Hiding Mengele: How a Nazi Network Harbored the Angel of Death - Hardcover

by Betina Anton (Author)

Read the international sensation already translated into 9 languages and named a Jabuti Prize finalist!

Unearthing the network that hid the Angel of Death, the infamous Nazi doctor who escaped justice for more than three decades.

In 1985, six-year old Betina Anton watched Brazilian authorities apprehend her kindergarten teacher for allegedly using documents to bury in secrecy the remains of Josef Mengele, known worldwide for cruel human experiments and for sending thousands to the Auschwitz gas chambers. Decades later, as an experienced journalist disturbed by the mysteries surrounding the departure of Austrian expat Liselotte Bossert, Anton set out to find her and see if the rumors were true. She could not imagine how deeply into Mengele's life-on-the-run her investigation would take her.

Josef Mengele was a fugitive in South America for thirty-four years after World War II, sought by the Israeli secret service and Nazi Hunters. Hidden for half that time in Brazil, thanks to a small group of expatriate Europeans, Mengele created his own paradise where he could speak German with new friends, maintain his beliefs, stay one step ahead of the global manhunt, and avoid answering for his crimes.

Translated from the Brazilian Tropical Bavaria edition and based on extensive research, including revelatory interviews and never-before-seen letters and photos, Hiding Mengele is a suspenseful narrative not only haunted by the doctor's horrific actions but also by the motivations driving a community to protect an evil man.

Author Biography

Betina Anton was born in São Paulo, graduated in journalism from the School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP), and holds a master's degree in international history from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She has more than twenty years of experience as a journalist. As an international news editor at Globo TV, the largest channel in Latin America, she has participated in major news coverage, such as the wars in Ukraine and Syria, and all the American elections since 2008. In 2019, she won the Vladimir Herzog Award, the most prestigious journalism prize in Brazil.