Germany Books

This fascinating book features a selection of articles from Nazi Germany's version of Life magazine. What's especially interesting about it is that among the 20 languages into which the magazine was translated, the articles included here were actually published in English and marketed to an English speaking readership in the United States, Ireland and the occupied Channel Islands. We're used to thinking of Nazi propaganda as consisting solely of angry men in uniforms orating wildly in front of stadia full of fanatics, but that misconception is belied by Signal magazine, which is slick, subtle, convincing and rather a fun read.

Anyone who has seen American propaganda from WWII ("wait a minute! Our government doesn't practice propaganda, do they?") can understand the style of Signal. Besides the fact that its editorial tone favors the Third Reich, the only differences are that it's less crude, contains a bit more in-depth politics and doesn't feature film stars as prominently. Otherwise, one could just as well be reading Life or some other glossy photo journal of the time. Its appeal centered around its vivid and dramatic photos. Whatever one's politics, it's hard not to be entranced by the pictures. Although the scenic shots are impressive, such as the German troops marching through the Arc de Triomphe or the Lutwaffe flying over the Acropolis, the magazine really succeeds with its miniature portraits: the jolly SS recruits from Scandinavia, the German soldiers hobnobbing with Parisian civilians, the gritty Afrika Korps troops coping with the hardships of the desert (so redolent of current Iraq War iconography), the sympathetic depictions of the British POWs. Fascinating in their own right, they all combine to give the impression that the Germans are nice folk and that the war is going swimmingly on all fronts.

The written propaganda is just as effective. Its tone towards Germany's enemies is analytical and pitying, rather than harsh. One will read infinitely more hateful language in today's American political discourse than in Signal's wartime propaganda. It gently tweaks America's lowbrow culture and Britain's class system, cogently analyzes the world political situation and effectively promotes the pan-European fight against Bolshevism. Due to its limited circulation, Signal may not have had much influence in the English speaking world, but even the Allies realized that among neutrals and among the nations of occupied Europe, Signal was running rings around them in the propaganda department. (http://uw3.de/documents_life.htm)

I look forward to reading the other volumes of this series. I have only one complaint. Mr. Mayer writes that the people who translated Signal from German into its 20 foreign language editions were all foreigners who were working voluntarily. It is not made clear whether it was actually Americans or British commonwealth citizens who were working for the Nazis in this enterprise. If so, it would be very interesting to know who they were and how they came to work for Joseph Goebbels.

I found this book very interesting from the point of view of this is what the German solder was reading and it helps to understand some of what they must have felt like going from being on top of the world to fighting to keep numerous armies out of their home land. What is interesting to do is to look through a volume such as this and then compare it to similar UK or US volumes; you will find many of the same topics and themes just with different titles. If you can find a copy I would suggest picking it up.

During the Second World War, each country had it's propaganda machine running in high gear. The purpose of which was to de-Humanize the enemy while reminding everyone of the good things about their own country. The United States had "Look" and "Life" magazines. The Germans had "Signal".

This book, and the others in this series of collections of Signal magazine articles, is an idealized view into the picture of German life painted by the ministers of propaganda. No serious collection of World War Two literature would be complete without at least some of the excellent S.L. Mayer books. I was so impressed with the books, I have donated two to the college library where I teach.

This is a very good read. The book tells the story as to how the press in the USA covered the Holocaust. In doing so it explodes a lot of myths concerning the alleged lack of knowledge about what was happening to the Jews. Newspaper after newspaper from The New York Times on down had articles about the persecutions and murders. Yet they were never emphasized properly and were often relegated to the back pages. Rarely did they ever make the front pages. It was almost as if the nation preferred not to know. Many factors contributed to this; anit-Semitism, isolationism, American skepticism. The American government also contributed to down playing the news. The three most prominent villains in this were: Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long ( anativist), Assistant Secrteary of War John J. McCloy (who said that if the USA bombed Auschwitz the nazis would be "even more vindictive") and Congressman Sol F. Bloom who headed the House Foreign Affairs Committee (and was referred to by Stephen Wise as "the State Departments House Jew"). There were reporters who did their jobs well who constantly emphasized that anti-Semitism was a "raison d'etre" of National Socialism however they were in the minority. This book along with David S. Wyman's "The Abandonment of the Jews" are the two best books on the subject. William D. Rubinstein's "The Myth of Rescue" is a poorly written book that contradicts itself over and over again and is a book for peopel who think that FDR could do no wrong.

