Romania Books

Prior to reading this book, I was curious about Rabbi Weiss Halivni. What kind of man, I wondered, would stand up against the left wing of the Conservative movement, at the potential cost of his own career? In reading this book, I have been richly rewarded with an understanding of him. Rabbi Weiss Halivni is searchingly honest, even brave in his degree of self-revelation, as he describes his life in a backward village in Hungary in the lead-up to the Second World War, the troubled psychological dynamics of his family, most of whom were subsequently murdered by the Nazis, his experiences in the death camps, and the course of his career in the United States as a scholar at the Jewish Theological Seminary and then Columbia. He explains the origins and process of his style of Talmudic analysis; an unusual blend of the traditional and the critical analytic methods, coming in part from his grandfather, but also a product of modern scholarship. He laments that he's been unsuccessful in fostering it in his students (they find it too difficult I think).

But it is his self-analysis if his own character, his simultanously anxiety-ridden and courageous life, that makes this such worthwhile reading. I think that he is just not afraid to be different, and he values honesty more than most; his stance on preserving halachah in the face of tremendous pressure from liberal "progressives" at the JTS is one outcome of these traits.

[...]

Halivni's book will not satisfy those looking for a Holocaust memoir. He is not a professional Holocaust survivor or bad novelist like Elie Wiesel. Rather he is a scholar. He started out as a child prodigy in Talmud, but never had a chance to attend a real yeshiva. After the war he turned down such opportunities to get a doctorate in philosophy and develop academic textual criticism of the Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was a very big fish at JTS, but the water turned rancid when they abandoned Jewish law in favor of feminist correctness. He then went to Columbia University, but now every major university offers doctorates in Talmud.

He makes a heartbreaking admission to us at one point. He says he cannot transmit the highest level of his methodology to his students. I would like to be charitable to so long-suffering a man, but doesn't it mean he has failed? What use is a method that exists only in his own head?

Although he never says so, I'm afraid Halivni realized at some point he was not an adult prodigy. If he went to Lakewood with Rav Kotler or Yeshiva University with Rav Soloveitchik he would never have been among the first rank of scholars. He admits to the sin of envy, and that shortcoming drove him to isolation and failure. That, not Auschwitz, is the true tragedy of his life.

This small book covers an enormous range of subjects. Chasidic life in a shtetyl, the Holocaust, conflict within the Jewish institutions of higher learning in post war America, the personal psychological impact of being a Holocaust survivor, and the various modes of Talmudic scholarship - Halivin's great accomplishment is to bring meaning to this wide spectrum of topics in few words. This is a book by a serious thinker who is not afraid to risk revealing his innermost feelings and conflicts. A courageous work

As another reviewer wrote, this is not just a Holocaust memoir. Halivni writes about his Holocuast experiences, but many others have done the same at greater length. What I got out of this book was:

1. His discussion of pre-Holocuast shtetl life: its scholarship, its isolation, its sheer backwardness in many areas (for example, when one relative told the author's grandfather that the boy was "turning modern" because he ate with a fork instead of with his hands, and read secular newspapers). Unless you eat with your hands and avoid newspapers, you will find it much harder after reading this book to believe that Jews should be bound by every custom of their ancestors.

2. His attempt to describe his own ideological position: more respectful of traditional halakhah than modern Conservatives, more critical of traditional interpretations than some Orthodox commentators. You can find plenty of books by commentators to Halivni's right, and plenty by commentators to his left, but I would be surprised if you could find any by people who think exactly what he thinks (assuming there are any). As a result, his book is unique or nearly so - and for this reason alone, his book is worth reading and will probably challenge you whatever your views.

Another reviewer said that Halivni is not among the "first rank" of scholars. (I am not enough of a scholar to intelligently agree or disagree). But even if this were the case, I would recommend this book. I've learned quite a bit from people who weren't in the "first rank" of scholars - many of whom, I suspect, are not of Halivni's rank.

