Europe Books

Having met the esteemed Sharanksy and heard him speak many times, this book, which he autographed for me before a speech last year, is priceless. The tales inside, as well as the lessons, are incredibly moving, angering and inspiring.

I recommend this book to all, especially American Jews who should read this man's story to understand what people of our religion have gone through, especially in Europe -- and how lucky we are to live in a peaceful, tolerant and fair place like these United States...where, like ALL minorities, we are treated better than anywhere else we've dispersed during our near 5800 year religious history.

Ignoring this book is why people don't understand history and evil: be that Nazism, Communism, Islamo-fascism or the dangerous left wing media who appeases these animals here and abroad.

Natan is a hero to the human race. He is wise beyond his years and his wife really proved what true love is. No wonder our Oresident sticks to his convictions. We should all be like Natan

In this classic, in the tradition of The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956, Prisoner of Zion, Natan Sharansky, one of the greatest Jewish heroes of our time, tells of his nine years in Soviet prisons and gulags, because of his desire to live in the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.
Sharansky was first denied an exit visa to Israel in 1973. Seperated from his wife, Avital, a day after thewir marriage, in 1974, Sharansky fought for the rights of Jews in the Soviet Union as well as the rights of other persecuted minorities such as Pentecostals, Catholics, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and ethnic Germans, which disproves the repulsive charge by anti-Semites that Zionists only care about their own people.
He worked as a translator for Soviet dissident and human rights champion Andrei Sakharov, and his spokesman.
Sakharov never stopped fighting for Sharanky's freedom, for human rights and for the Jews of the Soviet Empire.
Sharanky describes his life in the preface as a Jews growing up in Russia, and his mental liberation from Soviet thought slavery, by his discovery of his Judaism and Zionism. He then details his 1977 arrest, and his nine years of brutal incarceration.
He never bowed to his captors and refused to have anything to do with the perfidious KGB.
A variety of mental and physical tortures were used to try to break Sharansky, but he never flinched.
Always given courage by the word of the G-D of Israel, and particularly guided by Psalm 23:
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For though art with me..."
Indeed he did not fear the evil of the Soviet tyranny.
His wife Avital tirelessly fought for his release as his cause became known in the free world, and fought for by all freedom-loving people.
The book ends with Sharansky's release in 1986 and his aliyah to Israel, where he was reunited with his wife.
The book is a testament to the evils of a one party tyranny.
It is a testament to the eternal endurability of the Jewish people, and their unbreakable bond wit the Land of Israel.
Unltimately it is a testament of hope and of freedom of the human spirit.
Today the same Communist ideology that persecuted Sharansky is waging a jihad of intellectual terrorism against Israel and her people.
But the courage of people like Sharansky and the people of Israel has shown that Israel can and will prevail.

Having met Sharansky in Israel (Birthright alumni!), and having had a long time interest in the Soviet Jewry dissident movement - which allowed my own (Jewish) family to emigrate from the Soviet Union in '91 - I had little doubt as to the outcome of Sharansky's imprisonment. As someone who has read a number of books on similar subjects - in particular the Alexander Solzenytsin "Archipelag Gulag" series - I was a bit dissapointed with "Fear no Evil". (Nevermind that Solzenytsin is widely believed to be an anti-semite; I'm speaking of the literary aspect only.)

In contrast to Solzenytsin's breathtakingly vivid literary style and powerful analysis of the core of the Soviet regime and it's criminal code, Sharansky's book read rather like an eagle's eye view of a convoluted social and political order. "Fear no Evil" reads instead like a game of mental swordsmanship, with a self-inflicted narrow focus quite removed from breadth and depth of a much needed analysis on the Soviet system as a whole.

However, Sharansky does not proclaim himself to be a literary guru. This book is a poignant (if dry) portrayal of one man's fight for freedom - both for himself and 2 million of his people. The uncompromising stance taken by the author with the Soviet regime throughout his imprisonment - his life, family and future hanging in the balance - is awe-inspiring in its simplicity and effectiveness.

It has become a cliche in our time that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". Yet the Sharanskys of the world have proven that one need not be a terrorist to be a freedom fighter. Where are such men today?

"[Saul] put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on [David's]head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around... "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached [Goliath]".

So begins the story of the famous battle between the future King David of Israel and the giant Phillistine during Biblical times. In Natan Shcharansky's "Fear No Evil" (the title taken from one of David's own psalms), the author is less equipped even than young David in battling the ubiquitous and evil KGB, which maintains an illegal presence in the prisons he's held in (again, illegally), accused of spying for western countries. But because of decisions he makes early in his arrest, he is the victor in the struggle waged over his soul by men who would like him to acknowledge he is wrong, who would like him to implicate others in his "crimes" in order for favors from them, or who would simply like him to stop being the delightful fly in the prison ointment he is.

