Mitchell Books

Shame on the Germans, shame on the American government.
This sad tale recounts in vivid terms the horrors of Germany.
Bard relates the horrors of the holocaust with the convincing detail and exhaustive research that ranks with the best of any account of that. The fact that the victims in this case were all Americans trapped in German territory makes the account somehow more personal.

The sadness of American government callousness about these victims is enormous. The fact that greater effort was not made to rescue citizens in the early days is a result of the anti immigration atmosphere of the country. The fact that adequate acknowledgement and compensations was not made to Americans who spent time in concentration and slave camps is tragic and an injustice that Mr. Bard should be commended for exposing.

Mr Bard writes in clear and interesting style, carefully researches his material, and effectively martials his arguments, highly recomended

This book tells the actual way that our soldiers were treated by the German army. My father was held at Berga as a POW. I never thought that the way he behaved towards me and our family was due to the war but now I haave changed my mind. Since his death I have found out through this wonderful book the reasons he hated Rooservelt, Red Cross and why he had a distrust of the dept of vetrans, and the vetrans hospital. I wish that I could get a copy of this book so that my children and grandchildren could know what a high cost their Grandfather paid for thier freedom. The book's only prombem was that it foused only on the Jewish point of view. My Father like many others was non-Jewish and held there too. The rest of the citizens need to know about teir treatment too.

This profoundly learned and balanced book draws on the geatest minds (Tocqueville being only one, also Nietzsche, Augustine, Rousseau, etc.) to identify and weigh issues with which America now ought to be concerned. One may return again and again to "ruminate" over any part from cover to cover, even a paragraph, always coming away with insight into today's world. One of its many strengths lies in revealing how conventionally-accepted formations of social and political problems only mask deeper issues that require real attention. With the the "problem" of racism, for example, the deeper, thornier issue is the memory of slavery. Mitchell holds great thinkers to great scrutiny, but with great respect. The insights in the footnotes alone are worth the price of the book.

If you are reading Democracy in America and attempting to come to terms with Alexis de Tocqueville as he pertains to 21st century America, there is no better book I could suggest to you than Joshua Mitchell's The Fragility of Freedom.

Professor Joshua Mitchell, of Georgetown University, is indeed gifted at breathing life into what many students too often and mistakenly view as "dry" political theory. It was through Mitchell's guidance that I began to see Tocqueville's ideas - the need to fill the void within ourselves; America's ever expanding boundaries; self definition by action and acquistion - not only existing but thriving in America today. Political theory and philosophy came alive! It was exciting and that had never happened to me before.

For a student of Political Science, Philosophy or American History, this book is a must read. It's been over five years since I purchased this book and I still refer to it on a weekly basis.

I found this book a very helpful introduction to garden design and essentials as well as a good guide for somebody who cannot decide how to manage his/her garden space. The book is divided into sections with really useful information and simple rules that can be applied by anyone.

George Carter is a well-established British landscape architect and space planner and he also just happens to have a very artistic eye and an ability to communicate to the reader. In this very beautifully designed and presented book, Carter offers strong ideas for every scale of garden. Not only does he demonstrate his ability to plan the grand gardens of mansions, but he also gives equal time and value to creating a small garden out of minimal space. How? Therein lies the magic of this fine book.

Carter encourages the reader to fully evaluate the land to be utilized as yard and garden, how to figure the axis of the property that will best enhance the home's placement on the land, how to take advantage of the natural benefits of that area's horticulture and solid elements, and then presents gardens he has created according to the restrictions (or lack of same) he finds. The book is filled with diagrams but it goes a step further than the usual 'do it yourself' books because of Carter's gift for painting: he not only shows the blueprint but also shows his painted concept of how the blueprint will look in its finished stage. The multiple paintings are a treat unto themselves!

Then Carter incorporates the very fine photography of Marianne Majerus who has combed the countryside finding gardens and the elements of gardens to give the reader actual images of current garden examples. Once the 'garden' is laid out and painted and photographed, Carter, with Majerus, offer superb examples of garden sculptures, fountains, perspective challenges, types of paths, and lighting effects that are not only mesmerizing to survey in Majerus' photographs, but also give countless ideas to the reader as to how to make their garden unique, whether that be by utilizing elements in the land that exist or suggestions of art and fountains and decorative items that are easily obtainable.

'Garden Spaces : Simple Solutions for Planning and Design', then, is more than an instructional book (though that it is in the best sense of the word). This is a book of unique, beautiful and practical gardens, a collection of gardeners' dreams made visible... and feasible! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

I love Garth Brooks, so I really wanted to read this book. It had good information and I learned how hard it was for him to get anyone to give him a deal. The book had a lot of cool photos too.