I am happy to see this book. As a parent of an adopted (in March 1991) Romanian girl, I too, knew before I traveled, the effects of institutionalization on a child. I think that many parents do and did not. the book is a valuable tool for this purpose. It also shows the joy a child can have when loved and nurtured by parents willing to give what it takes !!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are about to adopt a child from Romania or any European area, I recommend you read this book beforehand. I am an adoptive parent and it was most helpful to know of the author's experiences and helped prepare us for the risks as well as the joys of adopting from overseas - such as delayed development of the children due to being raised in an orphanage, the difficulties in working with a child whose first language is not English, helping an orphanage child adapt to family life, etc. I wish there were more books out there which contain the personal experiences of adoptive parents, especially those who adopt older children (as we did).Otherwise, potential adoptive parents have to navigate through the maze of Web resources and links to find support and connection with others, especially if they live in small cities.

Christina Goldstone's account of life with her Romanian-born daughter is an excellent account of the potential problems that children who have lived in orphanages may present. Prospective adoptive parents ought to read this book. Mrs. Goldstone's devotion and love for Daniela are inspiring and heartwarming. The only criticism I have of this book is that the book requires some good editing; spelling and grammatical errors abound. Still, the book's substance is what is truly important.

"Come to the Window" is not really a humorous book, except that I can identify so much - and find joy in the camaraderie. It is not really a technical book, but has plenty of concrete experiences to identify with and learn from. This is an honest book - with honest to goodness feelings: fear, frustration, hope, joy, indignation, love, and faith - the things that life is made of. Daniela has some difficulties in learning and social realms that make her a challenge for the Goldstones, and these difficulties are combined with the reality of adoption and the experience of international adoption and the environment of family life, public school, and health care. Christina has done something more. She has, as can be seen in her book, been diligent in journalling her experience. There are so many parts of my experience in international adoption and bringing our adopted children into our family, that I've forgotten, or would have forgotten had "Come to the Window" not recalled them for me. Some of the most difficult times, especially the emotional times, I had buried on purpose, but now with Christina as my companion I can remember and observe - look how far we've come. Thank you, Christina, for helping me "Come to the Window."

The book is excellently researched (kudos to the author, Marta Petreu). However, even the best biographer must find it difficult to summarize someone like Emil Cioran, who had trouble organizing his own words into a coherent text. Reading about the articles and books he wrote is like listening to a broken record: I'm ashamed to be a Romanian. Romania will never become a culture (nation). They can't blame anyone but themselves for being a total historic failure. On and on.

The author did a great job of trying to present his one-track exposition (though he changed trains of thought in his later life). Actually, the best summary of Cioran's youthful, radical philosophy was given near the end of the book, when Marta organized his words into his "confession."

In spite of its drawbacks (Cioran was, after all, only a "bit player" in the generation of 1927 compared to Mircea Eliade or even professor Nae Ionescu), it's a book that's worth reading. I especially enjoyed Chapter 10 ("Cioran and the Ideologies of His Time"), which compared the thoughts of others in his generation to those of Cioran.

Before I read the book, I had no positive or negative thoughts about Cioran. After I read the book, I grew to dislike the guy who sponged off of others, refusing to work, pretending to be an intellectual. But I guess these were the kind of people who made a difference in inter-war Romania. And worth reading for that reason.

"An Infamous Past" concentrates on Cioran's early days and his infatuation with the legionary movement and its rise and effect on Romania's intelligentsia in the 1930's.

While the book is excellent, and Marta Petreu has performed both impressive research and drawn reasonable conclusions, the translation by Bogdan Aldea (who incorrectly translates "Totul Pentru Tara" as "Everything for the Fatherland" (the word "patria" means fatherland while the word "tara" means country), and the failure to acknowledge Codreanu's eventual abandonment of antisemitism and violence as a means (both actions which perpetuate a distortion of Romanian history), earn this book a one star demerit.

