Europe Books

This is one of those rock-em, sock-em books that seems to have a startling insight on every page. Bauman's thesis is that the Holocaust is not an aberration, peculiar to a particular time and place, but a general symptom of modernity. In other words, events akin to the Holocaust are capable of happening again and again in the modern world. The book is thus frightening and sobering. Bauman argues that modern institutions are characterized by dispassionate bureaucratic efficiency assisted by technology. Large government and corporate bureaucracies function in such a way that individual responsibility for the actions of the bureaucracy are dispersed. In other words, the buck is passed through the system, without a Harry Truman to say, "The buck stops here." The danger, according to Bauman, is that if a Hitler rises to the top of such a bureaucracy, he can set the system rolling toward an inhumane goal (the destruction of the Jews in Europe), and it is possible that nobody within the system or outside it will be able (or interested enough) to do much to stop it. The book highlights (for me) the crucial importance of checks and balances within systems, and strong investigative journalism as an important component to a functioning democracy. It also suggests to me the importance of keeping authoritarians out of high public office. They can set large systems rolling in disastrous directions.

This is arguably the most helpful book I have ever read. Bauman is a fascinating person and a profound thinker. He lived in Poland under the Nazis and then the Communists. He fled to Jeruslem just in time for the 6 Days War. He spent his career as sociologist in the rusted out industrial town of Leeds producing a noteworthy tome or two. Then in quasi-retirement, he started cranking out astonishing works geared toward wider audiences on the most vital matters of contemporary existence. He hit his stride in "Modernity and the Holocaust." Bauman's methodology is what makes his work so remarkable. The audacity to even attempt it is incredible. He combines sociology with modern history and a quite distinctive moral philosophy. His moral philosophy is the key. He takes seriously the problem of the origin of human moral behavior. (Simply taking this problem seriously is awe-inspiring.) Most modern moral philosophies ignore this matter altogether (which is no coincidence). The 18th century emotivist strand (Hume, Hutcheson, Smith) made the best stab at this vital question with the empirical postulate that all human moral responses begin with the feeling of sympathy (pity or compassion) for the observed suffering of others. Bauman nuances this with the twentieth century moral philosophy of Levinas who sees "ethics as first philosophy" meaning the sense of ought toward not harming others is pre-cognitive--being built into the species and manifested in the experience of a powerfully felt command not to kill when face to face with a suffering other (proximity). For Bauman, there is one over-ride factor that can pre-empt this built-in human moral responsiveness to others--the creation of some form of social distance. Spacial and temporal proximity to others who suffer (face-to-face) is sufficient to generate the experience of the command not to harm and the resultant moral behavior. Mitigating that proximity through the creation of physical, structural and imaginative social distance between the one who suffers and the spectator is the great secret of how human morality (sympathy) can be displaced and something else substituted. At this point, Bauman's sociological analysis enters in. The sociological analysis of the division of labor in bureaucracies (which increasingly sprawl everwhere as modernity advances)involves the diffusion of moral responsiblity among thousands or more ("not my job"), the temporal and spatial removal of the spectators/participants from the victims ("out there somewhere") and the substitution of pseudo gratifications (pay) and a pseudo morality (atta boys, awards, promotions)enable ordinary people to do extraordinarily evil things together (extraordinary in terms of sheer numbers of people and places made to suffer) AND AT THE SAME TIME FEEL MORALLY JUSTIFIED (by virtue of the bureaucratically substituted corporate pseudo morality-- recent talk of "corporate cultures of corruption" as in the CIA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Republican Party are just the tip of the iceberg). The grip of bureaucracy spreads and deepens and as it does, the decent human feeling for the suffering of others (the human species' prime source of morality) gets increasingly diffused and replaced by the simulacrum of a morality. The third element of Bauman's method is history. He writes the history of what has happened to this human moral sense through the social, technological and economic changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Within this modern history of the decline of the human moral sense the Holocaust becomes what the city meant for Plato "the soul writ large." For Bauman, the Holocaust is "the modern soul writ large" for all to see. It is this crystal clear illumination and magnification of our modern selves that Bauman argues is inescapable. We can not help but look at ourselves in this mirror and allow that self-reflection (in the Delphic sense the beginning of all wisdom)to start taking its course in the hopes of some kind of genuinely human and humane moral reform. Bauman has no easy out and reading him can be exhausting and sometimes dispiriting. Even so, he argues that like the Germanic tribes at the borders were for the late Roman Empire or the black plague was for the Waning Middle Ages, the fact of the modern soul writ large in the Holocaust is like the discovery of nuclear weapons an inescapable element of late modern consciousness. For Bauman, "postmodern" simply means the "modern" seen in the full light of these and certain other inescapable historical facts. What Bauman has done for my study of history (ancient and early modern) is to allow me to look at the relationship between emotion (pity) and empire (techniques of concentrating and expanding power of others) in a wholly different light. When modern historians wrote off certain ancient or early modern historians as being "too rhetorical" or "too emotional"--that is where I dig in and start to analyse not only the emotional ancient but the anti-emotional modern disregard for the prime source of human moral response in light of how the creation of social distance in both cases works to advance the interests of those in power. With such a methodology, the "so what?" does not finally emerge in a few trite cliches in the concluding paragraph but it drives everything from the very first sentence, even from the title itself.

Peruse any mega-bookstore for works on the Holocaust and you will likely find yourself in a section called "Jewish Studies" or "Holocaust Studies." This is indicative of a general attitude that the Holocaust was merely a gross aberration in the advancement of western civilization, that it is exclusively a Jewish problem or, at best, an anomalous eruption of the irrational latent in the German psyche.

In this stunning, bold, and original work, Professor Bauman challenges this conventional wisdom. The Holocaust is not the story of European civilization gone awry; rather it embodies the most salient principles of modernity itself. It was "horrifyingly normal."