I am dowing a air band on gorth brooks and I wos wondreing if you cod emol me a diogrofe abowt yor life

one_bossy_boy_1@yohoo.com ples emal me by.eric atkinson

I read this aloud to my children (age 7 and 9), and all three of us really enjoyed the stories! Very entertaining, and fun because they used modern expressions, and included amusing details. Also, there were lots of twists and turns that weren't in Disney movies or other versions of these stories, that made the stories extra interesting. I also really appreciated the fact that the story tried to clarify some moral points, in a nice way. My kids just begged and begged for me to keep reading just one more chapter. I would really recommend it.

Give Stephen Mitchell a looksee. Stare long and hard at him for a while. Really take him in. Why? Because, my friend, you are in the presence of a very smart man. A man who realized something that a lot of authors need to take into account. When it comes to classic tales like One Thousand and One Arabian Nights there are very few child-friendly versions of the tales that have been published in the last ten years. That doesn't stop my library patrons from asking for some, though. I'll hand them a thick text circa 1973 with copious words and few pictures and they'll give me that hurt puppydog look. The look that says, "Why won't you give me what I want?" And what they want (though they don't know the title yet) is "Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings". A new look at three of the classic Arabian Tales, Mitchell has given new light to the well-known and even reintroduced stories that we might not have heard in their original incarnation before. A necessary purchase and then some.

Three stories culled from "The Arabian Nights" appear in this volume, varying in fame. There is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (which has amazingly eluded Disneyfication until now) about a poor man named Ali Baba and his discovery of a cache of thieves gold. "Abu Keer and Abu Seer" looks at the story of two men, one good and one bad, and the various trials one must suffer at the hands of the other. Finally, "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" rounds out the book and maintains its status as one of the world's finer stories for children.

Look. Anyone who flips through the first ten pages of the original "Arabian Nights" will tell you right off the bat that it is NOT a work of fiction appropriate for children. There's some serious sex-related stuff in those stories, to say nothing of the awe-inspiring tortures and dismemberments that abound. That means that it was up to Mr. Mitchell to make the stories accessible to kids today. This is no easy task. Sometimes updating a classic tale or story goes all wrong. Consider, for example, Julius Lester's well-meaning but flawed retelling of the classic Brer Rabbit in, Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales. For the most part, Lester did a supremely wonderful job. But then he'd try to "update" the tales and throw in a reference to a shopping mall, or some similarly jarring image, and throw the whole story out of whack. I was a little worried that Mitchell here might go the same route. I needn't have worried.

As he says in his Afterword, "I have kept the main story lines, but I have abridged, deleted, and expanded incidents, added and deleted dialogue, modified motivation and character, and made whatever other changes seemed appropriate in order to bring these tales to life in the English of today." Sometimes it's a physical change to the original story, and sometimes an emotional one. When Aladdin sees the beautiful princess for the first time we hear that, "Even though he had just seen her for the first time, it was as if he knew her better than anyone he had ever met - as if she were his best friend and they had known each other a long, long time ago and he had just recognized her again after all that time." Aww. Love at first sight rarely gets described as sweetly. And rarely do princesses get much of a hand in their own rescue, but Mitchell knows enough to give the princess the gumption to help Aladdin figure out how to get his lamp back.

It doesn't hurt matters any that Mitchell is in possession of a bit of a silver tongue. In the tale of "Abu Keer and Abu Seer", for example, he has characters discussing various shades of cloth. "I can dye it the color of a rose or a cherry, a ruby or a sunset or a hummingbird's throat." Mitchell's a fan of lists. There's a section of the story where we are told of the variety and scope of the food the genie brings to Aladdin and his mother. Reading it to myself just now actually cause my stomach to growl. I should mention that though the stories have been updated and made viable to today's youth, there's still some old-fashioned let's-scald-the-evil-doers-alive-in-urns types violence here and there. Not that it's graphic or hurts the story any, but FYI.

Some of the stories might cause surprise. Some kids would be amazed to find Aladdin and his Magic Lamp is a tale set in China, but it makes sense. In his Afterword, Mitchell discusses his sources and where he found one tale or another. "The tales originated from the Indian, Persian, Arab, and Chinese merchants who traveled on the Silk road between northern China and the Middle East." The Afterword also puts to rest any fears one might have about Mitchell's research and intentions. Here you will find explanations of the earliest printed editions of the tales, not to mention the first European translations, their importance, and even little matters like how we know that "Abu Keer and Abu Seer" is a relatively recent creation (tobacco is in the story but didn't hit the Near East until the 17th century). Hats are tipped too to the translations of the tale done by Edward Lane, Sir Richard Francis Burton, and Husain Haddawy (as recently as 1995!).

