Camps Books

This book is great. My child used this book (along with the prep course) and increased an already good score by 140 points. In addition to proven test taking tips, this book offers substantial math sections, 100 top SAT words and Latin word roots. The book is written in a much more entertaining style than the usual dry test prep books and even features cartoons to illustrate the vocabulary words. I would absolutely recommend this book!

BOOT CAMP FOR YOUR BRAIN IS A MUST FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE SAT. BY FOLLOWING THE HELPFUL HINTS AND GUIDELINES IN THE BOOK OUR SON'S SCORES WENT UP BY 300 POINTS! THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK FOR ANY STUDENT TRYING TO ACHIEVE HIS/HER HIGHEST MARKS ON THE SAT!

My son studied from the book all summer and took Ms Mannings class. His SAT score went up 110 points from his PSAT score He found the math section extremely helpful.

I have tried plenty of different programs to enhance my SAT scores - books, classes, you name it. Boot Camp was organized in a fashion that was easy to use, and more importantly, yielded desired results. The contents of the book are concepts that are on the actual SAT and don't waste your time. I (like any other high schooler) have little to no time to practice SATs, but the great thing about Boot Camp is that you can quiz yourself and go over only the concepts you need help with. It made studying very very easy, and getting my SAT scores back even easier. I highly recommend Boot Camp for the busy high schooler looking to improve his or her scores.

"Boot Camp" is a fabulous book that will certainly help any child in their preparation for the SAT. It is worth the time and effort to insure the best scores possible!

My son and I really enjoyed this addition to the Olympians series. The story keeps you on your toes and we book could not put the book down. We are looking forward to book 5 next year.

My son who is 13 yrs old, couldn't put it down. We ended up buying the whole series. It was very nice to see him want to read! He is really hoping for another one to come out soon :)

This is, by far, one of the best books that I've read all year. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series ever since I picked up The Lightning Thief a few months ago, and the series hasn't let me down yet. I would even say that this book is the best one in the series so far. It had me constantly flipping pages to see what new and exciting adventures my favorite demigod hero got himself mixed up in.

This time, Riordan builds on the myth of the labyrinth and the minotaur for his story. Hero-in-training Percy must traverse the many perils of the ancient and mysterious labyrinth with his demigod friends and recent mortal friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare to protect Camp Half-Blood. There is absolutely no lack of action in this book. The characters are constantly getting in and out of trouble while plot moves forward and thickens.

This book really made me feel like a kid again. I got so caught up in Percy's adventures that I felt the same excitement that he did as he explored this rich, modern version of Greek mythology. The story would be a little bit difficult to understand if you haven't read the previous books, but it's a treat for those who have. Riordan effortlessly weaves together previous characters andplot lines into something new while throwing in an occasional reminder of how his world works.

I thought Battle was a great novel of adventure and helped me escape from the world for a little. Even if you are older than the series' target audience, it's worth picking up. If not for the action, than for the modern humor that Riordan infuses into something ancient and traditional. Highly recommended!

This book i soooo gooo it keeps you on the edge i would reccoment this to every one

In this installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the characters mature in parallel to the scope and urgency of the conflict. Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Clarisse and others wisen and deepen as the conflict takes on a more personal edge.

It opens light-hearted enough: Percy has a run-in with some not-so-peppy cheerleaders and manages to put Annabeth in a jealousy-inspired fit in the process. However, as we find out more about the approaching war with the Titans, the reader is quickly drawn into a literal maze of difficulties.

All of the main characters have crucial choices they have to make, and this drives the plot forward: Percy has to deliberately decide several times to renounce his own desires in favor of others' needs; Annabeth has to exercise both her wisdom and humility; Grover has to simply grow; and we even see some beautiful character-deepening in Clarisse and Mr. D.

My favorite aspect of this part of the series is how the personal choices of the characters--whether major or minor characters--so profoundly affect the overall battle between good and evil. In literature, it is too easy to allow these forces to runaway and not ultimately be affected by individual decisions, but if it is to be real, and real fantasy, this element is essential. Riordan masters this chillingly well; even in the stunning, picturesque comeback of Kronos he reminds us of the importance of individual choice. Book 4 goes necessarily deeper than the previous books, so much so that I am still mulling over it several days after completing it.

