Romania Books

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is a story of human spirit and triumph of good over evil. Very inspirational! Wonderful read.

This was one of the best books I ever read. The book was written so well. I wish more books were written about the Holocaust that were this good. 5 Stars!!!

Instead of buying Harry Potter we need more books like this. This was such a beautiful story of hope and courage, strength and determination. It tells history the way it was and I cannot tell you enough how this book touched my heart and my daughters heart. My daughter picked up the book and never put it down, she read the whole thing in 3 days. I could hear her giggle and laugh at some of the funny parts and I could see her tears in some of the sensitive heart moving parts. This book will capture you. Just beautiful
I wish they could make Sareen's story into a movie

God Bless

I read many books on the Holocaust and have always found inspiration and admiration for those people who have experienced such an appalling event and have managed to survive. But this book left me totally disturbed with the graphics given by this amazing woman, Sara Tuvel Bernstein, and I highly commend her for sharing her horrific ordeal.
I recommend everyone should read this book and maybe,just maybe, we will learn something from it... that war is futile, and all people are equal.

True life events .. so well told .. The story is riveting from beginning to end .. I wish I could feel that this will never happen again but I worry that it can and that it will.

This book is a real labor of love. Dr. Dusleag tells the story of his grandfather and the persecution he endured. Dr. Stroia overcame his horrible experiences and left a legacy behind in the journal that he kept, at great risk to his physical well being and that of his family. His grandson followed in his footsteps by visiting the sites mentioned in the journal, taking pictures and documenting his research. He used the journal as well as his memories of his grandfather to inspire his own life. This is a very good book indeed and I highly recommend it to anyone, but particularly to those with an interest in history.

Stanciu Stroia's memoirs are very important to all of us, because they help us understand what went on in Romania and throughout Eastern Europe before 1945, and what followed the fall of Communism in 1989. The book's web site [...] in itself is a valuable document.

I've read several books by political prisoners of the Romanian regime. This one does not discuss as much the details of the physical horrors of the prisons. The concept of a person being visited by the securitate late at night, put into prison for years, and familial contacts severed, is horrible enough. This story is told by a doctor, who by very nature is compassionate and sworn by oath to heal others. Dr. Stroia lived by that oath. In the book he mentions a prison doctor who "prescribed" that his patient throw himself onto the barbed wire as a cure for depression. The patient followed his doctor's orders and was shot. Dr. Stroia's humanity not only remained intact, but it grew. His "second university" tore a giant chasm in his life, but his inner strength carried him through.

This story is extremely important today, helping us to understand more about what happened in Eastern Europe and why there is still much of a struggle there since 1989. I think in the US we have tended to think "Oh good! Communism has toppled and everything will be just fine." The scars of a monstrous regime run deep and don't go away easily. We also must look at ourselves to make sure that we don't create a system that is not accountable to the people it governs. This exceptional story shows us that pride, integrity, and compassion are necessary to carry us through evil times and leave us intact on the other side. I highly recommend this very readable addition to the literature on Romania's modern history.

The book was exceptional in its treatment of how life in a Romanian communist prison must have felt on a personal level. It seemed as if Dr. Stroia was speaking directly to me (and all readers) personally through his grandson, telling me something about what that life was like for these prisoners. I cannot even imagine, however, what life must have been like for him as each of the things he did mention must have been repeated so many more times than he recalled, over and over again, day in and day out, for seven long years!

Without dwelling on the cruelty of the prison guards, he managed to give me enough of an idea to read between the lines of the events he chose to include in his journal (and in the book). I am not ashamed to admit that I cried at times while reading his story ... especially whenever he got his hopes up, only to be shattered by his oppressors ... or to hear how little they cared about his health. Imagine a doctor, knowing what was happening internally, and being unable to do anything to stop his slow deterioration through continued scurvy and hypertension.

His was a gentle, quiet condemnation of what some human beings are willing to force another human to endure ... and also a loud voice proclaiming the human spirit of this man to endure and overcome an adversity that was forced upon him without justification! He and others like him are the true heroes ... in every sense of the word! I can only wish I had known Dr. Stroia in real life ... he'd have so many things to teach me, I'm sure, about living.

A wonderful book and one that I'd recommend to anyone!

I have read My Second University, which told the story of a man with strength of character that all of us should strive to achieve. As a doctor he was taught "to do no harm". Whether he was born with that humane instinct or acquired it after medical training is not important. What is important is how noble a man can remain after a period of harsh confinement. His life is a testament to our best possible behavior that few of us live up to. Not only did he defeat his enemies in his life time, he also left a legacy for his grandson to emulate. What more could a grandfather do for his grandson? From a man whose life has been enriched by reading about a human being of regal character,
Joe Garcia, Lakewood, Ohio.

