If you have read The Monuments Men or watched the film, you will be familiar with the contents of this book. This book discusses the activities of a group of men tasked with hunting down artwork stolen by the Nazis. Members of the Nazi Party casually walked into museums and manor houses all over the European continent, taking anything they wanted for their own personal collections or to sell or trade for other things. Churches and other religious buildings were also robbed of their artworks and relics. People who were displaced and sent to concentration camps had their possessions stolen as well. Art theft is still common in this day and age, which is shocking to think about.

During warfare, people often lament the loss of life, as they should. People think less of animals, homes, historical sites, cultural artifacts, and artworks that are stolen or destroyed. Currently, there are tremendous losses occurring in the Middle East. Ancient works have been blown into oblivion, which is a sad thing to see as a historian. Books like this one always hurt my feelings as a historian and lover of art, but it is encouraging to see that people believe that they should be saved. It is also encouraging to see artworks that were stolen being returned to their rightful owners in our modern era. This book was well done. I enjoyed learning more about the artworks and men who attempted to save them.