H Books

A great blend of England's colonialism and personal human challenges of family, love and war. I enjoyed every part.

Samsara Moon initially finds our hero, Stephen Hamilton, in the late 19th Century/British Empire era. Soon, the reader is immersed among beautiful images of far-off lands where colorful characters abound. While this tale contains plenty of action to keep the story moving, ultimately Samsara Moon is a tender story of family, faith and determination. S.H. Post has crafted a heartbreaking yet uplifting story full of unexpected and page-turning twists and turns.

Superb debut effort by S.H. Post.

I thought Steve did an excellent job with the Samsara Moon novel. Prior to reading his book my reading interests have been mostly with Crime/Corruption type fictional novels so I was not sure how I would like this Historic Period piece.

Did not take me long to get hooked on this book. Steve's knowledge, vivid descriptives and weaving of historical events made you believe that this was a very true story. His development of the characters in the book really got me interested in and had me rooting for the good ones.

As I got into the book was rooting very hard for Captain Hamilton to persevere and find his way through all his hardships. The fact that he managed to be able to do that and still stay focused on his career with the KDG was very inspiring.

I look forward to the future works of Steve and this book has allowed me to broaden my reading interests.

Samsara Moon struck a special chord with me as I'm currently going thru my own personsal journey in moving to New York City. Throughout the ages, I have amassed friends from various backgrounds: Persian, British, Latin, Asian, etc. etc. This book made me go down memory lane involving my adventures (good & bad) and the wonderful friendships forged along the way. This book made me think of the movie called "Four Feathers", which highlights love, loss, friendship, and nobility. The whole story was seamless and allowed me to get captured in the changing landscapes like a gypsy would do on their travels......

Steven Post's first novel exhibits his extensive knowledge of history by evocative, accurate settings in England, Ireland, India, South Africa and Ceylon from Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 to 1901, a 13-year span in Capt. Stephen Hamilton's military career and family life. This is a step back in time as an eye witness account of men involved in battle, and a strong man's developing relationships with his son and daughter and his changing perceptions as the British Empire evolved during political upheaval.

Post's characters are realistic, human, and well-rounded, including a close friend known for colorful language common to males in uniform. Capt Hamilton's platonic relationships with female friends after his beloved wife's death are honorable, positive examples for boys and girls--so encourage sons and daughters to read this second chance at love. The lack of gratuitous sex makes this one I can suggest to middle schoolers and above.

This story of healthy, growing relationships, male/female and man to man, could appeal to either sex. I am curious to hear my Navy ROTC college-age son's opinion of the military aspect.

An Anglophile may find the author's vocabulary challenging (he stumped me twice in the first two pages), yet readers unfamiliar with this era could follow the terminology thru Post's use of connotation and denotation. He often sets up an explanation of the background that makes this a wonderful way to learn history in an enjoyable way.

Home-schoolers, take note: RECOMMEND this to MALES and females over 14 interested in British Empire military history, the grieving process, father/child relationships, critical thinking, travel and romance--in that order.

Armchair Interviews says: Interesting read for middle-schoolers and a bit older.

Shadows on the sea was a great book to read. It is about a girl named Jill Winters who goes up to her grandmother's cottage in Winterhaven, Maine. She soon finds out that her mother has to pass through the dangerous waters of the atlantic to visit her brother. The Atlantic is filled with dangerous "u-boats" or german submarines. Jill also finds out that in the town of Winterhaven there a germans hiding adn waiting to attack. Will she save the town of Winterhaven or not?

Shadows on the sea was a great World War II book to read. It gives you the real life of an actual person who lived in the world at that time. It was very suspenpensful with all the action. It gives you a taste of what it felt like in the war. In my perspective I would have been terrified if I was Jill. Hopefully there is a sequal to this book. Another book similar to this is Private Peacful.I would recommend this book to anyone!!!!!!

My 11-yr-old daughter, 5th grade advanced reader, was assigned to do a report on an Historical Fiction book regarding its symbolism. I gave my daughter this book and she enjoyed it very much and is doing her report on it. I was worried that it would not have much symbolism in it but I read it myself and found that it is chocked full of symbolism. She only had to come up with 8 symbols, but there are many, many more in this book. I'm very happy about that.