The logic of self-interest, rational management, modern bureaucratic order, technological efficiency, the relegation of values to the realm of subjectivity, science as intrinsically instrumental and value-free: such are the values comprising the shared vision of western civilization set in motion during the Enlightenment. And Bauman identifies the sum of these values as the necessary (but not sufficient) cause of the Holocaust. The SS exploited the logic of rational self-interest by making the cooperation of prisoners a condition for self-preservation. Death camps utilized the applied technology of mass production and transportation. The Third Reich was the picture of modern bureaucratic efficiency. All of this was done by highly trained engineers, technicians and doctors within an ethical framework consistent with modernity's moral relativism. And each of these conditions is still present today. This is a sobering, thought-provoking study of the Holocaust and its haunting resonance with the values of modern thought.

Zygmunt Bauman argues that the modern society we accept as normal and the highest form as civilization, contains the seed, soil and water of the Holocaust. He argues that the Holocaust is not an anomaly but a warning and sign of what we, as human beings, have become. The Holocaust would not have happened save for modern civilization. Technological know how is important, but not the only important factor.

Mass atrocity requires three things: that violence be authorized by a legitimate authority, that the violent actions be routinized, and that the victims be dehumanized. Bauman recounts the experiments of Stanley Milgram in support of his argument. I add that, after weeks of chanting "Kill, kill, kill" over and over, and of hearing the "enemy" described as "dinks", "slopes", "gooks", "japs", "women", "niggers" and "injuns", I was able to sit through a lecture on the "law of war" in which my medic class was instructed that one of our jobs would be to execute wounded prisoners. Yes, that's illegal, immoral, and something terrorists do. Military training works. (If you respond that "war is hell" and that such things are normal, think of the fuss we put up about how our prisoners are treated.)

Military training works because normal socialization prepares us for it. Society, Bauman writes, silences morality. Rather than supporting our innate morality, society replaces it, teaching us what is good and what is bad, who is good and who is bad. It divides the world into the "moral universe", relatively small, and the universe in which we are encouraged to to act with amoral abandon. Take, for instance, the example of "family values". The moral universe cannot shrink much further. Yes, we should obey the law, if practicable, but only until we change it to allow us to do what we want. We certainly aren't responsible for anyone outside the family. Family values? Christ pointed out that even the heathen support that.

The answer to the social design and engineering which created the Holocaust is, Bauman suggests, unconditional responsibility. We, each of us as a moral agent, are responsible for and to everyone regardless of whether we believe them to be good or evil. We and they are human. It's a tough sell, but Bauman's argument that the alternative led to the Holocaust and will lead to more similar atrocities is convincing.

Bauman makes his arguments without jargon, with style and passion. This is a most important and compelling book. If you're going to read only one book this year, make it this one.

This book provides a conceptual bridge between Hannah Arendt's famous "banality of evil" thesis and the more recent thesis presented by Giorgio Agamben that the concentration camp is the paradigm of political modernity. It has affinites with the post-holocaust ethics of Primo Levi and Judith Shklar as well. In the context of recent attempts to give torture and indefinite detention the imprimatur of law, Bauman's book serves as a reminder that formalizing or bureaucratizing these activities is not likely to humanize these practices-- for example, scientifically "humane" methods of execution or legally proscribed torture warrants-- but rather to erode moral resistance and sensibilities.

One of my favorite book recommendations for high school girls who think history is dull. No fiction writer could make up a story like this.

Not recommended for children younger than that, however-- Genevieve's descriptions, while factual, are very graphic.

This is the story of a young girl who ends up helping US soldiers during the D-Day invasion. It is a unique, remarkable and moving account of her interactions with both German and US forces. She was recently seen on TV interviewed in France during the 60th anniversary of the invasion. Highly recommended first person historical account.

Such an historic record of the paratroopers landing near Normandy! This beautiful, brave and abused girl tells a poignant and most memorable story. Her descriptive writing is enchanting. Her experiences completely unique. I loved the book and came to love her. Ms. Duboscq would you tell us more of your later life too?

A tremendous book about the experience of a young french girl during WWII. Incredible depth of human joy, pain and misery. It is tremendously sad and rich and points to God.

There are few books that you can tuck under the folded wing in your heart and hear it humming whenever you think of it. This book along with And There was Light by Jacques Lusseyran are the most powerful books I have found about the 2nd World War in France. Perhaps it was made especially poignant because my uncle was a paratrooper at Normandie. He, much like my father who was the radio operator on US subs during WW 2, refused to talk about his war experience. So I sought it out in this unlikely form; through the words of a young French girl. The utter stark honesty of her painful upbringing, told without judgement shows a soul who has learned to forgive and to see the dignity of even the most beastly. Genevieve, who received the highest civilian citation for her work is to congratulated, the book highly recommended.

Imagine my suprise to read this account from the very unit, cavalry group,squadron,troop and possibly platoon in which I served. What a revelation to think I may have driven the author's jeep and fought with the men he left behind. An erie feeling since I was a replacement who followed in his footsteps after he was wounded. This is the only account I have read of the special soldiers who were trained as replacements to be inserted into fighting on the line. He recounts the incredible lonliness and feelings of isolation as the teen age replacement moves through training camps, trains, ships, encampments, trains, more camps until making it up to the front. Each move means new strangers and parting with short term friends who are really only aquaintences. The final assignment means an entire new order of friends meeting under fierce combat conditions. The author accurately captures this atmosphere of isolation and dread. I highly recommend this book which balances the reality of the young soldier in war against the usual histories which suggest that the fighting units were fueled by glory and esprit de corps.

I've read many World War II memoirs, and this is one of the best. Few veterans express the terror, dread, and danger of combat as well as Prof. Pagliaro. He faced a difficult situation and handled himself admirably. I recommend this book to everyone. It is on a level with other great World War II classics such as "Those Devils in Baggy Pants", "If You Survive", and "The Other Side of Time." Very moving to read.

I had the opportunity to read a pre-publication draft of this engaging book. When it appeared in print I was delighted to see that the publisher had produced such a handsome volume--in both paperback and hardcover. I immediately placed "Naked Heart" on the reading list for my U.S. History class at Drake University, and in many years of teaching I have never had a book received and reviewed so favorably. It provoked interesting class discussions and prompted many students to visit with their grandparents about World War II experiences. A number of students purchased extra copies to give to members of their families. It is hard to imagine a book that matches this one in cross-generational appeal.