Illustrators often end up with the short end of the stick when it comes to critiquing the books they work upon. Because I had read (and greatly enjoyed) the Stephen Mitchell book of poetry for children, The Wishing Bone, and Other Poems, I had seen Mr. Tom Pohrt's work before. His images aren't flashy or pompous. They're small subtle complements to the action. Maybe two figures will relax in one image and in another a woman will scold. It would be easy enough to slip into Arab stereotyping in this kind of book, but Pohrt has the matter well in hand, and every character is a unique individual. If Mitchell makes the book worth reading then Pohrt makes it worth viewing.

The matter of race takes a funny turn in these books. I don't know how necessary it would have been to mention that the villain in Aladdin was, "a tall dark-skinned man with a long nose." I might also be interested in looking up the original text to see if this description was always the case (turban and all). Also, the genie is described as a white dude (my words, not his) with golden hair and a beard, as featured on the cover of this book. An interesting choice and one that I suspect might lead to a very interesting discussion of textual analysis and race in children's interpretations of past fairy tales and fables.

On the whole, however, I can't imagine any reasonable arguments against buying this title immediately if not sooner. You already own an edition of these tales? Uh huh. And do the kids dig it? Anyone looking for a text to combat Disney's version of "Aladdin" would do well to grab this book for their shelves pronto. Well-researched, well-written, well on its way to making a name for Mitchell and Pohrt.

This book of poetry captures the emotions so many of us face over time: the changing seasons, the passage of loved ones, the loss of wonderful careers or a healthy body. The illustrations give the reader a mental image to capture and enhance the essence captured in the words.

Reading her peotry makes me feel as though I have known Ms. Mitchell all my life, and in some ways, now I do. Like so many others who face life's challenges and need to regroup, this book helps the reader to do just that. This is a book I will treasure always.

The author has obviously had a lot of challenging experiences in her lifetime. However, it is amazing how she turns those experiences into learning experiences and grows from each one. She displays hope and healing in her poetry and is an inspiration to all who have lived through the heartache of death, divorce, and other disappointing life events.

"The Girl in the Check Coat" is a second book by Christine Winecki. The first, published in Polish, concerned her own survival, this one combines both her and her future husband Oton stories and by doing so, provides a testimony to life of Jews in German occupied Poland as well as of those deported by Soviets to Siberia, the latter not told in other memoirs of Holocaust, yet important. This is a moving story of a young teenage girl, fresh from a happy childhood home and alone in the face of mortal danger, who struggles to avoid being recognized and caught, and one must admire her intelligence and courage. The story of Oton, a few years older, takes us to the Siberia penal colony forests where he was forced into hard labour, suffering from hunger and bitter cold, while caring for his injured father. The book follows him later fighting on the Eastern front all the way up to the outskirts of Berlin.

The story, however, does not end with their marriage in post-war Warsaw. Anti-Jewish campaign in 1968 forces Christine and Oton with two small daughters to emigrate. The author provides the reader with an intimate look into their struggle with the decision to uproot again, and tells the story of their efforts to establish a new life in Australia. When twenty years later, in view of new political realities in Poland, they decide to re-visit the old country, they engage in preservation of the remnants of Jewish life in Oton's native town, while Christine's emotionally-charged journey into the world of her childhood provides the final closing of that chapter.

The book is very well written, obviously benefiting from the author's journalistic background. Her remarkable memory is helped by the immediacy of the diary kept by Oton, and by the letters from his father. Apart from its biographical contents, this rich in observations book provides the most interesting reading about life in places where the author takes us, with the interwoven historical events anchoring the story. There is a wealth of engaging material in the book, above all, however, this book is a moving testimony to resourcefulness and resilience, and it is the uplifting spirit of survival and eventual success which makes this book a highly recommended reading.

