Latvia Books

This is a REAL book about a REAL person, Asya, who so candidly, yet carefully unfolds a story that takes the reader through time and across cultural and international boundaries! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Asya's voice as I read. With the photos from her life included, it was easy to hear her telling me her story and delivering her laws...the wisdom she developed in her lifelong quest for real love. I appreciate her honesty and vulnerability in depicting how she regarded herself throughout this quest and in each of her roles - a girl looking for love, a lover, a wife, a daughter, a mother, etc. Her own perspective on Latvia and Latvians and America and Americans is also interesting to observe as it changes from beginning to end. Thank you, Asya, for going for it with this book!

In this world of virtual and mediated reality, Latvian-born Asya Raines has brought decades of memories to life. From tales of her mother as a WWII Soviet freedom fighter blowing up Nazi trucks, to the post War Russian occupation to a late 1970s consolation prize trip to Bulgaria that began with a yearning to see Yugoslavia, to perestroika and her eventual emigration to the United States, she enlightens us with her perceptions and charms us with her perseverance. A book that merits multiple reads!

I would like to thank Asya for finding the courage to write about her life. It was not only educational and interesting, but it helped me to realize that we can all "choose" the life we live. No one has to be a victim if they don't want to be. Also, she gives great advice in love! An inspirational book that I would recommend to any and all who love to read or love!

I really, truly enjoyed this book. It feels like Asya is sitting next to you telling her story - and she's so warm, and so honest, that you become engrossed in her tale. I picked the book up on a Friday evening, and finished it in a few hours. A great book to share with friends and family - of any age.

Carrie Bradshaw and the girls gave us a peek into the challenges, heartbreak, friendship, and love that is life in Manhattan. Asya lets us see and feel those same emotions and experiences that made up her life in Riga. She even describes her version of the Hamptons. Asya entertains as she talks with us, she also educates. My lesson? While there are clearly interesting intellectual and cultural differences, when it comes to matters of the heart and soul we are all clearly One. Brava!

In the United States most of the time when one reads World War II history it tends to focus on the Normandy Landings and lightning dash to Berlin the Pacific theater is generally ignored and so is the Italian campaign. The Soviets also had to do a large amount of the fighting they were both defenders of their homeland and agents of a tyrannical regime.

Then there were those people who were caught in the middle of it all like one Jewish Latvian survivor who was only 5 years old. Plucked from a firing line by a sympathetic sergeant and warned never to be seen naked this little boy resolves to survive in any way he can. He survived the war and had a family but he was racked by guilt at the manner in which he was saved for many years.

While there are some funny accounts over the course of the novel it is by no means meant to be humorous the two stories that stick with me the most is the account of the time Alex Kurzem (the mascot) went to the train station and was assigned to pass out chocolates to an unruly crowd to claim them; later he reasoned that all or most of those people were killed in an extermination camp. Then there was the time that the soliders he was traveling with used him as bait to attract village women with unpleasant results for the little mascot and the women.

One also admire the author Mark Kurzem who tracked down all of these loose ends partially out of a sense of curiosity and to give his family a sense of closure about the whole issue. It is a truly remarkable effort especially when you consider the unlikelihood that there would be enough people alive to put the sometimes spotty recollections of the father into any context.

Overall-A truly remarkable account and evidence of tremendous courage on the part of the father both as a child to survive all of that and to level with his family years later about what he had gone through.

Every story of survival from the Holocaust is incredibly unique and Mark Kurzem's The Mascot is no exception. I must say that once the author's father, Alex Kurzem, begins to unlock the memories--after over 60 years of silence--of escape from near certain death, his nurturing by would-be executioners, and ultimate search for his true identity, the book is nearly impossible to put down. The basic reservation I had about the book--which is presented in narrative form--is that whenever the story drifts away from its riveting father/son dialogue, the telling become a bit wordy and almost extraneously repetitive. I found myself doing a lot of skimming so as to get back to the meat of the story--the father's cathartic-like revelations. But, that said, the book is very worthwhile reading.