Shcharansky's only weapons during his trial and during his following prison term, consist of his personal integrity, which remains unsullied; his faith and trust in his family and friends; and a tiny book of psalms that he will spare nothing in reminding prison officials he is entitled to. He sometimes has to wage a hunger strike for these things, but always wins. It is true that his wife, who managed to reach Jerusalem before Shcharansky's arrest, is on a worldwide campaign for his release, resulting in no less than two sitting US presidents mentioning him by name in speeches heard by Soviet officials as a political prisoner, as well as global support, but Shcharansky does not learn this until later, and so believes he is virtually alone in the fight.

This gritty autobiography is a lovely example of human survival, and how one can keep his humanity in a horrific place. Shcharansky's relationships with his fellow "zeks" (prisoners) is especially touching, and we're able to get a glimpse of how even the guards in the system have surrendered their souls in this "police state".

A great read for anyone questioning how to survive while it seems suffering and injustice are towering overhead. Very inspiring.

If there was only one book I could recommend about firefighting, this would be it. It is filled with easy to read, interesting, and quite possibly life saving tips and techniques based upon the real world experience of Chief Norman and the many other leaders in the fire service that he has learned from. I had the first edition, then the second edition, and now the third. If there is ever a fourth, I'll probably buy that too.

THIS BOOK HAS TO BE A CLASSIC AS FAR AS FIREFIGHTING IS CONCERNED. IF YOU ARE A FIREFIGHTER, THIS BOOK SHOULD BE IN YOUR LIBRARY. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT.

It is widely discussed in fire service circles that this text is an amalgom of FDNY tactical bulletins and other internal documents, such as Ladders 3 and Ladders 4. If so, it offers useful information for fire problems most of us routinely encounter. The 3rd edition has hideously tiny print and is over run by wordiness, but does have additional chapters on WMD issues as well as townhouse/garden apartment fires. There is new text intersprised all through out the book. Norman is a tough read - passive voice, run on sentences and double negatives - but the material is still worth digging through. And hey, the bulding classification codes from the 1st and 2nd editions got corrected.
A must for any working firefighter.

I found this book to be very informative. It helps answer the "what if this happens" questions that every firefighter ponders when they have time to reflect. I definitely recommend picking up this book whether you are an actual officer or firefighter.

I bought this as a text for a class but I'm finding it very thorough and easy to follow with tons of good info.

Of the three Josef Pieper books I have read (namely i) the anthology and ii) Faith, Hope and Charity and this present one), this has been the best for me. Pieper excels in crystalline clarity of thought; he exudes the wisdom of St Thomas. The brilliance of this book lies in Pieper's ability to see the depth of meaning in things, how we human being are configured towards right order and that when we damage and destroy this order, such as by committing an injustice, we not only damage others but counterintuitively harm ourselves more. Pieper examines Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, shows their ranking in the order of virtues and shows how they interrelate.

Pieper has shown me something I would simply never have come to know myself, namely that prudence (as classically understood, not the cunning of the tactician, as understood in modern times) is the pre-eminent virtue. But, not only that, he shows clearly the true nature of the virtues and distinguishes them from the counterfeit virtues which society labels by the same name. Pieper is particularly good at showing how counterfeits of these virtues are in fact manichaeistic in nature, often showing disdain of the body. Thus, he cites St Thomas as saying that in paradise the pleasure which man derived from the sexual act would have been greater rather than impaired by an over-spiritualism. He is also excellent on anger. The tendency towards an overly spiritualist attitude with disdain for the body has resurfaced in recent years (see, for example, the talks of Anthony de Mello SJ where he indicates that Christ's manifestation of the natual passions, such as anger, is indeed a short coming!). Referring to St Thomas, Pieper shows that "anger" at times may be in fact a manifestation of right reason and the lack thereof may show deep spiritual disorder.

In this book, one finds one continually surprised, almost taken aback by a train of thought. The real star of the book is the Great St Thomas, mediated by the great Josef Pieper!

This book contains four separate sections, one on each of the cardinal virtues. In each of these, Pieper takes a look at the virtue as defined, or often mis-defined by the contemporary world and he contrasts this with how the Church in general and St. Thomas in particular understand that given virtue. What emerges is a picture of true humanity. Often what the world offers us is appealing but insufficient, God calls us to go deeper and strive to reach higher, and in return He promises us true joy. As other reviewers have noted, this is a challenging but rewarding read. The insights it provides leave much to ponder as to how we can truly begin to live more richly in God's desire for us.

Simply brilliant reading. Living naturally is what the crux of this book is all about.

The book delves into ethics, civics, justice, philosophy, psychology, and I think it is a healthy tool for understanding classical literature: Shakespeare, for example, and the inner psychology of his characters as this moral plain, that Pieper describes, is so much closer to his than most of what we hear in our modernity.

Pieper, here, spends time defining what the classic moral compass is, taken primarily from the last officially sanctioned church doctor St. Thomas Aquinas. Pieper brings Aquinas and other philosophers' language up to date, for the ears of the modern mind. Christianityfs definition has too much to do with how it's enemies, or alterior users, wish to define it and Pieper spends a short time correcting this in places.