While it cannot exactly be a cliffhanger, Riordan is definitely segueing into The Last Olympian. Book 4 is a wonderful story in and of itself, but we are painstakingly set up for the conclusion, and it's just a shame we have to wait so long to get it!

I read this book for the first time in the 6th grade, and now, 20 years, later, it is still as hilarious as ever. All ages can enjoy this wonderfully funny book! If you like to laugh, then give "I Want to Go Home" a try. You won't be disappointed!

I've probably read this book about 20 times (over the past 20 years) and it never gets old. So many funny characters and situations. It's kind of surprising it never got made into a movie, but maybe the camp movie genre is already saturated.

If you haven't read it already, it's worth the time and effort to hunt down a copy of this book.

I had this book when I was a kid. I lent it to my friend and never saw it again. It was my favorite book, and I wanted a copy for my boys. I just rolled with laughter when I read it as a child, and when I read it with my wife and kids, they did the same thing. It is a shame this book is out of print, because kids love it. You will not be disappointed.

and this would be one of my favourite books by him!

it is laugh out loud funny and I read it over and over again.

I am an adult, and I adore his books. If you are looking at buying something for kids who don't like to read, something like this should get them hooked!

This is one graet book! It is about a boy named Rudy Miller, who is not very socialized, being sent away to summer camp. He does not take part in any sports, though he is a true Olympic champion back at home. He meets a shy friend, Mike Webster, who is a very bad liar, unfortunatly! With Mike as his companion, Rudy plans a million ways that he could escape this summer camp he dreads. In class, our teacher read "I Want to Go Home" to us. It was hilarious reading about Rudy and Mike's impossible escapes! Read this great story about Chip, the cabin councsiller, Harold, a mean campmate, Pierre, the arts and crafts teaacher, and of course, Rudy and Mike! You will love it!!!

This book has been super helpful in preparing my husband for boot camp- physically and mentally. The only problem is that we've learned that after the publishing of this book a lot changed in army boot camp. At first my husband was interested in joining the national guard, but in order to go to a boot camp like what is described in this book, he has to choose a different branch of military.

My son will go to marine boot camp in July. I read this first and it was a great help for me to understand what will happen and what he needs to do before he goes. I highly recommend this not only for our "new" military but for their parents as well.

Get this book it has a world of knowledge in it. Are you to call a DS "yes sir or Yes Maam" ? What is a DS hat called? get the book it will HELP you.

This book was packed with info that will benefit anyone interested in going into the militry. My hubby went through boot camp a few years ago and said that all of the info would have made life a little easier then...lol.

This book has helped me in so many ways. I knew nothing about the military before I left for boot camp. Now, I feel I am completely ready. The book has an easy to understand fitness routine and told me what to expect mentally from a drill sergeant, even the other recruits. This book even contains a packing list so I know exactly what to pack for boot camp.
Before I was scared to leave for basic, now I cant wait.

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.

It's my #5 book on memoirs of the Holocaust. All of them I discovered right here, on Amazon.
The first one was "Thanks to my Mother" by Shoshana Rabinovici about life and survival by a minute in the Vilna Ghetto. Then was "Alicia", "Cage"...
Rena and Danka are two sisters in Poland. Rena promised their mother to be with her littler sister and watch her. And all she was doing in Auswitz was to keep Danka alive. Amazing woman and very very street smart. There were so many situations where most people would loose the will to live, but Rena kept finding the ways to save herself and Danka at the last split of a second. Over two years to be in the Death camp and survive!
An amazing Courage to fight for Life!
An amazing example for us all!

I just started reading this book yesterday, and I must say I am completely intrigued! I do like this type of memoir reading and I love to read about the atroscities of the holocaust. This book is a very easy read and it really captivates you; I haven't wanted to put it down yet!!

On a day where a person has everything that they need and no need to cry is the same day that a person may be going through what one would consider the "worst" day of their life. The novel Rena's Promise is the best novel that a person could ever read because it talks about the Holocaust but, not only does it describe the bad times but it makes one feel as though they were right beside Rena during those years. Rena's Promise is the beautifully told story of two remarkable young women in their early twenties who endure and survive nearly three and one half years as prisoners of the Nazis in Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. My favorite aspect of the book is how no matter what goes on in Auschwitz or Birkaneau, Rena still made sure that she would stick to the promise that she made to her mother which was that she would take care of her sister. In addition, Rena's Promise is powerful because as Rena was describing the events that took place in the camp it felt as though I were right beside her the whole time due to the imagery that she used. Although I can feel her sorrow and pain, I cannot feel the cold freezing my body at every minute, I will never starve the way in which she did and I will never be treated as badly as she did. For anyone who may have been involved in the Holocaust or is just a fan of the Holocaust, this book will definitely captivate you and you will not want to put it down. It's an amazing book so I would absolutely suggest that you read it. (Fonda Walker).