This book changed the way i think now of all life i am so happy i decided to read this book from my school library. Its packed with action the beginning is sort of boring but keep reading it gets so much better.

decpite the fact im a boy and this is about a girl i boght it at my school fair.and i truly loved it.im a history geek and this was very accurate to what civailains went through.i do know that this would 99.9 of the time this would not happen.although the gerry's did send sabouters (who were cought.)overall this is a very good book and a nice way to show school kids what civalians went through during the war.

Shadows on the Sea takes place in Maine during World War II, and it is the year of 1942.
This is an intriguing book about a girl named Jill Winters. Her dad, Drew Winters, is a famous singer. When her Uncle Cliff gets sick, her mother needs to go see him and Jill's father arranges for Jill to go by herself, by train, to Maine, to see her Nana. Ever since Jill's mother went to see her Uncle Cliff, Jill has been listening to the radio to hear if a German U-boat torpedoed the ship her mother went on.
On the train, Jill meets a rich girl named Wendy and she and Jill become friends. From there the story begins. The two remain friends for a time then Jill meets a boy called Quarry and he introduces the girls to a group called the Crystals. You have to be voted in to the Crystals and Jill was voted in because her father was famous. Wendy wasn't and, so, Jill and Wendy's friendship broke up. Jill and Quarry remained friends though. Then Jill found Sarge, her Nana's cat eating a pigeon, she found a flask attached to the pigeons leg, and in it was a piece of paper with "sonnabend IV" written on it. Jill told Quarry about it. This is the mystery part; from there you will start staying up at night to read. This book is good for people that are interested in World War II and are ages 9 and up. I really enjoyed this book; it is historical fiction. If you are not a fan of reading, this book will get you reading. If you are looking for books to read, Joan Hiatt Harlow is the author of this book and many more great books.

Just the chapter on Skin Care is worth the read.

Unlike other books, this one leads you into the recommended changes very gradually, so you don't come away after reading it thinking you cannot possible remember everything you are supposed to do and give up before even trying.

My recommendation is not to think about this process as a 10-week long program.

Just take it one day at a time, in week-long blocks. Mark the changes on your calendar. Don't look at the whole 10 weeks. Just look at what you will do during the first week. Then you look at what's on schedule for the following week when it starts. And so forth.

If you are consistent, you'll see dramatic changes.

I needed quickie proof that something in this book works, so I began the skin treatment first. Since you see your face every day when you wake up and before you go to bed, your face is a good place to start seeing changes. When your complexion shows improvement even after a couple of days, you'll think...."Wow...I ought to do those other things in the book."

Before you realize it, Voila! You'll have lost a few pounds, and the people at work will ask you what you've been doing with yourself.

I'm on week four. It must be working because my clothes don't fit as tightly and my skin looks GREAT.

Since the pig-out holiday season is starting up, don't punish yourself if you fall off the wagon. Pick up where you left off. One binge isn't going to result in total failure...just a little set-back from which you can quickly recover.

And if it takes you 12 weeks or 15 weeks, just keep doing this program. It worked for my husband, and it is working for me.

This book purports to assist you, O Baby Boomer, to remove 10 years of aging in only 10 weeks. This book has no schematics to build a time machine, instead it's a guide to vitamin supplements, health issues such as sexuality, diabetes and heart disease, how to preserve your mental accuity and much more. I was surprised to find some interesting nuggets of information that, taken together, form a good blueprint for healthful habits. Some of the habits (quitting smoking) are a given. Others, such as finding supplements like bilberry to ward off eye problems, are not so well-known.

This author is not on the low-carb bandwagon (recommends the more usual lower-fat, whole-grain diet) but this is in keeping with such books as "South Beach Diet."

What's valuable to me are lists of supplements and what degenerative processes they help deter, and a general plan for good health in your middle age and beyond. This is a readable, useful book.

