Germany has been the planet"s most perplexing country this century. A prime instigator of World War I, it quickly rebounded from an annihilating defeat in that conflict to rise as a nationalist aggressor with designs on world domination. The latter half of the century has found Germany prospering as an economic power while serving as the dividing line--and then unifying locus--of East and West. Where the country"s actual identity lies is the topic of consideration for this collection of essays. In this illuminating compilation, Jane Kramer, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, addresses the role of Germany"s lurking past in its attempts to embrace the future.