There are many books on the holocaust but none quite like "The Girl in the Check Coat." Christine Winecki, a journalist by trade, provides a beautiful narrative that weaves together her life story with that of her husband Oton. Whereas Christine survived the war in occupied Poland, her husband-to-be was exiled to Siberian and subsequntly stormed the ramparts of Berlin with the Polish army. The story of Christina and Oton offer us a rich perspective on Jewish life during World War II including the constant threat of death in occupied Poland and the counting of every gram of bread and butter among the starving exiles in Siberia. Another unique aspect of Ms. Winecki's novel is that the narrative continues past the war years with a fascinating account of how Christine and Oton navigated their lives through marriage, birth of their two daughters, anti-Jewish backlash in communist Poland, and finally emigration to Australia. In sum this well written, insightful, and moving book spans the best part of the XX century from the the blissful life in pre-war Poland through the hell of the holocaust to the tranquility of life in Australia. A must read indeed!

I'll echo the previous reviewer's comments - this book has been our son's favorite bedtime book, and the central part of the bedtime routine, for most of his bedtimes now (he just turned 1). After we read a few other books, this one comes out, and he knows it's getting close to lights out time. He loves to pet the furry animals, to anticipate which animal comes next, and to point out all of the birds and butterflies. A wonderful way to end the day.

I had been looking for a nice touch and feel book for a while before finding this one and somehow I didn't love any of them. However, this one was soo cute that I decided I had to buy it.

It quickly became my daughter's favorite book - we read it every evening as part of the going to bed routine (my daughter is 20 months now and we've been doing it for abut 4 months). We even have to build up a crescendo - we start with one or two other books and leave the best for last - so we can go to bed with all those tectile memories fresh on our mind.

The illustrations are very pretty and the rythm nice and sweet - I know each line by heart. The touch and feel sections are sufficiently varied among the different animals to give the baby a full range of tactile experiences. My daughter always loved soft furry things so she will often not only touch the animals but kiss them, too. And now she's at the point where she'll point to different things on the page and wait for me to name them. She loves "feeding" the chick and saying "bow wow" and "mau mau" when we look at the dog and cat. And when we reach the lamb, mommy has to touch it, too, before we can flip the page. At the last page we practice covering the baby with her blanket and thus prepare for our own going to bed time.

Definitely a lot of fun and worth the money - since it's been a hit with our daughter from day one. I would recommend this book to anyone.

My son loves this book. He is 14 months old. We read to him at bed time and most nights this is the book we read. On each page he stops drinking his milk for a second and reaches out to feel the page.

The illustrations are so colorful and pretty, and the rhymes are simple and adorable. This is clearly his favorite book.

My 17 month old daughter loves this book. She loves the story and the animals because she is able to identify them all and she knows exactly where to open the flap and feel the animal. NO REGRETS!!

The United States has seen some turbulent times in its history, especially for African Americans. Granddaddy's Gift highlights one aspect of American history, the African American struggle for the right to vote. The stars of this touching story are Joe Morgan and his granddaughter whom he calls "Daughter" but everyone else in their community affectionately calls "Little Joe" because she is like his shadow. Joe Morgan is a man that has worked hard all his life and in spite of his 8th grade education, he owns his own land on which he farms and raises animals. He stresses the importance of education to his granddaughter through both his words and actions. When it comes time for someone in their Mississippi community to stand up and attempt to register to vote, Joe Morgan answers the call. As a result of his decision he, his family and ultimately the entire African American community are faced with adversity, but in the process he teaches his granddaughter some important lessons.

Granddaddy's Gift illustrates how the freedoms that many of us take for granted are indeed a gift from the generations before us. The illustrations perfectly complement this keenly written story and add a personal touch. The story instills a sense of pride in the legacy left behind by ordinary but brave people that helped to change the cultural climate of this country. I highly recommend this book, not only because it relates historical information but also because of the values the story represents.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The United States has seen some turbulent times in its history, especially for African Americans. Granddaddy's Gift highlights one aspect of American history, the African American struggle for the right to vote. The stars of this touching story are Joe Morgan and his granddaughter whom he calls "Daughter" but everyone else in their community affectionately calls "Little Joe" because she is like his shadow. Joe Morgan is a man that has worked hard all his life and in spite of his 8th grade education, he owns his own land on which he farms and raises animals. He stresses the importance of education to his granddaughter through both his words and actions. When it comes time for someone in their Mississippi community to stand up and attempt to register to vote, Joe Morgan answers the call. As a result of his decision he, his family and ultimately the entire African American community are faced with adversity, but in the process he teaches his granddaughter some important lessons.

Granddaddy's Gift illustrates how the freedoms that many of us take for granted are indeed a gift from the generations before us. The illustrations perfectly complement this keenly written story and add a personal touch. The story instills a sense of pride in the legacy left behind by ordinary but brave people that helped to change the cultural climate of this country. I highly recommend this book, not only because it relates historical information but also because of the values the story represents.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers