This text is more than a recounting of the all too familiar horrors of the Holocaust. It is an attempt to explain the forces that gave rise to it, the motives of those who conceived it, and the culture it destroyed.

Beginning with a look at the nature of prejudice and the history of anti-Semitism, Rita S. Botwinick moves to a description of the ordinary aspects of German and Jewish life. She attempts to explore the psychological reasons for the Nazi leaders' apparent wholesale acceptance of institutionalized mass murder. The author looks at the powerful effects of propaganda in fostering the attitudes that allowed hatred and fear to overcome reason and charity.

At the same time, she questions why some people resisted, even actively fought against the SS, risking their own lives to save the lives of others. The text includes a bibliography of recommended additional readings, a glossary, photos, and maps.