Filled with practical, well researched information this book contains the distilled knowledge of the most recent studies on aging. The book is organized in a way that allows you to go to the areas that concern you most and read that section without having to read all the preceding chapters.
The chapters cover such topics as getting rid of fat, regaining lost muscle, boosting your brain power, getting rid of fine lines and wrinkles, recharging your immune system and others. Julian Whitaker and Carol Colman have created an interesting book that puts information you would normally have to search across many reference articles to find into one easy to read book.

I began reading this book after I quit smoking hoping for a healthy new beginning. It is absolutely a delightful understanding of how you can reverse past mistakes and embark on a fresh start to reverse aging. I have basically purchased many of the suggested items and have seen a remarkable change. Alot of the items were somehow difficult to find such as the high potency multi vitamins without iron which was suggested but I am searching vigorously. I think anyone who reads this will understand when I tell them to purchase this for friends and loved ones. Awesome reading!

When a dieter seeks to reclaim youth, health, and vigor, he or she would most likely turn to the newest trend: human growth hormone. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with that as there is a clear place for HGH as a tool for health, but before one goes that route, it might make more sense to go back to the basics of a balanced diet and food supplements. In SHED 10 YEARS IN 10 WEEKS, Dr. Julian Whitaker and Carol Colman urge the health conscious to reappraise their diet so as to eliminate harmful foods and increase beneficial ones. The approach of the authors is bedrock common sense mixed with the knowledge that each brings to the table, he with his years of expertise in diet and nutrition and she with her own contributions to Melatonin and hormone research. What separates these two from other more widely known authors is their ability to take complicated issues related to diet and supplements and make these issues ring with clarity. Whitaker and Colman divide their book into 10 steps or chapters, with each step focusing on one aspect of dietary advice. For example, in step 2, called "Lose A Decade's Worth of Fat," they outline a 10 week program that urges the reader to do all the right things: eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables; establish an optimum intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat; cut down on red meat, add soy to the diet, recognize that some fats (like Omerga-3 fats) are necessary for cardiovascular health; choose which phytochemicals might help be useful; be aware of the importance of soluble and insoluble fibers. Now all this is what your Granny might have been telling you for years, but Whitaker and Colman manage to punctuate Granny's sage advice with the absolute need to listen to her and to them. The major focus of this book is on diet and supplements. It is interesting to note that if one were to follow their advice prior to adding human growth hormone to a health regimen, then the results of that HGH might likely deliver the fancy promises of the hype. SHED 10 YEARS IN 10 WEEKS is highly recommended in that it takes a complicated subject and breaks it down into easily manageable chunks.

My family has southern roots so we occasionally cook southern dishes that my mother prepared.However, my mother has passed-on and now and then, I find myself saying,"Gee, I wish I could ask Mom how she did that."
This cookbook has solved that problem. I have glanced at many so-called southern cookbooks and ended up being disappointed with their recipes.
This cookbook is the "real deal". Lundy knows the towns and the people my family came from.Her chili-bun recipe is dead-on for a recipe my husband and his family raved about for years after the restaurant closed. I have found other recipes here that were similar.
The real surprise is that not only are her recipes familiar ,they are very good in quality.Her crab cakes, while not native to area, are just plain excellent.I trust her recipes as much as I trust Julie Childs.
I have given away 4 copies of this cookbook to delighted family members. My own copy is dog-eared and stained from use.This is a "keeper".It won't gather dust on the shelf.

This just doesn't have good old recipes, it has wonderful stories to go along with them. Makes a person homesick for that period of time when there were good cooks, good stories, and a loving family.

Anyone from Kentucky will love it

I spent my first 58 years in Dayton, Ohio, my mothers' people hailed from Georgetown/Lexington Kentucky- tobacco farmers for the most part. My materanl grandmother could have written this cookbook. It is the best regiional cookbook, authentic. I have ordered 4 more to share with my children.

This is the best book on southern cooking I've ever found. It doesn't need the first part of the title. "The Heart and Soul of Southern Country Kitchens",is however,quite appropriate. These are the foods I grew up with and have missed for years. Thanks to Ronni Lundy's book I've found them again.