Wagner is the Western Archetype of the Evil, ugly person who creates what is in the opinion of many great Art. Cioran is another example. Carlin Romano in a concise and powerful review of this book which appears in the 'Daily Chronicle of Higher Education' traces Petreu's uncovering of Cioran's Nazi past. She exposes his identification with murderous barbarity even against his own Romanian people.
Cioran's Nazi past was covered up in the Post- War years when his aesthetic flamboyance made him an intellectual star. But even in the stardom there were common elements with the old Nazi sympathizer. Misanthropy, a hatred of anything which seemed to not share his own distorted view of things.
This book exposes a certain double-sidedness in Cioran , on the one hand an admiration for Jewish creative powers, and on the other a vicious anti -Semitic fear of alleged Jewish spoiling of ' pure national cultures'.
Cioran according to Romano spend most of his life in Paris leeching off friends , and diatribing against among others fellow Romanians. He seems to have been a singular unpleasant character , and one who like Nietzsche profited in literary terms, from the human love of spiteful things said against other human beings.
Without knowing anything about his Nazi past I tried very hard years ago to read his work, and found myself running up against a tremendous amount of strongly declarative unproved utterance, aphorisms at their worse.
This book gives us a Cioran of mostly warts. The rest would advisedly be silence.

The Chicago publisher Ivan R. Dee has already published one major Romanian book in English translation, Mihail Sebastian's JOURNAL 1933-1945. Petreu's book is something different--a clear, serious, and straightforward scholarly study, a type of book seldom undertaken by an American commercial publisher. It is well chosen, though its future depends entirely on the reputation of Cioran, and it will do little to enhance that reputation.
Petreu is intimately familar with Cioran's writings, and quotes from them liberally. That alone would make this book an important source for readers of Cioran who cannot read Romanian. She has also troubled to read his 1930s journalism and his correspondence (some of which she has collected and published in Cluj), texts unavailable in English. There is some repetitiveness, but with good reason.
Petreu also is a student of history and is able to place Cioran's "lyrical philosophy" and praise of fascism (and of Hitler) in the context of Romanian politics. This by no means excuses Cioran. Rather, Petreu shows how and why fascism appealed to him in his twenties, when his literary ambitions, his dismay at European contempt for Romania, and his faith in destiny converged in opportunistic rant. Later in life, Cioran bitterly regretted these years. Petreu provides the ugly details, showing how much he had to regret.
Finally, her discussion of the Iron Guard, the blackshirts of Romania, who murdered and marauded in the name of pure Christianity, is a frightening reminder of what militant Christian politics can do.
Petreu writes that Cioran's "fundamental nature--decadent, amoral, aesthetic" (p. 182) was a fertile ground for his commitment to Romanian fascism. Cioran's current fame as a writer and a philosopher rests on the books he published in Paris after World War II. Petreu's book provides vital background for his Parisian career, showing how his fascist years continued to affect his later work, sometimes with hints, often with suppression, and always with fear and revulsion.

It would have been easy for the author to provide a laundry list of the awful things in these institutionalized children's lives. No parents. No family structure. No toys. No shoes. No legal identification to become productive adults. Their situation would seem utterly hopeless. Instead, the author emphasizes the incredible resiliency shown by these amazing kids. They are entertained endlessly by the most basic games. They are genuinely appreciative without prompting. Even when confronted with shocking and repetitive abuse, these children persevere and remain at their very base, kids. Rather then despair, the reader is left with a sense that with just a little care, and just a little love, each and every one of these children could become an amazing adult. This is the story of incredible people putting their lives on hold, going to a strange and in many ways backwards country to offer some of that care and love.

Ms. Nepveu's writing is colloquial and evocative. The little details make you feel as though you've been to Romania, and the book's brevity makes it an excellent "one sitting" afternoon read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in volunteer work, adoption, or even children in general.

I really enjoyed this book. I have been to Romania once on a missions trip a couple of years ago and plan to return next summer. The author described the landscape, culture, and conditions of Romania briefly but pretty well. I was a little disappointed on how she described the landscape negatively, however. Yes, there are a lot of sunflower and corn fields that go on for miles, but I found this landscape to be beautiful and unique to Romania. Also, I drove through parts of Romania that did have a beautiful hill countryside like you see in pictures. I enjoyed how the author described her daily experiences in Romania from working with the children, to living conditions, to relationships with other people on the team. After reading the book, it almost made me want to join the Playscheme team one summer. I read the book in just a couple of days, I wish it was longer! Despite the typos, this is a great book to read if you want to see a glimpse of how Romanian orphans live.

