Escape Books

Great insight, untold stories, and unseen photographs about an extremely private man. It was quite refreshing from the self-serving tomes that celebrities have put out and continue to put out about themselves. The one thing I've always admired about McQueen (besides his obvious acting talent) was his disdain for celebrity and the fact that he remained true to himself. This book drives that home.
Excellent.

Wow, the photographs are beautiful and highly personal. It's like seeing a private photo album from this marriage. Plus the text is informative and revealing. I'm so glad this part of Steve's life is now so well documented.

It goes perfectly on my coffee table.

A fantastic book on the last years of legend Steve McQueen! Great job by Barbara McQueen and Marshall Terrill! Touching moments! Great photos!

This book takes you into the very intimate and private world of Steve McQueen between 1977 and 1980.

Consisting of approximately 150 color photos (most of which were taken by his wife Barbara McQueen) and accompanied by Barbara's recollections of their time together.

Unlike some other photobooks where you sense you are watching the star pose, this book shows you the absolutely unguarded and relaxed side of the man as he goes about his daily life, talking to friends, tinkering on his bikes, dozing in an armchair or washing down the pavement outside his airplane hanger.

These are the sort of photos you would usually never see of a movie star - Steve in the morning before he has showered, looking drowsily over a hot mug of coffee, househunting in Montana with Barbara, or lying asleep on the living room floor with his pet dog lying on top of him.

You really feel like you have stepped into Steve and Barbara's house, it is that personal.

The text accompaniment is also very entertaining and educational as Barbara shares her memories of how Steve wooed her, the initial problems he had to overcome in winning her parents approval of the relationship, his personal lessons to her on how to dismantle and rebuild a motorcycle (sadly unsuccessful) or a gun (successful), how he came to propose, and many other intimate and fun moments. Overall it takes you through their entire relationship and serves as something of an autobiography in itself.

All these photos are beautifully presented in a high gloss large coffee table book format.

Released with the first limited edition run of the book is a 45 minute audio CD of Steve verbally working through the script of the film "Tom Horn". It is fascinating to hear him talk about his vision of the film, rework the script and plan his character. You get a real sense of the epic film he wanted Tom Horn to be (but was denied due to the studio slashing the budget), and you realise just how insightful he was with film and acting. The amount of thought he puts into his role should forever dispel the notion that he just played himself on film.

Steve McQueen - The Last Mile is a very special book and no fans collection will be complete without it.

Intimate, touching, insightful, sometimes hilarious passages into the life of The King of Cool, Steve McQueen. We live in such a visual, media oriented world that we tend to get preconceived notions of who movie stars are, based on what we see. The world saw Steve McQueen as the ultimate man- handsome, macho, cool, someone they could spend their hard-earned bucks on back in the day and get their money's worth at the theater. Barbara McQueen, his widow, saw the real Steve McQueen. She got to know Steve, the family man; Steve, the man who loved the great outdoors and his morning constitutional; Steve, the great mashed potato guru, airplane and motorcycle enthusiast. "The Last Mile" shows how little we all knew of his kindness and philanthropy; how little we knew of his yearning for happiness and how he ultimately found it. The photos in this book will enchant you, leave you wanting more. One of my favorites is one where Barbara embraces Steve from behind. That photo alone is worth the book to me. Beautiful model, handsome superstar, real people worn out from what life has dealt them. You can see it in their faces. It makes me sigh everytime I see it because there's not one person I know who hasn't been to that point and had nothing left but an embrace. You will love this book and you will want more. I guarantee you.

Expecting a rather grim trek through familiar territory I found instead a remarkable story of loss and endurance told with a surprisingly lyrical and at times humorous touch. A twelve year old Anglo-Burmese boy tells of the flight of the Brookes family from the advancing Japanese army in Burma during the second world war. Fleeing first to China then back through Burma and on to India young Stevie tells of his frustration and anger at being dragged along not knowing what was happening or why.