This book gives great insight into the way in which the American press treated the holocaust. While often overlooked, the press handled the holocaust in a manner that many Americans would be ashamed of today. This book is unique in that no other book i know of has delved as deeply into this area. In addition, Dr. Lipstadt is a truely unique and knowledgable expert on the holocaust.

This book should be required reading for all jounalism college majors who intend to "tell the whole truth." If the present doesn't reveal the truth then history will.
Ms. Lipstadt did an incredible job of researching and tying together huge numbers of old newspaper articles and putting them together to tell the whole story chonologically and coherently. She showed the hypocricy of the press in calling for "something" to be done (after they could no longer deny atrocities were happening) then fomenting opposition to allowing anymore refugees into this country. They could have cited, "there are almost half a million immigration visas available, bring them in."
She also shows the hypocricy of the British press who also called for "something" to be done, then when the war was over and surviving Jews were trying to get into British Mandate Palestine, there was no cry from the press, "We didn't do anything then, but now we should not hinder them in immigrating to their homeland." Of all nations, the Brits are the most culpable because they had control over The Land, and instead of allowing walking miracles to start new lives, they hindered them with all their might,preventing surviving Jews from coming in before and during the war, then sending them to Cyprus after the war; shooting them down as they tried to swim ashore after their ships had been fired upon sunk, and the French sent those survivors on "The Exodus," back to camps in Germany. With every cell in my body I want to cry out, "How could you??"
Thank you, Ms. Lipstadt for gathering painful information and putting it into such a gripping account.

For the advanced collector, there has been a shortage of information on Bing Bears in regards to identification, charm and market value until Ken Yenke wrote and complied wonderful photos of Bing Bears in this comprehensive book. As always, I am impressed and learn more than I had hoped when selecting one of Ken's books to add to my Teddy Bear Book reference library. A wonderful book for all who seek more knowledge about our loved...Teddy Bears.

We, collectors have waited a long time for someone to write a comprehensive book on the wonderful world of Bing Bears & Toys. Ken Yenke has developed a book designed to educated the reader on the history of Bing, as well as, give remarkable early sketches and photos of Bings that most collectors never get an opportunity to actually see. I was quite impressed with the energy and apparent love that Ken Yenke has demonstrated throughout the book. The descriptions are concise yet informative; and the price guidelines help the novice collector and the advanced collector gauge their buying and selling scales. I looked forward to reading this book from the earliest whispers of its development and have not been disappointed in any way. I hope Ken Yenke continues to write books that are educational to collectors and also beautiful to the eye.

This book is much more than a report of a company's products. It is an honest and direct account of what happened to a creative and productive enterprise under Hitler's oppression, and after that it is a beautiful description of the many fantastic items the company developed. Ken Yenke has made a fine contribution to the history of the German toy industry by describing the happenings that led to the demise of the Bing company. The pictures are terrific, and the dialogue is strong and exciting. You'll want to read every word and study every picture. I strongly recommend this book to all toy collectors.

Blessings and Hardships was an extremely interesting book. At times it kept me rooting for the author's family and their success as they traveled through war-ravaged Germany during World War II. I found that it portrayed a side of history that could only be told through the eyes of a first-hand observer.

The author's memory of the details of events that occurred well over a half century ago was phenominal. If she ever decides to write a sequel, I will be first in line for it.

I have always been interested in World War II, but I never really understood until I read this book what it would have been like to grow up in Nazi Germany - and not be a Nazi. This is a fascinating story which is extremely well written. I hope the author will write a sequel.

Brigitte Kirchoff's book offers a unique and interesting perspective on World War II and the difficulties that many Non-Nazi Germans endured at the hands of their fellow countrymen. While most people are very familiar with the sufferings of Jews during this era, what is less-well known is that Germans who refused to join the Nazi party (such as the author and her family)were persecuted as well. Told from the point-of-view of a little girl growing up in Nazi Germany, the story is compelling and informative, and offers a highly personal account of what one family endured and how their constant faith saw them through even the most difficult times. Great reading.

