Customer Reviews

A Stand Against Tyranny: Norways Physicians and the Nazis

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Maynard Cohen's book is highly readable, well-written, extremely interesting, and follows the lives of a number of prominant norwegian medical practicioners, and the role they played in Norwegain opposition to the puppet regime put in place by Nazi occupying forces.

As a popular history, it is definitely a good buy.

However, as an academic history, it has some serious failings: a constant stream of anti-collaborationist invective permeates Cohen's work, and he uses emotive language, frequently referring to collaborators as "the traitor", etc. Also, some of the sources he references, such as the diariy entries of Odd Nansen, cannot be taken at face value: many of the diary accounts purport to "reconstruct" conversations. These reconstructions of conversations are, I believe, re-written and extended upon by the authors of the diaries. Cohen makes little reference to this problem.

As an academic work of history, though useful, this book must be taken with a grain of salt, falling heavily as it does on the side of "heroising" and perhaps exaggerating the part plaid by resistance, albeit passive resistance in this case, in Nazi-occupied Norway.

It should also be noted that Cohen is, by occupation, a Neurologist (professor of neurology, rather) rather than an historian.

I gave this book 3 stars. I was impressed by the quality and interest of the book, despite my academic objections.