I've really enjoyed this book because it takes you through the day by day experience of a volunteer in a Romanian orphanage. There isn't anything that she is trying to hide or expose really, it's simply her real life experience over there. I highly reccommend this book for people who want to know more about the orphans in Romania, it's a great way to learn.

This book, actually Linda's published journals from her experiences in Romania, is a life changing read. Linda's insight into the personal lives of these orphan children as well as her own battle with what she could actually give to these children, is both eye opening and challenging. While this is a personal journal not free from errors, it is a must read for all those who are interested at all in the life and pain of an orphan child.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. The writing style is brilliant. You feel like you are living side by side with the author, almost inside his skin, experiencing what he is experiencing, or perhaps at least you are an intimate friend, someone with whom he shares the details of his inner life as well as his worldly adventures.

While I read the book, I felt I was engaged in a relationship with a real person, sharing the sights and sounds of rural Rumania, the excitement of Bucharest, the conflicts and confusion he experiences as he faces life on his own and tries to sort out his feelings and experiences about the people he meets in light of the teachings of his family and society.

As someone mentioned in another review, Mr. Von Rezzori has the literary voice of a cultured, sensitive, articulate, sophisticated, intelligent, perceptive European. Many times, he charms you quite legitimately with the wit of the raconteur and the insight and agility of the boulevardier.

Although the beginning of the book is exciting and full of energy, the end is sad--in fact, deeply mournful--as the author recalls some deep regrets of his life.

This book is an interesting journey with an interesting, complex, and articulate man with a gift for literary intimacy.

"Memoirs of an Anti-Semite" is a series of short stories, loosely connected and remotely chronological, which capture the inner turmoil and outer turbulence the narrator experiences while growing up in Eastern Europe between the Wars. Romantic Cafe's, spicy brothels, Viennese sophistication and Carpathian bleakness are but a few of the contrasting realities which continue to mold and shape the mind and soul of this young Rumanian. The pathological anti-Semitism he acquires while growing up in a petty bourgeois family in the Bukovina becomes an increasing source of irony in this novel, as the narrator finds himself surrounded more and more by Jewish friends and lovers.

Gregor von Rezzori has taken some of the hardest things in the world to talk about and with them rendered stories that are decent, beautiful, and immensely entertaining. These are five stories that make up a novel, and it is not always apparent that the narrator is the same exact character from story to story, but the truth and the powerful feelings of each story present a great unity. In each chapter, the narrator grows close to a Jewish person who he loves and admires (though he has been taught to despise them as a class) and ends up hurting or failing them. Sounds monstrous, but it is a wonderful book.

I confidently recommend this book to anyone interested in modern literature and European history.

This book was recently re-issued by NYRB as part of the series of revived (and ignored/forgotten) "classics". It was favorably (and eloquently) reviewed in the February, 2008 "Atlantic" by Christopher Hitchens and received laudatory reviews at the time of it's initial publication. Probably because of the author's eloquence, poetic imagery and lack of a "compelling" plot-line, it was out-of-print until this 2008 re-issue.

The author was born Gregor Arnulph Hilarius d'Arezzo in a fringe region of the former Austria-Hungarian Empire in Czernowitz, Bukovina, the hinterlands where much of the novel is set. While his family supposedly had "origins" in an "aristocratic" Sicilian background, his father was a civil servant. Possibly with intended (or with inadvertent) irony and aping the arriviste behavior ascribed to some of his Jewish characters, he "Germanified" his name and added the aristocratic "von". The author lived and wrote in the 20th century and only recently died (1998) though the novel's atmospherics are more evocative of the late 19th century. It should be noted that the author lived and worked in wartime Berlin as a radio announcer and in films: this put his thoughts and perspectives under the direct scrutiny of Joseph Goebbels' propaganda ministry. The wartime German art world was not a haven for dissenters.