Once I started this book I could not put it down. It is the most enjoyable book, I have read in a while. The charcters are interesting, and the plot is exiting. I would recommened this book to anyone.

Having been to Romania several times, I found this book very historical, with clear emphasis on the heart of Christian brothers and sisters. Though the historical element of this book is written pre-1989, there is still persecution there(though much more covertly.) This is an excellent read!!!

Refiner's Fire combines a gripping story line with well-drawn characters and a real sense of the time and place in which they live. The book held me captive to the very last paragraph and is particularly fascinating to anyone with an interest in Romania. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys adventure!

A CLASSIC, "I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!" BOOK. AT THE SAME TIME I WAS SUBMERSED IN THIS SOLID, COMPELLING AND PROVOCATIVE NOVEL. I WAS ALSO BEING EDUCATED,COMVICTED AND CHALLENGED BY IT'S AUTHOR WITH APPARENT EASE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE AND I LOOK FORWARD WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION TO SYLVIA BAMBOLA'S NEXT WORK OF CRAFTSMANSHIP.

I travelled in Romania during the same time period of this book. That got my attention. I hoped to relive the intimate conversations with believers behind the Iron Curtain; I hoped to taste and smell and visualize the rugged and beautiful countryside. I was mildly disappointed.

Bambola's novel is a tale of two brothers separated by time and geography, brought together again as adults in Romania--one an American ambassador, one a Romanian colonel. The cover and description of "Refiner's Fire" led me to believe this would be more male-oriented fiction. It's not. That's not to say that it's a waste of time for male readers; in fact, I appreciated the story and the lessons to be learned. The writing is easy and flowing. The dialogue is generally snappy. I felt that the plot and characters, although fitting, were geared toward a female reader. A number of times, I found the ambassador's reactions to his wife a bit syrupy and/or emotional for a man of his position.

The book reads quickly, and the wake-up call to a lazy American society is needed (particularly within the churches). Bambola does give us some heart-rending facts regarding the persecution others face. Unfortunately for me, though, I never felt like I was taken back to the places or peoples I visited. For those who have never been there, this might be a great introduction.

This is an amazing first hand account of the horrors of the Holocaust. Very candidly, Magda shares about what happened to her, her family and loved ones, as the unbelievable events of the world unfolded in the early 1940's. As a survivor of the tragedy, she proclaims her faith in God, and the hope of being reunited with her family and friends as the unseen strengths that kept her alive, and brought her through. She has made it her purpose and calling in life to make others aware of the reality of what happened, and she does a great job issuing a warning of the capabilities of what humans can do if evil is allowed to reign in their hearts.

My praise for this book! A must read!

Survival

This is not just another Holocaust book. Magda's story is a slap in the face to the "historians" and racists who deny that the Holocaust ever took place. But this book is so much more than a historical document; it is the story about one woman's courageous life, and a life that has been lived to the full.

I had the pleasure of hearing Magda share her story at our Messianic Congregation. Magda is willing to share her story with both Christians and Messianic Jews because she loves God and loves people. She is a bundle of energy, and if you ever get the chance to see her in person, I would highly recommend that you do so.

The book seems to fly by as we see the life of Magda transition from a happy, athletic child to a left-for-dead survivor, to her development into vibrant adulthood. The part where she is re-united with her mother is priceless; Magda's mother saved a change of clothes and some chocolates in case her daughter would ever return, and Baruch HaShem she did. Magda is also a poet, and she has many poems mixed in; one that stuck me in particular was one she recited when she thought she would die near the camps. The poem is a chilling reminder of the powerful emotions one would feel at that time when normal words cannot adequately explain our emotions.

What I really loved about her work, oral and written, is that she has a wonderful balance of remembrance and hope. She does not forget or ignore the past, but neither does she let it impede her. We remember the horror, but we also get to hear about how after the war she went to medical college, found the love of her life (recently celebrating 60 years of marriage), and became a poet and an inspirational speaker.

This book is important for both Jews and Christians to read. Both will walk away blessed. But also to those who feel that there is no hope in the world, this is a great example to demonstrate the opposite. Don't miss an opportunity to see what one woman did who was described as "saved by God." It will warm your heart.

