Bankers, phil­an­thropists, schol­ars, socialites, artists, and politi­cians, the War­burgs stood at the pin­na­cle of Ger­man (and, lat­er, of Ger­man-Amer­i­can) Jew­ry. They forged eco­nom­ic dynas­ties, built man­sions and estates, assem­bled libraries, endowed char­i­ties, and advised a Ger­man kaiser and two Amer­i­can pres­i­dents. But their very suc­cess made the War­burgs light­ning rods for anti-Semi­tism, and their sense of patri­o­tism became increas­ing­ly dan­ger­ous in a Ger­many that had declared Jews the ene­my.

Ron Cher­now’s huge­ly fas­ci­nat­ing his­to­ry is a group por­trait of a clan whose mem­bers were renowned for their bril­liance, cul­ture, and per­son­al ener­gy yet trag­i­cal­ly vul­ner­a­ble to the dark and irra­tional cur­rents of the twen­ti­eth century.