There were several attempts at escape,each thwarted by events or the stubborness of one or other parent,eventually leading into the mountains of Upper Burma. Walking knee deep in mud, fighting off ambushes by renegade Chinese soldiers, or just surviving the malarial conditions of the monsoon jungle, the family trekked and starved along with thousands of others on the same journey, Worse was to come as they eventually reached the so-called safety of a British controlled village. There Dr Brookes came up against colonial racism when he was refused help by an acquaintance he had entertained in happier days - a Burmese wife was acceptable when offering hospitality but not apparently when the roles were reversed. Meanwhile the child had a man's responsibility thrust upon him as he struggled to provide food and medication for his ailing family as his father died. A harrowing tale of tragic mismanagement but also telling of the blitheness and strength of a young boy who had to learn the hard lessons survival yet managed to retain a joy and wonderment at the miracles of nature A brilliant read; even if you only buy one book this year make sure it is this one.

This was an enjoyable and quick read. Brookes as a boy escaped with his family from wartime Burma. During the trek north to China, back to Burma, and then ultimately India, Brookes lost his father and saw his family become sick because of malnutrition and malaria. However the boy became a man, and came to understand the struggle of life after seeing death every day. This is a true story of endurance, and why people should never give up.
There is both a sad and happy end to this true story. Brookes becomes a man and raises a large family. His childhood family is destroyed by the war. After the war, his mother goes back to Burma with one of his brothers. He goes to live in Great Britain. The war basically destroyed the family he loved.
This is a great read for those that need to understand the tragedy of war.

Stephen Brookes has written an engrossing account of his Anglo-Burmese family's flight before the Japanese army in 1942. Plagued by monsoons, starvation, disease and personal tragedy, harassed by the desperate remnants of the Chinese army, and abandoned by the British authorities, it is amazing that anyone survived the long circuitous trek from Burma to India. Scores of thousands did not. Brookes does an excellent job of recounting the horrific journey from the viewpoint of a young boy, but it most definitely is not a children's book. It is a book for anyone who appreciates a fascinating tale of survival in the face of incredible adversity.

Expecting a rather grim trek through familiar territory I found instead a remarkable story of loss and endurance told with a surprisingly lyrical and at times humorous touch. A twelve year old Anglo-Burmese boy tells of the flight of the Brookes family from the advancing Japanese army in Burma during the second world war. Fleeing first to China then back through Burma and on to India young Stevie tells of his frustration and anger at being dragged along not knowing what was happening or why.

There were several attempts at escape,each thwarted by events or the stubborness of one or other parent,eventually leading into the mountains of Upper Burma. Walking knee deep in mud, fighting off ambushes by renegade Chinese soldiers, or just surviving the malarial conditions of the monsoon jungle, the family trekked and starved along with thousands of others on the same journey, Worse was to come as they eventually reached the so-called safety of a British controlled village. There Dr Brookes came up against colonial racism when he was refused help by an acquaintance he had entertained in happier days - a Burmese wife was acceptable when offering hospitality but not apparently when the roles were reversed. Meanwhile the child had a man's responsibility thrust upon him as he struggled to provide food and medication for his ailing family as his father died. A harrowing tale of tragic mismanagement but also telling of the blitheness and strength of a young boy who had to learn the hard lessons survival yet managed to retain a joy and wonderment at the miracles of nature A brilliant read; even if you only buy one book this year make sure it is this one.

This book makes clear from the outset that suffering, pain and grief are sure to come. What comes as a pleasant surprise is the ability of the author to convey the process by which the human spirit adjusts to that pain and above all how compassion and love can be found and shine out even when humankind reveals its darkest depths. The mismanagement of the wartime retreat from Burma is one of the greater injustices the British were able to consign to anonymity but Mr Brookes goes a great way to lighting a memorial flame for both his family and the thousands of others who set out on the road to India and safety. His extraordinay journey is punctuated by moments of pure magic - further proof that when approached with an open mind life has many many mysteries still to reveal to us.