"Saving Private Ryan" will undoubtedly generate reader interest in books about WWII and the individual experiences of combat soldiers. The most dramatic lines in this movie came when actor Tom Hanks says in effect: "I don't know if I can ever tell my wife about today or what I've seen." This struck a chord with me because my father was a WWI combat veteran of the European Theater, but he would never talk about his combat experiences. So prior to the release of "Private Ryan" I had read many books about the individual experiences of combat veterans trying to understand why combat had affected them so.

I recommend Naked Heart above many other excellent books about WWII held in high esteem by professional historians, who prefer to use a broad brush to paint the picture of the stories they tell. Naked Heart is the story of the military service of Harold Pagliaro, retired Professor of English Literature at Swarthmore College, Pa. The story begins with his induction into the Army, ASTP and Infantry training and transfer to a Cavalry unit prior to shipping out. His service in combat takes place in France, and ends in Alsace when he is seriously wounded.

It is the story of only one man but the same reveals the shared experience of thousands like him who faced all the fear, misery, uncertainty,and horrors that combat has to offer. The language, details, and writing style are clear, vivid, and straight-forward. The reader will have little difficulty envisioning or understanding what he is reading.

A medium like any movie as well done as "Private Ryan" is very visually graphic as well as audibly compelling with all the theatrical flair of the actors, the script, the special effects, sound effects, and background music to fill the viewer's senses. A book lacks most of these, but a book as well written as Naked Heart tells a story in a very personal way, much like a father might relate his wartime experiences to his son. I recommend Naked Heart for anyone interested in trying to understand the psyche of our WWII combat veterans.

John R. Walker

While I served in the European Theater during World War II, Professor Pagliaro's experiences and mine were significantly different. He served as a replacement, while I joined my armored field artilelry battalion before the unit went overseas. Infantry and cavalry performed the most difficult and dangerous tasks in combat and replacements served even more difficult roles in these units.

I found this book to be an excellent description of Pagliaro's combat experiences and also an excellent espression of his feelings and reactions to some very difficult combat assignments as well as difficult miltiary leaders. Pagliaro suffered problems similar to many ASTP students, but many of these persons failed to survive their assignments in the infantry and cavalry and few have expressed their feelings so adequately.

I highly recommend this book not only for veterans of World War II, but for all who wish to learn more about the role fo the "little people" in that conflict.

Stunningly powerful, this tragedy and triumph of a non-practicing Jewish family portrays a happy and privileged family life dedicated to medicine and intellectual pursuits. All that changed in late May of 1941, when first German motorcycle with machine guns arrived practically in front of their home. Forced to run and hide, first from Germans and soon from Ustashe, Julius family with two sons barely survives attacks and joins resistance.
The parents, father a doctor and mother a nurse, worked day and night to save wounded communist partisans. Their youngest son Stevo, the author, at age 14 is appointed a military courier, given an outdated gun, and sent to roam alone through mountains, forests, and small rural villages of Croatia. Their older son, 18-year-old bravely defends the territory of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Severely wounded, caught by Germans, he talks his way out with fluent German.
"Neither Red Nor Dead" is an inside story, full of details and naming names among 481 pages, explaining why communism failed in Croatia and former Yugoslavia (now referred to as f-Y).
After the WWII, in 1953, the Julius family suffers a fatal blow, when dirty communist politics in Zagreb pins the father, a hard working and totally dedicated head of a hospital, against the wall with false accusations. Meddling into hospital administration in a typical communist style, Dr. Julius sees no way out and commits suicide.
The elder son dedicates his life to the communist ideals, but when he critizes Slobodan Milosevic (now a war criminal), he is considered a persona non grata in the country he loved so much. He dies from cancer.
The author, Stevo Julius, educated in Croatia is now internationally recognized as one of the leading scientists in the field of hypertension.

Submitted by Katarina Tepesh

As a reader with only a vague awareness, understanding, or even interest in Yugoslavia and the history of the south Slavs, Julius' book not only opened my eyes to that part of the world but also enhanced my strong feelings of empathy for persons ensnared in the horrors and anomalies of war. His reminiscences of how he handled his ordeal are lively, pointed, and get to the heart of how people react in times of great upheaval. In spite of the serious character of this autobiography, the author was able to see the humorous side of the human condition. Maps and a brief history primer help explain the geography and the times. Not only for history buffs, this book gives all readers a better perception of events in a part of the world that has moved from relative obscurity to major importance in present times.

Have you ever wondered what motivates those who make great contributions to society? Neither Red Nor Dead is the mesmerizing autobiographical account of a young teen-ager caught up in the horror of the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. Blessed with intelligence, incredible insight, perhaps an overabundance of courage and much luck, the author describes in great detail the activities of Yugoslavian partisans and a young boy, largely separated from his family during this horrible time. After the end of World War II the author and his family attempted to reconstruct some semblance of a normal life during the equally terrifying Communist takeover. We follow the trauma of life during the author's education in University and Medical School with amazement, laughter and sadness. It is difficult to put this captivating and fast-moving account down. What makes the epic so much more incredible is the recognition that despite the difficulties and personal loss sustained during this period, the author developed a keen sense of humor and used his brilliance and insight to make many major contributions to the benefit of mankind. This is the personal story of one of the great hypertension (high blood pressure) researchers of our age to whom hundreds, even thousands of people are indebted for his services as a physician, teacher, researcher and friend.

Reading this book has added greatly to my understanding of a significant set of social and political events in the Balkans. It is more important, though, in providing insight into the ways in which individuals cope and grow through being part of those events.

Prof. Julius is a wonderful scientist and clinician. This book addresses issues well beyond medicine and science.

For the American, Prof Julius' book provides a the history of the Balkan peoples and describes the maelstrom there during and after World War II. Often our histories overlook this region. Through his eyes, the very unique state of post-WWII Yugoslavia becomes plausible. Secondarily, more recent events in the area are more understandable.

However, it is the experience seen through the lives of his father, mother, and brother that capture the imagination in a unique manner. The struggle of the individual within large social and political movements is captivating. Late at night, when I wake from sleep, I often wonder about one or more of young Stevo's experiences described in the book. It is a life well-lived and aspects of his life will always remain with me.

