually not a good sign for me. I was also a little later to the game writing my review because I felt bad that I won this book and then couldn't rave about it.
May 8, 2016
Being a huge fan of WW 2 books, and particularly various resistance forces, I knew that I would enjoy this book. When the story involves Jews and Nazis, I presume from the beginning that the outcome will not be a good one. But this tale was a little different in that the resistance forces were actually Jewish, unlike others I 've read.
Hacker is a good writer. He keeps characters interesting, not perfect, but believable. And he moves the book along at a reasonably fast, but not too rapid a pace. This is his first novel, but I hope that he follows this one with others!
I was the lucky winner of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Hacker is a good writer. He keeps characters interesting, not perfect, but believable. And he moves the book along at a reasonably fast, but not too rapid a pace. This is his first novel, but I hope that he follows this one with others!
I was the lucky winner of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
June 6, 2016
Worst book EVER
I never leave reviews but this was so terrible, I hope I can save someone else time and money.
There are so many mistakes with punctuation, it was hard to focus on the story.
The story was mediocre at best. Seems to have been written by a high school kid for a seventh grader.
The characters were one dimensional, the storyline was completely unbelievable and the writing was atrocious. I am sorry I bought it, even if it was only a dollar.
I never leave reviews but this was so terrible, I hope I can save someone else time and money.
There are so many mistakes with punctuation, it was hard to focus on the story.
The story was mediocre at best. Seems to have been written by a high school kid for a seventh grader.
The characters were one dimensional, the storyline was completely unbelievable and the writing was atrocious. I am sorry I bought it, even if it was only a dollar.
March 2, 2017
Interesting subject but I felt the writing got in the way of the story. Written at about the fourth grade level, short sentences, short chapters and all too predictable. Gave up half way through and skipped to the end, even that was disappointing.
May 10, 2016
The Caduceus and the Swastika made no sense - I thought I'd walked in late to a movie. The time lines are off, as well as the characters and there are so many anachronisms. Simply put, disjointed writing and too many historical errors.
May 12, 2016
This book was ok for a first novel. I must say that none of the characters were memorable or even likable but I kept turning the pages to the end. But maybe that was the point, ordinary people caught up in something that they could not understand or comprehend. "The banality of evil".
May 28, 2016
I received this book for free through goodreads giveaways.
Very brief chapters make this a fast paced easy read. Overall a pretty decent story about Jews in prewar Nazi Germany from the perspective of medical students and faculty.
Very brief chapters make this a fast paced easy read. Overall a pretty decent story about Jews in prewar Nazi Germany from the perspective of medical students and faculty.
September 8, 2016
An amateurist account of the Nazi era - low suspense with roughly drawn subplot.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews