Lithuania Books

One third of this book is standard heroic stuff. A non-Jew in a position of some authority takes steps to create a haven for Jews and -- in the midst of annihilation -- saves a lot of them. You have to find your way to this by navigating the first third of the book, which tells a different story: how to find someone using multiple information sources and documentation, both scattered and (some of it) sequestered. The last third of the book is given over to appendices and afterwords, original documents that only become compelling provided the heroism of the man has taken hold with the reader.

Karl Plagge was a courageous individual in a time and place when individual courage was in short supply. His example, of a person who saw terrible things happening and took the initiative to stop them from happening within his purview to the extent he could, gives a glimmer of hope in the midst of the overwhelming despair of the Holocaust. That he had been a National Socialist very early on in its history is his initial credential as an unlikely hero, but the unfurling of his identity reveals this to be ultimately of little consequence in defining him. Yet Plagge was circumspect to a fault. Were it not for the documentation of his de-Nazification trial, there would be very little to show him revealing himself. One hopes it was not an overwhelming sense of guilt over what he could not do that made the man seem to place so little importance on what he did do (which did and does matter).

Plagge's story does not have the razor's edge of Wallenberg's. Michael Good is not primarily a writer. But all in all this is a compelling new chapter in the story of the Holocaust. Vilna was of as much consequence as Warsaw for the Jews, and its story is not as well known today. And written from the viewpoint of one who only lives thanks to Karl Plagge, this is a book worth reading.

The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, located in Jerusalem is the largest holocause museum in the world. As you would expect it describes the terrible inhumanity the Germans imposed upon the jews and leaves you with a feeling of hoplessness. But in the museum there is one shining glory, the wall whereupon is inscribed the names of those considered to be 'Righteous among the Nations.' This term is used to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust in order to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis. There are people of all nationalities listed on the wall. Among the names are some 380 germans. Among these is the name Karl Plagge.

A low level officer in the Wehrmacht he commanded a military vehicle repair unit in Vilna, now Vilnius, Lithuania and he saved the lives of at least 250 jews, including the author's mother.

This is the story of Major Plagge, who as usual for heros would admit to no special courage.

This is a remarkable book both for its deeply moving story and for its underlying message of how a day-to-day battle of moral choices can be waged with the strength of conviction. It begins with an existential question most people never have to ask and ends with the satisfying feeling of a debt repaid as completely as life can allow. I recommend this book to anyone.

a superb and engrossing investigation of a nazi who tried to protect jewish people from certain death by setting up a factory not unlike oscar schindler. the son of a survivor who always told the story of the mysterious major plagge who saved many tried to find this man and his motives. spellbinding and heartening unlike so many other holocaust stories.

There is so much evil when Governments attack their own people as has happened throughout history. The Nazi Government in Germany was especially evil as it attacked many millions of its own people and neighboring peoples. The Nazi Government which was, as is always the case in evil governments, run by a relatively few number of people with awesome power, was on a murderous rampage in Europe. A very few courageous people stood up in opposition. One of these people is Major Plagge. It is thrilling to read of his courage, bravery and success. Everyone should read this book. Hopefully, then more persons could stand up against evil governments before its too late. Why is it that of all the species on the Earth that Man is the most evil? It is because of the accumulation of power in the hands of a few people. That is always a recipe for disaster.

Passage to Freedom by Ken Mochizuki is a fictional biography of the Sugihara family who saved thousands of Jewish refugees from Poland. The pictures go along very well with the story and are well done. The story is told in first person from Hiroki's, the son's, point of view. The book appears to be well researched and authentic. Thanks is given to the Sugihara family and the Holocaust Oral History Project for help in creating the book. The photograph on the back is of the true family. The language and vocabulary flow well and are appropriate for young audiences. The strong character of the family is developed through their struggle to decide to help the Jews.

I have heard of the story and what he did in the past, but not in this detail written for children. I am very proud to be Japanese, and hope my sons, for whom I purchsed it, will feel the same way because they are half Japanese and half American. This book could be an asset to anybody with Japanese blood.

When reading this booki was amazed that so few would do so much for so many,Ive never heard of a story like it. What suprised me even more was that the man who saved all those Jews was a Japanese, if i remember correctly where an axis power during WW2 and allied with the Germans. This man must have really followed his heart if he was to defy his own country, and for that i really admire him

I used this book as an introduction to the Holocaust for my 7-year-old. Rather than starting him off on the atrocities, I used this well-written and beautiful book to start him off with learning that we Jews were once in grave danger, and there were some people who took care of us when they could, even though it was a difficult choice.

3/4 of the way through reading the book out loud to my son, I started to cry a little. The story is poignant, of course, but more than that, the writing captures the meaning in such a simple and straight-forward way.

I would recommend this book to anybody, Jewish or not Jewish. It is an excellent introduction to the concept that life can be dangerous, along with the idea that good people exist, AND that any one of us can choose to be a person who makes a difference.