This is a page turner, wanted to keep reading to see what was happening next. An untold story of the non Nazi German people and what they had to overcome to survive. I recommend it to all history students of the era of World War II. Well written as if the author is talking to you.

In 1945, the victorious Allies began a campaign of book-burning right out of Fahrenheit 451. Everything in Germany pertaining to National Socialism was destroyed en masse -- magazines, newspapers, books, pamphlets, monographs, postcards, political tracts, handbooks, you name it. They were attempting not merely the obvious task of annihilating Nazi symbols and paraphernalia from German life, but also of making sure that a certain way of thinking was torn out by its philisophical roots.

Today, in Germany, owning a copy of "Mein Kampf" is a crime, but in point of fact, "Bolshevism from Moses to Hitler: A Dialogue Between Adolf Hitler and Me" is a hell of a lot more dangerous. "Mein Kampf" (1925) is 688 pages long, and while there are interesting and entertaining portions, particularly in reference to Hitler's version of his early life and the Nazi Party's salad days, it is filled with long, almost inconcievably tedious ramblings about race, politics, philosophy, Judaism, Pan-Germanism, Bolshevism, religion, military geography, and a hundred other subjects which tickled the would-be Fuhrer's fancy. In short, it's LONG. And I don't mean in the manner of a runway model's legs.

In comparison, "Bolshevism from Moses to Lenin" (1925) is a glorified pamphlet, only 89 large-print pages, and that includes a dozen or so pages of endnotes. You can read this book in an hour, but its effect is truly devastating.

The author, Dietrich Eckart, has been described as "the spiritual founder of the National Socialist Party." Though he died of alcoholism in 1923 (the same year as the failed Munich Putsch), his effect on Hitler was so profound that the Fuhrer dedicated "Mein Kampf" to his memory (The very last line of the book reads, "Among those heroes I want to count that man, one of the best, who devoted his life to the awakening of his, our people, in his writings and thoughts and finally his deeds: Dietrich Eckart.") It is rightly said of Eckhart that he "groomed" the young Hitler, who he viewed as the ideal frontman for the post-WWI German right wing movement.

"Bolshevism from Moses to Lenin" is Dietrich's reconstruction of his conversations with Hitler on the subject of Jews and Judaism. It was compiled from incomplete notes found after Eckhart's death, and published the same year as Mein Kampf. In it, he and Hitler show that anti-Semetism was not, as a million junior high school textbooks and The History Channel suggest, a convenient scapehgoating device of the Nazis, but rather the bedrock of their philosophy. These men believed every word of what they said, and they spoke with considerable power.

"Bolshevism" follows a "history" of Judaism from Biblical times to moedern. It is a systematic, vicious, and extremely well-written indictment of "the Jew" that follows a back-and-forth conversation. Hitler rails; Eckhart asks a question; Hitler expands; Eckhart comments, and so on. It is 99% dialogue (every remark is in quotations) but not meant as a real transcript, rather as a condensed version of their many talks. Both men were extensively read and had an intimidating grasp of names, personalities, and events, many of which will be lost on the modern reader. Luckily, there are extensive endnotes, explaining the more esoteric references. Though the book was put together from unfinished notes, it reads very well, and there is undeniable brilliance, if almost bottomless malice, behind Eckhart's pen.

Unfortunately, in my version, both the introduction and the endnotes are riddled with the personal bias of the translator, who clearly sides with Eckart and Hitler. Why is it that all Nazi-era writings have to be marked with postwar comments, either pro or anti-Hitler? Why are people so afraid to let words speak for themselves, and to let people draw their own conclusions? And why do people leave posts saying "I can't believe Amazon would sell this" -- as if we can get an understanding of people's motivations without hearing their side of the story! A serious student of the Nazi era shouldn't have to go the ends of the earth to obtain such a fundamentally important piece of historical literature. [...]

