M Books

An excellent book reflective of the current practice or Trauma Medicine today.

This book is great if you didn't understand what the Jedi were trying to teach in Star Wars. I don't think it is a book that you can read if you haven't seen Star Wars, because you won't know what he is referring to. Watch the Star Wars movies, then get the book. Also it is a great introduction to Taoism.

I just finished reading this gem. It is a very nice introduction to the Tao with a Star Wars Twist, wetting the appetite for more. If your interested in Taoism and you are a Star Wars fan, a Jedi perhaps ;) you can not pass this up.

The Tao is a path...the only logical act is to travel it. ~John M. Porter, M.D. (Professor of Clinical Surgery in Arizona)

John M. Porter has been studying the Tao and believes following the Tao is like "walking a living path." I loved how he takes The Star Wars series and explains how it is connected to the basic tenets of Taoism. He shows how Taoist roots touch every aspect of life from feng shui to qu gong or I Ching.

If you are new to The Tao Te Ching, it will be interesting to read the translated portions from Stephen Mitchell's translation. If you are a Star Wars fan, then you will enjoy a wealth of quotes. The author's comments are interspaced between quotes from the movie and The Tao Te Ching. You may also find the Chinese characters to be interesting. There are drawings throughout.

The Chapters Include:

Taoism - an overview and an explanation as to why the Tao is highly personal. There is a brief summary of the concepts to follow in each additional chapter.

The Force as the Tao - Quotes from George Lucas and the connection between his movies and Joseph Campbell's teachings.

Each additional chapter takes one quality and explores how it shows up in the movies:

Acceptance

Patience - This chapter was of special interest to me since I once prayed for patience and since then have been thrown into the patience journey. (You sometimes get what you pray for...) In this chapter he shows how Luke needs patience. He then quotes "Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are" from chapter 67 of The Tao Te Ching. Then he gives these quotes:

Yoda: (signing) Will he finish what he begins?

Then the author shows how patience and perseverance work together to yield good results. Thinking of "patience in action" was a new concept for me.

Uncarved Block
Wu Wei
Simplicity
Humility
Life Experience
Present Moment Living

Yoda the Sage Master - I loved the "Traits of a Master" in the Yoda chapter. These can be wonderful goals for anyone seeking to live a more spiritual existence.

John M. Porter is a natural teacher who knows how to take examples and fill them out into life teachings. This book made me want to go rent the entire Star Wars series and it is a must-have for Star War fans. I found this book to be a peaceful, healing read and I can highly recommend it to you.

~The Rebecca Review

This is a good, simple book that shows the correlation between taoist philosophy and the Star Wars films. The author's writing style is enjoyable and the book is very easy to follow. If you are a fan of the Star Wars films and would like to learn about taoism, then I recommend this book. Of course, you should also pick up a copy of the Tao Te Ching, which is the cornerstone of the philosophy -- I recommend the translations by Jonathan Star and Brian Browne Walker.

I constantly find myself returning to this book for spiritual sustenance. Why? Because, when faced with the diminishments of everyday living (even during the best of times), it is difficult not to despair -- that is, to believe that "life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Savary and Teilhard de Chardin remind us that the very dissatisfaction all humans experience (again, even when "all is well") is possible only because we share a collective "memory" of Paradise, or perhaps more specifically, a universal call to infinite joy and eternal glory: Omega, the Whole Christ. _Teilhard De Chardin - The Divine Milieu Explained: A Spirituality for the 21st Century_ is a brilliant work inasmuch as it clearly demonstrates that, IN CHRIST, our overspent, underutilized selves -- despite all appearances -- are pathways to the divine: Life, Light and Love.

If you have ever wondered how your commitments to family, career and community might be compatible with a Living Faith, or, to put it another way, if your experience of God is highly personal, and therefore, as you have suspected all along, determinative of all your relationships (private and public), then this book is for you.

When I discovered Louis Savary's The Divine Milieu Explained, I found a kindred spirit, moved deeply by the spirituality of Teilhard de Chardin. I have been reading, and re-reading my dog-eared copy of The Divine Milieu for more than 30 years now, yet this book has led me to many treasures that I had overlooked.