The writing makes it clear that Sugihara was risking his and his family's lives to do the right thing. And, the writing makes it clear that being the child of someone who is willing to do the right thing can be difficult, but well worth it.

A beautiful book.

When reading this booki was amazed that so few would do so much for so many,Ive never heard of a story like it. What suprised me even more was that the man who saved all those Jews was a Japanese, if i remember correctly where an axis power during WW2 and allied with the Germans. This man must have really followed his heart if he was to defy his own country, and for that i really admire him

I met Nancy Wright Beasley at a writer's conference in Richmond, Virginia. She was kind enough to share the story of her book, Izzy's Fire with me. I saw the love and passion in her eyes when she spoke of her seven-year journey to complete Izzy's Fire - and I knew I had to review the book.

Simply put, Izzy's Fire is one of the many millions of stories that came out of those dark and desperate times we now call the Holocaust. But on another level, it is the intense and personal story of one real family as told by a woman who was willing to walk through the horrors of despair, death and war to make sure that justice was served and Izzy's Fire was shared with the world.

Izzy Ipson married the love of his life, Edna (she was formerly known as Eta Ipp). They had a son, Jay (known as Jacob). They believed, as most young couples in love believe, that the world was there, just for them. And they were going to live life to the fullest.

The reality of the Ipson family was World War II and a madman known as Hitler. From the beginning of the book, when we can literally hear the sound of the military boots hitting the pavement as the Ipson family attempts to escape their two-year imprisonment in the Kovno Ghetto-to the celebration of a man whose family risked it all to save the Ipsons, you will be mesmerized, shocked and will be lifted from the depths of despair by something called hope.

Izzy's Fire is a must read. Let us never forget the Ipsons and millions of others who experienced the Holocaust. If we forget, we give the world and ourselves the opportunity to make the same mistake again. And that would be the greatest sin of all. Izzy's Fire is remembrance. It should never die.

Armchair Interviews says: Read this book, so we don't forget!

....there is something wrong with you. But, it WILL inspire you. {I shall say at the outset that I will leave out a lot of the names I can't pronounce}. This is the story of a family of three Lithuanian Jews, and, secondarily, of ten others, saved from the Holocaust by the courage and sacrifice of one Catholic family. They survived, and made it to America....

The tale is told from the viewpoint of Etta Ipp, who became Edna Ipson here in Richmond, VA. "Izzy's Fire" was a pet name her husband's family had for her. Some of the scenes, and stories, will make you sick. {DON'T let little kids read it}. Some will make you cry. There is great evil in the world; if you doubt that, read this book. There is also great good...never doubt that, either, for you shall meet it here.

The Ipsons lost almost all of their family to the Nazis, but they survived, and even prospered. Izzy died in 1997. Edna was still alive at the publication of the book in 2005. Jay, their young son, is now in his mid 70s, and helps run the Virginia Holocaust Museum, in Richmond. He is living history. I shall do something I never do, and recommend you not buy this from your favorite bookstore...if you purchase it from the Holocaust Museum, Jay will sign and personalize your copy; that virtually makes it a sacred relic. I assure you I treasure mine.

Izzy's Fire: Finding Humanity In The Holocaust is the triumphant true story of a holocaust survivor and members of her family escaped the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, survived trials and successfully hid until the war's end in a hiding places granted them by a Catholic farmer. She, her husband, and other refugees dug a hole between two potato cellars, and with the unselfish aid of that selfless, risk taking Catholic family, miraculously survived the Holocaust. Afterward she and her husband emigrated to America and encountered a joyful reunion decades later. Izzy's Fire gives voice to those who survived the Holocaust in hiding, and is a welcome addition to Holocaust studies shelves.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends IZZY'S FIRE as a compelling account of how a Lithuanian Jewish couple & their son survived the Nazi occupation, & hide for 3 years in a Catholic farmer's root cellar. & then surviving the Communist "liberation" of their homeland.

Beasley draws from personal interviews, research & numerous memoirs, including those from Israel "Izzy" Ipson, who helped his family escape from Kovno Ghetto, one of the most notorious killing fields for Jews in Lithuania. The Ipps, as they were known then, relocated to Richmond following their liberation and later changed their name to Ipson. Their story has been re-created at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia.

IZZY'S FIRE is Eta's answer to those who say the Holocaust never happened, & is a tribute to personal bravery & the unquenchable resources of compassion, quick-wittedness & sheer determination to live, with a lot of luck thrown in.

Complete with maps & photos, IZZY'S FIRE is a story for all time.

There are many people today that feel "entitled" due to race, relegion or the condition of the home in which they were born. This is a story about a family who's life was turned upside down by war; who lived in barns, potato holes and lived in fear of being murdered as was the fate of many of their family members. Through perserverance and a strong faith in God, they were able to get to America and lived the "american story" of pulling themselves up from poverty to owning a successful business. All young people need to read this story.