I've known Magda Herzberger almost 30 years and during that time I saw in her compassion, a love of life, an intellect and a strong heroic desire to be a voice and tell what happened to 6 million Jews in Hitler's death camps of Auschwitz, Bremen and Bergen-Belsen. She can be that voice because she was there from 1944 to 1945.

"Survival" begins with 18 year old Magda writing about her loving family, mother, father and aunts and uncles. It is memories of these peaceful and happy days that will help Magda in the death camps where horror, humiliation and cruelty reign.

To write this book Magda had to summon all the horrors she endured in the camps back into her conscious mind and relive them. While writing the book, she endured many nightmares as she summoned the grisly past to the present. To continue on writing this autobiography is a tribute to her courage.

She writes she was shipped with thousands of other Jews jammed into cattle cars that would take them to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In her book, she takes us through a week by week account of the "work" assigned to her in the camp. Death was next to her every moment. The daily living was so abhorrent that many of the women found themselves in deep depression and committed suicide. Magda's strong belief in the Almighty kept her from doing the same. The reader will see how Magda uses many different positive thinking techniques to keep her sanity.

The reader will find a book that gives living testament to what it was like in the camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the streets of bombed Bremen and finally, the trip to the camp of starvation in Bergen Belsen.

This book begins with a wholesome, loving teenager who is snatched along with her family and other Jews to arrive at a death camps and end a year later with an emaciated woman with her arms wrapped around a birch tree coming to terms with death knowing it is not far away.

This is not to be her end. She does find happiness.

I think this book should be in every library, school, and book store.

This is a must read for Jews and non Jews alike. For Jews, to reinforce the motto "NEVER AGAIN" and for all non Jews so that they may understand. It took only a few years of indoctrination by the Nazis for a people to learn to hate a culture and religion so intensely. They were able to justify the denegration, torture and murder of millions of Jews Gypseys and others. One may wonder how much worse it may become for us, Jews and non Jews alike, in today's world where children are studying the same hateful rhetoric in madrasses (sp)...but for years and years. Enough hate and vitriol so that they are willing to give up their lives in order to murder innnocent people. I had to put this book down periodically because it so clearly illustrated "man's inhumanity to man". I am personally acquainted with Magda. She is wonderful, incredibly resiliant human being. There is a glow in her face and demeanor. Her father's message of "FAITH, LOVE & HOPE...foregiveness and tolerance...no mater what happens" is almost impossible to imagine under those circumstances...but if Magda can do it...maybe...we all can.

"Survival" is chilling! The contents give grizly details of three Nazi prison camps.But Magda Herzberger's superb ability to pen her thoughts takes the reader throuh her journey of awe and wonderment that led to her hell-hole of nearly unsurvivable torture.And then she brings us back to the real world.
When I read about Magda's background [ off a well connected family with above average attitudes to make a positive difference in their community],I mentally engaged in that same strength.The when I read how she was shoved into the brink of near insanity,I felt her deep dark pain,and at the same time,I appreciated her tender-hearted goodness throughout the book.I applaud the author's courage to spill her gut-wrenching experiences onto the printed page and show the reader how she maintained her God-loving dignity.
Magda does not give a world-involved view of the war;she writes her daily account from the frame of a teenager.She places the reader within her,so we experience the pain of her flesh and the light of her soul.Her prose throughout the book captures additional heart-felt thoughts that give support to her storyline.
I recommend his book for teenagers as well as adults.We can learn from Magda Herzberger;she doesn't live in a prison of unforgiveness;instead,she looks for life and lives it.I suggest we all take a thankful attitude for the air we breathe.

Not only did the author give the reader a glimpse into his personal story of obsessive love; but also the added problem of his obsession - the young man that he lusts after is much younger than him, more beautiful, and lives and hustles in Romania.
There is a feeling for the reader, of impending doom throughout this book.

Bendersen's deep feelings of lust/love is is made more difficult for him knowing this beautiful man will do anything for money - including sell his own body.
So it begs the question throughout the book. Does this beautiful young man really like our older pursuer; or is he merely a means to an end.

Romulus does what he wants, even when the author visits him every few months from the states....but Romulus always makes his body available and therein is our 'catch 22'.
Benderson pulls no punches about the beautiful body of Romulus always there for him.

Angst,frustration,anger and helplessness go hand in hand with Benderson as he tries to cope with his feelings of loving someone he can't control - and who has also made it plain to Benderson that he prefers women and is not gay.

We are also given a parallel stories of obsessive love between Prince/King Carol I and his paramour a Jewess. THAT story ended badly.