A key illumination for me was the chapter on the Divinization of Our Passivities -- a subject which, frankly, I find Savary's insight into this topic comforting personally, and enriching creatively.

Savary's Spiritual Practices, I believe, are a major breakthrough in making Chardin's spirituality relevant to our everyday lives. I feel that newcomers to The Divine Milieu, as well as veterans like myself, will find them helpful in living Chardin's spiritual insights.

Louis Savary's writing style is refreshingly direct, relevant, and unencumbered by the obscurities into which so many other writers about Teilhard have fallen. He has a great gift for communicating, and shares than gift well.

Teilhard de Chardin left us a brilliant, viable spirituality for the 21st century. Unfortunately, he didn't leave it in a manner most of us could understand. After 15 readings of The Divine Milieu, I find vast portions of it still unclear. Dr. Savary's book is truly a Godsend. After an initial reading, I finally had an overview of The Divine Milieu, all presented in language I could grasp easily. Re-readings will bring further clarity, and the spiritual exercises will assist in truly integrating Teilhard's vision in my life. In the future, I trust that Dr. Savary's commentary and Teilhard's treatise on the interior life will become inseparable. Both should be required reading for 21st century spirituality classes in seminaries, universities, and retreat centers everywhere.

Nori Kieran-Meredith

Thank you, Dr. Savary, for the gift of a lifetime! I was introduced to Teilhard while in college over forty years ago. Teachers and students alike knew we had our hands on something very profound but were never able to get beyond "Alpha Point", "Omega Point" and "Cosmic Christ."

In this beautifully written book Louis Savary opens up and explains the world of Teilhard in terms I can understand and apply. This is a prayer book which I will treasure forever. Several of my friends want to form a prayer/study group to work with the exercises. This really is "Spirituality for the 21st Century."

Mary McDonnell - St. Louis, MO

During the 20th century Jesuit priest/scientist Teilhard de Chardin devised an integrative concept of spirituality and science, melding scientific concepts into Christian beliefs. While many books since his time have attempted to explain his ideas, this is a spiritual guide for the everyday, applied use of his ideas - and offers a set of spiritual practices and exercise blending science and faith. From handling dying and death to understanding the underlying meaning of the Cross, THE DIVINE MILIEU EXPLAINED comes packed with insights for daily life.

This is an good book that explores the relationships between mothers and daughters. New mothers should read it to understand how they can shape there daughters lives. This might make them think before the say negative comments to their children. It might give them ideas on activities to introduce to their children.

I loved the book.

When I picked up this book, I expected it to be about mothers and daughters who had really good relationships and were sharing information about such. Some of the tales were heart-wrenching and really make you appreciate who you have as a mother.

This mother's daughter is essays from daughter about their experience with their mother. The only thing is I wanted to read more from the mother's point of view.

BELLE Magazine January 2001

A remarkable woman of spirit and accomplishment, Nelvia M. Brady went from the Chicago projects to the highest levels of education in that city, being both the first African American and the first woman to serve as Chancellor of the City Colleges. Now she has pulled together a rich collection of anecdotes, advice, and just plain sass in a book called This Mother's Daughter. Her stories and recollections of the wisdom passed on from mothers to daughters in the African American tradition will strike chords with every woman who reads it. Sometimes the epitome of devotion, sometimes the scars of classic conflicts delineate these pages, and taken all together they comprise a wonderful evocation of the mother-daughter relationship. The striking cover is the work of Ophelia M. Chambliss, a fine artist whose work we would like to see more of. Brady self published this book and features it on her website www.thismothersdaughter.com adding entrepreneurship to all of her other achievements.

One of the strongest relationships that can shape and mold a young woman's life is the one between her and her mother. Nelvia M. Brady's "This Mother's Daughter" is a collection of real-life stories taken from the daughters of African American mothers. These stories reflect the good and the bad, the joyful and the painful, and the wisdom and messages that these daughters received from their mothers...and thus USED in order to try and make their own lives as women and mothers better. I was profoundly touched by these stories and found myself moved to smiles and tears as I read the words from these women, women taken from all walks of life, from the attorney to the administrative assistant, from the middle-class/upper-life to the poverty level, from the happy childhood to one of abuse and adoption. Each story will resonate a strong powerful message to mothers and daughters everywhere. The book ends with a section titled RECLAIM YOUR STORY that contains questions for readers to answer in order to reflect upon their own relationships with the women in their lives. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to every woman...It conjured up thoughts of my own loving, beautiful connection I have with my mother...and had with my grandmother, and made me truly appreciate the beauty of the ties that bind. Shonnell Bacon

For those of us who somehow can't seem to get enough of this stuff (you all know the "G" word), this book is perfect. In the wacky world of late 80's/early 90's Seattle, Peterson's photos are absolutely iconic.