If you liked this you might like Pieper's Virtues of the Human Heart which is a bit less discriptive but more powerful.

Pieper also makes the point that the most important stuggle is the internal struggle for meaning and direction in any organization or person.

Tapping into the core of the western philosophical tradition, Pieper shows the reader how the ancient virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance, have a universal and pressing contemporary application, in the world of human decision making....i.e., the right thinking that clears a path ahead. Formulated out of the Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian traditions, he reminds of their elemental spirtual basis in Faith, Hope, and Charity.

He notes with special emphasis, the primacy of the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence, as the clear eyed and humanly perfectable, effort to take a hard, and as objective as possible, look, at the entire factual context of a decision. And, in one of the most beautiful chapters among many in this wonderful book, is Pieper's elucidation of how this caluclation is aligned and informed by the the Spiritual Virtue of Charity.

I find the book to be both a practical and a spiritual insight into human awareness itself.

I first came into contact with this work because it was a required text for my seminary class on ethics. Pieper is a first rate German philosopher and expert on the works of St. Thomas Aquinas.

If you study this book, The Four Cardinal Virtues (fortitude, temperance, justice, and prudence), along with his other book, Faith, Hope, Love (the three theological virtues), you will have a wonderful primer on ethics.

One word of warning. Philosophy is not light reading. I know, it was one of my majors. Philosophy written in German and translated into English produces a book not for the timid. If you are willing to take on the challenge, more power to you. It is worth the effort, but you should know what you are getting into before you put down your money. This is a book for those who want to think and wrestle with ethics. It is not for everyone.

A remarkable tale of Hasidic (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews and the miracles that happened to so many in spite of the ravages of the Holocaust.

A mix of prose and poetry, tears and turbulence, you'll want to read it from cover to cover.

One of the great pieces of literature related to one of the worst times in modern history.

Michael

As far as I know, this book was the first collection of Hasidic responses to the Holocaust to make it out of the "Jewish literary ghetto" and into the mainstream, where it remains a popular read in both Jewish and non-Jewish theological circles. It was also the first collection of stories about Jews who did NOT lose their faith during the Holocaust (most of them, anyway -- there are one or two exceptions in the book.) Prior to this, religious Jews in the Holocaust were portrayed by the media as as "cowards who didn't fight back" rather than the religious martyrs that they were. (Most typical of this anti-religious period is the infamous line from the movie version of Leon Uris's EXODUS: "The only god I believe in is a gun.") I won't go into the politics of it here, but, suffice it to say, the post-Holocaust Zionist movement was more interested in freedom fighters than saints.

The Hasidim, however, had a different view of their suffering during the Holocaust. God had not deserted them, even if He seemed hidden in a time of darkness. The Hasidim were telling their own Holocaust stories around the Sabbath table or at community gatherings but, because most of this telling was oral and in Yiddish, it was unknown to the general public. Enter Yaffa Eliach. As a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, she began hearing these tales from her students. Brooklyn College had/has a high percentage of Hasidic students and, through them, Eliach got to know their parents and other Holocaust survivors, including some of the Hasidic Rebbes. The result is a fine collection of true Holocaust stories that will forever change the way you view Hasidic Jews. Courage, as this book demonstrates, doesn't always mean grabbing a gun. It can also mean hiding a child, sharing your food when you yourself are starving, or meeting death with your human dignity intact. To maintain one's faith under such adversity, to continue studying Torah and doing the mitzvahs even in a concentration camp -- these were acts of true resistance that shine through every page of this book. I give it ten stars!

This inspiring book is one of the best books writeen on the Holocaust. I read the book every year on Tisha B'av, the Jewish day of national mourning and never cease to be amazed, inspired and touched by the myriad of stories in this wonderful book. This copy is being given as a token of appreciation o someone I wish to thank.

i must say that I am surprised that no reviews I have come across so far adress what appears to me this books most remarkable feature: Its power of inspiring faith. In fact, I would site this book as one of the most concrete proofs of the existence of God in print. Stories of the divine powers that are granted to the compassionate, the devout, and the faithful surpass all description. Please read this book, I treasure it like a scripture, and the courage, profound faith, and integrity of its characters burns in the heart like fire. i have never wept like I wept when I read these simple stories for the first time, and I continue to draw bittersweet emotional sustainance everytime I read and re-read its pages. There is too many brilliant anecdotes to choose examples, But as I write I remeber the story of the boy whose friend apparently died in a forced labour factory. The young man was piled in the frigid cold of night in a pile of corpses after a terrible illness had left no sign of life in him. The grandfather of the boy kept appearing in his friends dream to tell him the his friend must be "woken up". After the third dream, the youth was more frightened of the dream than of risking his life to escape to where the dead were piled to investigate. The youth found his friend amid the corpses, and when he repeated the granfather's invocation to "wake up", he indeed stirred! The story concludes with the boy warming his friend, bringing him to safety, and survival. It is marvelous and breathtaking to discover that these miraculous and spellbinding stories occurred in the darkest heart of humankind's darkest hours, and that they have been compiled in this manner is a fitting tribute to is subjects.