Neither Red nor Dead, an autobiographical memoir by Dr. Stevo Julius (Medvista, Ann Arbor, MI, www.medvistaa.com, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com) is a great read! The author, who is an internationally known researcher in the field of hypertension, is now the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Hypertension at the University of Michigan. He describes his childhood growing up in a Yugoslavia that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. He is separated from his family, becomes involved in the Partisan resistance, and then suffers excruciating hardship under the post-war Communist regime. Despite such difficulties, he survives and even thrives under these career-threatening circumstances.

His story is told in fine detail but with great charm, humor, and optimism. The descriptions of the Yugoslavian countryside, people, cities and politics are extremely informative and well written. The text maintained my intense interest throughout the 481 pages. Accompanying the text are maps showing specific areas of the country where the action takes place. One small concern here is that many of the towns are not depicted on the maps and so the most intricate details of his travels cannot be carefully examined.

While most of the account takes place in Yugoslavia, only the Epilogue deals with the authorýs leaving the country for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. Unlike the rest of the book, the facts leading up to this emigration are less detailed. The last chapter, The South Slavs, is an historical primer, which describes the background of the establishment of the Yugoslavian country after World War I. The author clearly displays the reasons for the internal strife, which has so damaged this territory in the past decade. I might suggest that the interested reader read this chapter first to better prepare for the unfolding of this fascinating memoir.

Dr. Julius maintains his wonderful humor, humility and sense of family and country throughout the book. There are many interesting literary details (stories and poems) included in the text. Most importantly, the writing is not at all medically oriented, so that readers of any background can enjoy the book. After reading it, besides offering it to my friends, I found that I would very much like to meet the author and shake his hand...

This book is about the expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War, whose impacts still last in the present of the 21st century. In this book, the effects of the decisions of the Allies at the Potsdam conference are described in a detailed way as well as the tragedy of these decisions. In a very good documented and researched as well as extensive manner, the author characterize the problem of the expulsion which based on the decisions of the "well-regulated and human" resettlement of 16 million German and led to one of the biggest postwar period crimes in which more then 2 million German lost their lives.
Alfred M. de Zayas is able to illustrate in an objective way the facts of the holocaust on the German independent of any ideology and without putting the blame on so. nor looking for excuses so that a dark but fast forgotten chapter of the 2nd World War will bear in remembrance. This topic is most times tabu for German. A lot of German still suffering ( physically and psycological) from that history and they fear to be considered as a NAZI if mentioned that issue but it is necessary to deal with that subject and to accomplish comprehension which is useful for underlining the efforts for peace.
This book prompt me to do some research on that subject but also to other related documentations of the 2nd World War among other things of de Zayas. He gave me understanding but also the impulsion to get closer to that topic. This book is a must to understand the German history completely and to be able to deal with that. The first German version of that book was published in 1977 under the title: Die Anglo-Amerikaner und die Vertreibung der Deutschen, Vorgeschichte, Verlauf, Folgen.

This book is about the expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War, whose impacts still last in the present of the 21st century. In this book, the effects of the decisions of the Allies at the Potsdam conference are described in a detailed way as well as the tragedy of these decisions. In a very good documented and researched as well as extensive manner, the author characterize the problem of the expulsion which based on the decisions of the "well-regulated and human" resettlement of 16 million German and led to one of the biggest postwar period crimes in which more then 2 million German lost their lives.
Alfred M. de Zayas is able to illustrate in an objective way the facts of the holocaust on the German independent of any ideology and without putting the blame on so. nor looking for excuses so that a dark but fast forgotten chapter of the 2nd World War will bear in remembrance. This topic is most times taboo but it is necessary to deal with that subject and to accomplish comprehension which is useful for underlining the efforts for peace.
This book prompt me to do some research on that subject but also to other related documentations of the 2nd World War among other things of de Zayas. He gave me understanding but also the impulsion to get closer to that topic. This book is a must to understand the German history completely and to be able to deal with that. The first German version of that book was published in 1977 under the title: Die Anglo-Amerikaner und die Vertreibung der Deutschen, Vorgeschichte, Verlauf, Folgen.

Abraham Lincoln once said that "history is an agreed upon set of lies": I believe every word. The atrocities that were committed by the Allies to helpless civilians should never be forgotten and should be included in modern textbooks, lest we be damned to repeat such ethnic cleansing. Let us see history for what it is, not what others wish us to believe. I applaud Mr. De Zayas for having the intestinal fortitude to step forward and offer this intriguing account of the horrors of revenge.

It's very difficult to find much information, especially accurate information, on these expulsions. This book is a very responsible portrayal. Of course the Germans in a way brought this nightmare on themselves, but its hard to really justify the hypocricy and historical distortions of the Poles and Russians. I wonder whether these border adjustments can stand the light, now being allowed, after 45 years of Russian occupation? The current dysfunction of these regions begs for German investment, dispite the ambivalence of the current residents. At least this book brings to light, for those few who have read it, the hypocrisy of the allies.

Abraham Lincoln once said that "history is an agreed upon set of lies": I believe every word. The atrocities that were committed by the Allies to helpless civilians should never be forgotten and should be included in modern textbooks, lest we be damned to repeat such ethnic cleansing. Let us see history for what it is, not what others wish us to believe. I applaud Mr. De Zayas for having the intestinal fortitude to step forward and offer this intriguing account of the horrors of revenge.

This excellent volume combines 2 books by the highly readable Viscount Norwich. His history of the Normans in south Italy and Sicily in the 10th and 11th centuries fills a gap in our knowledge of these fascinating mercenaries who-would-be-kings and rings true even today with the impact of Europeans on the Arab world and vice-versa. Remember, the Normans (of Norman Conquest of England fame) were the descendants of Viking raiders who settled in France and their military prowess against the Byzantine Empire and conquests in Italy were just as important as their better known invasion and conquest of England and Ireland in the same centuries.