Our author, Mr. Kurzem, Australian-born, of Latvian Jewish descent, finds out in his late adolescent that his father has been hiding his true childhood story for over 50 years. The son had been raised to consider himself a Latvian, as were others who emigrated to Australia via the German DP camps at the end of WWII. His father had been a reluctant Latvian, who married an Irish Catholic woman, but still, our author did consider himself to be Latvian until he got a call from his father. He was doing research at Oxford, so he was no slouch academically.

AS this very absorbing book progresses, we learn through the son that the father is himself unsure of who he really was, as he stumbled through the Latvian forest until adopted as a "mascot" (age 6) with a Latvian troop. He quickly learned Latvian, and later GErman, as these troops were working with the Nazis in expunging Soviet Communists, i.e. Partisans, from their country, after Germany came to liberate them from the Soviets. The remarkable story unfolds slowly, but with a wonderfully satisfying ending, as the son and his father go back to Latvia in post-Soviet 1990's, to see if the few clues can lead to his village.

Sure enough, through hard pushing and some sheer amazing lucky coincidences, they finally determine that the father is a shtetl Jew, who was spared death in a mass shooting by escaping in the night into a forest behind the village. The photographs in the book are very interesting, showing the details of clothing, houses, people's faces in those terrible times.

The final chapter condemns the Latvians for cooperating with the Germans, which is a slap in the face to anyone who knows the Latvians' miserable history. When they lost their independence to the Soviets, had their farms collectivized, their property stolen, their families shipped to Siberia and so on, most Latvians knew who controlled the Kremlin: the Jews, a fact none can deny. They appointed their own brethren in Riga to bring Communism with an iron fist, forming councils to destroy everyday Latvians' lives. When German soldiers arrived to destroy Communist control, there was no Latvian hesitation in wreaking revenge on the perpetrators, including the women and children. Jews became Partisans, running through the forest to escape arrest, often fleeing to Communist Russia. Many were innocent of any political involvement, as is true in any country.

However, our author, an educated man, omits this critical part of Latvian history, wipes them all with one "brown" brush, yet the Latvians did exactly that: call all Jews "reds", regardless of their true allegiances. Many were true Latvian nationalists and complete capitalists, who would never tamper with the rights to property against anyone. Too bad for these, it seemed; the devastation was too great.

I highly recommend this book for serving up a very exciting page-turner, as one wishes to see exactly how this young boy survived such a strange experience. You can understand how he waited until very late in life to reveal his story to anyone, including his children, because he could be persecuted by both Latvians and Jews, and above all, those millions who suffered at the hands of Communists. Their descendants are still angry!

Poor man! What a terrible time and place he was born into! But he was lucky to get down to Dresden, survived its bombing, get into a DP camp, and achieve an emigration visa to Australia. Imagine if he, like so many of the troop he'd joined, had been stuck back in the Communist land! His son would never have been born, for he would have been shot by Commies.

The son shows bitterness, but the father knows himself to be VERY LUCKY!!!

I could not put the book down. It's amazing what a 5-6 y. old can remember after hiding it away and not talking to anyone about his past for 50 years. Written very well, thought provoking, and makes you wonder how one should define a "Holocaust Survivor."

After reading a highly favorable review in the New York Times, I rushed down to the bookstore where a friend works to see if they had this book, and was shocked to find that they did not have it and that no one had been asking about it.

It's such an amazing story--a young boy escapes death in just the first of an unusual set of circumstances and developments, twists and turns, leading to events that cripple him later as a husband and father until he feels compelled to reveal his story to his son, the author of this book.

I have read a number of "survival" books about the Holocaust. Surely this is the most unusual. It reminded me in some ways of Martin Gilbert's THE BOYS, but this is a completely different story. This is a Jewish boy who was adopted by Latvian troops collaborating with the Nazis, and as an adult, he has clearly suffered from guilt and confusion such that the reader experiences the journey as well. As I read on, I found myself wondering if the truth would turn out to be different from what the boy's memories were, just as the author clearly did as he listened to his father's story, a tale slowly revealed over the course of a few years in the late '90s, almost fifty years after the original events in Russia and Latvia in 1941-45.