Absolutely awesome book of photographs from a period of music I had the pleasure of being part of. If you like music; especially the artists in this book. Then this is your new coffee table book.

A divine marriage of vision, design and subject matter. Peterson's wild, free and spontaneous shooting style provides the perfect visual metaphor for the beer-stained and adrenaline-stoked Seattle grunge era. His pictures look like the music sounds - reckless, courageous, and always threatening to spin completely out of control.

An aggresive book design and a minimum of text keeps the emphasis where it belongs - on the music's energy and the exhilarating, ritual co-dependence of performers and fans. You can't slam out power chords on a Leica M6 - but Peterson comes closer than any other "Rock" photographer at pulling it off.

DSR

Unlike the other reviewers of this work, I was not there. I just love the artful quality photos in a book that is a collection item. The detail of the photos and the quality of the printing make this a work to savor. This is a forever book, should be on all shelves of collectors of fine photography.

When I close my eyes and think about the early 90's rock scene, I see Charles Peterson's photographs. I remember going to record stores and buying albums solely on his cover shot - blurred arms, swooshing lights, flailing hair. The cover photographs were so powerful that I could almost feel the greatness of the music inside the sleeve. Nirvana, Mudhoney, L7... fantastic bands captured live in amazing black and white.

In "Touch Me I'm Sick" you get some of the famous photos we all know and also tons that have never been released. These are the ones that had me in awe. Seeing ten year old photos for the first time of bands I love, it's like a treasure trove!

I am so happy that Charles Peterson took these photos and that he continues to share them with us. If I could give this book higher than 5 stars, I certainly would.

Used as a review tool for a college course after taking a year off in French. Very useful and helpful.

Yes, David Stillman and Ronni Gordon have done it again. Years ago, when I bought The Ultimate French Review and Practice, I was certain that it was the most thorough French grammar book I had ever encountered. However, the newer Ultimate French Verbs Review and Practice carries coverage of the French language a step further. Don't be fooled by the title. To be sure, this is a book on French verbs, one which provides just about everything one might wish to know on the subject. But, it is also packed with up-to-date vocabulary such as computer and internet terms and a wealth of extra tidbits covering other aspects of usage and French language history and development. I took my first French class in 1961 in a high school language laboratory and have been captivated by the language ever since. I went on to study French in college for four years. Since that time, I have continued to read French and to use the French soundtrack on DVD movies as a means of experiencing the language on a regular basis. Living in West Virginia, I rarely get a chance to speak French. It's so nice to have the two Ultimate books to recall things I already know and to learn new things. One little gem I had never encountered before is the use of "vous autres" to emphasize the plural use of "vous." It is simply the French equivalent of "you all" or "you guys." I had always wondered if the French had a way of saying that. Now, I know. The French, however, go a step farther. They also have "nous autres" or "we all" to emphasize the inclusion of particular groups in the use of "we" as opposed to the generic "on" which is an all-inclusive non-particular "we" and is also rendered as "one, people, you, they, etc." I had come across "nous autres" in high school, but never "vous autres." I haven't nearly exhausted the comprehensiveness of this book. I am sixty years old. I will probably never need another French book in my lifetime. These two should do it quite well.

I already speak French but am rusty. This book is perfect for reviewing and getting back up to speed.. It wouldn't be much help for beginners as a lot of the fundamentals aren't gone over very carefully,

i hadn't believed when i read the reviews about this book,but when i purchased this book,it helped me a lot to learn about french tenses but most importantly french verbs.i think verbs are the real obstacle for learning french. if you want to discern french verbs and tenses you had better buy this book.the thing that made me frustrated about this book was how it badly published. the pages are easily torn apart. yet it is nothing besides how you easily and thoroughly learn a lot about french.