Norwich is a storyteller as much as he is a historian. He resembles Barbara Tuchman -- you might not base a doctoral thesis on his work, but he certaily provides a great read. In many ways, this work is superior to his Byzantium trilogy. This may be because he has bitten off a more managable slice of history. This allows Norwich to go deeper on the main personalities and events he is covering. You really come a way with a feeling for this remarkable adventure of the Normans in Southern Italy and the advanced and powerful state they were able to create. It also highlights thier impact on the crusades, Byzantium, and the broader struggle between the Pope and secular power. I really enjoyed this book -- so much so that I travelled to Sicily to visit some of the many amazing artifacts left behind by this underdocumented "other conquest" of the Normans.

Dull and daunting as this title might seem for the general reader, this is actually a facinating and important episode in European history. For the more cynical it could serve as a primer for any group seeking to achieve political power by taking advantage of the inherent problems of a weak and divided polity. Diplomatically, it proves a brilliant example of a weaker party playing off stronger powers to its considerable advantage. For the more hopeful, it provides one of the regrettably few examples of Christians (Roman and Orthodox) and Muslims not only coexisting, but mutually prospering and profiting, under a pragmatic but culturally informed leadership. Lord Norwich's writing style and sense of what is actually important creates a lively, entertaining and informative look at the period.

The prospect of reading a 750-page tome on the history of Sicily between 1016 and 1194 would probably seem inviting only to the most masochistic of history buffs. That Norwich's book (originally published as two works, "The Normans in the South" and "The Kingdom in the Sun") has enjoyed its well-deserved longevity and such an admiring audience is a testament both to the thoroughness of his investigation and to the enthusiasm of his prose.

By necessity, Norwich populates his history on a crowded and expansive stage. This is less a chronicle of Sicily than the story of Europe during the Middle Ages, with the Normans in Sicily playing a starring role. Popes from Urban II to Alexander III, kings from Henry II of England to Louis VII of France, emperors from Frederick Barbarossa to Manuel Comnenus--they all warily circled the arenas in southern Italy and Sicily, with the Normans of Sicily at the center of nearly every major confrontation of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, from the investiture controversy to the Crusades.

But the real heroes of Norwich's masterpiece are the Sicilian rulers themselves, along with several of their often-insubordinate underlings. We are introduced to a sequence of memorable dukes and duchesses and kings and queens: Robert Guiscard and Sichelgaita, the fearsome husband-and-wife team who led the conquest of southern Italy and the campaign against Byzantium; Roger II, the first king of Sicily and a brilliant warrior, diplomat, and administrator; William the Bad, William the Good, and the final William III, who ruled over the island and its fragile government in its glory days; and Queen Constance, whose marriage to Henry VI, of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, brought Sicily into the Holy Roman Empire.

As the above dramatis personae suggests, "The Normans in Sicily" is largely a history of military campaigns, political intrigue, and diplomatic schemes. Norwich supplements his story, which was purportedly written with the tourist in mind, with doses of cultural history (particularly art and architecture) and with descriptions of the palaces, churches, monasteries, and other sites that have survived eight centuries of upheaval and restoration. He also examines the unusual melding of the three religious traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Islamic) and how their occasional harmony and ultimate conflict affected the society and culture of Sicily in ways not coincidentally reminiscent of Spain during the same period.

Especially notable is his resuscitation of the reputation of William the Bad (or Wicked): "The epithet rings false. There was nothing evil about him. . . . [His] reluctance to face up to so many of his political responsibilities was due not only to his natural indolence but to a genuine conviction that there were others around him better qualified for the task. . . . Perhaps William the Sad might have been a more accurate description."

Of social and economic history, there is (not surprisingly) very little. The sources for such an investigation are limited, and these concerns were barely beginning to blossom among English-speaking historians in the 1960s--and Norwich admits he is not a scholar, though he writes far better than many of them. He was, however, conspicuously ahead of his time both in his assessment of the role of women in the expansion of the kingdom of Sicily and in his even-handed presentation of various religious customs.

"The Normans in Sicily" is, then, a traditional history, but one whose scope and whose value cannot be overestimated. And it doesn't hurt that it's exciting to read.

This is one of the best layman's books about any conquest. Norwich is unputownable history at its best. Witty, wise and taking rather a different view of the Norman Conquest of Sicily and South Italy than Norman Lewis, his is above all a kind of adventure story. It is also a look at a dynasty that makes the Colby family look pathetic. The humour that sparkles throughout the book helps make the whole experience more enlightening. A masterpiece of popular history at its best, it may be unfashionably concerned with the doings of the mighty, but who can resist the corrupt Popes, the machiavellian intrigues of the Byzantines, the gormless Germans and of course the Italians themselves, and the city-states and vassal-states endlessly changing sides, like an Italian football supporter when his own team isn't playing.

Ireland's history is a violent one and, as Fulbright Fellow Carol Daugherty Rasnic shows in this book's first chapter, this is not only true for the 20th century but dates back at least to the island's 1169 Norman conquest - and actually, even further, as the Viking invasion of the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries consisted of a series of rather aggressive campaigns as well. The difference, however, was that despite these bloody beginnings the Viking colonists were eventually absorbed into Irish culture and daily life; contributing thereto rather than continuing their attempts at its suppression. Conversely, throughout much of Ireland's subsequent history, suppression was the preferred method of government of both the Normans and their British descendants; who brought in English settlers not to cultivate the island together with their Irish neighbors but to drive those out, thus sowing the seeds of the hatred still plaguing its society today, and no more so than in the six provinces still constituting British-controlled Northern Ireland, after the ill-famed 1920 Partition which eventually brought independence to the island's southern part.

Inseparably linked to nationality was, particularly from the times of Henry VIII on, the issue of religion; the English settlers being Protestants belonging to the Church of England/Ireland, while the vast majority of the Irish hung on to their Catholic faith; thus suffering discrimination not only on the basis of their nationality but also that of their religious beliefs. Tracing the multiple facets of today's division to their historic origins, Professor Rasnic shows how the identification as "Catholic" and "Protestant" has long come to exceed a mere religious denomination, mixing with everything from a person's stance towards the British administration of Northern Ireland to his or her national/ethnic origin, area of residence and social environment; to the point that the religious label is used even by those who have little to no spiritual connection to the church whose faith they claim as their own.