Solly Ganor has told us a powerful story of his life as a child and youth during the Holocaust. His details and honesty reveal a family that loved and cared for each other, worked hard, and took chances to survive. His autobiography with its details helps remove many misconceptions about Jews in the Holocaust that people create from the more common short and simplified accounts of the period. This is not an easy book to read, but it will greatly help you to redefine your understanding and respect for people caught in difficult situations as well as other genocide situations.

In LIGHT ONE CANDLE, Solly Ganor takes the reader into that nightmare world of the Holocaust--I could practically feel the harsh elements, the constant danger of the camps. This book isn't anther rote recitation of death counts. There's so much heart and compassion for all those sweptup in these horrors. The insights into camp life include the primal nature of life stripped to itsbasics--such as the "storyteller" who keeps the outside world and traditions alive. Particularly poignant is Cooky, Ganor's childhood friend whose account of the slaughter at the Ninth Fort is more compelling than Dante's own descent into Hell. Ipersonally feel Ganor's book is deserving of some national/international award. Actually, reading the book I wonder how Ganor got it all done. It must have been so painful to revisit these terrible, incomprehensible, sublime, poignant memories. To me it's the best book on the Holocaust, personal or otherwise--certainly it should be a companion to any serious study of this subject. To me it hits at the heart, gets into the soul. It's the humanity of the account,particularly those heart-rending final glimpses of the condemned trying to smile as they wave good-bye.

Most accounts of the Holocaust I've read, especially memoirs tend to be by Jewish survivors from Germany, Poland & Hungary. This memoir is by Solly Ganor, a Lithuanian Jew who describes the horrors of the Holocaust as experienced by him, his family, and other Jews...his tale is one of hope, courage & faith in the most horrific times...and is told with amazing clarity. His descriptions of life in the Kaunas ghetto is told with vivid detail, the hunger, suffering, and the ever present threat of 'actions' are all described with a level of intensity that often reduced me to tears. It is an emotional account, and the images evoked will not soon fade from one's memory.

Light One Candle: A Survivor's Tale From Lithuania To Jerusalem is the autobiographical story of Solly Ganor, a man who survived the unspeakable holocaust of the Second World War when he was 13 years old through the intervention and rescue of a Japanese American soldier in 1945 (who himself had been releases from a U.S. internment camp for Japanese Americans just a few months earlier. Light One Candle is a powerful and vividly told memoir of struggle, starvation, and the brutal tolls of concentration and extermination camps. Light One Candle is a welcome eye-witness testimony and a very highly recommended addition to personal reading lists as well as academic and community library Holocaust Studies reference collections.

i have read well over two hundred memoirs. This is worth crying over (not that other ones aren't also) and listening to very carefully. without sentimentality - without profession of feelings that may or may not have been felt but remembered...solly ganor brings the reader inside his mind and heart.

A very interesting and inspirational life story about overcoming impossible odds.
The author just passed away and local newspaper said the book was out of print, but Amazon as usual, has an amazing collection of items available.

As an archivist who works extensively with autobiographies and memoirs pertaining to pre-war and wartime eastern European Jewry, I can attest to the fact that Dr. Jack Brauns is one of the last remnants of a rare breed. From his impressive family pedigree dating back to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden to his earliest years growing up in Kaunas, Lithuania to his postwar years training as a physician in Milan to his professional medical career in the United States, I could not help but be impressed and captivated by everything that Dr. Brauns has managed to achieve in his rather full life. As if that alone weren't enough, Dr. Brauns' account of Jewish life in pre-World War II Kaunas helps shed further light on the history of this once vibrant cultural and intellectual center of Lithuanian Jewry, which was all but decimated in the Holocaust. From the dual perspective of a researcher and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I thank Dr. Brauns for the multifaceted lessons I have garnered from his uniquely inspiring autobiography.

Rivka Schiller, MLIS
Gruss Lipper Digital Project Archivist
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

I read the book in one sitting. I came away taking the incredible journey of survival that Dr. Brauns experienced as something that I was living while I read his words. The power of Postive thinking and appreciation for life; the struggles that came with the help of angels that enter our lives. This book represents Hope in the midst of Horror. Dr. Brauns allowed me to come away seeing how God actually intervenes without religious beliefs or doctrines; but acts of kindness without reason or reward. Especially in the darkest hours of one's life. These are the threads of humanity that keeps us from losing hope in our fellow man. For those who perished we mourn and remember; but it is from those who lived that we should learn. This is what I came away with after turning the last page. I recommend this book to anyone who would be open to be inspired.