This cookbook is an absolute delight to read and to use. I grew up on this food in Louisville, KY. My Dad was a city boy and a firefighter and my Mom was a country girl. We lived on a combination of firehouse/country food and there is no more delicious combination of cuisine. Like a prior reviewer, the excerpt about the Cozy Theatre and the Suburban Fish Fry brought back some powerful memories. That fish was the best I have ever had. Ronni Lundy's book is the epitome of real regional food.

Howard and Ali were pals...you can feel their love for each other in this book. We miss both of these players...

Where else but in American sports can an old, white, Jewish veteran befriend a young Black Muslim draft dodger? They may not have been friends who loved each other, but it was convenient for both of them. If you can't take advantage of a friend, then he's not. They had things in common. Both were driven. Both had over inflated egos. They were the greatest. If you don't believe it just ask them. Well, Howard Cosell is dead & Ali doesn't talk any more. Their early life & struggles are covered well so that you understand where they came from. Cosell was a World War II vet. He earned a law degree then decided he wanted to do sports on television. He was brash, obnoxious & smart. His relationship with Ali & Monday Night Football made him a nationally recognized sports journalist. Ali, originally Cassuius Clay had a fairly normal upbringing. Then he won Golden Gloves Championship & Olympic gold metal in 1960, that propelled him into his pro career. Before he was finished he had became & is the most recognizable man on earth. He was the world Heavyweight Champion, that most singular of all championships, three times.
Ali was despised for his faith, his refusal to serve in the military & of course his race. Eventually, he overcame all these obstacles. The U.S. government pursued him, denying his draft deferment status. As a result he was also denied the right to box for several of what would have been his most productive years. He lost millions of $$$ & was stripped of his championship. Eventually, he was aquitted. Cosell covered him all along his journey. The author, Dave Kindred spends quite a bit of time on Ali's three fights with Joe Fraizer & rightly so. Ali's life has become an inspiration to kids on all continents but especially the impoverished millions in Africa. He was persecuted by his own government & cheated by the leaders of the Black Muslim faith that managed him. He apparently is now a quiet soul bearing no malice to anyone. Cosell on the other hand became embittered after his MNF gig. He wanted to be taken seriously as more than a sports announcer. When he wasn't he didn't take it well. Poor health eventually claimed him. A good sports book for all us fans of a certain age that remember Cosell & Ali in their prime.

David Kindred has written what amounts to a duel biography of the controversial odd couple that is Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell. The author tells us that Ali elected to not join the military because the Muslim Nation told him not to. To cross them was to literary toy with his life. The assassination of Malcolm X being used as an example. While not necessarily agreeing with Ali's decision Cosell supported Ali stating that taking his heavyweight championship away from him without any semblance of due process was completely wrong. There appears to be evidence that Cosell may have already been experiencing dementia when he came out with his second book entitled I Never Played the Game. Aware of the criticism in his book of his cronies in the TV booth for Monday Night Football Cosell was asked before publication whether he wanted to include these strong opinions. Since he always prided himself on telling it "like it is" he felt it would be hypocrisy of him not to do so now. Cosell was a devoted family man while Ali ventured into nocturnal delights. It was hard for sports fans to be neutral in regard to either of these men, but boxing was the ingredient that brought these two men together first in mutural respect and then in friendship. Incidentally, page 247 has a hilarious anecdote of Howard using his colorful vocabulary in breaking up fisticuffs involving teens in Kansas City. Whether you are a fan of either man or the part they played in sports you will find this to be an extremely enjoyable book to read.

Dave Kindred has done lovers of sports and history a favor with Sound and Fury.

Using two cultural giants - Mohammad Ali and Howard Cosell - he has produced a fresh and readable social history of the latter half of the Twentieth Century. Let me be clear. I love Ali. Kindred refers to him as the most influential sports figure of the last century. In my mind, he understates the case; Ali is the most influential person of the last century.

Cosell, on the other hand, may have hesitated to tell you he was. He was not. Trained as a lawyer and gifted with the ability to articulate complexity, he brought a thinking man's view to radio and television sports journalism.

Individually, they were interesting. Together, they were hypnotizing. They produced controversy, drama and comedy almost every time they appeared together.

