The Pink Triangle

Well-written account of the Nazi persecution and murder of homosexuals. The author does a good job of setting up how the Nazis came to power and the ideology that drove their homophobia and brutality. I learned quite a bit and this book should be read by all those that wish to learn more about the brutality of the 20th century and LGBTQ history

This was a very thorough book: lots of end notes, bibliographical entries, a list of the chronology, and index. It's also very sad to read what happened to these people and how they were accused. The author made sure to make the reader aware if he had trouble finding information, or if sources said different things. And it was appalling how long these laws stayed on the books. Personally, I would have liked more of the book to be like the epilogue, where the author talked more about his own experiences or was very specific, but certainly the book is well written. It gives a lot of background of events leading up to World War II, which I found interesting. I would suggest reading it in conjunction with viewing the DVD of "Paragraph 175"--especially the supplemental material. This is a necessary bit of history, but it is not an easy read.

It has been many years since I had read this book for the first time and I found it very interesting and very sad as I did the first time I had read it. I had read this book in the late 1980's when it first came out, it had been a ground breaking book about a forgotten group of people that were persecuted in the concentration camps of Germany, and in some ways the general public in the conquered territories of the Third Reich. This group was of course, the wearer of the pink triangle, in other words, the homosexual population of Germany.What had struck me this time while reading it was how little things have changed. The author had written back then how little is said about the plight of people who were branded homosexual, and it seems that this is still a subject rarely broached today in books written about World War II. While there is a handful of books written about this subject, it obviously comes no where close to the amount of material written about the atrocities committed against the Jews, gypsies, clericals, and Jehovah Witnesses. These atrocities at the hands of the SS and other police agencies were horrific and widespread in all captured Nazi territories. No one seemed to come to the defense of homosexuals, not even their families. This was a tragedy to read about.While this is a complex social issue to this day, it seems that society has forgotten the people who suffered horribly, and the subject needs more indepth coverage then this rather brief book. This is a good start, but I am sure there are many stories that are yet to be told. The fact that the author could only find a few poeple that would speak on the record about what they experienced, (with changed names), speaks volumes about how homosexuallity was viewed in the post war period. You could still be "branded with the pink star" in society, and lose your job, lose your friends, and lose face if people found out you were a homosexual. There were people who had very little sympathy for gays then, and even today, its a touchy subject in 2013 for some.The last chapter of this book was interesting, the author talks about his personal experience seeking out friends who were either Jews or homosexuals in Germany after the war. This book seemed like a personal writing assignment for him in every way. In some ways, its refreshing to see such emotions written into a book that's suppose to be a historical writtings, and on the other hand, some might find the author a little to emotional for a historian. Historians are taught to write without personal feelings, and to look at every thing from a detached point of view, while capturing and reporting truths, no matter where your research takes you. This historian admits that this is a very personal issue for him to do that, and I admire his tenacity to defend why he wrote this book in this manner.Finally, very interesting and enlightening if you are not familiar with the plight of the homosexual in the war. I think you will find it worth reading.

"The specters begin to come to life whenever fanatical fundamentalists of any sect- religious or secular- take over a nation and call for a holy war against its most vulnerable and vilified minorities." Pg 187 The Pink TriangleThis book is deeply disturbing on many levels. First, the horrors inflicted upon the many minorities controlled by the Third Reich, including the Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals (though not as a rule lesbians), clerics, the physically/mentally handicapped, and, importantly, anyone who was deemed harmful to Germanic society.. Second, the horrors perpetrated by far too many other regimes such as Stalin, PolPot, among others, and, currently by regimes such as IS and the far too numerous regimes in Africa and other nations. Third, the inexplicable urge by even our own nation to demonize our own vulnerable LGBT minorities, color minorities, and the illegal immigrants who are being exploited by those who want cheap labor.Reading several books on WW2, the divide between "us and them" can easily transform into outright vicious discrimination, outrageous venomous claims that "they" are somehow responsible for any and all of society's ills, and societal violence on those who just happen to offend "us". News headlines unfortunately provide proof to all of these.In the end, discrimination against any human being for whatever reason diminishes all human beings. Until nations and most especially our own communities stand up for universal human rights, that is, every person has exactly the same rights as any other human being, we stand on the slippery slope sliding into multiple abuse and possible new holocausts. Just look at our world drowning in violence and death perpetrated against those whose only" crime " is their existence.Obviously this was a thought provoking read.An important addition to this book are the appendices including an unexpected chronology which provides at a glance reference.(Having noted many reviews wanting more explicit material from survivors, pictures, etc including complaints about the "dryness" of the book, this is not sensationalistic. Rather it is a compelling scholarly work which admittedly could have been expanded. The author admits his difficulty with the work which was also a deeply personal journey.)

I loved this author's style, layout of the information, personal stories, and statistics interwoven in this extremely well-researched book. I am so impressed that I immediately looked for anything more written by him. Unfortunately, it seems he gave his all in this one magnificent volume. This is a MUST read!

As a student of history, I appreciated the methodical, logical, and clear construction of this cataclysmic tale.Many are unaware of the plight of Himmler's "other enemies" and this work does a good job of exposing the truth.

At the time of original publishing, it was a little regarded footnote to the holocaust. Coming back to it decades later, it is more poignant now with Eastern Europe are retracing the Nazi's footsteps to another mass murder of homosexuals.

The product is hardback, which is better than I expected. In excellent condition. Can't wait to read it.

Sad and little known fact about P.O.W in Nazi Germany.

Excellent

Everyone should read this.Not a nice subject but we need to know and make sure it never happens again.