Rezzori's book, comprised of 5 "novellas", evokes the "lost" , decadent and slowly dying world of "fin de siecle" mittle Europa. The book is redolent with literary and theological allusions/pretensions, weltschmerz and young adult angst with overtones of sarcastic remove and irony. Laced throughout the book are lacerating and vitriolic anti-Semetic charicatures, uttered (with occasional flashes of self-insight) by the author/protagonist. Similar remarks made by his acquaintances and friends lack this element of sardonic introspection. Occasionally, and equaling in vehement crudeness the remarks of the "goyim", self-hating statements and sweeping condemnations are made by Jewish characters, themselves. All such comments presuppose the Nazi definition of Jews as a distinct "race", with ineradicable characteristics that can be confidently identified by acute observors. Ultimately, the narrator fails to enlighten himself, a particularly mordant observation given not only that the events related in the book transpired during the ascending limb of the European anti-Jewish trajectory immediately preceding WW-II, but were "recollections" penned during the post-war years.

One can only comment favorably on the elegance of the writing and ponder the catastrophic implications of the enduring prejudices which pervade the book's characters. As the book will likely be read by those with sophisticated understanding, the more deplorable prejudices will be placed in "appropriate" context, to wit, explained and justified as a time-capsule synopsis of prevailing social mores and behaviors of a particular time and place. Indeed, in the tendentious (and pretentious) introduction, just such a stance is adopted. Given Rezzori's wartime pursuits, however, I wonder how much of the attitudes and perspectives displayed by the narrator reflect his own world view at the time of writing.

In summary, a well-written, interesting novel with certain disquieting and annoying features. It is reminiscent of 19th century Russian literature and has been compared to Goethe's, "Sorrows of Young Werther". While a fine novel, it is not in the same class.

IT'S GOT ALL THE NECESSARY INFO., ABOUT ROMANIAN HISTORY. NICE PICTURES TOO, HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

This book is an excellent survey of Romanian history, from the prehistoric period to the aftermath of the Communist era. It was the best history book on the subject I've read, and although it doesn't really warrant the term "fully" illustrated, it contains over 100 images, many of which I've never seen published before. Actually, Nicolae Klepper does a lot more than write a national history, as the book is grounded throughout in Romanian art, architecture, music, culture, gastronomy and custom. The author has mixed all this together to produce an extremely readable history book, a must for anyone planning to visit the country.

The book did present a number of "facts" that weren't available in other Romanian history books I've read (though some were rehashes of the Party line taken by the communist "historians" and "revisionists"). It would have been nice to let us know when some of these facts came from communist-era historians who, it seems, more often than not wrote a form of Romanian mythology instead of a Romanian history. And at times, I was lost while reading ... not sure what timeframe I was in. The book could have used a little more organizational effort. Maybe in a future reprint. Still, there was enough useful information to make the book worthwhile reading.

This book falls short of being "an illustrated history". It has far too few pictures, maps etc. to achieve that claim. The books treats only few selected subjects extensively however most of the other topics are presented rather briefly. I believe it would have been better to keep everything brief and maybe make this book part of the for Dummies collection something like "Romania for Dummies".

Wery good book by a tireless historian and researcher of the air forces of Eastern Europe. Until the publication of this book, the story of the Romanian aviation in WW2 was a patchy scattering of articles in various Romanian and foreign magazines and maybe a chapter or two in some books. This is the first book dedicated exclusively to the Romanian Air Force in WW2 (and until now in September 2002, still the only one out there). It is a one-stop source of information for anyone with an interst in the Romanian aviation:
For the historians it gives dates, diagrams, unit strenghts, inventories.
For the modeller it offers a wealth of subjects, colour schemes, I was inspired for plenty of projects by this book.
For those that are simply interested in the expoits of the aviators, there are plenty of stories of bravery, victory, survival against odds, and defeat. A little bit of something for everyone.
It will not disapoint anyone genuinely interested in the history of the Romanian aviation and its pilots.

If you want to read about the Romanian AF during WWII, this book gives you an excellent short overview of the ARR's campaigns.

Very well written by Mr. Dénes, "The Prime Decade, 1938-47" offers a remarkable well-balanced and unbiased history telling, filled with facts and combat stories, supported by an extensive picture material, as well as color paintings of aircraft used by the Aeronautica Regalã Românã (Royal Romanian Air Force or ARR).
Further more this is one of the very few English language publications about the topic.

