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East West Street cover art

East West Street

By: Philippe Sands
Narrated by: Philippe Sands, David Rintoul
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Publisher's Summary

WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTION.

"A monumental achievement: profoundly personal, told with love, anger and great precision." (John le Carré)
"A triumph of astonishing research...no novel could possibly match such an important work of truth." (Antony Beevor)
"Magnificent...I was moved to anger and to pity. In places I gasped, in places I wept. I wanted to reach the end. I couldn't wait to reach the end. And then when I got there I didn't want to be at the end." ( The Times)"Magnificent...I was moved to anger and to pity. In places I gasped, in places I wept. I wanted to reach the end. I couldn't wait to reach the end. And then when I got there I didn't want to be at the end." ( The Times)

When human rights lawyer Philippe Sands received an invitation to deliver a lecture in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he began to uncover a series of extraordinary historical coincidences. It set him on a quest that would take him halfway around the world in an exploration of the origins of international law and the pursuit of his own secret family history, beginning and ending with the last day of the Nuremberg Trials.

In this part historical detective story, part family history, part legal thriller, Philippe Sands guides us between past and present as several interconnected stories unfold in parallel. The first is the hidden story of two Nuremberg prosecutors who discover, only at the end of the trials, that the man they are prosecuting may be responsible for the murders of their entire families in Nazi-occupied Poland, in and around Lviv. The two prosecutors, Hersch Lauterpacht and Rafael Lemkin, are remarkable men whose efforts led to the inclusion of the terms crimes against humanity and genocide in the judgment at Nuremberg. The defendant, Hans Frank, Hitler's personal lawyer and governor-general of Nazi-occupied Poland, turns out to be an equally compelling character.

The lives of these three men lead Sands to a more personal story as he traces the events that overwhelmed his mother's family in Lviv and Vienna during the Second World War. At the heart of this book is an equally personal quest to understand the roots of international law and the concepts that have dominated Sands' work as a lawyer. Eventually he finds unexpected answers to his questions about his family in this powerful meditation on the way memory, crime and guilt leave scars across generations and the haunting gaps left by the secrets of others.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Philippe Sands (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about East West Street

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Moving. Informative.

An incredible account of the horrors that occurred prior to and during WW2 that lead to the creation of the offences of genocide and crimes against humanity in international law. The story of the men behind them. Meticulously researched. Beautifully told. Must read.

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so fascinating

This was not my usual type of book but the story is so interesting. The history is shocking and I was alternately listening to other books on the topic with less factual information so this helped me understand them too. I think it is important to remind ourselves of these events so that we are forever vigilant to bigotry and racism. I had to listen in small sections as it is complex. Brilliant research.. loved his perseverance.

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1 person found this helpful

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East West Srereet

Brilliant. We'll set out and clearly enunciated. I will now turn to the follow up.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Didn’t get it

I wanted to like this book but it was difficult to follow any sort of narrative structure. May attempt again.

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Incredible

One of the most incredible works of non-fiction I've ever read. Highly, highly recommend reading it.

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truth

people's names took a while to connect.
powerful reality!! necessary reading! thanks for the research!!

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Incredible

This story was incredible. I have spent a lot of time reading and research WWII era European history but this was a new take, a new way to share the story. Bringing a personal family story together with other family stories the ideas of crimes against humanity and genocide are explored from the perspectives of then men who developed them. Reads like fiction. It is very interesting for anyone interested in international law.

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Extraordinary

This is an absolutely fascinating book - told in such an inventive way that it defies description. Don't be put off by the subtitle - yes on one level it is a fine and rigorous piece of academic research, but this sits underneath a beautifully told tale of family.
I loved the way the author captured deeply personal moments of love and loss and connection, woven through a massive historical landscape. The narration is just right for the content.

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  • Tom
  • 10-06-2020

Important, interesting, distressing

Great research. Narrative reads like fiction, I wish it was. Accessible for a general readership

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Highly recommended

A great story that we really appreciate. A history I didn’t know anything about.
Narrations are also brilliant.
Thanks for producing this audiobook.

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