Engaging and lively and kept me reading till the end, which is saying something for someone who is simply not a fan of WWII history (can we please talk about something else?). I think for the most part Larson does a good job at portraying complex human beings, rather than hero worshipping the white men of history, but I think by the end he went overboard on lauding Dodd for seeing the writing on the wall. In reality, my opinion is he did very little to warn the US of what was happening in Germany. He used his position as more of a soapbox to complain about diplomatic frivolity — a valid complaint, but in light of the impending Holocaust, not exactly of utmost importance. Larson’s conclusion that Dodd was a “lone beacon of American freedom and hope in a land of gathering darkness” rings hollow to me.