Europe Books

excellent book! What Jan Peczkis goes to great detail to deny is really a sad joke because we have WITNESS TESTIMONIES from the pogrom. IN FACT, it was not confined to Kielce! Poles rioted all over Poland, including Lodz where they tried to murder my grandfather in the melee. This was sadly not the first instance if a blood libel that resulted in a pogrom. Jews lived in fear of their lives in Poland BEFORE WORLD WAR TWO. During the war, more Poles informed on Jews to the Germans and Polish police who turned them over to the Germans, than instances of the rightteous who indeed saved thousands of Jews...usually when it involvd converting an adorable Jewish baby to Christianity. I can talk to PECZKIS about it til he will be as red as borscht in the face. In fact, if you want a perfect example of Polish anti-Semitism, go and try to get back ANY PERSONAL POSSESSIONS that a person you know has that belong to your family in Poland. You have a greater chance of getting struck by lighting (literally) than getting it back for ANY PRICE! That IS anti-Semitism. Believe me, my life would be made a lot easier, if this was not the case. Sadly, it is. My hope is that more Poles will come forward to be kinder to Jews who want to reclaim their heritage.

This review updates an earlier one, and refers to the 1998 paperback edition. This latter edition contains several articles not found in the original hardback edition. The authors trace many mischaracterizations of Polish-Jewish history in the American press. The informed reader can appreciate how little has changed since then. For example, the recent publications of NEIGHBORS and FEAR by Jan T. Gross have resurrected many old Polonophobic canards that should have been, if nowhere else, laid to rest by this 1998 edition.

There is an extensive expose of the so-called Kielce Pogrom--A Soviet-staged event (pp. 403-422). The Soviets wanted to discredit a free Poland in the eyes of the west, and to terrorize the remaining Jews into fleeing to Palestine. Other anti-Jewish actions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia got little press in the west, probably because anti-Communism had been relatively weak in those countries.

In Kielce, the tale of the blood libel had been spread by agent provocateurs (p. 414). The Jews were shot by Communist police, and club-wielding fake "steel workers" also took their toll. Other Communist police involved in the so-called pogrom had been dressed as goons or priests. There is the fantastic myth of the 15,000 to 75,000 cheering Polish onlookers (p. 406), a myth recently repeated by Gross in his FEAR. The actual number of Polish onlookers, most of whom were probably motivated by curiosity, didn't ever exceed several hundred at its peak.

After the "pogrom", inconvenient eyewitnesses met their deaths. The Kielce files themselves were burned in November 1989, shortly before the Communists left power.

Pogonowski makes clear that the Communist anti-Jewish policies of 1968 were not Polish. They were plainly Soviet-dictated (pp. 30-31).

The atlas itself is chock-full of useful information. The reader soon learns that, despite the frictions and mutual prejudices which sometimes developed between Poles and Jews, Poland was historically one of the most tolerant nations in the world for Jews. If the fact that 80% of the world's Jews, at one time, made their home in Poland does not prove this fact, then what does? This book makes it clear that Poland had been centuries ahead of others in terms of human rights and religious tolerance.

Despite the frictions and mutual prejudices which sometimes developed between Poles and Jews, the fact remains that Poland was historically one of the most tolerant nations in the world for Jews. If the fact that 80% of the world's Jews, at one time, made their home in Poland does not prove this fact, then what does? This book makes it clear that Poland had been centuries ahead of others in terms of human rights and religious tolerance.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of emphasis on Polish anti-Semitism. This is despite the fact that anti-Semitism existed virtually everywhere, and in Poland never approached the level which Jews encounted in many other European nations. Moreover, the positive aspects of Polish-Jewish relationships have been virtually ignored. Pogonowski's excellent book does much to show, in fact, how Jewish communities flourished in Poland.

Iwo Pogonowski's book is a veritable mine of information about Polish-Jewish relations since the Middle Ages. This subject has been badly distorted in the English-language publications, mostly for reasons that have nothing to do either with history or honesty. "Jews in Poland" needs to be read slowly, in small doses, with frequent returns because sometimes a very important fact is hidden in a footnote or some such obscure place. This volume looks and reads like a scrapbook, and the impression is reinforced by its graphic aspect.

"Jews in Poland" is full of very instructional maps and diagrams, it also carries a good selection of illustrations (although their quality is rather so-so). All in all, a book that stands head and shoulders over any other treatment of Jewish-Polish history in the English language.

Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett's provide a compelling portrait of an ardent and spiritual Joan of Arc in this illustrated juvenile biography of the 15th-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft. Author Poole emphasizes that this is a true story, which is what makes the story of Joan's courage and humanity more compelling, especially with Barrett's illustrations, which provide a sense of both the time and the import of the story. Poole does an especially nice job of presenting the political complexities of the time in simple terms, yet provides a poetic touch to her text. What comes across is a story of a simple girl who was empowered by her beliefs to accomplish great things, that treats the triumph and the tragedy in equal measure, and underscores how after her martyrdom Joan went on to be named a saint by the Church.

Young readers will understand how Joan's beliefs could inspire her troops at the siege of Orleans, but they will have trouble understanding why there were those who abandoned her or why the English made sure she would be convicted at her trail. However, ultimately this look at "Joan of Arc" is more interested in providing a look at the story of her life without really trying to explain the motives of anyone beyond Joan. Within that context, the illustrations by Barrett make it clear that although she is dressed up in armor and carrying a colorful banner, Joan was a young girl. Young readers will definitely have a sense for why the story of this particular young girl has been a dramatic and compelling one for centuries.

The illustrations are very fairy-tale looking, lending a mythical quality to the long text. A great example of historical events turned into a stunning picture book. Even high school kids would be inclined to read this one cover to cover; I'd use it in middle school without hesitation! Compare to the new biography of Ann Frank by this team!

I bought this book in my position as church librarian, seeking stories for preteens about people whose lives were changed by God. There are very few books for kids like that out there that don't send a heavy fundamentalist message. There's also the old joke that Noah's wife was Joan of ARK. I needed to set that piece of ignorance straight, too. So I found an excellent book about St. Joan in this illustrated copy. The text is preteen level with historical information like a timeline of Joan's life and map of medieval France, along with the text of Joan's life. This is a nice volume and I would recommend it if you wish to buy it for medieval history, religion, feminist issues, French history or all of the above. The illustrations are well designed and in soft colors, to express the femininity and grace of Joan.

I had read this book before, and I loved it. Children will fall in love with this book. This book tells about the heroic story of Joan of Arc, the French maid that helped France win a war against England, and died a heroin. I think children will think she is a saint, and she is a great role model for children. Here children can learn from Joan, about bravery, courage, and patriotism. My favorite quote is, "A saint is like a star. A star and a saint shine forever." Parents, you children will like this book. Plus they learn a little history too on a level they can understand.

Regine Pernoud, the most respected twentieth-century biographer of Joan of Arc, noted that everyone can find a reason to love this saint. This book helps children begin to understand why she still haunts us 500 years after her death. I bought a copy of this book for my three-year-old son to introduce him to Joan of Arc's story, and it has been a pleasure for both of us. Now that it is available in an affordable paperback edition, a lot of parents will want to add it to their child's library.

Angela Barrett's illustrations are striking and memorable. In particular, I like the painting of the English bombarding Orleans, as it shows what a siege was like in those days. The cover picture (displayed above) shows Joan on her horse surrounded by the hopeful residents of Orleans who wanted to touch the maiden that God sent to liberate them. Without being heavy-handed, the fire engulfing the banner hints at Joan's ultimate fate, and her face reminds us that she was in many ways a child. This was a true incident, and Joan was said to have been masterful in guiding her horse to water to douse the flame. There is also an outstanding two-page illustration of Charles' coronation, in which Joan is shown standing in a position of honor as befits the liberator of the kingdom. The depiction of angels visiting the imprisoned Joan while she was on trial at Rouen captures the spirit of her faith in God and certainty in her quest. Remember that this uneducated peasant girl held her own for two months in a contest of wits with masters from the University of Paris. The illustrations alone make this book worth having.

Any biographer of Joan of Arc must find a way to explain the inexplicable. Josephine Poole's text is good, beginning with the simple statement that this is a true story. Ms. Poole offers Joan's story more-or-less at surface value. As is appropriate for her audience of children, she simply relates that Joan was a country girl working in a field when she heard voices that filled her with overwhelming happiness. The author includes some details of Joan's story that one could quibble with, but overall the text is solid as biography. I was frankly glad that she did not go into details of Joan's terrible death, concluding instead that a saint, like a star, lives forever. Indeed, Joan of Arc will always live in the hearts of all of us who love her.