This is an incredible story of sisters in a concentration camp. I've done a great deal of research into the Holocaust, but never have I come across a book quite like this one. It literally changed my life. I found myself thinking about it for days afterwards, little things reminding me of Rena's story--eating a potato, walking outside with a coat on, seeing a young child playing. I found a distinct connection with Rena, even asking myself if I could do what she did.
Rena is an astonishing woman who is responsible for her sister surviving Auschwitz. The critic got it wrong when s/he said that Rena's promise was made to her mother to protect the baby; Rena's promise is to her sister, that if her sister is to die in that terrible place, she will not die alone. Rena went through a terrible ordeal to keep them both alive, and to attempt to recount it here would be a great injustice to Rena's story and spirit.
Read the book. It will change your life.

I came away from Rena's Promise with a new found respect for people who have experienced racial discrimination. Rena Korneich Gelissen and Heather Dune Macadam did an excellent job of reconstructing Rena's life prior to the Holocaust and what happened as the Allied Powers were beginning to win. Although I never read a novel about any historical issue, Rena's Promise seemed to portray an acquire example of many historical events within that time period. Even though I came away from the novel very pleased, it did possess some limitations. In my opinion the pictures within the book should be at the end of the novel because it takes away from the suspense of surviving her terrible ordeal. If this was put into thought, then the reader would have enjoyed her escape or her survival even more. I also enjoyed the author's use of diction because the reader is able to learn Polish or German words while they are reading, although they may have been hard to pronounce. Nevertheless this is an excellent book about a courageous young lady who went through some horrendous events during the Holocaust, although it was a little far fetch.

Have you ever wanted to read a good romance with a little tragdey mixed in that will knock your socks off? Well, "Reach for Tomorrow " will by Lurlene McDaniel does just that. The main character in this book is Katie O'Roark. Katie is a college student with an athletic scholarship. She has recentally had a heart transplant.Which has changed her life dramatically.During her summers she attends the Jenny House.The Jenny House is a camp for kids with medical problems to go relax and meet people with the same problems. One summer Katie recieved a letter from The Jenny House. She was thrilled to know she was choosen to be a counselor. Along with some of her friend from the former years she has attened The Jenny House. Last year The Jenny House was burned dwom due to a fire. Katie was excited to know it was being rebuilt. Katie's ex-boyfreind, Josh Martel also is going to be a counselor. Being around Josh brings back so many memories and emothions that Katie just can't handle.

This book revels flashback and realistic detail. Some of the flashbacks that are mentioned are of when Katie was in the hospital and when her and Josh was still together.The realistic detail is amazing. For example, when Eric and Meg go for a canoe ride together the author gives details on everyhting surrounding then and what they do exactly. Also, the author uses a lot of humor in the book. Such as whe nthey have a tug-a-war challenge and the girls lose.They get pulled into a mudd puddle and Lacey says, " I've always wandered what i'd look like as a brunette.

This book is a really good book to read. When I started reading this book I didn't want to put it down. It shows realationships and friendships. If I had'nt read this book and someone had just told me about it I would read it in a heartbeat. That says a lot because i'm not one to read that much. So therefore, this book is a great book for romance and tradgey.

I really loved thsi book. Especially how all the characters from the other stories get together. The scenes with Josh and Katie were heart-breaking and wonderful at the same time. And if you want to know what ahppens between Katie and Josh once the summer's over, you gotta read this book!

Ok.....i have read all of the One Last Wish books and this one by far is the greatest!! Katie and Josh's ending was fantastic...i think Lurlene McDaniel should write more of the OLW books about Katie and Josh's future together...and Lacey and Jeff and Meg and Morgan. The book does leave you at a loss with what happend to Meg and Morgan, Jeff and Lacey, Eric, and Chelsea..it would be great to find out what happens to eveyone. I loved all of the other OLW books too! I couldn't put any of these books down they were great. And Lurlene McDaniel should defiantly write more books about OLW and Jenny House!!!