Dave Kindred tells the story of this alliance from a unique perspective. As a newspaper and magazine sports columnist with nearly 40 years experience, he covered Ali's early fight days as a reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal before moving on to the The Atlanta Journal- Courier and The Washington Post. He draws upon his experiences to re-create the Ali-Cosell story in ways I have never seen attempted.

The result is a fascinating portrait of two outsized figures - their heroics and their demons. Drawing on personal observations, fresh reporting and interviews, Kindred writes a page-turning treatment of two lives that together changed sports, television and I would argue, the world, forever.

Sound and Fury (14 hours, 11 cds, unabridged, Blackstone Audio) is a duel biography of Howard Cosell and Mohammed Ali.

Sport writer Dave Kindred knew both men, he has written a bio that transcends his knowledge of both men. His text is an honest, no hold barred , warts and all biography. When a third person (like Kindred) writes a biography, he tends to put his personal touches with his own bias, this book is NOT that.The book showed an unlikely partnership created by media hype.

In the audio narrative hands of Dick Hill, this audio project seems more like a docudrama in its scope. Hill's narrative voice takes on verbal personas of Cosell and Ali, without mocking them. His talent has grown from the days at Brilliance Audio.

Sound and Fury is an amazing production . . . you won't forget it audio, long after you heard it

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

I have collected and used books on sound system engineering for many years and this book has quickly become my favorite. Mine has been borrowed by other engineers so often that I have purchased a second copy. Don and Gene are among the most experienced in the field. They have also both tried to share thier knowledge with others throughout thier careers. This combination of knowledge and desire to share it has produced a book that explains complex ideas in a way that leaves the reader with few questions. It is clear and concise, and is supported by a great number of charts and diagrams. I can't imagine a better way to capture thier knowledge and share it with others. A great number of professionals are going to benefit from this book, and I expect it will be the industry standard for many years to come.

One of the better books in my collection, and I have many on acoustics and audio from the highly technical to hands-on.

I owned 1st version before and the 3rd revision is a more complete version and gives more information on digital processing aspect.

Sound System Engineering, 3rd Edition contains a wealth of information on the design, implementation and testing of sound reinforcement systems. Don Davis' section on audio and acoustic measurements is a must read for anyone serious about performing such tasks. The concepts he discusses about signal delay/synchronization and room acoustics will help the reader to understand what is at the very basis of these topics.

Similarly, Eugene Patronis' section on loudspeakers and arrays is not to be missed. It will have you going back again and again to find that piece of information you need about horns, direct radiators, crossovers and arrays. His presentation of signal processing starts with basic sampling and progresses through system theory and digital audio.

Two of the latter chapters on equalization and "putting it all together" are true gems. They yield practical information that you'll be using the next time you're faced with the issues covered.

Sound System Engineering, 3rd Edition takes all of the knowledge contained in the 2nd edition and augments it with up-to-date interface methods and advances in the field of audio and acoustics since its last publication. This text is equally suited for both the novice and the veteran audio practitioner. It is written in such a manner that each time you read a portion of it, something new will come to light.


Charlie Hughes
President
Excelsior Audio Design & Services

Congratulations to Don Davis and Eugene Patronis, Jr. for writing the most informative book on sound system engineering ever. The book contains all of the elements of theory, design and practical installation. The book is an excellent reference for the sound system engineer.

Sound System Engineering, Third Edition is the most complete technical book on sound system engineering I have ever read. It is a concentrated capsule of knowledge that gives the theory as well as instructions of how to implement the theory. Don has recorded for us how to do the installation process. Dr. Patronis has given us the physics back of the theory and he added the mathematics so one can reporduce the results. There are places that Doc uses the "It is intuitively obvious..." leap of knowledge that some might have trouble working through but it can be done.

Thank you for such a great work

Don Eger, Owner, Don Eger & Associates

I loved this book because it touched all the human emotions within me....The Author takes you into the lives of so many people and at once you experience how we all share pain, joy, courage, hope, sadness and no one is separate but unified in a beautiful sea of infinite possibilities and potentials to overcome life's challenges. The book allows for the reader to touch not only the human emotions but the divine spirit, the source from which we all draw our strength and courage. I found myself crying and laughing and I think this is the brilliance of Dr. Seaward's writing. The main course maybe chopped liver and you cry all the way through it but you know following is your favorite dessert, Creme Brulee.