And there are several levels on which this story works. In the WWII period, you get a feeling for village, or shtetl, life in Russia through the initial memories of the boy as well as later when he and his son do further investigations. You get what seems to be a likely accurate picture of the soldiers, higher officials, and collaborating civilians the boy came to know. There are vivid depictions of the later war years.

Later on, after the author begins to find out the fuller story, father and son confront mixed reactions from scholars and Jewish organizations as well as the Latvian community in Australia, where the author grew up not knowing he was Jewish until his father felt compelled to find out who he really was and where he came from.

I really liked the way the book was organized, mostly short chapters, and here, the author or his editors really did well in observing that sometimes "less is more". Thus, there is not an extensive discussion of some minor characters, colleagues, friends, and others whom the author consults and confronts as the story of his father unfolds, yet we understand pretty well where these characters are coming from.

Finally, I commend the book for its helpful index, maps, and of course the fascinating photos that are reproduced showing the young "Alex" in his SS uniform. It's a little puzzling that the modern photos are rendered in the same grainy way as the old ones, but that is a minor complaint.

Four segments of this book detail Jack Ratz's experiences. The first three segments detail Lenta, Salspils, and Stutthof concentration camps. Another segment details the death march from Stutthof and is one of the most harrowing personal accounts of a death march that I have ever read. Jack Ratz welcomes the reader into his life with open arms and an engaging writing style.

Mr. Ratz has recorded his experiences at the hands of the Russian communist, then later Nazi invaders in Latvia starting in 1940. It is an inspirational story of survival under the most brutal conditions.

This is a well written story that is easliy read in one evening and well worth it.

You'll be able to look back after a bad day and think about what Mr. Ratz and others like him experienced during the holocaust, and realize that your day wasn't so bad after all.

This is a good book for teenager and alult to learn the truth. This book is relly sad. I hope this will never happen again it is so sad. No one should forget the holocaust. I was suppressed how they treated in the holocaust. It's important yo learn about the holocaust. During World War II the jewish Community was destroyed.

I think this is one best book because it talk about the holocaust. Some people try to forget what happen and teach their kids that it never happen. I think this is one best book. I wish that this won't happen agin but happen agin in Kosovo.

I hold in my hand a copy of the Congressional Record Vol. 144 No.1 24 Dated September 17,1998 code S10532.(i give this information for those skeptics who don't believe that I speak the truth, GO LOOK IT UP!) Senetor Patrick Moynihan adresses President Clinton. ''Jack Ratz's memoirs is an eloquent refutation to those who would dare to trivialize, distort, or even deny the Holocaust's important lessons. His book well reflects the affirmative message that Jack Ratz shares with New York City school children during his regular visits to the city classrooms. As the survivors of the Holocaust succumb to old age there are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses to this tragedy. Jack Ratz has provided an invaluable service with his moving account of the Latvian Holocaust experience.'' The record continues to print and article from the Jewish Week dated August 14, 1998. This eternal book has become part of our NY school system, being aproved by the Board of Education; and it has become a part of our US history being emblazened onto a Congressional Reocrd. A book with such powere should be in every household and as the author says, ''it is a book you can read in a day and remember for a lifetime.''

The product was in excellent shape when I received it. The book looked as if it were new and bought right off the book store shelf.

My mother escaped from Latvia in 1944. Her path to freedom, through Poland, Berlin, and Hanau, was very much like that described so well in this book. This book tells a compelling story of Mirdza. It is a must read for anyone who is interested in the Baltics, or in what life was like as a refugee during WW II. It is down to earth, highly readable, and heart warming. Once you start reading it, you can't put this book down. This book also is inspiring when life seems hard.

The Rings of My Tree is a well-told story of one young woman's journey starting in pre-WWII Latvia. We follow Jane's friend Mirdza as she is ripped from her beloved home in Liepaja (which was also my mother's home at the time the war started), is separated from family and friends, and ends up, like so many of our own family and relatives, in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany. For those of us that are Latvian, it is a familiar story. However, many Latvians of my generation, including myself, regrettably never heard the whole story from their parents, for one reason or another--most often it was because they were memories they did not want to recall, or that they simply wanted to "spare us." Still, over the years, I had gathered bits and pieces of my parents' separate experiences, and reading Mirdza's account helped me put those pieces into context and understand them better.