Benderson's story of his obsession, is also his total renunciation of his personal life, in order to satisfy his need,his lust, his compulsion for his beautiful boy.

So we are kept wondering...will it work?....can it work?....It's worth the read to find out.

Thank you to my Romanian friend, Anton, for recommending this book to me.

I knew nothing about this memoire but the title before i picked it up so you can imagine my suprise as the plot became clear.

I enjoyed this book more than i expected because the characters pulled me in and the pace seemed to be more like a mystery than a memoire. Knowing that the story was not dreampt up made the characters feelings weigh a bit more heavily.

I really enjoyed the journey the author goes through...knowing he's venturing down the wrong path but going anyway, for the immediate satisfaction that lays there.

Benderson, Bruce, "The Romanian: Story of an Obsession", Tarcher/ Penguin, 2006.

An Intellectual Triumph

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride


If you are in the mood for a serous book that will indeed make you think, pick up a copy of Bruce Benderson's "The Romanian: Story of an Obsession" and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed. I knew nothing about it and the more I read the more surprised I became and the more I loved this book. Written as a memoir, it is really more of a mystery. It s one thing to go down the wrong road but it is something else when you knowingly do so. The book is honest (sometimes too much so) and realistic (because it really happened).
Anyone who has ever loved a person or a place with pain and obsessed, fantasized, felt not at home, or thought about the concepts of history and fate will have a pleasurable read. Benderson takes Romanian history and enmeshes it with the love story of a forbidden hustler. Benderson's obsession with a Romanian rent boy parallels the scandal of a royal family and in doing so takes us with beautiful insight into the modern perspective. Benderson has created a whole new form of travel memoir with this book. He transforms his obsessions to matters for the intellect and we get a psycho-sexual soap opera where danger and truth hide in run down hotels, dim cul-de-sacs and unknown foreign landscapes. The titillation he could have provided his readers by writing this as a soft-core porn novel is instead relates as depraved, masochistic luminous and comical story. There is no hint of redemption and no patented wisdom. The style of the author is depressing and decadent and seems to be infused with mind altering drugs but this is what makes this book so great.
Benderson is at times self-indulgent but we never lose interest. It seemed to me that the author was trying to exorcise some of his guilt feelings about exploiting a young hustler but this is not really of importance as we see when the book draws to a close. Everything is just dirty and the man brought about his own fate.
Benderson felt that his mother had suffocated him emotionally and it is through this knowledge and his relationship with a young man that he begins to realize that everyone of us carries some kind of flaw and that above all, we are human. In learning this, the book shocks us into the reality of the way we live and we start to search within ourselves. Benderson shocks us out of any preconceived notions we may have about the nature of sexuality and we learn that we are mainly responsible for our undoing.
The layers of the book are plentiful as past and present intertwine and the passion of Benderson becomes the passion of the person reading his book. The language is beautiful and the way three different themes are bound together is nothing short of amazing. The descriptions are lush and I bet that Romania has never looked so good before. Benderson uses his beautiful narrative to tell us of things that should ordinarily shock us but his way of relating what he has to say is absolutely gorgeous.

I loved this book. It was honest, although at times it did teeter on the pretentious. I'm not sure if there really was a valid point to his parallel tale of Romania's last king and mistress and Benderson's affair with the his Romanian hustler. Perhaps Benderson was just trying to displace some of his guilty feelings over exploiting a poor and desperate young man. By the end it really doesn't matter - his rose tinted glasses are off and it's all just grime, grit as dirty as uncut diamonds. I came to realize that everyone is an accomplice in their own undoing.

I am straight and was wonderfully surprised how "The Romanian" depicted facets of my own love life and how Benderson's relationship with his mother was similar --the same suffocating control and tenderness. Benderson jolts us right out of our outdated heterosexual and homosexual bourgeois notions. Whether it is his mother or a shameful street hustler, Benderson is only too aware that we are all flawed; that we are only all too human. A shocker for sure but almost right from the beginning, we stop judging and start to search, along with Benderson, deep into our own souls.

"The Romanians," multi- layered intertwines the past with and present in such a brilliant way that we not only learn something about ourselves but also about several cultures. A smart director like Paul VERHOEVEN or TARANTINO would be smart to snatch up the rights.

I just married a Romanian while he was on tour in the U.S. for six months. Having only been here for a year he was terribly homesick. After ordering the book I was able to surprise him with a full Romanian meal, and it was so easy! Highly, highly recommended!