Alongside the misery (and the magic), there is a sense of a vanished way of life, not just that of Empire but also of the lost opportunity for a different reality for so many nations that demanded the integrity of independence at the cost of an increasingly fragmented social order.

A heartrending story but an inspiration to us all about just how magnificent and strong the human spirit can be - feed your soul and read this book.

When I was a young reader, this book and its sequels were one of the first I picked up. I loved the animated series and jumped right into the novels. If you've seen the series you will notice several differences, most notably the gender changes of some of the characters; in the book the main cast is almost exclusively male, and the series balanced things out a bit. The sequels were treated very differently on television, but the original series treats the novel with the care and grace it deserves.

The writing is difficult to review not because of flaws or unusual style, but because of its simplicity. Dann works hard to maintain a perfect clarity throughout, in terms of the well-constructed characters and the simple yet thoroughly engaging plot. It's an easy read and one the kids will truly adore, and is a wonderfully nostalgic read for myself and many others. If you are an adult and unfamiliar with the series though, you may not find the substance you were looking for in this first book, but you will most likely enjoy the next few instalments in the series.

Concisely planned and well thought out.

The animals of Farthing Wood is a short but very amusing novel told from the view of a small group of woodland creatures intent on finding a new home. There arn't many books on in this type of category and I must say I fully enjoyed it. The tale goes of how Farthing wood, home of around two dozen creatures is in danger of being destroyed by man. Distraught, the animal's only way of surviving is by reaching a nature reserve - White Deer Park. Led by Fox (a main character)the group takes an oath to not eat each other and travel through danger after danger on their long journey. There are many sequels stemming from this book and the entire story has been adapted by a cartoon under the same name - one of the best I've seen at that. All in all this book is worth reading. An adventure of a different kind.

When I was little I used to watch the T.v series, The Animals Of Farthing Wood, and I loved it!!!!!!! It contributed to my love of animals and when I read this first book I found it even better!
This story of how the Animals OF Farthing Wood find their home being destroyed and have to leave is a remarkable tale of love as they have to learn to trust each other, including sneeky Adder. I love all the charcters, especially Fox, Vixen and extremly funny Weasel. This book made me laugh and cry (especially when the hedgehogs got run over!) and I stayed in my room reading for hours. It is definatly a must-read for anyone who loves animals. If you have kids, then read them this book! I benifited hugely from it! I still have the T.v series on tape, even though I hardly ever watch it I won't let anyone tspe over it!
The next books are just as good as the first, and I thouroughly enjoyed the prequel (The Animals Of Farthing Wood, The Adventure Begins.) The next books are great as we learn about Fox and Vixen's cubs (Bold, Friendly, Charmer and Dreamer). Bold runs away from the animal's new home White Deer Park seeking adventure and Charmer typicly falls in love with Scar Face's son Ranger. (Scar Face is her dad Foxe's arch enemy) It's an ace tale and I hope that Colin Dann writes some more books as I've read most of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xxx

This is a great book and is the best book I have ever read. The book is about a group of wildlife from Farthing Wood who,s homes are being destroyed. The animals do nothing about it untill the humans filled in the pond. Then they all meet in Badger,s set to discuss the problem together but nobody has any ideas untill Toad (who has been missing for over a year) returns and tells the animals that on his travels he came across a Nature Reserve called White Deer Park. The animals agree and the next night they leave led by Fox. But the creatures face many dangers and some die. I realy recommened this book. It is a wonderful tale.

Farthing Wood is being destroyed by human development, and the animals decide that they need to move to a safer place, a wildlife sanctuary called White Deer Park.

This is a truly delightful tale about how the creatures band together (friend and foe alike) and their adventures as they travel from their threatened home to a safe place that only one of them (Toad) has ever seen.

Recommended for children and adults both. I wish I'd discovered this story earlier!

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Gorgeous book. This was a surprise birthday present for me from my husband. The author and his wife are the parents of my eye doctor! Thanks so much.