Regardless of what your own history is with the WWII and immigrant experience, The Rings of My Tree is well worth reading. As I mentioned, the story is familiar, and there are no great surprises--but I found peace in Mirdza's quiet strength as I read this book. Before reading Mirdza's tale, I had read book reviews that described Mirdza as submissive; I don't agree at all. She was assertive when necessary and smart enough not to make waves in the face of dire consequences, even when threatened with death. In her new home she learned how to get along for the greater good. Like all of the brave Latvians that survived the ravages of war, the camps, and then started over as immigrants in new countries, Mirdza showed great courage and tenacity. She was able to survive separation from family, countless atrocities, a bombing injury that left her with a permanent limp, and extreme prejudice from her new community after finally making it to America-ostracized as a "German" since she had arived from Germany and spoke English with an accent-all without a single trace of bitterness. To face every day anew, with quiet inner strength, required the heights of courage.

I'm writing this review from a personal perspective for a reason. I've corresponded with the author several times. Moreover, reading the book motivated me to finally sit down with my father and interview him about his experiences during and after the war. My parents had always been reluctant to talk about those times; it was just too painful. My mother passed away several years ago, and my father always looked forward to my monthly visits and loved to chat so I had a feeling he'd be ready to tell his story. He agreed, but he wasn't feeling well, so I put it off. Unfortunately, he passed away Christmas Day, 2004. Now his story will never be told. So I urge you, fellow Latvians, read this book. If you have stories of your own to tell, tell them, and if you have parents living to share their stories, have them do so while there is still time, that is, if they're at all willing.

An excellent book which relates very closley to my own Mother's situation, in escaping from Latvia with her Sister, Mother and Father. I felt the book was very true to the plight of all of the Baltic People and their forgotten past. A very easy and understandible read. I enjoyed it and bought copies for my siblings. Well Done!

The monsters and beasts in my childhood bedtime stories were not imaginary. They were flesh and blood and in human form, and usually they wore the uniforms of the Red Army. They marched in my parents' memories, relentless and cruel, driving them from their homes in Latvia during World War II. My parents were refugees, displaced to camps in Germany in the 1940's while awaiting sponsors for their immigration to the United States. Although I was born in the States, I have known two homes, two cultures, two languages, two histories, and the stories on which I was raised have become a part of my ethnic inheritance.

Reading Jane E. Cunningham's book about another Latvian woman's personal journey as a refugee from Latvia to the United States during the war was like hearing the stories of my parents all over again. What amazed me, however, were the accuracy of perception and a to-the-core understanding of an experience the author could not have shared. Cunningham, after all, is not Latvian. She is an Irish-American living in Connecticut, a teacher, and no closer to the Latvian experience than, well, crossing the street, as it turned out. For 45 years, Cunningham has known and befriended her neighbor, Mirdza Vaselnieks Labrencis. Now a woman in her mid-eighties, Mirdza has shared her stories about her home in Latvia and her journey to America with her most attentive neighbor, resulting in this slender but powerful book. Cunningham has even written it as a first-person account-a daring move, but one at which she was surprisingly successful. In nearly every detail and perception, the story is Mirdza's. It is also the story of most all Latvian refugees.

To survive-"where there is life, there is hope"-Mirdza undergoes a psychological shifting in her spirit and in her psyche. "Inside my still anesthetized cocoon, the soul of the self is changing. This forced-by-war metamorphosis was a lonely place to be, and yet it seemed to be a place of unconscious, unfolding change that surfaced through a new, foreign determination that surprised me. Survival is a funny thing... tied to self-respect. The greedy monster ministers of war had separated my family, killed some of my friends, issued a warrant for my life, bombed my house... raped and pillaged my country and took away the normal use of my left side... the caterpillar in my mind was losing its slow-crawling legs and I have no idea when the wings of courage developed, but there was a flapping inside of me." (pgs. 31-32)

Pushed to its limits, human nature shows its true colors and true fiber. A frightened girl emerges a strong, determined young woman, doing what she must to survive and to establish some semblance of a new life for herself. It is not in her nature to be bold, Cunningham writes of her heroine, nor is it the nature of a nation to be subjected to the depravity of war. Those who cannot adapt-die. Those who find wings and tap into a core wisdom of resilience-live. Mirdza makes a decision to live.