In the eight chapters following the book's initial historic overview, the author takes an in-depth look at the major issues dominating contemporary Northern Ireland life and politics, from ethnic strife and the (particularly: "Orange," i.e. unionist) parades, apt to newly ignite the fires of hatred every summer, to issues of governance, the release of prisoners convicted of terrorist acts, "decommissioning" (i.e., disarmament of the paramilitary groups active on both sides of the conflict), the position of the police and the administration of (criminal) justice, human rights and instances of persisting discrimination, and finally, the sectarianism in the province's schools, threatening to perpetuate the existing divide for a long time to come. Particular emphasis is given to the terms and effects of the so-called Good Friday Agreement, the April 10, 1998 agreement between Northern Ireland's major political parties and the governments of Ireland and Great Britain designed to bring an end to the province's "Troubles."

Although the book is subtitled "An American Legal Perspective," this is by no means the work of an outsider: Professor Daugherty Rasnic herself is the daughter of Irish immigrants on both parents' sides, and prolonged stays in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have intimately acquainted her with an island which, quite obviously, is not merely her ancestors' home but an inseparable part of her own identity as well. A lawyer by training, she moreover brings to the subject the analytical skills necessary to digest problems as intricate as those ravaging the province of Northern Ireland; and her interest in and experience with the American civil rights movement provides for a truly unique perspective, enabling her to not only put the Northern Irish situation into a larger European context but also draw comparisons to similar issues of racial strife and discrimination in the U.S.

Aware that the issues she addresses - particularly with regard to the legal aspects of the Good Friday Agreement - may well have the effect of a strong barbiturate on her non-lawyer readership, the author apologizes for having to address matters which "only a constitutional [law] purist could love." Quite unnecessarily so, however, as she does a marvelous job in explaining a set of highly complex questions of constitutional and international law which, I am sure, are confusing to many lawyers as well. Moreover, Professor Rasnic's manifold comments, anecdotes relating to her own experience and sections entitled "A Personal Perspective" provide a truly personal tone; while scholarly in its overall approach to the subject and dedication to detail, the book nevertheless reads more like a conversation with the author, reflecting much of her doubtlessly vivacious nature, passion, empathy and sense of humor - humor even in the face of adversity proving her yet again, as cliche (and maybe not just that) would have it, a true daughter of Irish parents.

In addition to all its other merits, this book also benefits from its author's easy access to over twenty principals and other individuals involved in the Northern Irish peace process, from then-First Minister David Trimble and Police Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan to Northern Ireland Assembly members of virtually all political colors (with the notable exception of the Rev. Ian Paisley, whose camp seems to have been the only one to adopt an obstructionist attitude), judges, attorneys, clergymen, social workers and professors at various universities; all of who add their own insight and perspective on the "Troubles," and whose comments are faithfully reported; in many instances verbatim.

Professor Daugherty Rasnic concludes her analysis with the words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats: "I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Like the great poet's words, her book expresses the hope that, one day, Northern Ireland may find a lasting way out of its "Troubles" (and no doubt, she is watching the province's recent political developments with a certain sense of trepidation). With this book, she has made a contribution of her own to the search for such a path - and I have a feeling that it will not have been the only one.

I have read many different types of books over the past 60 years, but this book is by far the best, fiction or nonfiction alike. Professor Rasnic has accomplished what many authors wish they had accomplished, by giving the legal perspective in a human and many time humerous way, makes for easier reading for those of us who may not always understand legaleaze. This book in my estimation should be on the required reading list for anyone who wishes to understand the legal aspects and history of American and Irish similarities during the same periods in time.

Northern Ireland: Can Sean And John Live In Peace? An American Legal Perspective by Carol Daugherty Rasnic (Professor of Employment and Labor Law, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia) is an impressively researched and presented study of the conflict in Northern Ireland, including the religious and political forces that drive it, as well as the law and the legal system as a means to deal with what the Irish called "the troubles". A thoughtful, exhaustive, scholarly inquiry, Northern Ireland is a sober and informative account and a very welcome contribution to academic International Studies modern reference collections concerned with global issues and conflicts in general, and Contemporary Irish Political History reading lists in particular.

The world has too many Northern Irelands, and most of the time we form our opinions from some politcal ideology we have, or some news report or TV program. What we really need to be honestly informed about these "trouble spots" such as the Middle East or Kashmire or Ireland is to read a well reserched and well written book like Carol D. Rasnic work. She has certainly paid her dues and told us about something she has studied and live in for many years.And most important, she has not taken sides.

This book allows the American reader to gain insight into the true nature of what Irish call "The Troubles".

The conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions is viewed from the perspective of a American woman. Her experience with segregation in the American South enabled her to understand the cultural and economic factors that divide these groups.

Her insight clarifies the fact that this is not simply a religious issue. It is one of long standing cultural and economic differences between all factions.

I found this book to be an invaluable aid in understanding the complex and difficult social hostilities that afflict these people of a common background.

Professor Rasnic has spent a great deal of time in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Her contacts with officials, politicians, clerics, and most of all, the Irish citizens gives her a special perspective. This was an enjoyable and educational read.

After I read the book "Diary of Mary Berg" I was so intrigued that I looked up some of the other books that are referenced in the "Diary of Mary Berg". I bought 3 more books from different authors that lived in the Warsaw Ghetto and I have been very pleased with these books because they deal more with the uprising in the ghetto then the diary does. The stories are very emotional and heartfelt. I am not Jewish but I was just as eager to learn from these books about the history of that time. I encourage everyone who may be interested to read this book or others like it to get a better understanding of what life was like in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.

As we each sit in our little world each day perhaps having pity on ourselves. This book should be a guideline to keep us from self-pity. The author fairly reports from diaries gathered throughout the Holocaust Horror. He does not only blame Nazi Germans but Jewish Police. This is a bold, honest reflection into the eyes of children, adolescents, parents, as they were waiting for their fate. This book made me smile about humanitarism even when they truly did not have alot to share. This book made me scared for what the power of humans can do to weaken spirits. It made me cry to realize the horror they felt. I cheered hoping the author would go unharmed. I wept when I realized a man and his family perish because of a cause they firmly defended. True heroism.