This book is an all-around great cookbook. To be honest, I had never heard of Romanian cuisine before and picked up the book on a whim. I'm glad I did because the book introduced me to a delicious culture that I had never sampled before. The recipes in the book are grouped into the following chapters: appetizers, salads, egg dishes, soups, polenta, fish dishes, meat dishes, poultry dishes, vegetable dishes, dumplings, sauces, desserts, wines, preserves, and Jewish dishes. I found good recipes in each chapter, some fancy, and some that can be whipped up in minutes. Interspersed throughout the book are short history lessons about Romania, fairy tales, and poetry, as well as Klepper's comments explaining the cooking culture. The book also includes a bibliography, a place and personal name index, and English recipe index, a Romanian recipe index, a brief pronunciation guide, an English-Romanian-French food dictionary, and even an American-British food dictionary (surprisingly useful!). If you're looking for a Romanian cookbook, this is a great one. And if you're just looking for some interesting and tasty new recipes, you'll find some here.

Somehow, everyone in Romania seems to believe that their heaviest food is also the tastiest. In Romanian restaurants both in Romania and accross the US, in cookbooks -- all I'm finding are the stuffed grape or cabbage leaves, the pork products, the mamaliga. What happened to all those seasonal (in Romania) meals centered around the great vegetables that abound in Spring, stuff that a family would actually eat everyday at home? The light and flavorful zuchinni with yoghurt, the spinach puree, all the many ways to prepare mushrooms, celery roots, even the lowly potatoe? The great sour soups that wake one up with their taste? What about some of the staples, like bors (not to be confused with Russiona borscht), the sour grain vinegar that is so good in those soups? Or all the pickled vegetables that spice up ones winter meal? Also, there are all the holiday preparations, such as a stuffed goose, duck on sourkraut, and, for the kids, the "sweet bites", sort of like a gingerbread cracker, but thicker and with a soft, molasse-like consistency (turta dulce for those of you out there who know :-)...
I'm not a great Romanian cook myself and I bought this book hoping to fill in some of my childhood favorites. It does do a good job of the recipes it presents. I handed the stuffed grape leaves recipe to the chef in charge at my wedding and it ended up being a favorite with my (mostly non-Romanian) guests!
The other complain I have is that some of the ingredients have been "adapted" to suit most American supermarkets. I won't complain about getting some of the fat out (although most of it stayed...) but what about the tarragon, the lovage, dill --they're all available here, with a bit of effort. Why not do what many asian cookbooks do and require the original ingredient, with an easy-to-find alternative where in doubt? And what about those simple salads that "parsley-up" and liven up any Romanian family's dinner?
Maybe it depends on the region -- Transylvania does have its share of heavier food, and with no outlets to the Black Sea, people there don't really enjoy eating fish. But Romanian cuisine has so many other flavors that I constantly see neglected, yet they are the easiest to include in a balanced diet...
And a final word of praise: the romanian wine list at the end is worth the price of the book -- and brings the stars rating to 4. I've been looking for something similar for a while, and I was really glad to find it in this book.

This is a fantastic book. So many of the recipes I remember from my mother's and grandmother's cooking. It's also nice to get a little bit of a history lesson, along with Romanian poems and folktales. I purchased it for my daughter and sons. Since I left Romania at 15 (over 18 years ago), it's nice to remember some of the Romanian cooking I grew up with.
Now, if I could only get my American husband to try some of the recipes, that would be a victory indeed. :o)

I am Romanian and have lived in the US for just a short time. I got this book as a Christmas gift for my mother in law who is American. She loved it and wants to try cooking some of the recipes in there!!! It has great traditional recipes and some history lessons to help a novice understand Romanian culture. I was so happy to find the book on amazon and I recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Romanian culture.

That's one of the logical questions that Mr Wurmbrand posed to his audiences in jail. This man is one of the most intelligent men I have read. An intellectual. A hero of the Christian faith. A man of integrity. Blessed with a long and beautiful life as a reward for all his pains spreading the Good News in Romania during the long Communist dictatorship. years in prisons, being tortured physically and mentally. And never giving up his faith, which was the prize the commies were looking for. It was amazing to see how many, almost all, the commies who had a chance of talking intimately with Mr Wurmbrand would eventually open up their hearts and crack. That tells a lot for the influence of evil spirits on people, people whose soul is naturally Christian -as Wurmbrand says.

A man well-learned, who can talk of science, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, ancient history, or almost anything without hesitation, who can give a quick and wise response to any questioner who's trying to ridicule the faith. The book is full of lessons on how to live as sheep "in the midst of wolves... therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Mat. 10:16) This was Mr Wurmbrand.