The work starts with a short summing up of the events just before the era discussed. It explains the circumstances and events that lead to the situation Romania found it self in at the prelude to, and beginning of WWII.
Then the brief history of the ARR is told on a campaign basis: Bessarabia, Stalingrad, Defense of the Homeland, Against the Luftwaffe, The "Western" Front, and The Last Year of the War.
Hereafter the different branches of the ARR are examined: Fighters, Bombers, Short- and Long-Range Reconnaissance and Army Co-operation Aircraft, Seaplanes(!), Transport and Training and Liaison Aircraft. Here the author goes in detail with the story telling. Most is said about the fighters, but the bombers and especially the seaplanes are interesting reading too.

Besides the interesting reading, one can enjoy 8 full color pages with 37 different aircraft (P.Z.L. P.11, 23, 24 and 37B, Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, I.A.R. 38, 80A(2) and 81, Messerschitt Bf-109 E-3/E-7/G-1/G-2/R6/G-6, Focke-Wulf 190A, Messerschmitt Bf-110C, Heinkel He 111 E-1/H-3 and 112B, MiG-3, Savoia S-79B and J.R.S.79B1, Junkers Ju-87 D-3/D-5, Ju-88 A-4/D-1 and W34, Potez 63-11 A3s and 650, Henschel Hs-129 B-2, Bristol Blenheim Mk.I, Cant Z.501B, Lockhed A10 Electra, Fleet F-10G, S.E.T. 7Kd, 'Nardi F.N. 305, Fieseler Fi-156Ca-3.)
The back of the book has 8 color pictures of a He-111H-3, two I.A.R. 80s, an Emil 7, a Fleet F-10G and a Ju-88 D-1. (This last plane can show to be quite "expensive", since it made the author of these lines go and visit the AF Museum at Dayton, OH... Also a MUST, nothing compares to it!)

The book also contains a multi-lingual map of South-East Central Europe and the Northern Balkans, showing clearly the borders after 1940, when Hungary, at the 2nd Vienna Arbitral Award, was awarded 40% back of her territory lost to Romania in 1918, an annexation made final at the Treaty of Trianon 1920.

The only thing this work lacks is a "few" scale line drawings of the most important/interesting aircraft, such as the I.A.R. 80/81 or the Ar-196 (which is completely absent in the picture material).

This squadron/signal publication (6080) follows the books about the Polish, Hungarian and Finnish Air Forces during WWII. Hopefully the Slovak, Croat, Bulgarian and Yugoslav Air Forces will follow soon!

This booklet published by Squadron/Signal is a real prowess. In 84 pages, the author was able to pack an unbilievable amount of information on the Rumanian Air Force for the 10 years covered (1938-1947).

1) A breathtaking painting of a dogfight between P-38s and a Rumanian I.A.R. by artist Don Greer on the front cover

2) A good A4 size map covering Central Europe (Hungary, Rumania, part of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, and neigbouring area) all too often forgotten in many books

3) 8 pages containing 41 high quality color profiles plus details of some of the emblems used. All those can be checked against the real b&w pictures shown in the book.

4) 140+ b&w pictures of surprisingly crisp and clear quality, most of which have never been seen in the West yet.

5) 6 color pictures on the back cover

On the top of that the author still finds room to give us numerous charts with data and a quite detailed history of those 10 years including the role of the fighters, bombers, seaplanes, transport and reconnaissance airplanes and their engagements on the various fronts of the war.

Don't get fooled by the limited number of pages ! With a different layout and format this would actually be a 150 pages if it were published by say Motorbooks International. Great value for money !

Author Denes Bernad is a noted historian who often contributes on internet forums of experts. He specialised in aviation and air warfare of Central and Eastern Europe in the Thirties and Fourties. Of Hungarian extraction he has been a resident of Canada for many years.

Since no Rumanian authors have ever produced books on the Rumanian Air Force in English, this is the only one you will find on the market and will probably be also the best one for several years to come. You may find yourself captivated even if like me you only have a remote interest in those small Axis air forces.