The book held my interest throughout. I felt as though I were right there

The story was well written. It held my interest throughout. I felt as though I was right there.

The story was well written. It held my interest thoughout. I felt as though I was right there.

The Author captured and held my attention from the start to finish. I felt as though I was right there and a part of the story! I actually broke out in sweat several times and yet I have never ever been in a predicament such as described in this book!

I felt that this book is extremely good especially to people in their late teens.... it is very inspirational and helps in understanding what you really want out of life, what you want to make out of it. It offers an interesting insight on his adventures and the way the story unfolds is very beautiful as well.... A must read especially for people in their late teens and aviation enthusiasts !!!

Dr. Gahlinger chronicles his experience flying from CA to South Africa (actually Egypt, but that is beside the point) in this wonderfully lucid and entertaining book. Superficially, the book is about flight, but metaphorically, however, Dr. Gahlinger takes us on his mental & emotional transformation from what appears to be a transition from being an academic doctor to becoming a medical doctor (among other things). I've taken a course from Dr. Gahlinger and very much enjoyed reveling in the details of his life --- his story is an inspirational one!! An outstanding read!

I just finished reading this book in about 4 hours (which is rare for me) and was very interested in his joys and tribulations that
he encountered in his personal life and in his trip from Santa Cruz all the way to Egypt with his Cessna Cardinal. On the plus
side he has a very interesting personal life and flight across the USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Europe, and Egypt with a
brief bio of his stay in South Africa. I was disappointed in his cancellation of his African flight with his Cessna. He did a very
good job of describing the northern States and Labrador from the air but he barely covers the land between Ottawa and
Labrador. He is also quite brief about his flight over a good chunk of populated Europe. On the other hand his description of
his flying experiences over dangerous areas are very interesting and a must read for all real and virtual pilots. His is very good
with his avionic explanations except for a small number of mistakes on the functioning of certain instruments.

I really enjoyed a good chunk of the book but wished he would of included some scenic pictures, maps, and pictures of his
characters.

Pilot (East coast America, Utah, and Arizona)

A beautifully written story of one man and his airplane searching for an elusive goal, which he has not yet found. A brilliant PhD and MD, he relates so many accomplishments in his matter-of fact way that I was tempted to create a time-line to see how he could have accomplished so much at such a young age. He weaves the art and science of flying into his tale, explaining how the instruments work, adding entertaining bits of history, astronomy, and other sciences, educating while entertaining, much like Asimov. I am a fast reader, but read this book twice, to savor in the second reading the beautifully crafted prose. An exceptional book.

The Cockpit: A Flight Of Escape And Discovery is the story of Paul Gahlinger, a university science professor who decided to fly his small Cessna aircraft from California to South Africa. Gahlinger ignored the pronouncements of every aviation official that such a flight could not be done. From the beginning nothing came easy or worked quite right. Governments refused to give him permission to fly over their countries. The weather was horrendous. His airplane as an aging, under-equipped machine beset by mechanical glitches. But he persevered through ice-storms, sand-storms, an earthquake, and the threat of civile war to successfully accomplish his flight and make it to his intended destination. As his story progresses, Gahlinger weaves together the history and mechanics of flight with his real-life adventure. The Cockpit is a unique, fascinating, true-life tale of hazardous personal adventure and the unconquerable human spirit.

Although Michael Weiss' book is funny and accurate, I found this book to be somewhat full of plain common sense. Things you would automatically think about if you are heading for a hospital visit of your own. Perhaps I think this because I have been diagnosed with a chronic illness and have been in and out of hospitals myself. It IS a good book for hospital stay preparation, a sort of checklist of things you may encounter. But at any rate, I am glad that Mr. Weiss adressed such a topic that is largely ignored.

This book amazingly makes what should be a dry subject matter interesting, funny and enlightening. It is written loosely as a "guide" type of book yet it is extremely amusing and at times hysterical! Who would have thought that somebody could communicate such difficult experiences in such a comforting way? That's exactly what makes this book so useful for not only patients (which I am a not) but also their close confidantes (of which I am.