Is calming, entertaining and stimulating and Desserts is no exception to the rule! It is a lovely book, especially in that it can be enjoyed cover to cover or as a nice pick-me-up, thought for the day-starter, stories to amuse and de-stress friends and associates, et cetera.

I got this book as a gift. I am not particularly stressed, but you don't have to be to read this collection of inspiring stories. Collectively, they remind me of the Hero's path by Joseph Campbell. My favorite story was about the guys who were electocuted and survived. I look forward to reading my by this author as these motivational stories are a great way to start or end each day. Thanks!!

Dr. Seaward has written another winner! This wonderful book is filled with only good stuff--rich and delightful--you feel full but want more. And, no calories!!!Dr. Seward has a way of writing that makes you smile, reflect and relate. Witty, charming and refreshing and does not feel "new wave" but written in reality and based on his interaction with many people over the years. My favorite dessert!

It's very difficult to find the words to describe the books written by Brian Luke Seaward. If a book is over 150 pages, it must have something about it to hold my attention.. Stressed is Desserts spelled backwards is a book that you don't want to end. It's one of the rare books that I'm able to read in one sitting, and at the same time go back and read parts of it again and again. Different stories and antecdotes within this book resonate within a person at different phases in his or her life and it's so easy to relate to the truths the author speaks of with times in your life or the lives of loved ones. I love to travel and explore the world, and as I do so I also explore the inner depths from within..... With a copy of this book and the Alchemist I am ready to begin my journey, both inner and outer.

You don't need to fully understand the military to understand and feel the power of this book. Lt. Cash, a chaplain serving with the Marines in Iraq, writes in an easy to read style. His words aren't always easy to read, but they are full of the power of God and the enormity of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I never realized the military was such a spiritual place--yet another reason to continually support our military! I was overwhelmed reading Cash's retelling of the First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment's initial push into Baghdad and all the miracles that surrounded the horror of that night. It was like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time: How could you not believe in God? After reading this book and the Marine's who experienced God's continual protection, He too is "always faithful," just like a Marine.

A Table in the Presence is a very good book. It is about how God still has a presence even in the chaos of the war in Iraq. The Marine who is telling the story is LT. Carey H. Cash, a Chaplain in the United States Marine Corps. He gives accounts of the trials and hardships that Marines encounter physically and spiritually. One of the main points in the book is how God seeks out the souls of the Marines even in the darkest and loneliest places of the world. Almost every one of the Marines in LT. Cashes unit experienced the protection and love that God offers for those who seek Him. Some stories are so amazing that you will just have to read them for yourself. A Table in the Presence is a very good read and will truly show you the power and deity of God. Buy this book!

A Table in the Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God's Presence in Iraq

I was so blessed to have had red this book. We do not see God work in such dramatic ways in the US. I believe are so blessed we think we do not need God and rely on ourselves. My faith was increased and I have purchased 4 other copies to give to family and friends.

Carol Savorn

Very good book with a look at what it is like in Iraq. If your loved one is being deployed this is a good book to read. It is a view through a chaplin's eyes.

An inspiring journey through war and back with one of the U.S. Navy's Chaplains assigned to the Fleet Marine Force (1/5, 1st MARDIV). Cash takes us from his initial call to ordained ministry, through seminary to his reporting for duty aboard 1/5. Especially fascinating is Cash's discovery of the sacraments (he is Southern Baptist) as essential to the Christian's life. The tales of heart ache and of thankfulness for God's abundent grace make this a great read. It certianly made me more aware of the the wonderful work of US Navy chaplains, particulary those with the FMF.

Glen Yeadon, author of Nazi Hydra in America, had this to say about The Transfer Agreement:

I found it very boring--it was steeped with internal Jewish politics and very little about the actual negotiations with the Nazis or the actual deal and its results. It is geared to Jewish historians and only vaguely to the war and the Nazis... I liked IBM and the War against the Weak - both were good and I bought this one on the strength of the other two. It tried to remain neutral rather than to place the blame on the Zionists. For example, there was no mention of the Zionist who helped load the trains in Hungary to Auschwitz, who was hanged in Israel in the 50s. That type of material was neatly sanitized by omission.