To survive one does what one must, sometimes shutting off the mind, other times shutting off the heart. When required, both are called back into action. Cunningham writes of Mirdza's life in German refugee camps with a compassionate honesty, never glossing over Mirdza's very human moments of weakness, but letting her moments of personal heroism quietly shine in their own illumination.

Cunningham's account of a story so far, surely, from her own as an Irish-American living in Connecticut is testimony of the ability to bridge two cultures and two very different perspectives on life to form very human bonds of friendship. This slender volume is highly recommended for anyone willing to take a moment to appreciate what makes us all different... and what makes us all the same.

Poker Face 2 is not only the most amazing book in my (rather large) poker library, it is also among the most impressive art books I own. Ulvis treats his subject with dignity and even-handedness, something that is seldom true in media portrayals of poker and poker players. The quotes that accompany the photos are also quite apt. The quality of the book itself is amazing. Every serious poker player should want to have one of these limited edition books on their shelf of on their coffee table.

I had never bought a poker book before purchasing this book. It was well worth the money and my wife (a non-poker player) even enjoyed the layout of pictures. The quotes provide an interesting peak into the minds of poker's elite players. It's a perfect holiday/birthday gift for a poker player or just someone interested in poker.

This is one of those very rare books that you have to pick up and look at time and time again. The photos in this award winning book range from the 1970s to 2005.

The photos from the 70s are one of a kind. When the World Series of Poker was in its infancy, Jack Binion wanted to publicize the event so he invited all of the Hollywood Photographers to shoot the event and be comped rooms and food. Only Ulvis Alberts took Jack up on his offer. Pretty much 95% of the photos you see of the World Series from the 70s were taken by Mr. Alberts.

The photographs throughout the book tell many stories. The most beautiful aspect of the photos is that they are not trying to catalog famous faces; they capture special moments in time from the famous and non famous. Shot largely in black and white film, the photos have a stunning brilliance and texture that cannot be captured by digital color. One of the most telling photographs is a pullout that captures in a series of shots, the moment someone wins their first bracelet.

This book is the sequel to the first Poker Face which if you can find a copy today; it's worth its weight in gold. Over the course of a year this book was produced in Latvia with the highest level of craftsmanship. The artistry on the hard box cover and book cover was all hand done. The commemorative metal plaque inserted on the cover was worked on by 2 people. For the last 2 years, many professional poker players have marveled over this book when it was displayed at the World Series of Poker.

I personally own 2 copies, one for display and one to keep in mint condition. My friends always flip through it when they come over. This is a definite keepsake, like a coin collection, stamp collection, or art collection. It will gain value in time, especially since there were only 2000 copies produced. There won't be Poker Face 3 because in 25 years Ulvis will not be around. He has said on many occasions that this is his last poker book. If you wanted one more reason to buy this book, if you wanted to just have one print of a photo from Ulvis, it will run somewhere between $300-500. Here you get over 300 pages of photos for $300.

In a world inundated with poker-related books and other paraphernalia, this book stands apart. Ulvis Alberts' photography captures the soul of the game in an incomparable way, and the whole package is an art book that anyone even mildly interested in the world of poker would enjoy. Famous and unknown players from the last 35 years are portrayed, and the spirit of the game emerges in every photograph.

Poker Face 2 is a must own for any poker player or fan of the game. Packaged in a beautiful hard cover, it's filled with photographic images that capture the emotions of players in the throes of one of the worlds most popular games. Shot from the years 1977 - 2005 it's a journey through the poker time machine and speaks to the unstoppable momentum that keeps this games popularity growing by leaps and bounds day by day.

This book gives an incredibly detailed description of Latvia in World War II, but includes events immediately preceding the war and those that briefly follow. The text is very well organized and has pages and pages of endnotes. Anyone who has heritage from Latvia -or Estonia and Lithuania- and is interested in this critical period of Latvian history, would find this book about as informative as anything available in English.