This book takes an excellent look at life as a "medical" pateint.

It's view is open, honest, and overall very accurate. The author takes great pains to hide the names of those attached but it's clear that there is a serious problem with the way our chronically ill patients are treated.

The book is serious, humorous, and overall very informative.

I suggest this reading for anyone involved with the medical community

I like reading books about health care and hospitals but I've never read a book about being a hospital patient so accurate and funny that I would recommend it to fellow health care professionals - until now. Mr. Weiss certainly has had his share of hospital hardships but he is even-handed in describing the experiences and provides such thought-provoking insights that even the most arrogant of physicians has to pay attention! I also appreciated the unique fashion in which he handles the nurse-physician and nurse-patient relationships. I can honestly say that while reading this book I learned a great deal about being a nurse - - and I learned all this from a patient! That in itself made this a very interesting and entertaining book - I only wish I had read it in nursing school!

For most of us, it takes little more than the mention of the phrase, "hospital stay," to set off a chain reaction of fear, anxiety and helplessness. Michael A. Weiss offers a perfect "how-to" survival guide cleverly disguised as a funny and often poignant memoir of a most amazing and inspiring battle against chronic illness and pain. Drawing from personal experience, Mr. Weiss prepares the reader for virtually every situation that a patient will encounter during a hospital stay. "Confessions of a Professional Hospital Patient," should be required reading not only for soon-to-be-patients, but for the medical professionals in whom they are about to place their trust.

More and more survival accounts are starting to come out in regard to Jewish partisans, whether they were Soviet or Polish. This is one of the most interesting accounts I've read and goes to show that Jews did not just sit by and idly wait for death, on the contrary they tried the best they could to come to grips with reality and take revenge for what was happening to them and their families. A quick and compelling read, the author wrote all his memories down right after the war so that they were still fresh and much of what he describes rings true and is worth knowing and acknowledging. A worthwhile account of a struggle rarely remembered or thought about.

I read the original hardbound edition of this book maybe five years ago, after chancing upon a copy with no prior knowledge of its contents or author. I read the book quickly, and recall being on the edge of my seat with each turn of a page. The author, named at birth as born Selim Sznycer, tells briefly, of his family's flight from the Nazi invasion of western Poland to the eastern, Soviet-occupied town of Kurzeniec, where they remained until the Germans bombed there too, killing his parents.

Rather than surrender to a certain death, Selim (who later changed his name to Shalom Yoran) and his brother Musio fled to a deeply forested swampy area, at whose center they constructed a hidden bunker with some friends. There, they struggled merely to stay clothed, warm and fed. They had little to trade and no money with which to buy, and were reduced to infrequent forays into villages several miles distant, where they could steal enough rags and potatoes to survive. Lighting fires was difficult; the smell or sight of smoke could attract attention.

At one point, Yoran left the hovel to search for food only to return and find several comrades dead. He and his brother then fled further east, and ultimately joined the Soviet and Polish partisans. This was not only an act of extraordinary defiance, it was itself fraught with danger, as both the Polish peasants and Russian partisans with whom they fought were themselves highly distrusting, and hateful, of Jews. At first, Selim was not trusted with guns. He was left to fight with sticks, a fake rifle, and in one case, a pitchfork. But gradually, a few comrades developed trust and respect for him, as he became an expert at bombing the railroad tracks carrying German supply trains. He derailed several trains; the sabotage stopped German war materiel transports--and required extensive new track construction, significantly slowing Germany's war machine in the region.

