Play Audiobook Sample
The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story from Buchenwald to New Orleans Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.02) - 284 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The journey that takes Mark Jacobson around the world began when a friend bought a lamp at a rummage sale and was told that it was made from the skins of Jews. While he didn't believe the story, he sent it to Mark, saying, "You're a journalist, you figure out what it is." After three years of research in America, Poland, Germany, and Israel, and with the assistance of forensic experts, DNA analysis, and consultations with Yad Yashem and the historical director at Buchenwald, Jacobson has investigated not only the truth of the thing itself but of the idea of it. He also analyzes our understanding of history; of myths, facts, and evidence; and of the concept of evil. Despite extensive historical reporting of items made of human skin in eyewitness accounts from Nazi concentration camps, this is the first known discovery and investigation of such an artifact.
Download and start listening now!
"One of the most disturbing, moving, and sensitively written books I've read for a while. Touches on so many world tragedies it stops the breath: the Holocaust, 9/11, Katrina, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict- all woven together in an engaging mystery story and a careful consideration on the nature of evil. Don't read it right before bed."
— Jenn (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
Provocative.... A well-executed, original reflection on how social evil tends to endure, puzzle and resist efforts at redemption.
— Kirkus
The Lampshade Listener Reviews
-
" The subject matter is horrific and it recalls the Holocaust. But as horrific as the book is to read - again, it's important to read so that we never forget the Holocaust. "
— Jonna, 2/15/2014 -
" This book wasn't what I had been expecting, but was still an enjoyable read. "
— Erika, 2/2/2014 -
" Creepy and chilling, but also fascinating. Goes back and forth between Nazi history/German history as well as New Orleans history. Can't believe the lamp was found here in NOLA, or that it was bought at a rummage sale across the street from a friend's house. Bizarre. The book may give me bad dreams, though, after the atrocities it details. Worth reading. "
— Kasandra, 1/30/2014 -
" Not really what I was expecting. This book sort of rambled all over the place; between New Orleans post - Katrina, WWII Germany and surrounding enemies/allies, crackpot Holocause deniers, and Neo-Nazi skinheads. The sections that focused on the lampshade itself were interesting; and while I can understand that science can only say so much about something dated, I was really hoping for more absolute answers. I would give a higher rating, if only the book had been edited to focus on the actual "detective story." "
— Cindy, 1/16/2014 -
" what a fascinating (and disturbing) novel. i really enjoy a good true crime story and this one takes it to another level. it reminded me of 'the garden of good and evil' in that it has such unusual and kooky characters. "
— Lisa, 1/6/2014 -
" For a book about a human-skin lampshade it is a surprisingly enjoyable read. Very well written with many great digressions that help shape an overall view of the unfortunate and uplifting sides of humanity. Storytelling at its best. "
— D., 1/4/2014 -
" While I didn't necessarily like the author's stye of writing, the story he told about such a depressing object was very interesting. He made connections and found similarities between the Holocaust and its effects on Europe and Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans which were quite intriguing. "
— Sabrina, 12/27/2013 -
" Although the premise seems disturbing, this book and interesting and well written. "
— Michelle, 12/24/2013 -
" Great start then it meanders, and meanders, etc. Big disappointment. "
— Lhymowitz, 12/20/2013 -
" A really interesting book about the psychology of history and the perception of the Holocaust. "
— C.b., 12/11/2013 -
" Did not live up to it's claim to solve the mystery of the creation of the lampshade and how it went from Buchenwald to New Orleans. Quite gruesome. "
— Peg, 7/14/2013 -
" I almost abandoned this several times -- when the New Orleans scenes became hyperbolic or when he let a Holocaust denier go on for more than a paragraph. But I kept going back because he put a ton of reporting into it and did get a lot of New Orleans right. "
— Meghan, 3/29/2013 -
" Not a very good book - I was expecting a tome about the Holocaust - instead I got a travelogue and a not so good personal narrative. "
— John, 8/23/2012 -
" had to finish to see if really from Holocaust and was dissapointed it could never be proved. A little boring with all the tangents "
— Falene, 1/15/2012 -
" Good story. A little bogged down with historical (southern) references that I found a little distracting. Very interesting topic though. "
— Eric, 10/13/2011 -
" This book covers a great deal of ground but stays interesting throughout. I was disappointed in the ending but true stories don't always go how you would like them to go.I feel like I learned many interesting things. "
— Abby, 7/23/2011 -
" It was good but I feel like it was more about Mark and his experience than the lampshade itself. Was still grotesquely interesting. "
— Emily, 7/3/2011 -
" Not as focused on the Holocaust as you might think. Jacobson links Hurricane Katrina and Buchenwald in a way that emphasizes how individual evil is not systemic evil. I can't say that I really liked it, because it's not a book that you can feel good about liking, but it is gripping. "
— Nora, 4/5/2011 -
" Well done. A good blend of history and story, and yes, disturbing. "
— Mary, 1/23/2011 -
" A really interesting book about the psychology of history and the perception of the Holocaust. "
— C.b., 1/18/2011 -
" I almost abandoned this several times -- when the New Orleans scenes became hyperbolic or when he let a Holocaust denier go on for more than a paragraph. But I kept going back because he put a ton of reporting into it and did get a lot of New Orleans right. "
— Meghan, 1/2/2011 -
" This book wasn't what I had been expecting, but was still an enjoyable read. "
— Erika, 12/7/2010 -
" Outstanding writing and a really bizarre story. Two of my favorite things. "
— Jeremy, 10/14/2010
About Mark Jacobson
Mark Jacobson has been a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, Esquire, and New York. He is the author of 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: A Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe; Teenage Hipster in the Modern World; and the novels Gojiro and Everyone and No One.
About Johnny Heller
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.