This is a very interesting book, particularly for those of us not overly familiar with the Baltic states during this period. That area of Europe is not normally in the forefront for most Americans interested in the continent's history, and this book helps bring it into clearer focus. Since I am typical in that sense, it is helpful in understanding the tragedy of those smaller countries trapped between Germany and the Soviet Union before and during the war.

I know the author personally and find his treatment of the subject to be fair and interesting. I would recommend it to those interested in this area.


If there is any criticism to be directed at this book, perhaps it could be said that more familiarization with the area of the Baltics might help the general reader grasp the material more easily.

Latvia is a small country on the Baltic that has the disadvantage of being a tiny country inbetween two giant and agressive military powers, Germany and Russia. After having a very difficult time during World War I, Latvia became as an independent country in 1921.

Latvia attempted to remain neutral during World War II, but in 1940 Latvia was occupied by Russia. In 1941 the Germans came and established a puppet regime that acted in their normal manner executing large numbers, including some 70,000 jews and forcing others into German military service. In 1944 the Russians came back through driving out the Germans only to begin their own reign of terror which was to last for fifty years.

This is a supurbly researched description of a small part of the life in a small segment of the Eastern front during the war.

It appears that this publisher is beginning to publish a series of books on the actions of individual countries during the Second World War. If this is true, it is to be welcomed since this book on Latvia and a companion book on France are excellent.

Valdis Lumans' volume on Latvia in World War II provides a thorough and impartial account of that Baltic nation's experiences before, during and immediately after the war, along with an excellent bibliographic essay on the historical literature on that topic. Latvia in World War II, intended as a starting point for the literature that is sure to emerge on Latvia as result of the opening of new archival resources in the early 1990s (with the collapse of the Soviet Union), is a well-written synthesis and analysis of the secondary literature on Latvia's history during the war and an excellent resource for scholars, teachers, and members of the general public interested in eastern Europe in the 20th century.

This account of Latvia's fortunes in the war years is strengthened by Lumans' own poignant connection to Latvia and its history. Lumans' father, a former Latvian legionnaire, was declared, as were thousands of other Latvians who for various reasons fought on the German side during the war, a "displaced person" after the war and was provided refuge in the U.S., along with his family, including Lumans. The senior Lumans and many among the thousands of other exiles who settled mainly in Anglo-American countries including the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Australia "carried with them their prewar images of Latvia," which they "passed on to their children and children's children as the latter grew up as Latvians far from Latvia." Lumans' parents brought with them a sense of nationalistic pride in and nostalgia for their homeland and its former leader Karlis Ulmanis, hatred of Stalin and the Soviet Union, and a perception of Hitler and the Nazis as liberators of Soviet- occupied Latvia. It was not until Lumans entered college at the University of Florida that he gained a new perspective on events in the Baltic States during the war, and his interest and determination to, as he puts it, reconcile myth and reality, was a factor in his decision to take on this scholarly endeavor.

Latvia in World War II begins with an overview of Latvia and its cultural, political and economic history from the 12th to the 20th centuries. Latvia's relationship with Russia and Germany after World War I is covered in this chapter, and the conflicted nature of those relationships is captured in a song sung by Latvian soldiers, "We'll beat those Reds, and after that the Blue-Grays [Germans]." The struggle to clearly identify their national enemies continued into the World War II era and beyond. Lumans describes the newly independent country's armed forces, foreign policy and relationship with its neighbors in the early 20th century, and makes clear that what Latvians desired above all else was to "be left alone to follow its own destiny."

A year after Hitler took power in Germany, Latvia also moved from a democratic to autocratic model with a coup that brought Karlis Ulmanis to power. The Ulmanis dictatorship lasted six years, until the Soviets occupied the country in 1940. The era was characterized by imprisonment of political enemies, censorship of the press (which led to Latvian ignorance of the growing threat of Soviet and German aggression), economic centralization (and "Latvianization"), and repression of minorities. Ulmanis' economic and political priorities did not include support of the military, and therefore the country found itself unprepared as World War II loomed. Further, military leaders and civilians alike had difficulty determining which country posed the greater threat to the tiny nation: the Soviet Union or Germany.