Ultimately, the author survived and fled Europe for Israel, where he broke through the British blockade, joined the Israeli air force and built a successful Israeli business. Although Yoran necessarily survived only by fighting, success (as I have written before) is the best revenge. And for Yoran, that came through building a new life, business and family in Israel.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

The Defiant: A True Story Of Escape, Survival & Resistance is the personal memoir of Shalom Yoran, a young man who dared to become a Jewish resistance fighter in Poland during the grim years of World War II. Yoran's story (and the story of the brave men and women who fought with him), is brought forward from a manuscript which he drafted fifty years ago while recuperating in an Israeli hospital. A vivid and memorable account of survival and fighting back in spite of atrocity and anti-Semitism on all sides, The Defiant is a welcome and highly recommended addition to World War II History collections, Holocaust Studies, and 20th Century Jewish History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Defiant is the story of Shalom Yoran (born Selim Sznycer)
, and his time spent with the partisans fighting the Nazis in Poland. After three years on the run , with his family , from Nazi mobile killing units , the Nazi terror finally caught up with them and in the little town of Kurzeniec , 1 040 Jewish men , women and children where dragged from their homes and hiding places , murdered and burned. Included among those slaughtered where Selim's parents.

Selim and his brother escaped into the woods and joined the partisans , and heeded the last words of their mother to survive and take vengeance for them.

This is the story of the partisan guerilla warfare against Nazi terror.
Although Selim fought among non-Jews , he always fought first and foremost as a Jew - with them but not as one of them. He dreamed of having his own country , of fighting for it and even dying for it-that is what kept him alive. The dream of surviving and living in the Land of Israel as a free Jew and building it.
After the war , his dream was fulfilled , and having escaped the Soviet Army that tried to draft him , and the British blockade that tried to keep Jews out of Palestine , he settled in Israel and joined the airforce , becoming a prominent businessman in Israel.
The Zionists in Europe where always the backbone of Jewish resistance to Nazism.

A well written story. Consise and able to take the reader on a journey. Full of lessons in life, and examples of what a person is able to live thru and do in their life.

Amazing perspective from a person who was not only able to survive unbelievable odds but do so with a determination and stile.

Hayden, Alex and Monique are anti-communist rebels fighting in present-day Russia. A man named Ellis Leroy, who can generously be called a lying scumbag, offers them a tempting proposition. He will guarantee safe passage out of Russia, and a free, one-way, boat trip to freedom in the West (specifically, Nome, Alaska). In exchange, all that the three have to do is to break into a heavily guarded US Navy ship at the local Navy base. They have to make their way to the Presidential Suite, at the top of the ship, and steal $64 million in confiscated drug money, then make it off the ship alive. Alex does not survive, but Hayden and Monique succeed in getting the money, then conveniently forget about splitting it with Leroy.

Five years later, Hayden is happily married to Colleen (a waitress on the ship from Russia to Alaska) and living in rural British Columbia. Leroy shows up one day, with one of his henchmen, demanding to know where Hayden is. Colleen says nothing, so she is drugged, kidnapped and taken to an isolated cabin. In a videotape sent to Hayden, Leroy makes it very clear that unless he gets his share of the $64 million, very soon, Colleen will be going back to Russia, on a one-way trip into the Russian sex trade. Acting as nonchalant as possible, Hayden asks around in the nearby town, and is able to narrow down their location. Armed with several weapons, Hayden undertakes a trek of several days through deep snow to reach them.

On the positive side, this is an interesting story set in a part of the world, Alaska and Western Canada, not known as a thriller setting. On the negative side, if there are to be future printings of this book, it really needs a trip, or another trip, to a proofreader or copyeditor. This book belongs in that large gray area of Pretty Good or Worth Reading.

"Escape" is a full throttle thriller from beginning to end. Persistent in action and suspense, the main character Hayden keeps up the surprises with his intelligence and passion. A member of the Russian Rebel Army, he is driven by both the revenge of his father's death and pride for what his country could be. A peace lover turned marksmen; he relentlessly pursues his and his friend's escape, and throws in a $64 million dollar heist as a bonus. Brian T. Seifrit has crafted an entertaining piece of fiction that leaves the reader anticipating a follow up.

Author of The O'Brien Series, Manhunt, and Flesh Craves - The VanFell Legacy, Brian Seifrit stays true to his course in this contemporary action adventure thriller. Strong characters and macho action are his trademark.