When Jack and Joyce called us several weeks ago and told us about Jack's book we were thrilled and couldn't wait to read it. I must say that I read and digested every word. The first part of the book reads like a Dickens novel. The tragedy of the holocaust is ever more gut-wrenching as seen through the eyes of this innocent boy who matter-of-factly tells us his personal story of the horror and unbelieveable suffering that he is witnessing every day of his young life. Amazingly there is no hate - just disbelief and bewilderment. And an incredible ability to survive in a situation where most of us would have surely perished. And most did. I was also amazed by his ability to remember so many people, places and specific happenings. Jack's unique personality and intelligence, even in his formative years, were obviously instrumental in dealing and coping with the many crises and near fatalities. His Guardian Angel was certainly working overtime! Jack obviously, even at a young age, had the unique ability when he was up against overwhelming odds to see an opportunity, seize it and take control of his destiny in a way that not many of us could have . A combination of intelligence, charm and eternal optimism. Which describes the person that Karina and I met in October 1973 when I joined Jack, Don and Mark in their surgical practice. I have always had great respect for Jack as a person and as a surgeon but now having read this powerful account I am absolutely humbled. We cherish the time that we spent with Joyce and Jack and their lovely family. Thank you Jack for writing this book and sharing a story that had to be told - and told it was!
I should also add that the account of Jack Brauns, M.D. frrom Medical School through internship and residency and into the practice years is an one that should be read by every young aspiring surgeon and doctor. It is full of wisdom and practical advice, from both Jack and his dad, that would benefit even a seasoned surgeon such as me. In fact just after reading Jack's book I had a patient who had sustained chest trauma. We weren't sure whether or not she truly had had a pneumothorax. Of course I told the radiologist "make sure that you take an expiratory film as well!". Thanks again, Jack. (And I bet that Dr. DeBakey, if he read this, would smile).
David C. Rilling, M.D.
Surgeon
Sellersvillie, Pa.
October 31, 2007

I have known Jack Brauns for many years, and always urged him to write his memoirs. The result is far beyond even my expectations: a moving account of childhood before the Second World War, of suffering and pain during the war, and of rehabilitaion, perseverance and achievement after it. This book should serve as a beacon of encouragement to anyone who finds difficulties on life's road.

I know the author/editor of this book, this "collection of stories". I related to him how, when passing through "Jurbarkas" in 1996, that I felt the town was full of spirits, though not haunted. This was before I knew about "Yurburg".

I want to describe the book as "wonderful" but it's a book of loving community and tragedy. I'm of Lithuanian descent and not of Jewish descent. Through family vignettes and "remembrances" the book describes the wonderful contemporary life of the Jewish community in greater Yurburg (Jurbarkas in Lithuanian) in the first half of the 20th century leading up to the destruction of the community by the invading Germans and supportive Lithuanians. When reading this book of love and tragedy, all should remember just how close to savagery each of us are. In Faust the great German philosopher/writer Goethe wrote in describing man, "Er nennt's Vernunft und braucht es nur tierischer als jedes Tier zu sein." ("Man calls it reason and uses it only to be more animalistic than any animal.") Certainly, every educated German, moreso then than now, read and has read Goethe's Faust. How ironic that Goethe's words presaged the conduct of German "civility", that unleashed the massacre of the Jewish communities in the Holocaust.

This book, as well as being the story of a community, is testimony to the tragic savagery of mankind. I treasure my copy.

Joel Alpert has set a new benchmark for Yitzkor books and memorial projects with his editing of this work. The abundance of photos, records, personal accounts, and other research materials are well organized. The translation of original Yiddish and Hebrew first person narratives and memories is valuable for future generations and researchers who may lack Yiddish and Hebrew reading skills. As for families whose ancestors came from Yurburg, this book is a must for their children. It is a blessing of memories for them. The work also can be used as an ongoing and living project for families of Jurburg descent. The book has openned up doors of research in finding unknown relatives and in putting together puzzles of our own family history. It may be worth while for other older Yitzkor books to be re-edited, translated and expanded in the fashion of Joel Alpert. This book is a must read and a model for any Yitzkor yet to be published.

I found this book extremely moving and most informative. I have been to Lithuania twice, I've walked on the streets of Yurburg, I've done alot of genealogy, however, I had never before seen this wonderful photo of the brother of my great grandfather. This book corroborated much of what I knew and gave me alot of information I had not been able to learn, either from the archives in New York, or even from the archives in Vilna. The book is a treasure and I am most grateful to Joel Alpert.

This is a wonderful book. Imagine my surprise to find a book on the Internet of the memories of inhabitants of Jurbarkas, my father's childhood town in Lithuania! The book was mostly in Hebrew, but a partial translation in English was available on the Internet for anyone to read. Over the last decade, Joel Alpert arranged for the book's complete English translation and placed it on the Internet. Mr. Alpert has also added additional information and photographs from his extended family and others and assembled it into an easy-to-read, 737-page text. The text includes a 1907 census of Jewish landowners in Jurbarkas and a map plotting their properties. There's also a University of Vilnius bachelor's thesis about the Holocaust in Jurbarkas, written by Ruta Puisyte that lists some of the victims and perpetrators of the destruction of Jurbarkas' Jewish community in September 1941. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in the Jewish experience in Lithuania or during the Holocaust.