I have taken 2 years of French in college, but I have to say I wish I found this sooner (but still completely satisfied I have it now). It lays out in a clear and rule based form how to handle verbs, meanwhile explaining exceptions in a clear and non-intimidating manner. I love it, and for people who have gone through immersion programs (like me) it is nice - now that you have the basics - to go over everything from a clear and concise standpoint. I highly recommend this book as well as their Ultimate Grammar Review.

Wonderful book for those who want to learn how to learn how to gain control of your money and invest.

This book truly changed my life. Ms. Stephen's down to earth, friend-to-friend approach spoke to me like no other financial advice book ever had. As everyone here has said, the daily devotional style makes it easy to digest and the quotes are truly inspirational. My thanks to Ms. Stephen's for this fabulous book.

Like the other people who reviewed this book, I just love it. I first borrowed it from the library and then purchased it for myself. I like the way it is made up, in tiny steps and really easy to read and follow. It truly inspired me to take a new look at money and I found out that you can save money in more ways than I ever thought possible. I highly recommend it. It is well worth the price.

I recommend this book to anyone who needs to gain control of their finances and set up their future.
Easy to follow....straightforward....tons of great advice!

I feel that my review should be first! This book is great. Not only is it a daily financial devotional, but it is also a down-to-earth NIV financial bible. I bought this book on a clearance rack in Crown and never read it until last week(note, I bought the book a year ago!). However, buy it, read it, use it, and read it again......

I've been a big fan of Jerry Weinbergs writing (and he wrote a lot). A book about writing is exactly what I needed, so my expectations were high. However, I ended up slightly disappointed. I almost feel guilty about giving this just four stars out of five with all the other people writing reviews about how excellent this book is.

Weinberg on writing: the fieldstone method is a book about writing books. The whole book is build around the analogy between writing a book and building a fieldstone wall. Building a fieldstone wall takes practice and you have to find the right stones (ideas) and put them in the right place to make a great wall. Not all the stones fit, some need to be shaped and not all walls will be great.

For me, personally, the analogy didn't work well. I felt it was more confusion than beneficial. It's created very clever, nothing wrong there. It's just hard to see, plus normally an analogy is made from an easier domain to understand. I found the domain of building fieldstone walls not much easier than book writing. I'd preferred more direct writing and talking about e.g. ideas instead of stones.

The book consists of 20 chapter about writing. Most chapters contain really really useful tips. Weinberg (with 40 books) has lots of experience and, as always, has done his research. The book is written in a similar style as most of his books. Easy to read and full of stories. (a coal mine...)

To mention some of the ideas in the book. Don't write when you have to. Use your energy. Play solitaire with idea. How to gather ideas. How to store ideas. How to use outliners. And the list goes on and on. Many ideas, some conceptual, some very concrete.

Near the end of the book, Gerry very smartly explains the techniques he introduces on this book. He talks about writing, while writing. Though done very well, I found it somewhat confusing.

Overall, Gerald Weinberg did a great job writing yet another book. It's worth reading and contains a huge amount of advise. I'm sure this book is useful for every writer. Recommended.

This is THE book on writing. Short and sweet: in a thin paperback, Weinberg covers the entire spectrum from mechanics of organizing paragraphs to how to gather and integrate your ideas. Weinberg comes from the software field, but knows how to write a book I couldn't put down. It has automatically become one of my "toolkit" books -- one of a few I'll keep on my shelf to refer to regularly.

Other reviewers have done a fine job explaining what this book is about, and extolling its many virtues, so I'll keep my comments brief.

Jerry Weinberg's "fieldstone" method is a powerful concept and technique, but what stands out most about this book to me is the way in which, between the lines, Weinberg addresses the *emotional* difficulty of writing, and the way in which things like buried memories of scolding grammar teachers and other childhood traumas can weigh down our writing efforts, or even prevent us from putting words on the page at all. I don't mean to suggest that this is some kind of self-help or pop psychology book--it is fundamentally a book about writing. But Weinberg's Fieldstone Method is not only an approach for getting things written; it is also a way of thinking about writing that makes it easier to overcome the many "invisible" obstacles, to forgive ourselves, to give ourselves permission to write.