Famous as this book (more a pamphlet than a book, but oh well) is, it is notoriously hard to find. As a previous reviewer has pointed out, this is more due to the hateful climate imposed by the "Allies" after 1945 than any flaw in this book. The Orwellian search by the occupational forces and their collaborators in their hunt for "forbidden literature" (books are dangerous, it would appear) made sure that 99 % of everything judged "brown" was purged from libraries and most private collections.

Dietrich Eckhart died from a combination of alcoholism and drug use, which he had developed after self-treatment of war wounds. Seeing as the veteran service wasn't so developed back in those days, many succumbed to this same fate. Incidentally, this makes it very easy for certain people to write this undeniably brilliant writer off as that "insane alcoholic". Convenient indeed. This book is translated by the deceased William L. Pierce of the National Alliance, from the German original. The book reads like a dialogue between Adolf Hitler, Eckhart's "pupil" and Eckhart himself. It reminds one of the Platonic dialogues, and the contents are no less interesting than that.

Eckhart takes us on a trip through modern and ancient history, interwoven with religion, banking, and culture and so on. Basically, he claims that from Moses to Lenin (who although with Jewish ancestry, was more of an oriental than a Jew, racially at least) there has run a common thread of Jewish-led bolshevism that has worked against the interests of Europeans and the world in general. It is complete with informative notes, and in a little less than an hour, you can finish this famous and quite informative text.

Already on p. 3, we're served a fitting quote from the Jewish Old Testament; "And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and they shall fight every one against his brother and every one against his neighbour; city against city and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fall in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards". And if this isn't an accurate description of the state of the world today, I don't know what is.

Highly recommended both for its historical and educational value. 5 stars.

'Bolshevism: From Moses to Lenin" is a scathing indictment of the Jewish race by none other than Adolf Hitler, along with his mentor Dietrich Eckhart. This extremely brief writing is in the form of a dialogue between the two men, and amounts to a declaration of war on world Jewry. They cover over two thousand years of history in their assault on the Jewish race and religion. They quote passages from the Old Testament and the Talmud, as well as more contemporary sources to argue their case that the Jews have always been barbaric, deceitful, and conspiratorial toward the gentiles. This book is a priceless addition to any student of Third Reich history or anyone wishing to understand true anti-semitism. Instead of going on and on about the book, I thought it would be more helpful to end with a quote:

"The truth," he said, "is, indeed, as you once wrote: one can only understand the Jew when one knows what his ultimate goal is. And that goal is, beyond world domination, the annihilation of the world. He must wear down all the rest of mankind, he persuades himself, in order to prepare a paradise on earth. He has made himself believe that only he is capable of this great task, and, considering his ideas of paradise, that is certainly so. But one sees, if only in the means which he employs, that he is secretly driven to something else. While he pretends to himself to be elevating mankind, he torments men to despair, to madness, to ruin. If a halt is not ordered, he will destroy all men."

Afterword: I was not able to obtain a hard copy of this book. I typed the title into a search engine, found the text online, copied it to Microsoft Word and printed it out. It came out as a whopping 27 pages.

This is not really a childrens' book. It's dialect retelling makes it hard to understand just as the original Uncle Remus tales did a few generations ago. It is actually the story of four elderly outcasts from society whose friendship saves them. Together they can take care of each other and find that life is still good.

Author, Kathy Price takes the reader down to the bayou for this marvelous Cajun rendition of the ever popular, Bremen Town Musicians. Meet four elderly, musically inclined friends, a mule, a hound, a rooster, and a cat, in all their craggy glory, trying to save their hides by traveling to New Orleans. "We is goin' to Bourbon Street to bebop and jazz. You can carry a tune and you have a bit of the torch in your song, so come wit' us, and we'll mardi gras and hi-de-ho." But along the way they come across a crawfisher's shack. Inside they spy a table filled with food, and "four roughnecks eatin' wit' jackknives and thumbs." And since it was dinnertime, and they were mighty hungry, these four old friends decide to sing for their supper..... Ms Price's clever retelling is filled with captivating imagery and magic, and with its energetic, rhythmic Cajun dialect, just begs to be read aloud by an enthusiastic storytellier. Andrew Glass' bold, bright, and exuberant illustrations enhance the text with playful humor and witty detail. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Bourbon Street Musicians is a manic, rollicking, fun-filled romp. "As grass is green, sho' nuff, y'all."