Joel Alpert has produced a legacy to be handed down from generation to generation. When your immigrant family members are gone and the stories are buried with them, you can turn to this book and remember what it must have been like to live in a village in Lithuania during those good and bad days.

A Special Fate is the story of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese consulate to Lithuania who, against the wishes of his superiors, hand wrote about six thousand transit visas to Jews fleeing the invading Nazi forces. His bravery saved many lives, but cost him not only his political career but also his youngest son's life. The author also weaves the story of two Jewish children who received visas from Sugihara into the main narrative.

The book is very engaging, not at all like the dry lists of dates that typically pass for history. I usually don't find history books enjoyable, but I enjoyed this one and learned a lot, not only about how Sugihara's visas saved so many people, but also a bit about Japanese culture.

The story moves quickly enough to keep younger readers from getting bored, but not so fast that the details are lost. Most older children will be able to read the book and understand what is going on as long as they have a basic knowledge of W.W.II history.

I would recommend this book to anyone learning about W.W.II, and even though it is supposedly a children's book, I would recommend it to adults too.

This is a beautiful book. I had to check the total number of pages after the first 10 pages, because I knew I would want to read the whole book in one sitting. "Hands reaching... for visas for life." Some people had never seen a Japanese person before. We hear the ice on rivers breaking up with loud cracking, we taste the Lithuanian pancakes with cheese filling and jam, we experience the shock of watching an American movie to then walk out into the light and see Russian tanks rolling down the street. The writer carries us gently through a lot of history, pain and beauty. I thought this would be a depressing book about the Holocaust, I was very wrong.

Alison Gold has documented with elegance the selfless humanity of Sempo Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat of the World War II era. Against the orders of his superiors, Mr. Sugihara wrote 6,000 visas in an effort to spare the lives of Polish and Lithuanian Jews. Through Alison Gold's brilliantly crafted accounts, we learn of the horrors and atrocities of the Holocaust, of the mixed fates of several families who were granted visas, and of the injustices to which the Sugihara family was subjected as a result of Sempo's courageous response to human torment. In several places throughout this magnificent book, Ms. Gold introduces Japanese phrases that do much to enrich our understanding of cultural concepts at the core of the Sugihara's way of thinking and living. We learn of the considerable influence that Mrs. Sugihara had on her husband's decisions. While this book was written for a young adult audience, most adults would find its content engrossing.

Chiune Sugihara's story needed to be told. In a dark period of Japanese history, one man listened to his conscience, discussed the consequences with his wife and children, and chose to do the right thing. In the early days of WWII, Sugihara, a diplomat to Lithuania, issued thousands of life-saving visas to the Jews of Europe against the direct orders of his superiors. After the Russians took over Lithuania, Sugihara was forced to close the Japanese Embassy, but he continued writing visas until the last possible moment.

The rest of Sugihara's story is anti-climactic, dealing with his diplomatic career throughout the war. After the war, the Soviets sent the Sugihara family to a Siberian detention camp. When they were finally repatriated, Sugihara was immediately dismissed from government service for disobeying orders. He spent many years in obscurity before finally being found by some of the grateful Jews that he had saved. Near the end of his life, he received some well-deserved acknowledgement by both the Japanese and Israeli government including being recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations."

Alison Leslie Gold, who has written several other non-fiction books of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, tells the story of three families. Besides Sugihara's story, Gold describes the experience of a Jewish family from Poland and another from Lithuania who received Sugihara visas. Gold focuses on Solly and Masha, children from those families. She interviewed them as well as Sugihara's widow, Yukiko, for first hand accounts of the heroic and tragic events described in this book. Masha's family used their visa to travel to Japan and survived the war. Tragically, Solly's family repeatedly delayed using their visa until it was too late to use it resulting in many family members' deaths at the hands of the Nazis. Solly found it quite ironic that a Japanese man tried to offer his family assistance at the beginning of the war and the first American face that he saw when he was liberated at the end of the war was a Japanese American soldier.

The photographs in the book help readers understand that this is a true story that happened to real people. There are photographs of all three families and additional photos from the time period. The photos are separated from the narrative in two clumps. Though this distracts from their impact, they are still powerful.

This is an easy to read introductory book on the incidents in Lithuania. However, I found information on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum web site that was not included in the book. In the web site's section on Sugihara, I learned about the interesting larger story involving the Dutch council, Jan Zwartendijk and his involvement in helping the Lithuanian Jews. I also learned that Yukiko was Sugihara's second wife.

Gold is non-judgmental towards Japan's involvement in WWII and of Sugihara's father's involvement in occupied Korea. However, she seems to lose some of that impartiality when she adds comments on Sugihara's conversion to Russian Orthadoxism. She adds the comment that he did not forget his Buddhism and Shinto religions from his youth (10). I wonder how she knows that detail of his conversion.

The research that went into A Special Fate could have been better documented. Gold's sources are summed up in an author's note at the beginning of the book and an author's acknowledgement at the end. The book does not include a bibliography for further reading or works consulted.