Weinberg on Writing is well worth your time, no matter your particular writing interest.

I attended Jerry's Writer's Workshop in 2004 and it increased my skills and confidence enough to go back to prose-writing after several years of "death by powerpoint" writing. I've now published my first book (CMMI Survival Guide: Just Enough Process Improvement) and finally took the time to read Weinberg on Writing. I truly wish I had taken the time to read it while in the process of writing my book. Not only did it remind me of things we did in the workshop that are useful; it also presented some new tools and gave background on some of the things we did in the workshop that enriched my understanding. I wonder how different my writing life would have been if my freshman English teacher in college had had access to Jerry's book as a text. I can't answer that question, but I can say that my writing life has been changed by Jerry in person and by Weinberg on Writing, for the better in each case!

<18 months later>
I'm still writing more than I did before reading Weinberg's book. I should have a few chapters published in Robert Martin's next book Clean Code.

Part of the writing is from my new jobs, which requires it a bit more. Even so, I had a full year after reading that book where my work did not require it and I did so anyway. So something stuck. Way to go Jerry.


I was asked to write a proposal for JBoss World by my company. The request also included suggestions on what to propose, which I did not really like. I had read far enough into this book to have the first rule about; only write stuff in which you are interested.

I took that rule to heart, took what I could of the suggestions, formed it in to something in which I was interested, and wrote the proposal. My boss took my general outline and approach and wrote a second proposal. He was accepted as a presenter, I was not.

However, I took the work forward and then presented it at the Oklahoma City Java Users Group and the Dallas/Forth Worth JBoss Users Group.

The book discusses Jerry's metaphor for his writing approach, which is suggested in the subtitle: The Fieldstone Method.

You collect fieldstones or little gems. You then use these little gems by organizing them, shaping them and forming them into comprehensive works. Since you have so many gems (you collect them all the time), you never have writer's block because if you get stuck in one place, you work somewhere else.

This is important. You don't just work on one thing. You work on many different things and there are many different kinds of activities you can do when you "slow down." Those other activities might be collecting or reducing your current active field stones, organizing those field stones, refining other fields stones, etc.

You never have to stop writing, you just stop writing on the one thing that is blocked, let your subconscious deal with it and go on to some other, possibly mundane, but important, activity.

I've taken much of his book to heart and now that first presentation has blossomed into several different things, some finished, some not.

Let this book work its magic on you. The changes seem obvious and subtle. However, they've seemed to work well for me.

At the time this book was written, Raymond Smullyan was one of the world's leading experts on Godel's Incompleteness Theorems -- some of the deepest mathematical results of the 20th century.

This book is actually a gentle intro to these topics, and the most amazing part of it is that Dr. Smullyan keeps the level suitable for children.

That does NOT mean this book is not suitable for adults. It is extremely entertaining no matter what your age is.

The book is mostly a progression of logical conundrums. You are started out on the island of knights and knaves. These two types of people are visually indistinguishable, but knights always tell the truth while knaves always lie.

You are then presented with various scenarios where the objective is for you to ask one question from which you obtain some meaningful information without knowing whether or not the person you are asking is a knight or a knave. The classic example is that you meet two people one of whom is a knight and one of whom is knave. Your objective? Ask one of them one question that allows you to determine which one is the knight and which one is the knave. Answer? "If I were to ask your friend if he was a knight, would he say 'Yes'" A knight will always answer this question "Yes" and a knave "No". If you can follow the logic through to conclude this, you are on your way!!

The situations through the book grow more complex. For example, later you find yourself on a similar island where the natives no longer speak English. They words for yes and no are "boo" and "da". The problem is, you don't know which is which!

At the end of the book, you are presented with the ultimate level of complexity where not only do half the people always lie and half tell the truth, and not only do they use the words "boo" and "da" for yes and no (without you knowing which is which), but half of the population is also insane which means that whatever is true, they BELIEVE the opposite. So an insane liar always inadvertantly tells the truth because what they believe is false...and then they lie about it.

Sound hard?

Yeah, that's the point.

