num_pages: 272
description: One of the most dramatic explorations of a German town in the grip of anti-Semitic passion ever written. In 1900, in a small Prussian town, a young boy was found murdered, his body dismembered, the blood drained from his limbs. The Christians of the town quickly rose up in violent riots to accuse the Jews of ritual murder―the infamous blood-libel charge that has haunted Jews for centuries. In an absorbing narrative, Helmut Walser Smith reconstructs the murder and the ensuing storm of anti-Semitism that engulfed this otherwise peaceful town. Offering an instructive examination of hatred, bigotry, and mass hysteria, The Butcher's Tale is a modern parable that will be a classic for years to come. Winner of the Fraenkel Award and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2002. 4 pages of illustrations
language: English
title: The Butcher's Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town
titlecomplete: The Butcher's Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town
genres: Historical, History, Religion, European History, Germany, German Literature, School, Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime
ratings_count: 516
awards: awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Fraenkel Prize of the Wiener Library
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company