Reading him is learning to be wiser. There is priceless advice on how to face situations that can compromise your faith in Christ. It is not an idealistic, theological treatise, it's simple and handy advice on how to respond to the test of atheists.

Here's one pearl of his philosophy: "A real disciple does not seek gifts but Christ himself, and so is ready for self sacrifice to the end. They were not followers of Jesus, but customers."

Since the persecutions of Christians in ancient Rome, there has been no such hellish scenario up to the communist era in the 20th century. The book is not pessimistic though. It is a wonderful story of victory of faith against all odds. When faith in the Christian God of Israel was put to the test real bad, and boy did it come out alive!

If I were going to be stranded on a desert island I'd definately want this book with me. If you get a chance, it's a must read, triumph of the human spirit type book, but completely real and honest.

This is an awesome book which gives the account of Richard Wurmbrand, a Jewish, Lutheran pastor, who endured suffering and torture in a Communist prison while being a Christ-like example to the many people around him. This book will inspire you (as it did to me) to walk closer to the Compassionate and All-loving God who used Wurmbrand to lead many prisoners to Christ and the grace that flows freely from the Cross to ALL who will accept it.

This book touched me and changed my whole view of the term 'martyr'. I have since become a great fan of Wurmbrand, his books never fail to stun one into a deep, reverential silence.

No matter your (ir)religious beliefs, you will be astounded by this account of life, endurance, perseverance, faith, and love in the worst possible conditions and suffering. An astounding witness to the strength and love the living Christ imparts, and an indictment of the horror and hollowness of atheism. Not for the faint of heart or closed of mind, and brimming over with insight and depth of thought; especially fascinating are his theological and philosophical conversations with a myriad of colorful characters, from (formerly) powerful politocos and military figures, to "lowly" farmers and thieves.

Dr. Perl wrote skillfully and with clarity of the horrors of Nazi concentration camps. Auschwitz was pergatory and Bergen Belsen was hell. She told it just as it was with very little digression into unrelated subject matter. As Matt stated in his review...she writes as a surgeon, always cutting to the core of the story she had to relate. I must agree that this is one of the very finest books I've read by a survivor, albeit there are a great many. The many very talented and wonderful women that fought to live and failed in their quest will break your heart. Dr. Perl tells of the spirits of these women and the great loss to the world of the multitudes of talented and wonderful people put to death by these butchers. The book was reprinted in 1997 by Ayer Company Publishers, Inc. in North Stratford, NH, and I cannot understand why it is so difficult to find today. My most generous thanks to those who supplied me a copy of this marvelous testimony for my library.

Read dear Lucille Eichengreen's book, FROM ASHES TO LIFE. It too is a valuable historical testimony. Then get ECHOES FROM AUSCHWITZ by wonderful Eva Mozes Kor, which is the story of Eva and Miriam Mozes, two of Mengele's twins. Excellent!

My purpose here is to inform the interested public that Dr. Perl's 1948 book is NOT out of print. You may purchase the paperback reprint directly from the publisher, Ayer Co. Publishers, in North Stratford, N.H. The book retails at $19.95. To order a copy, call customer service at: 603-669-7032 and give them ISBN 978-0405123009.

I'll be back to write my review after the book arrives and I've had a chance to read it. I did recently watch the DVD of Dr. Perl's story, "Out of the Ashes." I'm expecting much from the book because the movie earned a 5-star rating from me.

I am not one to complement with ease, but the personal perspective afforded to us by Dr. Perl's beautiful and clear articulation is unforgable. The book is horrific, yet painfully honest and objective. She focuses little on her own suffering and tries her hardest to portray life in the women's camp generally.

She is undoubtedly a heroine...

This hard-to-find autobiography of Gisella Perl is well worth the trouble you may have in obtaining it, and it is in a different league than the simplistic movie, "Out of Ashes", which was very loosely based on it. It tells the story of a female Jewish doctor who is deported to Auschwitz and manages to survive as one of the camp's prisoner doctors. The peculiar dehumanization and agony of the concentration camp experience are described in detail, as is her interaction with notorious Auschwitz SS personnel Joseph Mengele and Irma Grese. The physical and mental struggles of herself and her fellow-sufferers are described in moving, human terms. This testimony is of particular value to historians because it was written only a short time after the Holocaust, not generations later.

This true story MUST be told and read by everyone! What horrors took place and how Dr. Perl was involved and what she saw, unbelieveably moving. I cried. If you can not find or afford to buy this book...get the DVD movie "Out of the Ashes" which does a good job of retelling the story.