This was an area of World History that I had no clue about prior to reading this book. This is indeed a tragic story of the plight of Jews in Europe during Hitler's regime. This book was so suspenseful I simply could not put it down. Black does an excellent job of engaging the reader and does not reveal the details of unfolding events until the last moment. Simply WOW!

As person who is not Jewish I think it is important for everybody to learn the lessons of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. However, equally important is that there were greedy and ideology zealots that contributed to the growth of the Third Reich via the Transfer Agreement, i.e., Sam Cohen and even Hoffien and Landauer. The Transfer Agreement was just that a business arrangement to transfer German Jews to Palestine in return German exports would be bought through Zionist entities to ensure the economic growth and wealth of Palestine. Moreover, what was incredibly stunning was the ability of the 18th Zionist Congress to go against the international boycott movement by suppressing the Revisionists- strong arming them into abandoning their ideology.

This makes me wonder what would have happened if the boycott prevailed and the Third Reich "cracked"? Would there still be a Germany today? Would we even have had the Holocaust? I know it may sound harsh and I am sure I will be labeled an anti-Semite because of this, but the reality is according to Black, the Zionists contributed significantly to the rise of the economic and military might of the Third Reich.

This book is simply a phenomenon in and of itself. It completely forces one to reshape how they view events during that time period. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about a different dimension of relationships between the Third Reich, German Jews, and Zionists. This will definitely throw you off and have you thinking for days. Definitely one of my top 10 books of all time.

Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling!

I cannot praise the author, his research, his explanations and his writing enough for this singular tome. Like other reviewers have said, the reader goes into this book, whether Jewish or not, with their mouth open at the incredibility of this occurence. It's easy enough in hindsight to make judgement calls about what the the leaders of the Jewish community world-wide should have done about Hitler's rise to power. However, given the economic situation of the time and the Reich's strategems to place all blame for Germany's economic hardships on the Jews throughout Europe, it's hard to determine that even had the massive boycotts been organized and on schedule, would they have work? And even more important, if Hitler was ousted due to the economic stranglehold on Germany,who or what would have taken his place? And would that have been any less devastating for the Jews in Europe.

There are few obvious heros and anti-heros in this book, except for the Nazis as being the ultimate in villains. One man paid dearly for his attempts to save European Jewry...with his life. It was not conclusive as to whome the assassins were and who put out the price on his head. It's all too easy to blame the reactionary groups, but there are obvious questions about whether his death was one of convenience so that blame could be placed by the leading group of Mapai at the door of the reactionary Jewish groups.

Sam Cohen was a businessman through and through. His reasoning to press The Transfer agreement was purely motivated by money, and not the need to either save European Jewry or to establish Israel as a separate state. It is this 'selling' of the agreement by so many that is so mind-boggling. So many were willing to take the wealth of German Jewry (and later the funds that were supposed to be used to save the lives of Jews who had no homes or businesses to return to) and use it to set up a home in Palestine...it's beyond my ability to pass judgement on these men as to their motivation, yet I am not certain I could possibly decide to shake the hands of these men. The fact that there was a need to set up a Jewish state, and that there was all this money to fund its establishment is beside the fact. At no other time, was any other method even considered to rescue the millions of Jews trapped, even the children...this is so reprehensible as to curdle anyone's blood.

And though this happened, our countries, including the U.S. and Britain were equally at fault for closing immigration quotas, even though they knew what was going on in Germany. It was easier to merely close their eyes and ignore The Holocaust, until it became obvious that no one was safe from Hilter and his cronies.

This story is just so incredible that I wish there was some way to make it into a movie that does the story justice. I don't suppose that is a possibility. But it is a tremendous story that needs to be included in European history, as it's impact was great. Edwin Black did a fantastic job. (...)