Yaffa Eliach is to be commended for collecting and publishing these tales. They tell stories of Jews who despite horrible trials and sufferings kept their faith in God, and their decency as human beings. The paradox is often that only when human beings are subject to the worse trials do they reveal their greatness. These stories are stories of inspiration not only for Jews but for all of mankind.

This book is one of two Henri's books I have and the best one. The book to go through again and again. Then go shoot some pictures and go through it again. You'll be surprized how many fresh impressions you'll get every time. Very inspiring book. Highly recommended for practicing fotographers.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

I have many of Cartier-Bresson's books, but this is the one I find myself drawn to.

Time and again I thumb its pages and find something in the photographs that I never before noticed.

This isn't some book full of "pretty" pictures in the conventional sense. One has to look at each picture to understand what inspired HCB to capture it.

I have a few favorites photos from this book, but those that stand out in my mind are of the picnic by the Marne and of the little boy carrying two large bottles of wine.

The Marne photo is so well layed out that, if one didn't know better, it would seem staged. That simply wasn't Cartier-Bresson's way. Although their faces are not seen, I "know" what each of the people look like.

The opposite is true of the little boy. His face is there for all to see and interpret. What is he thinking? Is he happy? Is he proud to be showing off for the little girls in the background?

Many of HCB's photos force us to read his mind and the minds of his subjects. These seemingly impromptu snapshots not only depict what HCB saw, but also depict it geometrically.

To someone like myself who has dabbled in "street photography", HCB epitomizes the genre.

As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.

Being of Italian decent on my mother's side, I was overwhelmed by this fantastic collection of Italian accomplishments. This book gives detailed information about contributions made by Italians and Italian-Americans. Finally, a "User friendly" book which is quite addictive and difficult to put down. This reminds me of those famous stories my mother use to tell me as a boy. I only wish she had the opportunity to experience this pleasant and enjoyable reading material. I highly suggest giving this book to any young person who is trying to discovering his/her great rich Italian background. It is all here!

I enjoyed the Heritage Italian American Book immensely. Being Italian I found the book to be very informative and entertaining. The book became a wonderful gift for my family and friends. A close family friend-teacher/priest expressed to me how he was going to introduce the material in this book to his students. He complemented the true educational benefits of this exceptional book. Amore' Thank you Leon...Job well done.

Reading this book is like roaming through 2000 years of the Roman empire and all the transplanted Romans who grace the US. I loved it and I'm not Italian. And, sorry, Leon, but I don't even want to be Italian. I've got a better idea. Why don't you do one on Jewish or Irish people? They're pretty entertaining. The book probably deserves five stars, but I'd like to see some graphics in it, so I just gave it four.

When the family gets together either at home or for an outdoor picnic, we whip out our copy of "Heritage Italian-American Style!" We have a blast with this jam-packed collection of both recognized and some not-so-well-known contributions that Italians have made to better the world. Invariable, the teens and young adults chime in to test their own knowledge of their culture and are often surprised to discover in the process of "playing" a game...just how much fun learning can be! Especially, when you're learning about why we should be proud to be Italian!! The old timers are equally entertained while being secretly educated at the same time!!

As editor of AMICI Magazine, the largest Italian-American Magazine west of Ohio, I am inundated with requests to review Italian books. Leon's book is one of the few I couldn't put down. It made me think. It made me laugh. It made me proud...or prouDER, should say!!

I can tell you one the cultural tragedies of our time is that we're literally forgetting to keep our kids Italian. As silly as that sounds, the truth is many families today understandably marry outside of the culture or simply live life in fast lane and overlook the importance of story telling, carrying on Italian traditions and keeping ourselves informed about our culture. Books like Heritage Italian-American Style truly keep our heritage alive!

Once you get your own copy, you'll see why you feel inclined to buy several for your family and friends!

Radomile's presentation on Italian-American culture is a warm reflection on what has often been demeaned, or misrepresented in the press, or totally lacking in book form. I found so much information, in such a easily obtainable manner that I could not put this outstanding presentation down until I literally devoured its contents. A must read for all Italianophiles. Sincerely, A.H. Angelini

This is an extremely well written and thoroughly researched book. As usual, John Davies writes in a style which holds your interest while exploring a wide (sometimes vast) area of historical subject matters. Other countries should be so lucky to have such interesting, competent and even-handed scholars writing their histories. Highly recommnded.

While Scotland and the medieval periods is my area of history, I often have need to know what is going on in England, Ireland and Wales, to fully understand what is going on in the 'big picture'. The history of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland did not happen individual vacuums, you so need to know all their histories to fully comprehend external pressures as well as the inner problems of each nation. So I have found this a wonderful work for reference on Wales.

It covers the history of the country from the dawn of time to 20th Century. So if you wish to know about Ffynnon Beuno or the Rebecca Wars, this is your book.