It is estimated that Sugihara wrote 6,000 visas. Now there is a group numbering over 40,000 descendants known as "Sugihara Survivors." Even in later life, Sugihara remained a humble man and once said, "I didn't do anything special....I made my own decisions....I followed my own conscience and listened to it" (175). Yukiko also should be commended, because had she dissuaded her husband, he might not have written the visas that saved so many lives. Karen Woodworth-Roman, MS Library Science

Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara is one of the little known heroes of the Holocaust. This is rather unfortunate, as Mr. Sugihara was probably responsible for the saving of more Jews than any other individual! While serving as Japanese Vice Consul in Lithuania in 1940, Mr. Sugihara, against the express orders of his government, issued some 6,000 visas to people (individuals and families) desperately seeking to avoid the Nazi death machine. This book is the story of Chiune Sugihara, from youth to honored old age, and also the story of two young Jews, one whose parent took the visa and ran, and one whose parent waited too long.

This is a great and exciting story! I got this book for my twelve-year-old daughter, but found that I liked it just as much as she did. I really enjoyed this story of one man standing up and doing what was right, in spite of the costs. If you are looking for an uplifting story, one that teaches an invaluable lesson, then I highly recommend that you get this book!

In addition to the helpful comments of previous reviewers, I'd like to add that this book is important because it throws life on how Jewish life continued in Kovno all the way through the Nazi occupation. Oshry movingly describes the enormous efforts Jews made to continue to practice their faith and the joy they still found in their religion.

This most serious book is very effective at sharing events that happened during the Holocaust - particularly in Kovno / Slobadka. It enables the readers to get a glimpse of the savagery of the Nazi butchers. Rabbi Oshry tells first hand accounts of their brutality and it clearly instills the fear of G-d in the reader.

Originally written in 1951 in Yiddish, this is an eyewitness account of how the Nazis and their local supportors killed the Jews, rabbi by rabbi, village by village.

This book consists of two parts. The first 60 % is about Rabbi Oshry's experainces in the Kovno ghetto. This part of the book can be broken up into four periods. The Nazi arrival and initial attrociates, 'normal ghetto life', the liquidation of the ghetto, and the period of time that they lived in a bunker. Their also are two chapters about the post-liberation period under Soviet rule. Though according to Jewish folklore, Lithuianian Jews are sterotypically 'cold interlectualls', this book is very passionately written. Because it was written shortly after the events occurred by an important figure of the Kovno ghetto, it is certainly an important book for those who want to learn about the Holocaust.

The Hill is a true story of two men whose fates were laid out to be very different, and how their paths crossed during a confusing and brutal time in their village.

As history and war stories go, this is an easy to read, simply told, very personal story that highlights the World War II experiences of these men in a way that puts you there. Getting to know each of the characters and their own personal travails makes the ensuing violence and cruelty more shocking.

This book, written in plain language that could have been lifted from the pages of a news magazine, is powerful simply because of its simplicity. Taking turns showing perspectives of various characters with very different lives, gives the story its strength.

The two main characters were in very different stations in life, and because of the mandate to kill all Jews, one lives and one dies. The older family man who is the highly educated, compassionate doctor of the town, is also a Jew. The town lets him live even as they follow Nazi orders to eliminate Jews all the way down to the last Jewish family, that of the doctor. But by the end of the story, the majority rules, and the last "Yid" must go.

The story opens from the eyes of a child who had heard and seen how the war affected his town, from the disappointment of the wealthy whose lives have been disrupted to the horrific stories of the ghosts of the Jews recently murdered in the woods. It is apparent that the lives and psyches of every character is changed.

This book is translated from the original Lithuanian version, and clearly has been done so as simply and plainly as possible. In that, lies its ability to offer something profound about the human condition for all.

Antanas Jonynas's "The Hill" may be a quick read and few in pages, but it is far from insignificant. This account, which describes true events, follows shepherd boy Joe Martinkus as he experiences life on a farm after the German takeover of Lithuania. After a serious accident, he is aided by the only Jewish male still alive in town, Dr. Schmidt. The story shifts from Joe's perspective to describe Dr. Schmidt's psychological state leading up to his inevitable end at the hands of his own neighbors.

Jonynas draws the reader into the story through vivid description, creating multidimensional, intriguing characters and images of rural simplicity. Many characters enter this 92-page story, but after initial introductions, it is not difficult for the reader to remember each character. Especially notable is mysterious and strong farmhand Alex Girnius, who responds to Joe Martinkus's accident with surprising expediency and leadership.

"The Hill" tells a unique and atypical story of World War II, the sort of anecdote that could be passed over in history in favor of gruesome descriptions of concentration camps and Nazi cruelty. The story is not without its share of cruelty, but it is described in a realistic and frank way, not meant to purposely shock or manipulate the reader. Emotion and messages are not lost in translation in this book; a reader might even assume that the story was written in English originally.