I really like romance novels. The way Lurlene McDaniel explains the character's emotions is unbeliveable! My favorite book by Lurene McDaniel is "Reach for Tomorrow," the second in this McDaniel series. It is about a girl named Katie and she goes to a camp where sick kids go to have fun. Katie meets up with a bunch of friends including her ex-boyfriend,Josh. When they saw eachother, they freaked out. Then she found out that he has been in an accadent and they didn't know if he was going to live. She and all the campers are all worried. She goes down to the chapel and prays for him. A couple of weeks later they got married in the chapel. Katie's favorite camper,Sara, was supposed to be in the wedding but....If you want to know what happens, read "Reach for Tomarrow." I really like the book "Telling Christina Goodbye," also by Lurlene McDaniel.

in my opinion, Reach For Tomorrow is Lurlene McDaniel's best book.It was great how she put in Eric, Megan, Sarah, and Morgan from the other one last wish books. The only OWL character missing was Dani from Mourning Song. I hope Lurlene writes a sequel that describes what happens to Josh and katie now that they're married, if meg and morgan stay together, and what happens to the other characters. YOU GOTTA READ ABOUT THIS FABULOUS JENNY HOUSE REUNION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simon has written a gut wrenching book with dignity and class. He has a way with words that touch the soul. This should be required reading about overcoming the most horrific of situations with dignity.

This wonderful little book will challenge every grain of moral weight you think you have, and without a doubt you will be better for reading it.
Every person should read it.

Recieved item on time, right when we were told it would arrive. Book in very good condition.

I've used Wiesenthal's The Sunflower as a text in college courses several times. On each occasion my original high estimation of Wiesenthal's narrative grows, while my dissatisfaction with the chorus of responses that takes up nearly two-thirds of the latest edition deepens.

Wiesenthal asks exactly the right questions that all of us need to confront about forgiveness. Is forgiveness always ours to bestow? Is it permissible or even possible to forgive on behalf of others? Should forgiveness be tied to repentance on the part of the transgressor? Should the transgressor try to atone for his/her wrongdoing? What if, as in the case of the dying SS-man Wiesenthal meets, the performance of overt acts of atonement are impossible? Are there certain actions that are unforgiveable, or is the philosopher Jacques Derrida correct when he insists (On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness) that the only kind of forgiving that makes any sense is the kind that forgives the unforgiveable? And in a godless world--a world where, as several characters in The Sunflower say, wickedness is so rampant that God seems to have gone on leave--is forgiveness necessarily a different kind of phenomenon than it would be in a Godded world?

Weisenthal doesn't pretend to answer any of these questions, but he and the other characters in his memoir discuss them, presenting different perspectives and coming to different conclusions. The very real value of The Sunflower is that it encourages readers to think about the questions.

Which brings me to the responses. Most are impressionistic, unanalytical, platitudinous, and hence totally out of step with the brutal authenticity of Weisenthal's text. A few stand out from the others: Robert Coles', Rebecca Goldstein's, Abraham Joshua Heschel's, Primo Levi's. But most can be given a pass. My suggestion would be to focus first and foremost on Weisenthal's text and forget about the responses. A nice cinematic complement to the book is the documentary "Forgiving Dr. Mengele."

Summoned to the bedside of a dying Nazi who had willingly participated in the systematic annihilation of Europe's Jews, concentration camp inmate Simon Wiesenthal found himself the captive, solitary witness to this 21-year-old SS man's confession of responsibility for committing acts of unspeakable cruelty.

Kurt had asked a nurse to bring him a Jew (any Jew would do); quite by chance the nurse selected Wiesenthal from the work detail assigned to the hospital that day. Against his will, he listened to this man recount his experience of packing a house full of Jewish men, women, and children and then setting the house on fire while lobbing grenades into the inferno and shooting at anyone who had attempted to escape this hell. Kurt watched a father, mother, and small boy leap from a window to their certain death. Before the leap, the father had shielded the child's eyes.

The image haunted Kurt, who was unable to fight again. Instead, he froze on the battlefield and suffered and injury that first cost him his sight and then took his life. Before he died, though, he wanted to confess his sins to a Jew that he might be forgiven and die in peace.

Wiesenthal, who was about the same age as this soldier, heard him out but refused to forgive. Instead, he offered silence in response to the story and returned to the concentration camp.