The Cold war may be over, but Hayden Rochsoff still has an axe or two to grind. Life under communism has been grim for Hayden. He's become one of the best shooters in the Russian Rebel Army but he's weary of the game. No longer able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, beaten and tortured to within an inch of his life, Hayden vows revenge. He longs for freedom and safety, but first he must rescue his long time friends, Monique and Alex Farrell. This brother and sister team have not fared well and Hayden has his hands full pulling off their rescue from a commie prison. Their run for freedom is interrupted by Ellis Leroy, an unsavory operative from Hayden's past who plays both ends against the middle for monetary gain. He suggests a plan to the trio that will provide millions of dollars and guarantee their freedom. The only drawback is that the money must be stolen in Alaska from the DEA and US Navy. It's not an easy go, even for the accomplished Hayden and his friends.

Escape takes our hero and his friends from Russa to a cruise ship on the Bering Strait and finally to Alaska. Action and intrigue abound. Will Hayden and his friends survive to reach freedom and pull off the caper that will make them millionaires? You'll have to read the book to learn the answer.

"Escape" is the story that is very well written and it is a story that is "dying" to be told on the "big screen". The everlasting human wish to reach freedom as a person and as a member of the society, society that has been oppressed many years by a communist regime, is the fuel that powers this story. When the political idea becomes a personal agenda or vice versa, be sure (if you're the audience) to buckle up, because this story will take you to the rollercoster ride. All elements are there: love, passion, action, revenge. And fear, of course, the primary human sense. And it is not just the plain fear. It is rather a more "sophisticated" fear that deals on so many levels of the human mind: fear of the personal and collective welfare, welfare of the immediate significant one, fear of both success and failure.

Denis Cviticanin

writer, director

I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing several of Mr. Seifrit's works. I have to say that he is definitely emerging as a skilled writer bringing his characters to life, which is a true gift given to the reader of any work.

Escape is a story of Hayden, Alex and Monique. Although to me, it is a story of mainly one man Hayden and his quest to free his friends, revenge his troubled soul and perhaps live out his life in peace. But much will transpire before he could ever hope to achieve his goals.He must first rescue his friends from the hands of the commies, steal millions of dollars from the DEA and US Navy and pray to finally have true freedom. Does he accomplish all of these goals?
What happens within the spirit of men and women who have lived under the heavy oppression of Communism. Once they are free, are they really free, or do the scars
travel with them and haunt them all of their lives? Do they make decisions based on those scars and their past? Perhaps!

Escape is a book filled with action and intrigue, mystery and sorrow. A story that shows the strength of the human spirit and the determination of the heart. Will he and his friends survive the trials that are now set before them? Escape, a thriller of a book, with underlining whispers of one man's heart and the cost of being free!

~Shirley Johnson Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review
Denise's Pieces

I most highly recommend this book for students of history, especially WWII. It is gripping, the character portrayals are so real... as is the story

I read I Cannot Forgive many years ago. Unitl that time (the 1960s) the Holocaust was an abstract event that happened before my birth. Verba's characterization of the events leading to his experiences in Auschwitz, the details of the life and deaths within the camp, and the personalities of the people, both prisoners and guards he interacted with MADE me aware of the darkest chapter in human history, and started me on a life avocation. His daring escape from KZ Auchwitz and the almost unbelievable disregard of his report on conditions there reads like a thriller, but sadily it is all true.

This is an extremely well written book, setting forth in glaring detail the horrors of daily life at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Rudolf Vrba survived almost two years as a prisoner in this extermination camp, and witnessed almost every aspect of the its operation. Here he details his capture, day-to-day survival, and eventual escape. This is both a horrifying eye-witness account of one of humankind's most evil undertakings and a testament to the spirit of survival that allowed a few to escape certain death.

This book is not for the faint of heart, as it does not shy away from the brutal and shocking truth of Auschwitz. At the same time the writing is compelling, and I found it extremely difficult to put it down. This book transported me to the concentration camp in a way no other book ever has. While it does not provide any insights into the roots of the Halocaust, it does illuminate its horrifying consequences.

