Fascinated by all the attention focused on the movie that was released, I felt compelled to read this book. Of course the written page sort of lacks the George Clooney/Matt Damon effect but I have a rule that I like to follow; if there is a movie made based on a book that I want to read, I read the book first. Like Gibb's rules from NCIS it is rule number 3. So if I get a chance to see the movie before it leaves the theater great otherwise I will have to rent it. I mean what else is Netflix or Red box or amazon prime good for if not to catch up on movies you missed when they were in the theaters?
What an interesting subject. It certainly shows World War II from a different vantage point. A special service existed during the war that was focused on Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFAA) that consisted of about sixty people. It was a very small unit that operated with virtually no supplies or budget. Those assigned to the unit had expertise as museum directors, curators, scholars, educators, artists and architects. Their goal and pretty much only mission was to save as much of the European culture as possible by preventing destruction of art and artifacts that were in the possession of the Nazis. The folks of MFAA were truly heroes in my book. I am sure that I am not the only one who loves to wander around a museum taking in the amazing art. Without this small unit much of the art housed in the European museums would have been lost forever.
While we learned a lot about World War II in school, I know we learned nothing about this group. It is great that this author chose to write about this subject. He gave a name and face to the people involved. He made sure that their work was recognized and that all the work and sacrifices they made would not go un-noticed.
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