The experience haunted Wiesenthal; soon after it happened, he discussed it with his friends back at the camp, with a Polish Catholic seminarian. Much later, he presented the story to theologians, political leaders, Holocaust survivors, and victims of other attempted genocides and asked each of these persons what he or she would have done in the same situation.

The story itself is first book of The Sunflower; the responses to the question, "The Symposium," are the text of the second book in this volume. Broadly grouped, the respondents are Jews and Christians, primarily. There are two Buddhist respondents and one Chinese respondent who makes no reference to religion though his response is in keeping with Buddhist thinking. Within these broad categories respondents reflect on different facets of the experience Wiesenthal describes and facets of their faith and life experiences and knowledge to make a response.

The Jewish respondents point to the fact that only the person against whom a sin has been committed has the right to forgive the sinner. Therefore, Kurt cannot be forgiven; his victims are dead. The Christian respondents point out, first, that they feel they have no right to address the question because they have never been on the receiving end of genocide. Then they point out that God alone can forgive and that it is incumbent on each of us sinners to find forgiveness in our hearts for others. The Buddhists respond, as Buddhists do, in the present tense and with an eye on enlightenment--a release from suffering. Each perspective reflects a different concept of individuality and therefore of the nature of accountability.

For this reader, The Sunflower accomplishes the important task of bringing the reader into the concentration camp alongside one of its victims, into the hospital room of the dying SS man, and into the heart of the questions the Holocaust raises about responsibility, accountability, forgiveness, restitution, and grace. These are questions that refuse pat answers and therefore remain alive and active in our minds. Wiesenthal's book challenges our ability to empathize with those who suffer and our ability to think about how and why we believe what we do about ourselves and each other. It is a humble and beautiful tribute to those who suffered and died in the Holocaust. We too can honor their memory by participating in the conversation this book presents.

Five Chimneys, (Book Review)
A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz
Written By: Olga Lengyel
Published by Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, 1st Ed., 1995, paperback, 231 pages.

"Five Chimneys is the authentic testimony of Olga's hellish journey through the terror and unbelievable horrors of Auschwitz."BCM


Olga Lengyel was a woman who had been trained as a surgical assistant. She was the wife of a leading Surgeon and their affluent family was well respected in their community. They lived in the city called Cluj (also known as Klausenburg or Kolozsaur) in Transylvania.
Olga's life was full of love, laughter and she had a contented home together with her husband Miklos, her two sons Thomas and Arvad, her parents and her god father.
In 1944, the war became very real to Olga and her family who up until that point had been very sceptical of the atrocious stories they had been hearing.
They, along with many other deportees arrived in Auschwitz...


**To Read the complete Review, please follow the link to my blog,
~ Book Reviews By Bobbie ~ :
http://bookreviewsbybobbie.wordpress.com/

Incredible book! Can't stop reading once you start. This books is the prove "THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!!" Very heartbreaking. It will change your life.

One of the top few books I've read about the holocaust. Riveting. Couldn't put it down. One of those "stories" that really hook you - you can't wait to see what happens next and you're a little horrified that you're reading it so avidly and enjoying it. At the same time you feel such sadness for the people who lived (and didn't) through it.

I was captured by this book. It is amazing what the human body and mind can endure. Also appalling what horrors humans can put upon each other. I was afraid it would be too graphic or depressing but it was quite the opposite. You get a very good idea of what it was like, i.e., the point is made. This book is a lesson about civilization and I could not put it down.

This review is based on the original (1947) edition. Let's focus on some seldom-developed issues.

Large numbers of Polish clergy were sent to Auschwitz in the early years of the camp. However, Lengyel reports many more arriving in 1944 (pp. 108-110). They were often put to death immediately; the remainder being subject to degrading humiliations and tortures. Polish children were frozen to death (p. 210) and mostly Polish women were used by the Germans for vivisection experiments. (p. 176) Ironically, the Germans forgot their racism when they included the use of Jewish blood for transfusions to save the lives of wounded German soldiers. (p. 176)