Excellent reference for Historical writers.

Even in the great 'Celtic revival' of the past generation, where the cultures of the Celtic fringes of Britain and continental Europe have re-exerted themselves in various political and non-political ways, the Welsh revival has been late in coming, and a little less forceful in affect and event.

Perhaps history is to blame here -- the Welsh have been only marginally protected by geography; the mountainous area was difficult terrain to conquer, but the supply lines to those mountains were relatively easy to maintain and sustain, unlike the trek to the northern reaches of Scotland or crossing the sea into Ireland, areas that (however much English history might want to contradict this statement) never were completely conquered and subdued, remaining under the hegemony but outside the total control of Londinium/London from Roman times to the recent past. Wales was never so fortunate. Indeed, it is a miracle that the Welsh survive. The Scots lost land, language and independence, but retained administrative and legal systems separations that preserved many aspects of nationhood. The Irish never completely lost independence. The Welsh, however, lost everything of nationhood, and barely sustained an independent culture. Thus, when the 'nations' of the British Isles began to re-exert their independent interpretations of history, the Welsh were among the last.

However, sometimes the last shall be first. In terms of quality of writing and interpretation, the volume by John Davies, `A History of Wales', is indeed in a class of its own in terms of Welsh history. Dafydd Elis Thomas read into the `Hansard' (the British Parliamentary equivalent of the `Congressional Record') that this is 'the greatest of book of Welsh history ever written'.

It was, in fact, originally published in Welsh, under the title of `Haynes Cymru' in 1990. From the Ice Age to the 1980s miners strikes and efforts to reassert a national identity, Davies traces in some detail a history of Wales from a Welsh perspective, inextricably tangled with English and continental history, but nonetheless deserving of its own perspective as one of the last major surviving Celtic groups.

`A number of factors, the increasing prominence of the European dimension in particular, have caused the devolution issue to return to the political agenda.... From 1911 to 1981 the number of Welsh speakers declined census by census. In 1991, however, those claiming a knowledge of the language were marginally more numerous than had been the case in 1981, and the increase among the younger age groups was especially remarkable.'

Davies confesses that he contemplated writing a different book in English, as this was meant to be a Welsh book, and he would have envisioned a different book had his first thought been in English. However, given the demand of non-Welsh readers to read the same history treatment as those who do read Welsh, Davies consented to a translation rather than a re-write.

The time frames are not the same as those of standard British histories, which tend to follow the broad sweep of royal affairs. While there is some parallel of necessity, the time factors and dates here have far more interest to the direct concerns of Wales than to the rest of Britain.

The reader should also be prepared for an array of names, of both persons and places, that are very confusing to the average reader of English -- Gwydir, Llangeitho, Aberffraw, Catraeth, Llantwit, Penmynydd and Llyn Cerrig Bach. However, it is worth the effort to learn these names and places. Particularly in America, where so many people have Welsh ancestry (the Jones now outnumber the Smiths in America as the greatest number of people by last name, and Jones is a Welsh name by and large), this is part of the collective history of America, too.

Well written, well researched (Davies was educated in Wales and at Cambridge, taught Welsh history at University College in Wales), this is perhaps the currently-accepted definitive history of Wales available today.

Well written and well researched. It is an exhaustive history that will not exhaust you. I am reading it for general interest and find it hard to put down.

John Davies covers a lot of territory (in terms of time, if not in space) in his "A History of Wales", originally published (1990) in Welsh as "Hanes Cymru". This will probably stand as the definitive general history of this fascinating country for years to come.

Beginning with the earliest evidence for human occupation of Wales, Davies brings us up to the end of the 1980s. Each of his ten chapters covers a particular time period, and each chapter title features three place names that represent, and figure into, the theme of that chapter/period. Davies touches on nearly every aspect of Welsh history--the political, the social, and the cultural. If some themes garner less attention than others, that is to be expected in a survey of this kind. One theme, of course, dominates this volume (as it should), and that is the relationship between the Welsh and their much more populous English neighbors to the east. That the Welsh were able to resist English domination for so long is miraculous; despite eventual English hegemony, the Welsh have managed to preserve their language, while over the past century there has been a revival of Welsh culture.

The writing is clear and concise, a testament to Davies' skill as both writer and translator. Davies has included a wealth of maps and graphs to illustrate many of his themes. If I have one complaint about "A History of Wales" it is the complete absence of photographs and other illustrations that would have benefited Davies' narrative immensely. That being said, however, this is a fine introduction to a part of the British Isles that we in the US hear very little about. Four and a half stars.

While Sir Martin Gilbert is known mostly for his detailed histories of Winston Churchill, WWI, WWII, the Holocaust and so on, his book, "Holocaust Journey," which documents his two-week trip with graduate students to major sites of the Holocaust (starting in Berlin) is gripping and wrenching. He provides both historical commentary for many of the stops, while his colleagues bring first-person stories that add detail. I would recommend it for students of the Holocaust -- and for those considering following his itinerary.