Nonetheless, the book is a nice progression, and you definitely get better and better and following the logic through and thinking in these terms, which makes this book GREAT mental exercise! Some of the best I have found, in fact.

One final comment, John Houston's review is very wrong on the point of implication: an implication of the form a->b, is ALWAYS true when a is false. This is elementary logic -- a subject in which Dr. Smullyan was a world renowned expert.

I have no doubt that Dr. Houston is a very knowledgeable physicist, but unfortunately -- in spite of his apparently strong feelings to the contrary -- this has not prepared him to comment competently on formal logic.

The beauty of this book that the problems in it do not require any special knowledge. It can almost equally be tackled by old and young. I was 11 or so when I read this book and was able to enjoy many problems ... I still enjoy them when I am 31. Please, reprint the book!

An amazing book that trains you to use your brain effectively through a careful structure that increases in complexity as you progress. I read it when very young and would like to get copies for all my staff as it is an excellent tutorial on logic and perfect for orienting systems programmers into looking at complex problems with a fresh viewpoint. Sadly it appears to be out of print and I join the cry in asking the publisher to pull it out of the archives.

This book is a chockful of puzzles and riddles, humorous and bizarre. The author (Raymond Smullyan) uses these puzzles to introduce formal logic in a particularly fun and interesting way. This book also illustrates the unique sense of humor many mathematicians. He characterizes a drunken mathematician as one who says, "I can prove anyshing!"

Added January 2003

I used some questions from this book in my college physics class last fall (2002). I noticed a couple problems with the book and what it tries to present. The book is still fun and amusing, but not fully accurate. Consequently, I reduce my rating to a four.

I believe that logic is nothing more than reading (or hearing) and comprehending sentences, and identifying whether sentences are true or false. This book does an excellent job of training the reader to read what he reads. This is something the modern reader needs desperately -- witness the success of persons like Hugh Ross in persuading people that the Bible says what the Bible manifestly does not say.

However, the book emphasizes something that is very wrong: the claim that "A false statement implies anything" and its logical equivalent, "Anything implies a true statement."

"If we hadn't stopped and turned back, we would have been caught in an avalanche" would be just as true (after stopping and turning back) on the hottest summer day in the desert as on a stormy snowy day in the mountains in winter. Likewise, "If Al Gore had been allowed to take office as President, 9/11 would have not occurred" and "If Al Gore had been allowed to take office as President, 9/11 would have occurred" would both be equally true without considering what might have happened had Gore been President.

If "a false statement implies anything," then we cannot discuss intelligently what might have happened if we'd made different choices.

The book does prove that "If 2 + 2 = 5 then I am the Pope." It is possible that false statements of a certain type are guarranteed to imply anything.

I would like to see this book back in print. Most of it is excellent and on target in logic. Perhaps a second edition could be published, adjusting its take on these issues.

A true delight to read, although the one reviewers comments (John Morrison from Houston) brought to mind the truth of Pope's comment,"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." As you read this book hopefully your brain will be stimulated to ask questions AND to dig deeper to learn ther answers. Smullyan is NOT wrong when he says that a false hypothesis yields a true conditional statement. I haven't read the book in decades, so I can't comment on whether or not Smullyan explicits says this, but conditional statements do not express causal relations (I can understand how a physicist would think this.)
Anyhow, this is a great book for young children with inquisitive minds and even for old children who think they know it all.

MB

Great condition but didn't realise the book contained several stories. Just wanted the one story "Why the chimes rang."It was bought as a gift and the reciever was totally thrilled

I remember this book from long ago. It has a wonderful message. Not only can love make the bells ring, love can change the world! The illustration are just perfect for the story. This would make the perfect holday gift for young people, or even not so young people who want to regain the Christmas spirit of giving and service.

Destined to be a Christmas classic:Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--echoes the message of Why the Chimes Rang.

Growing up in a small town in Indiana, I got to listen to my paternal grandfather read this story to the assembled family every Christmas Eve. My father has continued the tradition within our family, reading from an original 1906 edition of the book. Every year like clockwork, my mother cries as she looks around the room at her sons, their families and the dogs. My partner and I are adopting a boy and a girl from Guatemala this year, and I can't wait to begin this tradition in our home. This is a truly glorious story about Christmas. Read it and share it with your own family. And make sure it's read aloud by the family member with the most sonorous voice.

lovely pictures and great story
nice to find a childrens christmas book that isnt a popular character of the month
adults will enjoy also, so makes reading together the experience it should be

What a delight to find this classic from my childhood. Our parents read to us at bedtime. This story of love and sharing relates universal values. Thank you for making it available.