This is the kind of book that will change your life. Rudolf Vrba was interned in a concentration camp as a young boy, served in the forboding Sondercommando, the group of prisoners who ran the crematoria and are then executed , and then helped lead the revolt in Auschwitz. He finally escaped the camp hiding underneath the railway platform for a month.... He made his way to the Pope and warned of the coming extermination of the Hungarian Jews and helped to save them. I Cannot Forgive takes you on the intimate tour of the death camp.....meeting the victims, experiencing life as a prisoner. It is experiential, it allows you to experience the holocaust nightmare.....and to meet the cast of characters and to escape......truly a great adventure and learning experience.

I concur with others who claim this book changed their life. I read this book in high school in the mid 60s, and in my small Iowa town, where no Jews live, I became familiar with a minority that had borne unspeakable horror. Mr. Vrba was a teenage Slovak Jew that was deported from his country. In a series of almost miraculous events, he was able to secret himself and escape after nearly 3 years in this death camp. This book is blunt and gripping in its reality, and yet I felt that it was probably worse than he reported. It gave me a morbid awareness, that these unspeakable acts should never be forgotten (or forgiven)in the hope that in the telling they will never recur. I highly recommend this book to those who don't believe the awfulness of the Nazi "Final Solution" because this will open their eyes.

Its been some years since I first read Escape from Babel, although I still tell people it is one of my favorite books describing what many now call the third wave of counseling. This is a book for counselors and therapists. Miller et. al. do this fabulous job of explaining how the idea of counseling has evolved from a deficit-based, modern operation to a client-centered, constructivist, outcome-oriented operation. The big difference: we as therapists are no longer in the driver's seat! It is the clients who are in charge of their own change! These guys show the research, write confidently and informedly, and they bring us along through their story to an end that leaves us motivated to change our practice. And, we shouldn't forget that this book has a companion book that reports on client stories that illustrate this books ideas. Overall, this is necessary reading for anyone who studies the evolution of change work. JN

This excellent text for counselors, social workers and psychologists covers the rationale, value and techniques of highly effective brief therapies. It is full of interesting and useful case examples that make the challenge of brief therapy dialog easy to learn and implement. I not only use it myself, but have insisted that the entry level counselors that I supervise buy a copy and become familiar with the techniques it describes. Jonathan Williamson, MA, LPC

I am especially glad to have stumbled upon Escape From Babel sooner rather than later in my career. In a most straightforward way it cuts to the chase about what it means to be a part of effective therapy; it reminds that clients (and their experiences) are nothing less than extraordinary when given the opportunity to have a role in their therapy; and it will encourage you to look again at the role of ethics in the profession. I encourage new and experienced therapists and therapists-in-training to absorb the messages in this book. Don't spend money on all the different "latest and greatest" technique books; this is a far more valuable investment!

This book, drawing on current research findings and the authors' extensive clinical experience, reminds us that it's not the hottest new techniques or the therapist's theoretical orientation that makes for effective therapy. When satisfied clients are asked what made the the difference, their most frequent answer is a meaningful encounter with a caring, responsive human being whom the client felt understood his concerns and validated his strengths and resources. Many of us in the helping professsions seem to need this reminder.
Phillip Ziegler, co-author of Recreating Partnership: A Solution-Oriented, Collaborative Approach to Couples Therapy.

This book, drawing on current research findings and the authors' extensive clinical experience, reminds us that it's not the hottest new techniques or the therapist's theoretical orientation that makes for effective therapy. When satisfied clients are asked what made the the difference, their most frequent answer is a meaningful encounter with a caring, responsive human being whom the client felt understood his concerns and validated his strengths and resources. Many of us in the helping professsions seem to need this reminder. Phillip Ziegler, co-author of Recreating Partnership: A Solution-Oriented, Collaborative Approach to Couples Therapy.