Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest: Myth, History and Holocaust

Today Raoul Wallenberg is a symbol of the ultimate Righteous Gentile, a cross between the Scarlet Pimpernel and Elijah, who was martyred for his actions. In the minds of those he saved, he was a genuine messiah. Stories abound concerning his bravery and determination to save the Jews of Budapest. Levine (holocaust and genocide studies, Uppsala University) knows that he is on thin ice in this biography that corrects the myths and restores Wallenberg to human status. Much of the book emphasizes his justification for showing the "saint" as a young, aristocratic, already balding, Swedish businessman who was thrust into an insane situation and rose to the challenge along with other members of the Swedish legation. Using Swedish archival documents along with letters and diaries by Wallenberg, Levine paints a human portrait of Wallenberg. The true story is much more nail-bitingly tense than the myth. Wallenberg the man becomes much more of a role model than Wallenberg the saint. This is a fine example of how real history is done, with passion and a commitment to the evidence. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)