The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifying normal.
Page 276, Epilogue
I think the first big takeaway that I got from this book is that I am not a fan of Hannah Arendt’s writing style. Something about the way she constructs sentences feels convoluted and hard to follow. Arendt also seems to have a dry sarcastic tone in some parts of the book and that just feels distinctly incongruous with the subject matter the book deals with.
That said, the overarching narrative and the point being made about the banality of evil was clear throughout and I found that aspect harrowing. What I found less interesting was the chapter on the legal theory discussion on Eichmann’s crimes, the legal nature of what “genocide” is, what a “crime against humanity” was and who gets to have legal jurisdiction over such matters.
Obviously the book is about Eichmann’s trial proceedings so some discussion of the legal aspects is required but I found the whole section to be frustrating. Did Eichmann commit crimes against humanity? Yes. Should Israel and a Israeli court be the one to try him? No, he should be tried in a international court made of judges of all nations directly affected by the Nazi Holocaust.
The answers to these questions feel extremely obvious to me and not worth an entire chapter of this book. I recognize however that perhaps during the time of the trial and when this book was written and published the answers to such questions were not settled and a lengthy discussion on legal theory was indeed required. But still, it was frustrating to read.
Usually with non-fiction titles I have a second quote to put at the end of my review but for this one I don’t have one. I just didn’t find many quotable lines or paragraphs and as mentioned at the beginning, I didn’t enjoy the writing style. I only recommend this book if you are interested in the history of genocides and maybe you also enjoy a bit of legal drama.
I suppose it could be said that I found a book about the banality of evil rather banal itself.