Perhaps my son's actions speak loudest about the value of this book. We never go on a trip without "Joan of Arc," and I have heard him tell his friends, in his own way, that Joan of Arc tried to warn Classidas to go home, but that she ended up having to shoot and was sorry when he died. This book has helped my son begin to love St. Joan, and that is the strongest recommendation for it that I know how to make.

If an appreciation of the personal perspective of the poet can deepen the experience of his words, then Lemkhin's photographic tribute to Brodsky's beloved home belongs on our bookshelves alongside the poetry books and essays of the Nobel laureate. Except for an intimate foreword by Milosz, a moving afterword by Sontag, and brief postnotes in which Lemkhin provides background details on several of the images, the message of this book is delivered entirely through black-and-white images. The voice of those visions comes through most clearly when one imagines viewig through the eyes of the poet himself, not only in the streets and the statues, the skies and the stories of Leningrad, but in the mirror of the close-up snapshots of Brodsky himself placed throughout the collection of pictures. Even the mediocre artistic quality of some of the individual snapshots can be forgiven as the soft footsteps of the poet can be heard stepping through his own lines in the movement of these deeply personal worlds of his own home.

I greatly enjoyed the two books by Mikhail Lemkhin: "Missing Frames" and "Fragments". I am especially moved by portraits. There is something about the portraits that make them very different from most others. The pictures are not posed, but don't seem to be too candid either. I get the impression that the subject is aware of the photographer, but is not posing for him, at least not physically. It is as if the subject is exposing his/her inner soul to the camera. The photographs work, in deeply satisfying way, very well. I know I will look at them again and again.

JOSEPH BRODSKY, LENINGRAD: FRAGMENTS succeeds on every level. For those not familiar with Brodsky's brilliant poetry I would recommend that you spend time with WATERMARKS, his tribute to the city of Venice, before coming to this book. Once the gentle subtleties of his poetry are in mind, then spending time perusing this pictorial essay of Brodsky's face and the scenes of Leningrad (the old name for St. Petersburg is used because that was the city's Soviet name used when Brodsky lived there) will form a complete picture of this amazing expatriate. Mikhail Lemkhin addresses not only the pictorial influences on the poet, but also adds some words of wisdom. The tribute at the end of the photographs, in some of Sunsan Sonntag's most eloquent writing, is a fitting closure to this very lovely book. Highly recommended.

Mikhail Lemkhin's book is a book in the fullest sense: not an album of exquisite photo studies, but a composition which transcribes a train of thought. The pages roll like clouds across the sky: Look, this is what we cherished in our lives, this is what happens to people, to stone, to memory, thanks to a little acid rain, that most noiseless rain, they call it - `time`. This is an experience of the `literature of silence`. Like a telepathic séance. The Covetous Knight's soliloquy over a chest of devaluated bank notes. Poor Knight! Over a hundred shots taken at the speed of 1/100 - in all, why that's just around a second! Someone else's story, made up mostly of the same things or signs as mine or yours, only linked in a different way to yield a personal fate. In particular, or rather, most importantly, it included a City which inspired a dream about the meaning of existence, and a Contemporary who succeeded in rendering the tonality of that meaning. But the second has passed, having absorbed almost all that could be held dear. The light wanes. The sound is off. And a question arises: Out of that which man has lost forever, is there anything that he possesses for eternity? The gaze, seasoned with peppery essence of silver, shows irony, pain, and tenderness.

Samuil Lurie, Neva Magazine (St.Petersburg, Russia)

Photography informs the poetics of Joseph Brodsky, photographer's son and himself no novice to the camera. Mikhail Lemkhin's double homage to the recently deceased poet and the city of his -- and Lemkhin's -- birth should be thought of as photography's own reply to Brodsky. Lemkhin calls his _Joseph Brodsky, Leningrad_ a photo-poem; to this one might only add that it is a particularly Brodskian photo-poem -- Brodskian not in its type of montage but in its predilection for montage, not in its sensibility but in the realities it conveys. To imitate Brodsky is to traduce Brodsky. Lemkhin understands that Brodsky's prime legacy is intellectual independence; his photography engages Brodsky's poetry rather than illustrates it, works with, rather than within, its visual counterparts of Brodsky's speech. The end-result belongs on the bookshelf as much as it does on the coffee-table.