Unquestionably, this is one of the best written books I have read pertaining to the tragic historic event. It is an easy reading book however, it is hard to put down once you start.

I will cherish my book always.

It is many years since I've read "Notes From the Warsaw Ghetto" but it remains fixed in my memory along with Emannuel Ringelblum, who emodies for me the human ideal. In a time and place where death and destruction reigned, a simple teacher, father and husband bore witness to the inhumanity surrounding him. Ringelblum and a few other brave souls, ojectively recorded the daily lives of the inhabitants in the Warsaw Ghetto in considerable detail; describing the planned and enacted starvation, disease (rampant typhoid), the demands of the Germans on the Jewish Council for more and more Jews to be handed over for "deportation" and "resettlement in the East" (in truth the freight cars would carry the deported Jews to death camps of Treblinka and Auschwitz).

His unearthed notes bore witness to the end of Jewish life in Poland and the attempts to maintain the vibrant society that once existed. Ringelblum's notes relate to us that despite the madness that had become their world, and the unknown future they faced, the Jews of the ghetto played music, sat in cafes (without food or drink), educated their children, worshipped, held political debates, prepared young zionist to make aliyah to eretz yisroel, collected arms and prepared to fight back. When the age old question arises; what does it mean to be a human being, I think one need look carefully at the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto to see how humanity can and does flourish despite the evil surrounding it.

This book presents a factual chronological statement on the conditions, daily tribulations, and perils of the Warsaw Ghetto. It is written in a documentary style rather than an emotional diary, thus providing a basis to compare and contrast against other "diaries". THIS SAID, it is a moving statement on Warsaw Jewry and their ability to overcome impossible odds, eventhough the overwhelming majority perished. The plethora of historical revisionists that now claim the Holocaust was a hoax must FIRST contend with "Notes"( aginst which they will lose). A truly powerful work.

It is a little-known fact that, during the first two or more years of the German occupation of Poland, Jews were treated better by the Germans than the Poles. Emmanuel Ringelblum alludes to this (March 25, 1940; pp. 24-25), when Poles felt safer masquerading as Jews! Also (August 6, 1940, p. 45): "True, they [Jews] were beaten; but Poles were shot. True, Jews are impressed into work; but Poles are sent out of the country to work...Jews were deported from Cracow in the course of several weeks, Poles in a few hours." (p. 45). Also (January 22, 1942): "The question of who is worse off now, the Jews or the Poles, is often discussed." (p. 248).

Many Holocaust films exhibit a simplistic hagiography of Jews and demonization of Poles. In contrast, Ringelblum appreciates the diversity in the conduct of members of both groups, which can be summarized as follows (April 26, 1941): "[I] heard the opinion expressed that war reveals the best and the worst in people. It's like a high fever, in which everything is clarified. On the one hand, some Christians offer to help the Jews; on the other hand, bestial anti-Semitism; on the one hand stony hearts [among the Jews]; on the other, devoted self-sacrifice to aid those suffering from hunger." (p. 157). As Jews were being ghettoized, Poles showed sympathy in some locations and not in others (p. 45). The same holds for exploiting vs. helping Jews with regards to post-Jewish properties (pp. 51-52).

Polish hoodlums' attacks were not limited to Jewish victims: (February 27, 1941): "On the other side of the Jewish graveyard, young Poles have formed bands that attack Christians as well as Jews." (p. 127). Sometimes Poles came to the defense of Jews under attack by Polish hoodlums.

Ringelblum mentions positive Polish attitudes and helpful Polish actions towards Jews many times (p. 21, pp. 51-52, p. 64, 66, 91, 137, 152, 199, 216-217, 322-323). In terms of generalizations, at least some Jews believed that most local Poles were good to the Jews (May 15, 1941): "The Catholics displayed a far-reaching tolerance...Mr. Isaac estimates the percentage of saintly gentiles in Starograd at 95 per cent." (p. 170). Polish organizations are credited with doing away with Polish blackmailers (October 15, 1942; p. 322).

Ringelblum alludes to the Germans' torching of a synagogue in Lodz and then blaming the Poles for it in an attempt to divide Poles and Jews (p. 39). He also never loses sight of the fact that Poles were also victims of the Germans. He discusses the privations and mass murders of Poles, notably of the Polish intelligentsia, numerous times (p. 21, 26, p. 30, pp. 38-39, 137, 145, 154, 169, 259, 288). The Poles realized that they were "next" when they saw the Jews ghettoized (p. 91).

All illegal acts had to be conducted away from the prying eyes of the Germans and their informers of various nationalities. Ringelblum spoke of Jewish informers (p. 251, 339-340), Jewish Gestapo agents (p. 182, pp. 280-281), and the search for Jews hiding within the ghetto (December 14, 1942): "In 90 percent of the cases it was the Jewish police who uncovered the hideouts. First they found out where the hideouts were; then they passed the information along to the Ukrainians and Germans." (pp. 340-341). Ringelblum doesn't mention the fact that Jewish agents, specially trained for the unmasking of hideouts, were also sent to Polish urban areas, and into fields and forests, in order to uncover Jews hidden by Poles.

A recurrent theme in Ringelblum's diary is the avariciousness of both the Polish Blue Police (Policja Granatowa) as well as the Jewish ghetto police (e. g., p. 145, pp. 154-155). Also (May 25, 1942): "As a result, a smuggler has to buy off four parties: Polish, Jewish, and German policemen, and now civilian agents as well." (p. 278).

In common with other chroniclers, Ringelblum's harshest criticisms are directed against fellow Jews (September 22, 1942): "The Jewish police had a very bad name even before the resettlement. The Polish police didn't take part in the forced-work press gangs, but the Jewish police engaged in that ugly business. Jewish policemen also distinguished themselves with their fearful corruption and immorality. But they reached the height of viciousness during the resettlement...And now people are wracking their brains to understand how Jews, most of them men of culture, former lawyers (most of the police officers were lawyers before the war) could have done away with their brothers with their own hands...Very often, the cruelty of the Jewish police exceeded that of the Germans, Ukrainians, and Letts...For the most part, the Jewish police showed an incomprehensible brutality." (pp. 329-331).