Good book if one keeps strictly to the technical information, still difficult to imagine that all was collected in 15 years (very fragmented 15 years!). Despite his claims of objectivity the author cannot liberate himself from the mentality generated by his own ethnical background. Under the mask of "truth" he carefully chooses his words and under the pressure of "brevity" he carefully chooses what historical events to present and under what form. Typical reaction for the hungarian lobby that is very active in USA. Hence, Romania "annexed" territories after WWI, when in fact each territory united after plebiscites or parliamentary votes took place, the Northern Transilvania was "returned" to Hungary when in fact it was annexed with Hitler's help. And so forth.. Another much more important drawback, is the complete lack of presentation of Romania's major role in the early development of aviation. Starting with Traian Vuia's world first mechanical lift-up in 1906 in Paris (before Wright brother's) to Aurel Vlaicu's planes that introduced most of the today's plane components and Coanda's first world jet-engine plane.

While still not as good as the first book in the series, Secret of the Mezuzah, this is a well-written adventure story that continues the theme of anti-Semitism in present-day Europe and also introduces the poverty of post-communist Romania. Despite some amazing coincidences that keep the plot tidy, the book is highly recommended for mature children and young teens.

This book is a great continuing adventure of Con's. When you find out that Con and Hannah are going to Romania you know that the adventure is not going to be the same as the last two adventures. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every thing is full of suspense.

This is a very well written good book. I really liked it alot. It's a good book for anyone from the ages of 10 to 14.

Very hard to read and much technical stuff that I did not understand as I am not an air plane person nor military.

Having read the advance review copy, I am pleased to record my impressions of this title.

First, let me say that there is a deluge of WWII books coming out these days. Unfortunately, most rehash often-told stories of the war. Fortress Ploesti is not that kind of book. It breaks new ground entirely, and that fact alone makes it a worthwhile addition to the literature on the subject.

The author, himself a combat pilot veteran (Iraq) has long been fascinated with the massive and well-known single bombing expedition of August 1943 against Ploesti. This book, however, includes that mission but also covers in depth all those missions that followed in 1944, a massive strategic campaign of more than twenty missions that had a significant (and yet ironically overlooked) effect on the course of the war.

The author's style is very conversational--easy to read, enjoyable, entertaining, and very enlightening. Included are interviews and recollections of the pilots who participated, including Third Reich pilots, which provides an entirely new perspective on this phase of the war. Stout's experience as a fighter pilot helps describe what these men recalled and experienced. There are also two galleries of photographs, many previously unpublished, but they were not included in my copy of the advance galley.

If you enjoy World War II books in general, and aviation books in particular, you should add this book to your library. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.

A well researched account and easy read of one of the most effective bombing campaigns of WW II. The author places the reader in each combat crew position involved in the raids, starting with the well documented August 1, 1943 low level raid and then picking up the less recognized high level raids that ran from April 5, 1944 until August 1944 when the Soviet Army took over. Stout covers the action from all the angles, that of the B-24 crews, the Romanian, Bulgarian, and German fighter pilots and indivduals on the ground.

This a must read for WW II buffs, especially for those air crew members of the past and for todays "fly boys" that have a need to understand their heritage. Jay Stout has covered the complete Ploesti Story. I strongly recommend Fortress Ploesti.

I love Ted Simon's writing for his honesty, integrity, his luminous descriptions of people and places, his empathy, revealing of his inner thoughts and his philosophy of life. He makes you wish you were half as good. I'd walk to the Arctic Circle with him tomorrow. Eagerly awaiting more.

I have read quite a few travel books, and this one is one of the best, by far. When you try to describe to someone a chapter you have just read, you realize that there is not much action to convey, but what he does leave you with is an amazing insight into his and other peoples emotions.

This book reminds me of sitting around and listening to a favorite uncle tell tales of yesteryear. The images are first rate and the storyteller makes it very obvious he was often touched in ways that is almost beyond description. I highly recommend this book.

I am an American student living in Vienna for four months and travelling throughout Central Europe. I've read many travel books during my trip and found Simon's to be one of the best. Simon's walk through Central Europe provides the reader with a better understanding of the region and its people while also challenging the individual to find more in his or her daily experiences.

When travelling in Central Europe at the end of the millenium, you are bound to ask yourself questions about the changes that have taken place over the last decade and how those changes are effecting the people who live in these countries. The Gypsy in Me provides some answers and challenges the reader to stray from the big tourist sites and find some locals to just sit and talk.