The story also distinguishes itself by focusing on a little-mentioned country, Lithuania. The preface brings the country's suffering during the war to light: "94 percent of the Lithuanian Jews (222,000 individuals) were murdered, the highest percentage for any Nazi-occupied country in Europe."

This seemingly simple but multifaceted work is all the more remarkable when the reader remembers that this is a true story. Through realistic storytelling, the reader is left with a compelling, moving, and affecting account of this horrendous period in history.

I found this short book difficult to put down. What appears to be a simple story about two people during the German occupation of Lithuania, reveals itself to be a complex statement about courage and bravery in the face of adversity. These themes are elegantly presented in a style that is accessible to both young and mature readers.

The story begins with little Joe Martinkus, a young shepherd, whose interest in the surrounding war is only observational. Dr. Schmidt enters the story midway, but has a tremendous impact on Martinkus. When Joe seriously injures himself, he requires immediate medical attention, and the only doctor available to him is Dr. Schmidt. Two other characters, Nakutis and Meldutis, are also interested in Dr. Schmidt. They believe that their problems will be solved when the Jews are removed from their village once and for all. Dr. Schmidt, a Jew and the only doctor in the small town, is the last remaining target in their community, and they are determined to end their troubles.

It can often be difficult to translate a story from one language to another without losing the emotions that made the original story so compelling. This story has been translated from its original language forty years after the original publication, but it is still just as effective today as it was at the time of publication. The story itself is both stirring and disturbing, and the themes explored in the novel are universal to the human condition.

This story is not a typical war story. Unlike other books in the genre, it is not graphically violent. There are no flashy battles or rallying troops. Instead, the actions are more subtle, which renders them more effective. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in historical fiction and true stories about everyday heroes.

Now at long last, "The Hill" is available in English and Jonynas' story is just as shocking now as it was when it was first published. The translation is smooth and the story runs just as fluently as the original Lithuanian version. Lirov perfectly captures the tone and style of Jonynas' book and words it in a way that is easy for English speaking readers to relate to. Because of Lirov's fantastic translation, readers can be sure that they are getting the story as it was meant to be told.

"The Hill" is a true story that takes place during World War II at a time when the Holocaust was at its worst. All of the Jewish citizens in the town have been killed except for Dr. Schmidt and his family. Though nobody is happy about having a Jewish physician, they realize that they have to let him live because the town and adjacent villages cannot survive without a doctor.

This becomes especially apparent when young Joe is fatally injured from an explosion. Even though he is in dire need of medical help, there is still some controversy as to whether or not it would be permissible for a Jewish man to treat him. As Jonynas eloquently explains, "The new rules were strict and made no sense. You could not sell medications to a Jew, and you could not treat a Jew, but you could probably call a Jewish doctor for help." Under that line of thinking, Dr. Schmidt is called and he manages to save Joe's life. Unfortunately, Dr. Schmidt will not find a savior of his own. Shortly after he saves Joe, Dr. Schmidt and his entire family are killed by the Lithuanian residents and his neighbors - all because of their Jewish heritage.

While the story of Joe and Dr. Schmidt is not completely unheard of due to the violence of that era, the way that this story came about is extremely unique. Unlike most Holocaust survivor stories, this one is not told by Jews because there were none left to tell the tale. The bulk of this story is told by Lithuanian Joe. For the events that Joe was not privy to, Jonynas had to locate other participants and witnesses to put the whole story together. His literary talent jumps off the pages while you read his portrayal of how the doctor felt when all of his friends and relatives were murdered before his eyes.

Though this book focuses on an extremely violent event and era, it is written in a manner that will make it as addictive for children as it is for adults. Consider this book as a history lesson that every person should learn no matter what their age. Whether you are 10 or 100, you will still be able to appreciate this story and the devastating time that it represents.

I have read a lot of books that chronicle events of the Holocaust and I can honestly say that this is one of the best books on the subject. Between Jonynas' enthralling storytelling, Lirov's perfect translation, and the heartbreaking story itself, "The Hill" is a phenomenal book. If you are interested in historical fiction, world history, the Holocaust, or the human condition in general, I strongly recommend that you read this book. I promise you won't be sorry.

As a Lithuanian-American, it's wonderful to finally find an account of my national history that is written in English. This is an academic book, so I find it easier to dip into it rather than read it from cover to cover, but the writing is generally clear and straightforward. For any first-generation Lithuanian-American who wants to remember what they learned long ago during Lithuanian Saturday school, this book is well worth the price.

I heard people praise S. C. Rowell for this book, but spending $100 on a book that dealt only with 50 years of Lithuanian history seemed way too much. However, eventually I bought it -- and that's the best history book I have ever read.

Most histories are just chronological narrative of wars, battles, and other events. What Rowell did was taking extremely scanty historical sources and piecing together a full view of history: wars, diplomacy, succession disputes, religion (paganism vs Catholicism vs Eastern Orthodoxy), culture, etc. and how everything inter-relates. His scholarship is rock-solid and you just pray for a sequel.