This moving and fascinating book describes the fourteen day journey of historian Sir Martin Gilbert and a group of his students of the holocaust , exploring sites associated with Jewish history both before and during the Second World War.

The group moves through France and Belgium and then on through Germany , onto Berlin , where at Wannsee plans where made , in 1942 , for the anihilation of Euope's 11 million Jews.
Moving south and then east the group moves on to the sites where the diabolical 'Final Solution' was actually put into practise - the death camps themselves - Auschwitz , Chelmno , Belzec , Majadanek , Sobibor and Teblinkla.

Gilbert fills this volume with both horrifying eyewitness accounts and details with his own phenomenal knowledge of Jewish and holocaust history , in this geographic pilgrimage and historical excavation.

We learn about the ancient and mediaeval roots of Jewish communities in Europe and about the rich Jewish life and culture that flourished in thousands of cities , towns and villages before the Nazi inferno destroyed European Jewry. Gilbert details the attacks on Jewish communities in Germany and elsewhere during the crusades and the pogroms , and blood libels through the ages. Gilbert details the specific horrors of the holocaust associated with each location.

We learn interesting and little known historical facts , such as that Spanish leader Francisco Franco protected the Jews , refusing Hitler's demmands to deport the Jews of Spain , who had been marked out for mass murder at the Wannsee conference , and how Franco also gave shelter to thousands of Jews from France who had managed to cross the Pyrenees.

We learn of the plans Stalin devised before his death to mass murder the Jews of Russia and deport the remainder to Siberia.

The horrors in the book which are recounted are inumerable and at times very graphic-sensitive readers should be careful. These are horrific and bloodchilling accounts of demonic inhumanity and cruelty , of unbelievable suffering.
We also read of heroism and survival against the odds.

It is difficult to believe that such a rich Jewish life existed in places where today there are no or very few Jews.
Holocaust survivor Rachael Fraenkel speaks of what for her was the most 'painful reminder' of the Holocaust "was an exhibition in the building in Prague. Burial Society of paintings by children in Terezin. In the majority of cases the only reminder of the child's life seems to be the paintings they had produced. The mixture of subjects from beautiful countryside scenes wretched and and tormented faces was painful to see. To see such horrific scenes from the minds of such young people , must surely reflect their mental anguish. All that went through my mind was "so young , so innocent , so dead."

The origins where in a village in Poland of the Israeli National Anthem-Hatikvah-The Hope.
Israel is the country that arose out of the ashes of the holocaust - the reborn life of the Jewish people.
The international fury against the collective Jewish presence in Israel certainly mirrors the rise of Nazism.
If we can learn anything from the holocaust it is to defend Israel and her people from the hatred that inievitably leads to mass murder.

Until reading this book, I really didn't understand the true scope of the Holocaust. As a kid, I learned about Anne Frank and the Jews who were required to wear yellow stars; later on, in high school, when we were deemed able to handle such things, we watched "Night and Fog" with its graphic images of those murdered by the Nazis. These experiences were all somewhat clinical, really. The true human cost of the Shoah takes a while for one to fathom.

Gilbert's book does that through his readings of eyewitness accounts, usually on the scenes of their occurrences, of the unspeakable horrors which the Nazis committed. (Readers who are easily shocked should be warned that many of the stories are indescribably gruesome and will haunt one's dreams, as they did mine.)

But apart from the toll in human flesh which the Shoah exacted, the spiritual cost becomes clear through this book. Gilbert, through his readings and observations, paints a portrait of a country which was literally raped of its vitality and life by the Nazis through the indiscriminate murder of Jews and Gentiles alike. Especially poignant are the descriptions of the pre-war Jewish neighborhoods, alive with activity, commerce, and religion, all completely decimated.

It's fashionable for one to claim they are against anti-Semitism and radical nationalism; it's a much more complicated affair for one to understand why these are bad things. This book goes a long way towards reaching that understanding.

I took this book with me on the same trip thoughout Eastern Europe in November. This was the second visit to Eastern Europe with American Jewish Congress. This is the book to read before the trip, and then to take with you when you visit these horrible places. Nothing can prepare one to see what was once full of Jewish life, and is now empty of Jewish life. However the personal comments and views of Martin Gilbert explain what was once full of a Jewish life, and is now no more.

This is a book that one must read to understand the Holocaust.

Although reading Martin Gilbert's book will do no harm if you are just beginning to study the Holocaust, it will certainly be more difficult to appreciate. What you are buying in this book is a detailed travel journal, not meat-and-potatoes Holocaust history. It is a rich vitamin supplement of insights and prepared readings delivered during a 1996 excursion which Gilbert and his students took to former sites of Jewish deportation, genocide, and Nazi occupation. Roughly outlined, the journey starts in London and passes through Brussels, Berlin, Theresienstadt, Prague, Auschwitz, Krakow, Belzec, Sobibor, Lublin, Majdanek, Treblinka, Warsaw, and Chelmno. The travel entries, while thoughtful and considered, do not lack spontaneity and can even be startlingly raw.