Recent claims that Jews and homosexuals were consistently treated the most harshly are fallacious. Lengyel says: "It would be difficult to say which of the internees were treated worst. Most of us, whether political, racial, or criminal prisoners, were reduced to existence on the animal level. But the Jews and the Russians were treated cruelly. On the other hand, the German internees, whether common-law criminals, perverts, or political prisoners, benefited from certain privileges. They provided large numbers of the camp functionaries; and, no matter what their duties, were never chosen in the dreaded `selection'." (p. 44) In fact, homosexuals were also victimizers: "The prisoners, men or women, were frequently abused by the German barrack leaders, among whom was a high percentage of homosexuals and other perverts." (p. 185) The camp "beasts" included Irma Griese, an SS woman (p. 40) and bisexual, who forced her way on female inmates and then disposed of them when she got tired of them. (pp. 185-186)

Lengyel describes the Sonderkommando revolt, as well as the escape of a Polish inmate with his Jewess lover (pp. 124). Unfortunately, the SS uniforms that they had stolen fooled the Germans for only a few weeks.

Once finished with the Jews, the Germans intended to do the same to the Slavs. After describing gruesome experiments designed to perfect mass-sterilization methods (pp. 177-179), Lengyel comments: "Once we asked an Aryan German inmate, a former social worker, for the basic reason for the sterilization and castration. Before his captivity he had been active in German politics and had known many eminent people. He told us that the Germans had a geopolitical reason for these experiments. If they could sterilize all non-German people still alive after their victorious war, there would be no danger of new generations of `inferior' peoples. At the same time, the living populations would be able to serve as laborers for about thirty years. After that time, the German surplus population would need all the space in these countries, and the `inferiors' would perish without descendants." (pp. 179-180)

I dont like to write long reviews. This book is a great story about men surviving thru a time of horror and a the fellowship they had with each other. A good read with a good story. Pick it up if you like war stories.

An amazing and thorough story of a sometimes forgotten part of WWII. Carefully researched with written and spoken words from victims and survivors. I hope he is preparing another book to accompany this and Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.

As a lover of military history, and WWII in particular, I was eager to read another great sea story, so highly rated. The title, Ship of Ghosts, was most intriguing, suggesting the story of a warship that kept up a fight while out of all communications. Unfortunately, the title turned out to be misleading. The USS Houston was sunk rather quickly, in its second battle of the war, so the bulk of the book describes how the American POWs survived a brutal Japanese imprisonment. An interesting read in itself, but not what it represents to be. I note that out of 420 pages, only 80 are about the sea battles. Hornfischer is a fabulous writer (maybe too good - once in a while the prose seems to get in the way of the storyline)and the story moves along, so "Ship of Ghosts" is worth reading, but readers should expect a story of survival, less so of battle and tactics.

very realistic book about what really happened. my uncle was on this ship and was captured by the japanese and spent the rest of the war in prison camps. he had told me quite a lot about what happened and the book backed up what he said.

The story of the loss of the heavy cruiser USS Houston off the coast of Indonesia on 1 March 1942 is a story which strikes right to the heart of naval traditions which go back beyond the creation of the United State of America itself. It is a story of danger and brave deeds, of gallant actions and bloody combat. Most of all it is a story of ship that went down fighting against insurmountable odds - a ship which never struck her colours and was still fighting when the sea finally claimed her.

Famous for being President F. D. Roosevelt's favourite ship, the Houston was trapped in the Far East immediately after the events of Pearl Harbour and the loss of the British Force Z (Battleships HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse) just a few days later. In company with HMAS Perth, the ships fought off, avoided and evaded overwhelming enemy forces until, low on ammunition, they colluded in the most courageous action now known as the Battle of Sunda Strait where both ships were finally lost.

This, however, is where Mr Hornfischer starts his story about this legendary "Ship of Ghosts."

It is because the Japanese were so very ruthless in their bid to conquer all before them, that prisoners were treated with utter contempt. Consequently, those who survived the sinking of the Houston began a journey that became the stuff of legend and it would be a full 3 years before anyone beyond those Japanese forces would learn what had happened to the ship and that some survivors were still alive - though, by now, far fewer in number.

There is no happy ending to such a story as this because there never can be. War is brutal and warships on both sides get sunk. What actually happened to the survivors of the USS Houston has taken this author right through and beyond the ordinary realms of research into an area of personal accounts, life in captivity and life in the jungle at the hands of a regime far more cruel than anything seen since the dark days of WW2.

And yet, he produces an account of personal achievement for those who possessed that indefinable quality that always meant they were going to survive.

I congratulate Mr Hornfischer on an excellent book, an excellent job of research and a most complete account. Most of all, I congratulate him on making it all so very readable.

NM