The next few chapters of Latvia in World War II describe the manner in which Latvia became a victim of both Soviet and German aggression and political maneuvering as World War II broke out. Even though Latvia attempted to maintain its neutrality, Hitler's ambitions for Eastern Europe, his pact with Stalin, and the Soviets' determination to control the Baltic region meant Latvians had little control over their own destiny. Ulmanis and members of the Latvian Cabinet allowed the Soviets to occupy the country in 1940 without a fight, which, as Lumans points out, was also the response of other European leaders faced with the "threat of overwhelming force." By summer 1940 the Soviets had put a government in place, and Latvia became the 14th Soviet republic in the USSR.

Among the strengths of Latvia in World War II are Lumans' detailed descriptions of daily life in Soviet- and German-occupied Latvia. By clearly describing Sovietization, for instance, the reader gains a more thorough understanding of the dramatic changes and tremendous difficulties Latvians endured under both periods of Soviet control of Latvia. Under Soviet rule during 1940 and 1941 (the "Year of Terror") Latvians endured economic restructuring, political imprisonments and executions, deportations to Soviet GULAGs, and outright murders. It is no wonder that some Latvians saw the German invasion of summer 1941 as the arrival of the liberators. Others, on the other hand, fled the Germans and went to Russia.

Under German occupation (mid-1941 to mid-1944), Nazi leaders' competing interests meant that Latvians' desire to once again become independent were encouraged by Germany while at the same time Germany milked the country for military personnel and other resources. Worse, as result of German occupation thousands of Latvians were deported, put in concentration camps or lost their lives in other ways. Lumans addresses the difficult issues of Latvian complicity in Nazi efforts not only to dominate Europe but to eradicate minorities, including Jews. At the same time, he guides the reader through the complexities of Latvian social and political goals during the war, making clear that Latvians' actions were motivated by a variety of objectives and/or fears. The excellent chapter on Latvia and the Holocaust could stand alone, useful for example as student readings in courses on 20th century Europe, World War II, or other European or world history classes.

Lumans' expertise on Germany during World War II and the Nazi military machine no doubt contributes to the strength of the chapters on the Latvian Legion and other Latvian military actions during the war. The detailed chapters on the role of Latvians in service to the German and Soviet causes and as partisans underscore the diverse perspectives and allegiances held by Latvians during the war. Thousands of Latvian military men died in battle, many of them convinced that service to the German cause would guarantee an independent Latvia in the future.

As the Soviet army forced a German retreat in 1944 and 1945, Latvia once again became a pawn to larger nations' ambitions, and the Soviets reoccupied the country, once again annexing it into the Soviet Union. When the war was officially over in Europe in 1945, Latvians saw no reason to celebrate, for they were now at the mercy of another conquering force, one that most Latvians considered far worse than the Germans. With the war's end, the Baltic States were among the few countries whose pre-war independent status was not restored.

Rather than returning them to Latvia and sure punishment by the Soviets, the U.S. declared hundreds of thousands of former members of the Latvian Legion and other Latvians held by the Allies to be Displaced Persons and given refuge in other countries. Lumans offers an engaging discussion of the issue of culpability and criminality on the part of Latvians, as well as the steps that led to decisions about the fate of Latvian laborers, refugees and former soldiers who were part of the Latvian Diaspora. Latvia once again became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the last 20th century, and Lumans describes the challenges this nation faces as result of a dramatically altered population, economy, environment and culture.

This is a particularly well-researched and written volume that is accessible to a broad audience. Lumans' style is engaging and his provision and analysis of sources on Latvia in the war years is a treasure to scholars of World War II and Twentieth-century European history in general.

And Then There Was One... is a historical memoir covering the era from 1910 t o 1945. Author Michael Stone was born in Latvia in 1910, grew up in Moscow, relocated to Berlin with his family to escape the Communist Revolution, and emigrated to the United States when the Nazis emerged to take control. And Then There Was One... is a riveting personal saga that spans nations, and offers a very personal view of cataclysmic events that reshaped human history and the world. Enhanced with an appendix, bibliography, and index, And Then There Was One... is highly recommended reading.