While this book has much to offer, how to most benefit from it is something of a conundrum. It is likely best to refer to "Holocaust Journey" after having read about or visited a particular site mentioned in the travelogue. Basic background and history should be gotten elsewhere, as what Gilbert largely documents here are impressions, feelings, and observations. Reading Gilbert prior to confronting these geographic locales ourselves, either in person or via the printed word, may well taint our own first impressions and rob us of a more pristine emotional state from which to experience our own responses. My now-dilapidated hardcover copy of "Holocaust Journey" traveled with me to the Jewish quarters of Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow, and to the concentration camps and memorials of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek, and Treblinka in early 2002. When I read Gilbert's book prior to my arrival at a site, I found myself wanting to experience what Gilbert experienced, as impossible as that clearly is. Our responses to the Holocaust are as different as the individual stories which comprise it. On the other hand, having traveled alone much of the way, I found this book a comforting companion and empathetic sounding board after I had visited a site, sometimes even expressing my own feelings, thoughts, questions, or fears.

The readings and brief background notes which Gilbert supplies at each location are extremely well researched, relevant, and poignant. While there are too many to mention in a review, I will remark that those providing insight into the mind and heart of educator and orphanage director Janusz Korczack proved particularly moving. Rather than allow them to meet their fate alone, Korczack chose to be deported along with his orphans to the extermination camp at Treblinka. "Holocaust Journey" directed me to Korczack's memorial stone at Treblinka and the courtyard of the still-present orphanage in Warsaw. For me, a handful of words in Korzac's diary aptly captured the grotesquely distorted existence under Nazi rule. For Korzac daily life had become "a stock exchange quoting the weight of conscience."

I bought this book in a bookstore in Hollywood,(my friends said I was the only person they knew who could go to Hollywood and find a bookstore). "Land of The Firebird" is one of my all-time favorite books. Suzanne Massie, the wife of Russian historian Robert Massie, (Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandria), has a great love for Russia and its people and it glows from every page. As a historian, I hate to admit it but too many history textbooks can bore one to the point of tears. No one who reads this book can be bored. In its pages you meet characters from Russian fairy tales like Maryushka and the wicked sorcerer Kaschei the Immortal, Prince Vladimir of Kiev who became a Christian and changed the course of Rusian history forever, the tragic Ivan the Terrible, and the titanic Peter the Great who brought Russia kicking and screaming into the modern world.
But along with the history of the great rulers of Russia is the story of how they all added to the body of work that makes Russian art some of the most beautiful in the world. Russians loved to live on a grand scale, and their art was as lavish as the lives they led. Even the common people had a great love for vivid colors and rich peasants made their wooden homes into works of art. The book comes with beautiful illustrations and leaves the reader wishing for more. It is great as a textbook in art history and history classes or for anyone who wants or needs to know more about the Russians. My copy of the book is worn and falling apart. I am going to order a new copy from [...] so I can keep this treasure for years to come.

A comprehensive pursuit of pre-Revolutionary Russian history, well crafted and beautifully written. In my view, this is one of two distinctly outstanding single-volume histories of early Russia available. The other is Orlando Figes' "Natasha's Dance". The first six chapters proceed up to the first Romanovs, granting Ivan the Terrible a captivating revealing that is clearly informed by good scholarship. Chapter 10, "Catherine: A Mind Infinitely More Masculine", delivers a riveting, provocative look at Catherine and her Russia, with probably the finest chapter in the book. The VERY best thing about Land of the Firebird is the profusion of illustrations, all meticulously chosen. Photographs are plentiful (including an amazing snow-covered Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour), but three ample sections of color plates pour out a stunning array of Russian paintings, which, if not unrivaled by other comparable single-volume efforts, is remarkable for an exquisite discretion. Land of the Firebird is a knowing work with respect to Russian art history. Here are Ryabushkin's "Russian Women of the Seventeenth Century in Church", Repin's "Ivan the Terrible at the Death of His Son", Serov ("Peter II and Princess Elizabeth Riding to Hounds"), Levitsky, Argunov, Kiprensky, Shibanov's "Celebration of a Marriage Agreement" (beautifully reproduced), Briullov, Venestianov, Chernetsov, and Sadovnikov (the darkly beautiful "View of the Winter Palace at Night"). Indeed, there are multiple paintings by Repin, F. de Haenen (five paintings c.1912, including the exuberant "Ice Slide"), Serov, Larionov, Malevich and Kustodiev (1916), including his bewitching "Moscow Tavern". The final plate is Serov's heartbreaking "Nicholas II". I mention these artists' names (and more are included) for those familiar with art history, to say to them this is a very worthwhile book. But the magic of pre-Revolutionary Russian art is unreservedly here for us all in a masterfully drawn Russian history primer. Useful bibliography in appendix. Absolutely recommended.