Owing to the actions of the Jewish ghetto police, a relatively small number of Germans and their Ukrainian and Baltic collaborators sufficed to send over 300,000 Warsaw Jews to their deaths at Treblinka (October 15, 1942): "Why could 50 S. S. [SS] men (some people say even fewer), with the help of a division of some 200 Ukrainian guards and an equal number of Letts, carry out the operation out so smoothly?" (p. 310).

During the actual extermination process, there was the Jewish outcry over the fact that the world was not doing anything to stop it. But even what later became known as the Holocaust was at first contextualized by Ringelblum (June 25, 1942): "Why should the world be shaken by our suffering when rivers of blood are spilled daily on every battlefield? In what respect is our Jewish blood more precious than that of the Russian, Chinese, English soldiers?" (p. 296). Ringelblum concluded with several proposals for stopping the extermination of the Jews (pp. 297-298).

This book is written in a clear language, easy to understand. I found chapter 3 (Software Development Based on Reusable Technology) very helpful with its client-server example. Excellent work!

The book is a comprehensive guide to understanding software engineering and especially recommended for beginners as well as intermediates in the field of software development. Provides varied dimensions of software engineering and combining the best of theoretical and practical aspect of software development. The book forms a very good resource for understanding software engineering terminology without being intimidated by technical jargon. The code accompanying the book is concentrating on JAVA2 and subsumes concepts of any Object-Oriented Programming language. The contents of the textbook deal with understanding the complete software development life cycle model and its different phases from inception to termination.
It is an absolute must for a clear understanding of good software engineering practices.

This book was my class textbook in a second year software engineering class. Personally, I found that it covers quite well the basic, and some of the more complex, aspects of software engineering. A sample of the numerous software engineering topics covered include software patterns, requirements gathering, software testing and project management. The book also serves as an excellent introduction to certain of the more important aspects of the current version of the Unified Modelling Language (UML). The book also reviews some concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Although it uses Java 2 as its example language, the concepts explained in the book can be applied to another programming language such as C++. Finally, the book is written in such a manner that it can be of use to the novice software engineer (or software engineering student) as well as an experienced developper looking to enhance his or her knowledge. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to people wishing to increase their knowledge of software development.

I used this textbook as an introduction to Software Engineering, and for the first time in my University career, I didn't find my textbook lacking or incomplete.
This book covers it all: the basics of Software Engineering, a review on Object-orientation, the software life cycle, detailed modelling in UML, architecture and design, patterns, and testing.
The material is easy-to-read, in-depth, well organized, and comprehensive. Too often, you find a book that bogs you down in its wordiness and jargon, but this isn't one of them.
This book was written by professors in the Software Engineering field who know, from years of experience, what a student needs to know in order to learn and understand the process of software engineering.
This is not a book that will sit on your shelf: I used it all the time during my first software course and still take it as my reference for all my other software courses.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a lot about software.

This is an excellent introductory textbook for CS courses on software engineering. It features OO, UML, iterative processes, a good treatment of software frameworks and design patterns, constructive sample projects, and complete set of slides and full-length lecture RealOne video for free downloading. It is a thin book, but it contains more updated information than many classical ones. Most importantly, the authors have the confidence to air their opinions with justification, instead of compiling and citing a lot of inconsistent historical definitions or events.

While reading On My Swedish Island by Julie Catterson Lindahl, I noticed I had a myriad of feelings towards it. At times, I was bored reading about herbs that are apparently capable of making your life more enjoayble, but at other times, I perked up upon reading about Sweden's "Every Man's Right" law. The book was well organized and easy to read through. I felt as if I could do some of the things Lindahl mentioned and create my own Swedish paradise inside my New Jersey home.
To begin with, Lindahl suggests various ways to achieve inner peace. The Swedes are big on being outdoors and this value shines through in the writing. Although Lindahl is British, she married a Swede and appreciates and respects their values. She used to run on the treadmill everyday but ditched this habit and began going outside to run and cross country ski. "..I live in part of the world where the overwhelming majority of people perceive going out into nature as an integral part of life. A 1995 study showed that 80 to 90 percent of Swedes and Danes...spent recreational time in forested and natural environments or parks." (Lindahl 49-50) It's hard to get out and enjoy nature when no one else around does and too many things are going on. I appreciate how much the

This has become one of my top favorite 5 books because of the wisdom the author shares. Everything from simply living spaces, simple food, the outdoors, being content with less and more observant about the world around us. Call it Scandinavian zen or simply wise living.

The author hits the nail on the head when she shares how our choices can make our lives better and that these choices often have to do with being still and observant and not allowing big business or hurried people to sway us from taking the path less traveled.

Its a book that I read and then set down, then pick up and read some more, and set down. I savor the lessons I have learned from the book and have recommended it to simple living group friends who like myself try and live a self sufficient lifestyle void of so many of the 'must haves' that American society pushes.

Living here in the Sierras I also appreciated the authors wonderful stories about what the outdoors offers. Be it walking for fitness, or enjoying the fresh fish and vegetables it offers.

So much to be learned from the author and cannot recommend the book highly enough.

For anyone who is interested in travel and culture, or for anyone who wants to improve his or her life to achieve a better lifestyle, this book is excellent. I myself fit into both categories, so I am very happy with it. I love this book with its very personal voice and several simple, practical ideas on how to enrich my life, (such as through recipes and tips) based on Scandinavian traditions. Also, it is a great read! I am definitely recommending it to my friends and relatives.

The suggestions in this book are not expensive. It is always good to get back to the basics. This book has sent me back out doors to enjoy my own little slice of nature. I don't think she is suggesting others to recreate her experiences but to consider your own. This book is a very good buy.

I thought the book was entertaining,enlightening, comprehensive, and useful. It made me dream of my very own 'away from everything' cabin in the woods living with nature. The references were especially useful and I am already using some of the products mentioned in that section. A very good book for anyone who cares about health and keeping our planet as it should be.