Author, Kathy Price takes the reader down to the bayou for this marvelous Cajun rendition of the ever popular, Bremen Town Musicians. Meet four elderly, musically inclined friends, a mule, a hound, a rooster, and a cat, in all their craggy glory, trying to save their hides by traveling to New Orleans. "We is goin' to Bourbon Street to bebop and jazz. You can carry a tune and you have a bit of the torch in your song, so come wit' us, and we'll mardi gras and hi-de-ho." But along the way they come across a crawfisher's shack. Inside they spy a table filled with food, and "four roughnecks eatin' wit' jackknives and thumbs." And since it was dinnertime, and they were mighty hungry, these four old friends decide to sing for their supper..... Ms Price's clever retelling is filled with captivating imagery and magic, and with its energetic, rhythmic Cajun dialect, just begs to be read aloud by an enthusiastic storytellier. Andrew Glass' bold, bright, and exuberant illustrations enhance the text with playful humor and witty detail. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Bourbon Street Musicians is a manic, rollicking, fun-filled romp. "As grass is green, sho' nuff, y'all."

German-Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 43 million people claim German as their primary cultural heritage. One of these is Gerhardt Thamm, author of "Boy Soldier." Another is my friend Carl.

Carl lives in Wisconsin where German-Americans comprise half the population. My wife and I spend part of the year at her family home in northern Wisconsin. Like many Americans, Carl is interested in genealogy, wants to learn more about his heritage, and is developing a family tree. When he visited us recently in Florida, he said he had traced his roots back to Wurzen. On an atlas, Carl and I pinpointed Wurzen, just northeast of Leipzig.

"One of these days I'd like to go to Wurzen and look up some distant relatives," Carl said. "You know German and traveled a lot over there. Any tips?"

"The closest I got to the Leipzig area was this town," I said, pointing to Tirschenreuth on the map. "My German's very rusty. I haven't been to Germany since reunification. But I've got some things I think will help you."

I gave Carl one of my audiotapes of everyday German words and phrases and an autographed copy of "Boy Soldier: A German Teenager at the Nazi Twilight."

"The tape's yours. If you go to Wurzen, you may meet people who don't speak English. Even if they do, they're likely to appreciate your effort to speak their language and learn more about their culture. I'm lending you this book. It's autographed."

"Many thanks! Tape may even come in handy in Milwaukee." He glanced at the book, opened the cover, shut it. "Frankly, I don't see how a Nazi soldier's book'll do me much good."

"Well, do me a favor. Read the first sixteen pages when you get a break at Disney World. When you get back Sunday, tell me what you think. I met Gerhardt Thamm, the author, at a writing workshop. We had an interesting conversation. I learned that he and I were in the same U. S. Army branch, though our paths never crossed in service. I bought his memoir and have exchanged several e-mails with him." I opened the book and took out a note. "Here's some background." Carl read the following:

"Gerhardt Thamm was born in Detroit, grew up in Germany 1932-1948, and served as a scout with the German 100th Jaeger Division on the Eastern Front, February-May, 1945. During the 1950s he was an agent handler/clandestine case officer in the U.S. Army's clandestine effort directed against the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union. Thamm retired from the Army Security Agency in 1968 and joined Naval Intelligence in 1970. He produced an analysis that saved 320 million dollars in torpedo redesigns, managed human intelligence collection requirements for Navy Task Force 168, lectured and taught at the Defense Intelligence College, and served two years as DIA Intelligence Operations Officer. After his retirement from the government in 1987, he lectured extensively on counterespionage and security measures. His writings include articles in the Armed Forces Journal International; Periscope; Golden Sphinx, The Voice of Intelligence; and the Naval Intelligence Professional Quarterly. In 1994 he received the CIA's award for 'Outstanding Contribution to the Literature of Intelligence.'"

"His credentials are impressive," Carl said, his serious tone quickly turning jocular. "You and Thamm were `spooks', huh!"

"One legend is an Army Security guy coined the term," I said chuckling. "Seriously, intel people like Gerhardt Thamm did much to stop Communism in Europe. And without a shooting war! I was a tiny part of that huge effort. I'm proud of the bit I contributed."