It has been more than 60 years since the Holocaust occurred, yet there can never be enough written about this tragedy, especially so since many of the survivors are diminishing in numbers. In Witness: Voices from the Holocaust, we are able to learn about this human tragedy of epic proportions that was the Shoah based on actual testimonies of survivors.

The book is very well-organised and is divided into chapters, i.e. Life in Europe in the 1930s, The Outbreak of War, The Ghettoes, Escape, Hiding, and Resistance, Deportation and Arrival, The Camps, Death Marches, Liberation and Aftermath. Apart from the compelling eyewitness testimonies [not just by survivors, but also in some cases Gentiles], there are also pictures that depict the lives of European Jewry before, during and after the war.

A compelling addition to Holocaust literature and though the stories themselves aren't lengthy, the horrors that they evoke is enough for us to reflect upon.

This great, compelling story of historical drama and is told from many points of view from that time in history, the 1940's. The book is set all over in Germany and is told by many different characters. I really liked how the authors described in detail what they felt when,they were being taken to a concentration camp or taken away from their loved ones. This book is a collection of many autobiographies of the survivors in the Holocaust. I loved how this author put together these autobiographies in chronological order, so it was easy to follow. Witness does a great job of telling about the memories that the survivor's in the Holocaust have had for many years. It also helps you understand what is was like for the Jewish citizens and the huge impact the Germans had on people around the world. This book is for every person that wants to know what it was like in the life of a Jewish man, woman, or child during that horrible time in history.

This great, compelling story of historical drama and is told from many points of view from that horrible time, the 1940's. The book is set all over in Germany and is told by many different characters. I really liked how the authors described in detail what they felt when,they were being taken to a concentration camp or taken away from their loved ones. This book is a collection of many autobiographies of the survivors in the Holocaust. I loved how this author put together these autobiographies in chronological order, so it was easy to follow. Witness does a great job of telling about the memories that the survivor's in the Holocaust have had for many years. It also helps you understand what is was like for the Jewish citizens and the huge impact the Germans had on people around the world. This book is for every person that wants to know what it was like in the life of a Jewish man, woman, or child during that horrible time in history.

I read this book several years ago and it had a profound affect on me. It is divided into three sections: life before, life during, and life after the holocaust for Jewish survivors. All the accounts are first-person narratives by the survivors themselves. I believe they were all interviewed on tape for a documentary. And then they put it into print to create this book. Something that surprised me was how prevalent anti-semitism was in the years before the Holocaust. Sometimes we think Hitler suddenly arose out of nowhere with his anti-semitism. But he was actually just "riding a wave" of hatred of the Jews. The Polish people were in particular very hateful of the Jews. It really surprised me how much they had to endure before WWII even began! This book was a compelling read - true accounts directly from those who survived the greatest horror of the 20th Century.

As opposed to earlier commentators I do not come from a background rich in readings on the subject of the Holocaust and therefore Witness came as a unexpected mine of memories of people that had experienced the unimaginable.
My knowledge of the events of the Holocaust were almost exclusively from video documentaries and those documentaries had left many unanswered questions: questions about the Transportation, about the Marches after the camps closed late in the war, about the closing of the ghettos, about the long-term hiding, about the massive anti-semitism that greeted the survivors after the war upon returning "home" and finally the Jewish guerrilla bands that sprang up throughout eastern Europe.
The remarkable thing about this great exercise is the broadness of the interviews that compose the book: the authors assembled a very wide ranging collection of these interviews that spoke about all the topics that I had only heard snatches about in the video documentaries. It was all the more remarkable because these were all primary sources-they were not what somebody had interpreted but the memories of the people that lived the experience and because of this the book had an enormous impact on this reader.
I am a slow reader and the book absorbed me totally and I finished it in a matter of days.
If you read no other book about the Holocaust-read this one.