(...)Twentieth century lives are often studies in chaos, disruption, and just one damned thing after another. For Michael Stone, born in 1910, it's a century of the murder of Jews and of coming to America and having the freedom to build a successful life. But a successful and culture life was Stone's in Latvia, born into a family of prosperous entrepreneurs. Memories, experiences, fascinating bits of information—The Cotton Club, speeches in Columbus Circle, in the Latvian army, upbringing, siblings and parents, and meeting European men and women who, through their experiences, would define the times. But also there is the malady of the century: the Nazi murder of Jews. A horrifying depiction of the roundup of the Jews of Riga: "Those actions were representative of a number of carefully planned acts of extermination of Jews, not only in various cities in Latvia, but also in other parts of Nazi-occupied regions in Europe." And the terrible personal experiences of Stone. "My initial reaction to being transferred from the hands of the Gestapo to the regular, green-uniformed police calmed me a bit." In an important sense, this is a modern American life: coming from war-torn Europe, a man prospers but remembers, for future generations, the terrible things done in Europe. And it is a history of all of Europe as that history affected poor, helpless people. Stone remembers in a thoughtful, scrupulously detailed way: And Then There Was One is a clearheaded and instructive memoir, related with passion, and with enormous sorrow(...)

Unlike traditional history books, which are written many years after events have actually occurred, this unusual book tells of the cataclysmic world events of the the first half of the last century from the perspective of one who was there. The reader will get a graphic description of the different cultures, customs and events as they then existed.

There are not many people today who can say that they were acctually present in Moscow when the Bolshevic revolution was unfolding. Michael Stone was there. In this meticulously researched volume, Mr. Stone vividly describes how he survived the bloody two-year civil war when his mother was brutally killed. He goes on to describe his family's flight from Russia to the Weimar Republic. He provides a first-hand account of the World War II from the German perspective. Mr. Stone writes with passion about his experience of being arrested by the Gestapo on charges of high treason, which carried a mandatory sentence of decapitation (He was ultimately pardoned by Hermann Goering, personally!) We are fortunate that Mr. Stone, who was thrust into the middle of the century's greatest historic events, survived to preserve the truth from his unique perspective.

This is a must read for all history buffs.

How Dark the Heavens is a valuable resource of historical information on the Holocaust, and an authentic recollection by a survivor. It is unique, in that this book pulls the reader into the story as would a novel.

the author writes in a "detached" style.I guess that is the only way he could recount these horrible experiences inposed upon him by subhumans. It is a superb diary.

Perhaps you, like I, at times wonder of what stuff you are made. In a truly horrible situation, would you do what it right at all cost? Would you have the inner fortitude to persistently march forward, to place your life at risk for the good of others? Often, and sadly, I suspect I would not; but, my ego hopes I would. Lithuania might be an unfamiliar name to you. But, this true story invites you to join the author in his nightmarish run from the Nazis during World War II. You'll know what it is like to be suddenly wrenched from your home, country and family by the pursuit of others out to exterminate you, simply because you happen to be in the way. In his flight, the author chooses paths of moral and physical courage, in order to preserve meaning for his life. Would I have joined him? Or would I have given up? What about you? Here's a chance to "test your stuff," at least in the safe pages of a good read.

A beautifully written account.
A story of courage and determination and a legacy for all mankind. Read it.

I absolutely recommend this book. i read it in one day and could not put it down. Maja writes so honestly, elegantly and so beautifully. she's keeps it simple and straight forward. i recommend this book to anyone of any age. i am so proud that she had the courage and strength to write about her experiences because it is imperative that we do not forget about the atrocities of the Holocaust. it took a lot of will-power and she has surely made her family and friends proud.
we are so proud of you granny.
love your grandchildren.

A moving and informational account of a young Latvian girl during WWII. Her memories of the Holocaust are alive with detail, and her courage and spirit are inspiring. Highly reccommend.

An amazing story of the author's life and experiences throughout WWII. The hardships, the tragedies and the new start in America.

The fact that the information in the book is an account of true events makes it a fascinating read. I could not put it down.

If you have any interest in world history or simply want to be captivated by this interesting and amazing woman's life story, do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

I was given this book, and at first, did not think much of it. But once I started reading it, wow. Everyone should read the first 75 pages to see what it was like under the Red Army. Great book; hard to put down.