Bookclub Blog – East West Street by Philippe Sands  

Authors: Emily Collins, Chloë Porter, David Atkinson

East West Street is written in complete truth, flowing with historical knowledge and memoirs, although, uniquely, written in a novelistic style. This universal book appeals to a widespread audience and regardless of any prior knowledge of an occupied Poland or the first Nuremberg trial, you will be left stunned by new discoveries. With captivating coincidences, this memoir alternates between past and present as we witness the two paramount elements of law formed from infancy: Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. 

Centrally, we meet two ambitious lawyers, Hersh Lauterpacht and Rafael Lemkin who are not only responsible for the namesake nor strengthening justice, but for changing the trajectory of war crimes at an international scale. Philippe Sands fantastically weaves his outbursts of information with depth and detail, all the while extraordinarily exploring his very own family tree. We delve into curious connections as his family experienced life as European Jews, a renowned moment in time for Human Rights, with increasing restrictions of free will (adding that touch of personal tone throughout). We are ventured through to the complexities and ultimate climax of the novel, the trial of Hitler’s very own lawyer – Hans Frank. Whilst this book is not a light read, Philippe Sands portrays curious breaks of lightheartedness and honesty which gains the novels momentum in an interesting and insightful way.  East West Street combines well known history to unique perspectives that evokes a lingering presence and affect, which for me, certainly laments resonance to the reader.

Strengths: East West Street is a compelling narrative which combines an exploration of political and legal history with deep personal discovery by Sands himself. A history lesson, personal archive, and striking endorsement of international law combined, EastWest Street is both enlightening and emotive.

A key strength is the book’s ability to depict a rich tapestry of characters, while successfully highlighting the nuances which exist between them. The vast differences between Lauterpachtand Lemkin and their approaches to international law are clear, but so too are the similarities in their core motivations and ideology. Minor characters are also expanded and understood by Sands, highlighting the vast number of personal stories which interweave with the unfolding of history. Furthermore, Sands does not shy away from focusing on darker scenes and characters, and in doing so emphasises the importance of reconciliation and confrontation with the past. East West Street’s greatest achievement is its ability to balance the past within the present: the book remains one with a modern focus, advocating for the relevance of Lemkin and Lauterpacht and the legal principles which they championed.

Criticism: With a book as unorthodox in its structure as this one, shortcomings will naturally arise. The first issue is that it can be hard to follow. Phillipe Sands clearly wanted to share as much of what he discovered as possible with his readers. The result is that the book can go on tangents so long that the reader can often forget how they relate to the overall narrative. Frustratingly, the reverse can also be true, where there might be points the reader wants expanded but aren’t.

Sands has also decided to sprinkle throughout the book short isolated segments on individual stories about remarkable characters largely lost to history. While these vignettes are interesting, the fact that they are staggered throughout the broader narrative means that the reader has to wait a long time before they find out how these characters relate to the story, which doesn’t happen until the end of the book.

Another issue that was perhaps unavoidable is that the reader can often find themselves lost in a sea of names of both characters and places. However, what was avoidable is the decision of Sands to name the central city of his book by the name it had at whichever point it’s referred to. I.e. depending on which country controls it’s either called by the German Lemberg, the Polish Lwów, or the Ukrainian Lviv. Perhaps Sands thought this would serve as a convenient shorthand to the reader to understand at what point of history the events in the city occurred. However, this fact never really becomes relevant and the naming system only really serves to confuse the reader.

Conclusion: Whatever shortcomings East West Street has, they are eclipsed by its great strengths. The book is ultimately a sort of detective novel, with Sands taking us along on this rabbit hole he fell down in discovering the life of his grandfather and the incredible history which he lived through. The book is clearly told from his perspective as he investigates the lives of these incredible figures and the impact they had on the world. East West Street teaches its readers the importance of international law without even having to try. The real lives it records speak for themselves. To me, that is its greatest achievement.