Researchers have recently unearthed `directives' sent from Heinrich Himmler to Dachau, and Mauthausen concentration camps to the effect that all inmates were to be bathed in showers providing insecticides, their heads cleared of hair, their heavy garments that bore Wool Collars were to be burned outright. The reason for such directives was to prevent lice, and leprosy from spreading among all other inmate prisoners.

Gypsies, Polish, Slavs, Soviets (Christians and Jews) who had been incarcerated during the war and routed into the five main Concentration Camps, {which had been established throughout the years 1933 to 1939}, were in their majority suffering lice parasite, notably on youngsters. Himmler ruled "they should be showered in insecticides twice per week in order to remove the nits attached to their hair - difficult to remove without specialized products."

Many inmates were homosexuals' prisoners of war, suffering from venereal diseases - transmissible. This parasite was widely spreading at the time Germany was lacking enough doctors to take care of the prevention process or even to guard against casual means of transmission.

Most doctors were preoccupied with war related engagements; on their priority list was first and foremost to take care of injuries from battles, research, and the last was to worry about concentration camps per se, unless in absolute emergencies like `fear that certain virus might not be contained and would be causing widespread damage'.

In very few pages of this book did the author speak of Concentration Camps - dispersed on ten pages? Even there he did it casually in the context that ""workers were rushed to construct a mysterious political concentration camp at a pastoral village called Dachau...."" """Every train entering Denmark was crowded with German Jewish refugees..""" indicative that the `Transfer' from Germany to Palestine (in transit through neutral Europe - France had fallen by then) gives credence to this book.

Perhaps written books on the `Pogrom' will soon be revisited and be traced back with more up to date material on these most fateful human tragedies of WWII.

This is the book, in this format, my mother read to me 50-plus years ago, and it is still as good. I recently purchased four copies. One each for two adult friends who are very ill. Both responded with uplifted spirits. One each for two young women who will be welcoming new "Young" ones soon.
Please note "Disbobedience" was set to music in the '60s by, I believe, the Chad Mitchell Trio, and James James Morrison Morrison Weatherby George Dupree is still warning his mother "not to go down to the end of town unless you go down with me ..."
"Vespers", at the very end, not only brings back memories of your own and your children's innocent childhoods, but also contains a very important message, "Oh, I quite forgot/God bless me."
And God bless you and those with whom you share this book.

One day, I found one of these poems running around in my head 40 years after I first began reading them to my boys when they were very young. As my older son took possession of that copy some time back, I had to order a new one for my 67-year old self just to get the lines absolutely right. It was worth it. My only regret is that I have no grandchildren to drum them into. Charming, literate and comforting.

This is one very good book and can be enjoyed by people from 2 to 92. I've read it to senior citizens as well as my grandchildren. The subjects are universal. The rhyme and rhythm are delightful.

My copy of this book is 51 years old and has my grandmother's autograph. Talk about a lasting gift! I love books as gifts, and this is my all-time favorite.

I had to read this for a little while before I got to a poem I really liked. The first 10 or so poems just seemed incomplete to me. "Independence" caught my eye first. In very few words it pretty much tells us adults that our kids are going to do what they want, despite all the things we say. It's followed by the wonderful poem "Nursery Chairs" where a child pretends the chairs in his house are different things. Then after "Nursery Chairs" is another strong poem, "Market Square" where we learn that there are things all around us in nature that we don't need to get from the market.

"Disobedience" is another interesting poem. It's kind of a role-reversal story about a kid whose mother disobeys his orders to stay away from the end of town, and she gets lost as the result of her disobedience.

"Spring Morning" emphasizes the beauty of nature to us, saying, "It's awful fun to be born at all." Next is "The Island" which has a wonderful closing message that screams, "God made it all - FOR US!" to me.

And there are so many other joyous poems in this quick read too. There's "Jonathan Jo," "Rice Pudding," "The Wrong House," "The Dormouse and the Doctor" (which has some terrific rhythm), a very touching "Little Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue," "The Invaders," "If I Were King," etc., etc.

But perhaps my favorite poem in the collection is "Halfway Down" which is about nothing more than sitting on stairs. Man, if someone can take such a simple act and make it so astoundingly wondrous, then that person truly must be one of the greatest writers ever.