Illie's book isn't exactly what I expected but it was worth the read.
I learned a lot of things about him that I never knew.

Unfortunately, I felt he was very biased at times and all too often
he was boasting. It seemed as though I tried to justify immoral actions
that he made on and off the court. But who am I to judge.

If you grew up playing tennis or learning how to play back when wooden
rackets were all we had you'll gain from the book. Even if you
grew up watching tennis or playing after the wooden racket era this
book will give you a window into how we played back in the old days
and the pros and cons of playing during that time.

Illie especially provides a great view what European players used to
deal with on the tour and their approach to tennis. This book shows
tennis as it was in the 70's and 80's while Blake's book is more focused
on playing in the late 1990's and early 21st century.

Not great literature, just a great story of a great player, in a great era, playing a great game. Nasty was a charismatic tennis player who had the benefit of playing at an incredible time traveling the world and meeting interesting people. But this book also covers his background growing up in a Communist country and how his talent allowed him to circumvent the tough conditions of most citizens.

Maybe the most interesting news in the book is how little he trained early in his career. This of course could never happen now in the current incredibly competitive and lucrative sport. But he consistently talks about how little he trained and how inexperienced he really was as he started his rise as a Junior player.

Most people will be interested in the personalities and they are all here, Ion Tiriac and their unique relationship, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Of course he must also touch on his personal life of three marriages and children that he loved even though he may not always have been around as a father.

Overall this book does an excellent job of detailing the life of a 1970s fun loving tennis pro who was not on the court all day but rather in the discos and bars every night. Nasty, a true legend, on the court and off.

If I'm not missing any, this is the fourth book published about the charismatic and controversial Ilie Nastase (two of which were published in France). This speaks volumes for the popularity enjoyed by this genius of tennis.

Nastase is one of the reasons tennis became so hugely popular back in the 1970s. His talent and personality brought millions of new fans to the game. His combined singles titles (57) and doubles (51) of Grand Prix, WCT and ATP sanctioned tournaments of Open Tennis (since 1968) is only surpassed by John McEnroe - no coincidence here since they are the two greatest natural talents seen in tennis. His Davis Cup record is also phenomenal, playing and winning more matches than anybody else, except Nikki Pietrangeli. Contrary to some erroneous assumptions made by another reviewer, Nastase never left Romania. He did not need to do so, since he was allowed to keep all his earnings. This was part of the deal made with the Romanian Communist authorities, in return for his free and unconditional availability of playing Davis Cup matches.

Reading the book I discovered with great surprise and regret that he is not yet a member of the Wimbledon All England Club. After all, this is the guy that won three Wimbledon doubles titles and played in other two singles finals (the one from 1972 is still regarded as one of the most beautiful and memorable ever played at Wimbledon!). Last but not least, he is the one that saved Wimbledon in 1973 when almost all of the big names boycotted the tournament.....I sincerely believe is still not too late for Wimbledon to rectify this injustice.....

Finally, I would like to recommend in addition to this wonderful book another excellent one on Nastase. This one, by Richard Evans, was published in 1977 here in USA under "Nasty: Ilie Nastase vs. Tennis" and in England under "Nastase". Any of these and "Mr. Nastase" would certainly make any Nastase fan very, very happy!!

The greatest tennis talent that ever lived - but how he lived!

This is an entertaining book about one of the most charismatic players of the Open era. Win or loose he enjoyed the game like few ever did. He was active on the ATP tour until 37. And, he still reached the 4th round of the US Open at 36.

The book's appendix discloses fascinating statistics. You can see his win/loss track record against many players. His career being so long, it tied the Australian era to the Open era. Thus, he had a 9-2 record against an aging Rod Laver (8 years older) but a 3-5 record against a young McEnroe (13 years younger). These records don't mean anything. One champion is aging while the other is entering his prime.

As a man, he had much fun. Per his own estimate, he bedded 2,500 groupies. He had a wonderful love affair during his first marriage. Even though it predictably ended in divorce , the divorce was not wrenching affair vs what Becker and McEnroe endured. Nastase's relationship with women was similar to the one he had with the public. No one could be mad at him for too long.

Nastase lost mental control in his matches. Unlike Connors and McEnroe who could create winning strategies out of the chaos, Nastase was the victim of his shenanigans. His bad behavior cost him tens of thousands of dollars in penalties.

As a result of his lack of mental control, Nastase's legacy is a fraction of what his talent warranted. He won only two Grand Slam tournaments (73 French Open and 72 US Open). Tens of players have far greater legacies.