"Well, I'll give the book a shot, at least sixteen pages." Then Carl was off to Disney World.

A few days later he returned, waving Boy Soldier. "Couldn't put it down. Lost sleep but the read was worth it. Fine book! Expected to see Thamm fighting Russians right off the bat. Almost half the book's about growing up away from the war. Jauer, what a picture-book town! Wonder if Wurzen's like that. Map Quest says Jauer's 86 miles from Wurzen."

"You're talking about the Jauer in Saxony. Thamm's Jauer is now Jawor in Poland. His Jauer before it was hit by the Soviets reminds me of the Germany and Austria I enjoyed the most: the villages and small towns; lovely landscapes; honest, hard-working people; friendly-especially if you try to speak their language-fun; festivals; singing; great beer!"

"What's that beehive-shaped cake he talked about?"

"Bienenkorbe, delicious!"

"Yeah, reminded me of my grandmother...years ago in Wausau. She used to make something like it. When he talked about the sausage and the Christmas celebrations and the pfefferkuchen [ginger bread], thought I was back at grandma's."

"What do you think of his handling of Nazism?"

"Seemed pretty honest about how he and the people fell in line with it. I didn't know there was more than one German attempt to zap Hitler."

"As Thamm relates, a number of Prussian aristocrats and German intellectuals plotted against Hitler as early as 1939. The much publicized attempt on Hitler's life on July 20, 1944 was just another failed attempt to kill him.

"Boy Soldier is consistent with all I've studied about Nazism. Thamm is extraordinary the way he captures Nazi lies, their betrayal of the people, and many Germans' changing attitudes toward the Nazi regime."

"The terrible ordeal he went through fighting the Soviets, just a boy, he and his folks ending up slaves on their own farm!"

"Yes, and he gives keen insight into how awful the Eastern Front was. As bad as the Western Front was, it was mild compared to the horrors in the Eastern conflict. Soviet atrocities were some of the worst of the war. They took the lives of many German civilians, including old men, women, and children. I don't think I ever could have survived what Thamm experienced."

"Reading a book like this causes you to see how naive and sheltered you were as an American teenager. At 15 I ate and slept football. One thing in the book reminded me of my teen self: Thamm's relationship with girls."

"I had a similar feeling reading the book. Incidentally, at 15 I ate and slept basketball."

"Why're you taking so many notes?"

"You're helping me write my review of Boy Soldier. Check our web site when you get back."

"Okay, I will. Better be shoving off."

I loved this book!

I expected an interesting memoir of WWII as seen through the eyes of a
German farmer schoolboy living near the Eastern front in 1940-45, who fought
as a soldier during the final months of the war. I expected I would hear a
different-than-usual perspective because of his youth and German Army
affiliation. I expected to learn a bit about the life led by Germans of
that time in that place. But this account is so much more than an
interesting war memoir.

Punctuated with actual pages, drawings and photographs from his childhood
diary, Thamm's book draws you in to the heart, soul and mind of this
intelligent, hard-working, mischievous and perceptive child. I felt right
there with young Gerhardt in his classes or driving his family's team of
horses, soaking up the history of his town, studying with friends,
discovering girls, listening to Nazi propaganda on the radio and to his
grandparents' and townsfolk's comments on the war. Rich with details,

insights, and historical fact, populated with memorable and varied
personalities, this book is a fascinating read. And that's even before the
account of life on the front lines of war.

My recommendation: Don't miss it!

"Boy Soldier" is written is a simple yet stunningly powerful style. It captures all of the essential elements of a great story: a sylvan existence which is violated by the ravages of war; a love story even in the midst of conflict; and the triumph of the human spirit. It is a seductive journey for the reader who knows in the beginning chapters that a dark period lies ahead. The book begins by offering a privileged window on the idyllic country life of a young country lad in Silesia. Gradually the author brings one to an appreciation of the culture, the people and the way of life in the small village of Jauer southwest of Breslau. One senses that there is a timeless beauty to this place, almost crystal in its simplicity and fragility.