This is a very detailed book on Russian History by Suzanne Massie and I greatly admire it. It is certainly a must have for those who are interested in Kievan Rus, the Mongol Invasion, Ivan the Terrible, or any of the Russian composers like Glinka and Stravinsky and the Mighty Handful. Just don't expect any Soviet history. This is all about the times before the Revolution.

A+

I've had this book for years and it's one of my all time favorites- a must read, insightful. Beautiful- exquisite illustrations.

I first read this magnificent tome on Russian history and culture in 1997. As it was part of a history class in college, the first read was a bit of a drag...page after page of description concerning the minutia of Russian life: clothes, churches, meals, religious & superstitious rituals, architecture, commerce, political strife, and so on. Really, with the whirl of the Social Circus of that college year, trudging through all this obscure information brought me no end of grief and silent lamentation! To think of all that time I could have been out with friends looking to score whatever cheap release was on hand or burning inside...spent instead sludging through *detailed history*!

Cut to four years later...

I'm going to Russia. In two weeks. Like so many other unplanned affairs that seem to formulate out of nowhere and take one by the lapels, shoving one screaming into the storm of life, this reviewer took it in stride and decided to find some quick-but-informative text on the destination in mind--especially one with such contradictory reports as Mother Russia. Thus, I dug this out of my library and began anew, stifling a faint unpleasant feeling no doubt inspired by those long sleepless college nights. There had to be some merit here, yes?

Oh yes.

'Land of the Firebird' is a WONDERFUL and ENGAGING in-depth look of Russian history from 987-1917, spanning the ascension of Vlad and the Orthodox Church to right before the Revolution. With colorful prose Suzanne Massie details the variety of Russian existence--tsars and serfs and merchant-princes and babushkas--no stone is left uncovered as she cross-references nearly a thousands years, writing with equal consideration of art, poetry, country-life, court-life, politics and its myriad games, myths and legends, influence "outside the sphere." It would be impossible to truly set down the full range of Russia experience for this time in the 450 pages allotted the reader, but the author does an admirable job in covering the major shakers and movers and events while sparing a considerable amount of print for the minor peoples and patterns that set the foundation of this ancient, troubled country. It certainly put an interesting light on what I saw come the spring of '01.

Indispensable for the casual student of Russia.

This book makes fascinating reading. It helped me to appreciate more the musicians I was already familiar with, such as Jack Teagarden, and opened my eyes to a lot of people I knew little or nothing about. Be sure to pick up the companion CD, too.

This is the finest book about jazz that I have ever read. I own many of the records that the author dissects, as well as having seen several of these great jazz artists perform, and I find his judgment perceptive and unerring. But this is far more than just a book about jazz music. What makes these musicians tick, how did they happen to assemble together for a recording session, how did the record business impact their selection of pieces to perform? The author draws on a variety of academic disciplinces, including art, psychology, economics, and social history, to put his subjects in perspective. Most important, he is a fine storyteller who empathizes with the people he writes about. While many reviews focus on his overall thesis about race in jazz, this is but one theme he articulates, and it serves more as an organizing structure for the book than as its sole message.

First of all, Dick Sudhalter is a gifted writer. He crafts his narratives like a well constructed solo or composition. Second, this book tells us about early white jazz musicians and correctly describes the interplay between vital African American innovations and the contributions of Caucasian jazzmen. Sudhalter in no way diminishes the seminal contributions of African American jazzmen. He simply talks about the contributions of other artists, and does a masterful job of helping us to see the interplay between musicians who have given us this wonderfully entertaining music. I thought I knew a fair amount about the history of jazz. After reading this book, I know more. Nothing is more American than Jazz music (just my opinion), and the more you understand it, the more you know about the USA in the 20's and 30's. I keep re-reading parts of this book because there's so much here.

While a brilliant documentary, Burns' "Jazz" also reinforced the notion that jazz is exclusively an African-American artform. Fortunately, "Lost Chords" does much to blow away that misperception. While never belittling or downplaying the role of those African-American giants in jazz, this book does an outstanding job of profiling all of the individuals and bands who received short shrift from Burns: Steve Brown, who pretty much invented jazz bass playing; the Jean Goldkette Orchestra; Miff Mole; Frank Trumbauer; and may more. And he does so in a way that is both interesting to the casual fan (with anecdotes and such) and the hardened muso (excerpts of scores abound). A scholarly tome, this is a worthy addition for any jazz fan's library. I look forward to Volume II.

Not a mere antidote to political correctness in jazz criticism; Lost Chords is a prewar cultural history, a lesson in music structure, a history of woodwind instruments, a guide to innovations in guitar tuning, AND MORE. It shows the musicians as human beings with all their failings, humor, drives, hard work, and talent. I especially loved the account of the bass sax --- an instrument that looks like it could double as a moonshine still --- and its usefulness in the early days of sound recording. Sudhalter admonishes us to listen to the music and to make up your own mind. Exactly right. A good place to start is Robert Parker's Bix Beiderbecke Great Original Performances 1924-1930 (available on Amazon) If you have ever heard an early 78 rpm record, you will be astonished at Parker's sound restoration.