It is very different from usual over-generalized histories that are available. This one takes down to the very core of such claims as "Gediminas arranged shrewd marriages for his children." While you can easily find a list of these marriages elsewhere, the real appreciation comes only after reading Rowell's analysis. You can actually start understand what it was like to be sent over to an enemy's son to establish Lithuanian interest in some far-away region. Amazingly, it is done using not empty rhetoric but historical facts and documents.

So go ahead any buy this book. Hopefully, you will also learn how to write histories and conduct academic research.

S. C. Rowell has written an excellent account of the rise of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a pagan empire within Europe that embraced such supposedly "modern" virtues as religious and ethnic tolerance, multiculturalism and multiconfessionalism, although Lithuania's leaders were all pagans who practiced something closer to Hinduism than Christianity, and this at a time when the rest of Europe was winding down from a series of failed cruscades in the Levant and winding up for the domestic cruscades and the Inquisition.

What Rowell fails to touch on is how the Lithuanians managed to defeat the Mongols, who ravaged almost everyone else who stood in their path. In doing so Lithuania gained an empire that stretched from Bessarabia and Bukovina in the south to Estonia and east to the suburbs of modern Moscow. Rowell claims the Lithuanian leadership played a careful and calculated, perhaps cynical game of diplomacy with her rivals in the east and west, Russia and Germany respectively. One wonders if the bane of independent small states and nations in this part of the world, "Spheres of Influence," wasn't started by the Lithuanians themselves in interaction with the Mongols.

The other thing that left me unsatisfied was the lack of clear reasons for the decline of the Lithuanian empire. Traditionally Lithuanians blame Jogaila, or Jagiello as he was known in Krakow, for selling out Lithuanian territorial gains to the Polish after he married their child queen Jadvyga. The truth may also point closer to home than is comfortable for most Lithuanians: perhaps Lithuanians simply learned early what the British and Russians learned much later (and the Americans have yet to really learn): empire costs its masters much more than it does its conquered (i.e. as in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song, they gave it away then).

In any case, Rowell has written an excellent book with fresh and original takes on the entire subject. By actaully living among the Lithuanians of today's Lithuania (he taught at Klaipeda and may still), he has avoided errors almost always taken as gospel in the history of Lithuania as written, ultimately, by a Poland which has never forgiven Lithuania for being an independent entity after Czarist Russia fell and both nations emerged again as something like equals. Strange turn of history it be that people in the west somehow imagine Poland's independence as built of sturdier stuff than Lithuania's, while both nations have undergone almost exactly the same history of conquest, domination and reemergence since their leaders formed the joint kingdom. If the Soviet Union has fallen, does that mean that its juridical rules haven't held good, or are they still binding, if only on academia in the west? That is to ask, is it true to say Soviet Poland was less Soviet than Soviet Lithuania, or is that only a distinction the apparatchiks in Moscow and American campuses are capable of making? Rowell makes you wonder...

This is an extraordinary scholarly work. It clarifies the obscurities and subtleties of the Lithuanian situation in the last decades of official paganism when the Lithuanian state rivaled in geographic extent and ethnic diversity the greatest European nations ever known. The book primarily covers the rise and reign of Gediminas, the grand duke who was most responsible for Lithuania's astonishing growth in the fourteenth century. The subject in English has been covered only in popular and inaccurate general histories by Lithuanians influenced by the politics and mythologizing of the nation's first independence period. The author wrote the book while serving as Professor at the Centre for West Lithuanian and Prussian History at the University of Klaipeda, and it represents the first fruit of Lithuania's second independence in this century. The chapters include information on the importance of the region's peculiar landscape, the economic situation, pagan beliefs and their diplomatic usefulness, the role of Lithuanian princesses in forming marital alliances with Rus'ian and Polish principalities, the exploits of Lithuanian arms in expanding the realm, Gediminas's brilliant campaign in conquering Western Ukraine, its Rus'ian allies against the growing threat of Muscowy, and the attempt to develope a Lithuanian Orthodox Church in Vilnius are fascinating. One can only hope that S. C. Rowell will publish a sequel on the next sixty years of Lithuanian history to include the rise of Gediminas's grandson, the controversial Jogaila Gediminaitis, who became King of Poland-Lithuania, the first federated state in Europe and the largest in its history, Christianized his pagan people, despite their notorious (and admirable) cultural conservatism, and managed, with the help of carefully nurtured alliances first developed by Gediminas, to defeat the Teutonic Order, the military superpower of the day, using a NATO style army, Oriental strategy and technology, and Lithuanian ambush tactics. This book lays the groundwork for understanding the roots of the Jagiellonian dynasty of Poland-Lithuania and its political and philosophical accomplishments, fondly referred to by the present Pope John-Paul in the text of his speech to the UN a few years ago. The book's extensive footnotes, maps, geneological charts, and huge bibliography, to say nothing of the densely informative text, make the book worthwhile to anyone seriously interested in East European history.