Having seen the senseless waste of war I knew what was to come as the book progressed, although this was little suspected by the victims of the story, including the author. There was a undeniable tension as the sound of the approaching Russian army grew in intensity. Despite this specter and the destruction of his home and way of life, the writer brought the tragedy and victory of this personal account to pass in a very human way.

One of the things that leaps from the pages of this very readable writing is how compatible it would be with a screen version. It is literally in the correct format. This needs to be explored, for among other things it would bring war to the general public in a very personal way quite different from that traditionally seen.

I read this book in two sittings. It is a compelling personal account that is a valuable addition to my library.

This powerful account of a boy's journey through hell, is in spite of all a life affirming hopeful story, which filled me not only with compassion but also with admiration and awe. Engaging and moving, this text also offers the reader a valuable observation of existential, philosophical and psychological nature. One of the best Holocaust memoirs I read.

Dear Martin:
I read your book during the first days of Pesach. I would like to
congratulate you on an important piece of work that will help the world
know the horrors of the Holocaust and the unspeakable acts of the Nazi
barbarians. Your book was very well written and organized and gave me a
very clear picture of your unbelievable experience. You definitely have
kept your promise to Jacob the learned. The experience of reading your
book helped make my Pesach experience with all our freedom and richness
more meaningful than usual. It also helped put things in perspective.
By the way, my father's (may he rest in peace) polish name was Motek. I
had never seen the name written before your book.
Also the way you saved your mother and brother's life was probably the
bravest thing a 10 year old has ever done.
I wish you long life, happiness, peace, and continued nachas from your
children and grandchildren. You deserve only goodness in your life.

This is an outstanding book, particularly for high school students. Teachers: I recommend it as a companion to "The Diary of Anne Frank." Mr. Schiller's book tells two critical stories. It describes a child's experience in concentration camps and it tells the touching story of reunification with remaining family at the end of the war. You can feel the child's fear. You see each scene through the child's eyes. Yet, the book omits just enough of the horrific detail so it's perfect reading for young adults.

It also is a story of a boy quickly becomming a man, despite his age. The book lingers in your mind, long after it's been finished.

I picked up a copy of this book on the advice of a friend, and it was wonderful...a serious novel that read like a detective story, I would recommend this novel to anyone.

Although the plot is intriguing, the real appeal of Kai Maristed's work is in her feel for language, sensitivity to psychological nuance, and, oddly, her muscularity of thinking. She's a fabulous writer, and it's a scandal that she is not better known.

This is an excellent novel. The story follows Kaethe Schalk, a woman of both German and American background, back and forth through time as she travels back to Berlin in search for her adult daughter. It is told mainly from Schalk's point of view (she is writing to her daughter), with small bits jumping in from her daughter and her landlady. The novel is historically astute, encompassing the tensions between East and West, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tensions between the classes and lack thereof in her American background. The story is about memories and misremembering -- the writing pulls you in to feel that you are remembering them, even though you don't know the memory until you've read it. But you feel the immediacy, that you are tasting each memory, the taste and smell bringing you back to your own childhood. Maristed's descriptions are perfect -- they pull in the past to tell the whole story -- a seamless way of telling an historical and political story in an extremely human and beautifully well-written way. The beauty of the story, spanning technically one generation, but really three, and using a very real setting for universal themes.
I can only compare it to Thomas Mann's "Buddenbrooks" -- but it would not be subtitled "The Decline of a Family" -- perhaps "The Decline of (a) Life." Sweet, beautiful, horrible life and how we deal with its problems -- all in beautiful poetic prose.

A perfect literary novel. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This is not a book for children. Rather it is a recollection of images and perceptions of the adult/child who survived the camps of World War Two to tell the tale. Cordelia Edvardson is a humanist who wants the world to abolish all that is inhumane most especially when it comes to children. She knows what its like to be taunted, terrified and have a tortured soul. A must for every policy maker, teacher, and whoever still believes in preserving a sane world.
glenys sugarman

This was just a great book. No books that I've read on this subject have been quite so compelling!

The author mesmerizes you with the simplicity and eloquence of her writing. She moves you with her childhood, her courage in the camps and the power of her spirit in returning to choose life again.