Ethel Rosenberg -- Garbo

History is near the top of the list for non-fiction I read most.  Biography is a close second, and today I'm showing you a couple of historical biographies I've been reading. 

In the photo below, the large book behind the other two is a coffee table book I borrowed from the local library. It looks at the big new events of the 20th century. When I got to the summation of the Rosenbergs' trial, I was horrified by just this brief summary of the events. I knew the couple had been railroaded and made examples of, but holy cow. 

 

This led me to buy the fairly-recent Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy by Anne Sebba at our local bookstore. I also found a used copy online of a slightly older book, The Brother: The Untold Story of the Rosenberg Case by Sam Roberts. I was lucky enough to find the Talking Books version too so that's ideal for me. (The physical book has photos and it's easier to take notes from a book I don't need to fast-forward through.)

Here's a video of Anne Sebba giving a book talk. She makes it clear that the Rosenberg case was a really flawed trial, in which the judge was acting as the prosecutor. 

 

 

 

As you may know, it was testimony by Ethel Rosenberg's brother David Greenglass which led to the execution of his sister and brother-in-law. Greenglass traded this testimony for lenience in the spying case.

 

 

I found a 2021 interview with Greenglass. Ethel's brother says he does not regret his choice and that he "sleeps very well."

 

Next time: Murder most foul, in fiction form.