Nevertheless, Nastase still fascinates. In fact Federer's versatile game most resembles Nastase. Both men have the ability to win on any surface against any opponents, and hit shots nobody else can. Adding Nastase's unpredictable behavior to the versatility of his game just contributed to the legend.

There is no doubt Nastase was an all around extraordinarily gifted athlete. As an aging star, he had to play sports he had never learned for various TV shows. After just 5 minutes of learning the grip, he hit par on his first golf hole. After Ion Tiriac teaches him ice hockey. Within 15 minutes Nastase was chasing Tiriac around the skating rink. Not bad for a guy who had never skated.

The biography gets even more interesting as he retires from the ATP circuit. Because of his profile, he met everybody. He is on a first name basis with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, George Bush Sr. and Jr, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. He likes everyone of them. Nastase also describes the chronic political crisis plaguing Romania. His firsthand experience makes for a fascinating account about the living condition in this country.

If you like this book, I also recommend McEnroe's "You Can't Be Serious" and Becker's "The Player." They are definitely all multidimensional fascinating complex personalities.

I am a PhD student doing Operations Research - more specificly, Mixed Integer Programming - that is why I purchased this book, just because of the curiousity about the autobiography of a brilliant mathematician in our field.

I started this book in the end of Feb and couldn't help stopping digging into his unbelievable and inspiring life stories and have already started the third time. Everytime I get new gains and thoughts. First, it is definitely a good encouragement for my research work, by his enthusiasm and passion for knowledge and mathematics; in addition, I always can judge my attitude to life and people by learning from his experience and his eternal optimistic awareness. Here is a book, where you can find faith, justice, intelligence, honesty and love.

This memoir lays out in exquisite prose a touching, insightful journey through a series of challenges that are almost incomprehensible to those of us who have grown up in happier times. As I read I could not help but wonder how I would measure up to the ethical and moral standards set by Professor Balas. His academic excellence and stature are well known to all of us who have worked in any field related to mathematical programming; this book makes it clear that in addition to being an exemplary academic in every way, Professor Balas is also a very great gentleman, in the best British sense of the word. I can only say I am proud to have known him.

If ever I get imprisoned I'll remember to use a coffee-stained napkin and stale bread to make a chess set. I also learned from Egan Balas that to exercise in a confined space one takes an odd number of steps - else one walks in circles. Algorithmic ingenuity enabled him to successfully take up mathematics in his late 30s, against the conventional wisdom that good mathematicians do their work when young, and become an outstanding professor of industrial administration, applied mathematics and operations research at Carnegie Mellon University.

He tells stories of his lives - escaping death narrowly - "according to my own taste", making it one of the most compelling biographies I have ever read.
This would be an extraordinary thriller if it were fiction - but it's not, it's real. The highly personal account of how a Transylvian Jew became a revolutionary worker, a dapper diplomat, a tortured prisoner and a creative academic takes one through some absolutely awful scenes. Balas' craftiness enabled him to survive and his toughness under severe torture protected his friends. This is not some second hand account of Communist and Nazi hate, Balas drags the reader through his pain and suffering. There are happier moments - such as when he comes out of prison and addresses his daughter - not realizing that he's speaking to a younger sibling born in his absence and that his daughter has grown considerably.

For anyone who wants to understand willpower and survival in Hungary and Romania during the 2nd world war this is a must read. Besides historical interest, the story's suspense makes it an ideal gift for thriller and spy story readers.

Professor Balas from Carnegie Mellon University is one of the most respected members of the Operations Research community. I am a big fan of Professor Egon Balas, having read his papers on the "Lift and Project" method in solving mixed integer programming problems.

Nothing moved me as much as this book though. I agree with the reviewer from Toronto, the book is definitely a great scientific mind at work, where Egon describes clearly and in vivid detail all that he went through, without any bitterness or resentments.

A triumph of the human spirit against all odds and adversaries!

Truly a fascinating story. I was born in Romania and went to college in Cluj during the late sixties. The period of time between 1945-1954 was always a mystery to me. Egon Balas has opened my eyes on many aspects of my country's secret past. The book is very engaging and kept me captivated until the end. Egon's story is representative of what happened to Transylvanian Jews who were communists before and after the war. While not all stories have happy endings like Egon's, I know of many people with similar stories. None of them talked to me in so many details and so eloquently as Egon did in his book. I am greatful to Egon for making this very personal account of his life public, so that the story of the communist Jews of Cluj is not lost forever. Great book !