This book is informative and very fun to read. I chose it to help prepare me for an upcoming trip to Rome, and, WOW, was it great for that! It gave me an anchor -- Michelangelo's life, art, and times -- to get a great sense of how to approach visiting Rome. It increased my enthusiasm about the trip and really helped me understand and appreciate what I saw.

The author also provides some delightful insights about life in Rome today, such as mentioning the San Giovanni dei Fiorentini church in the heart of historic Rome that welcomes well-behaved cats and dogs to attend services! I not only took the book with me on the trip, but have reread numerous passages since returning.

As I journeyed through the pages of Michelangelo's life, I couldn't put this wonderful book down. The photography is beautiful, and the sidebars give little glimpses of life during the Renaissance and also in present-day Italy. I'm ready to sign on for a tour to Rome with Angela!

"A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome" combines intriguing, enlightening details about Michelangelo's life with historical facts about Rome. It also brings Italian culture and history alive and transported me back to our amazing first visit to Rome and Florence. We were fortunate to travel with the author, Angela K. Nickerson, on that first trip to Italy and I can truly say it was the best travel decision we ever made. Angela's book is accurate, exciting and a great read whether you want to learn more about Michelangelo or Rome, the city where he spent most his life. It's also the perfect book to have before and during a trip to Italy, enhancing every experience. You can read hundreds of travel books on Italy but nothing compares to traveling with this author, seeing Italy through her eyes and benefiting from her years of travel and research.

I recently traveled to Rome and Florence with Angela Nickerson, the author of "A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome". The experience was both tremendously enjoyable as well as deeply educational. Ms. Nickerson has filled her book with passion for art, history and the great beauty of Rome through the lens of Michaelangelo's life and artistic triumphs. While visiting Rome is one of the greatest trips you can take, it can be truly enhanced by taking this book along as companion reading. The photos, sidebars, diagrams and insets all serve to make this book a treasure-trove of fun facts and delights to devour while in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Happy travels and happy reading!

In January 2008 a few friends and I had the good fortune to meet Angela (the author) and some members of her delightful family in Italy at Ostia Antica where we learned of the publication of this fine book. I've been to Rome twice in the past year and Angela's book is acccurate, informative--and best of all--interesting. The author's text, photos, and maps combine to make "A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome" a pleasure to read, to carry as a resource while visiting Rome--and in my case a book of memories and treasures and regrets...regrets only in the sense that this book did not exist prior to my visits to Rome. More than just an exposition of Michelangelo and his work, she captures the historical personalities of the period and brings the "rinascita" to life. Like taking a tidy course in Humanities, reading Angela's book will help anyone to become more learned in a pilgrimage to achieve the worthy status of being called "l'uomo universale."

This would have to be one of the few diaries that tells the story of the horror of the Holocaust. Ruth lives through many tough situations, where her quick thinking saves her and her daughter Eva. It paints a clear picture of how people in Warsaw were treated, and how the Germans got rid of the Jews in the Ghetto and in Warsaw. It is rather sad, but it is true. If you read this story, you will learn first hand about the life that Jews lived in the Holocaust. I suggest reading it!

I read this book about 6 years ago, in a period when I read every Holocaust testimony I could lay my hands on, to help me understand the first hand testimony I, alone, had received from a lifelong friend who herself survived the Vilna ghetto, and three concentration camps.

As Cat R reports, the author's daughter found her mother's manuscript in 1979, after the former had died. The text gives a very personal account of the Nazi invasion of Poland, this one from the perspective of a Warsaw native shipped with her small daughter, in January 1943, aboard a cattle car from the ghetto, bound to a certain death at Treblinka.

Certain except that she fought back. She knew from rumors what happened there. With a hacksaw blade she had concealed, she determined to saw through the bars of one of two small windows in her car, and reached them from the shoulders of two strong young boys willing to help her.

To ensure that the boys threw her daughter out the window after she had jumped, Eva gave a bag of chocolate, sugar and bread to a sympathetic friend too old to join her, and asked her to ensure they got it if they did as she had asked.

The jump was but the beginning of one Jewish mother's perilous and somehow miraculous bid to survive--with her child.

In the end, this sufferings of this mother and child were far less severe than those of my friend Masha. Nevertheless, this is a gripping, and important account, not to be missed.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

This wartime memoir was discovered by the author's daughter in 1979, following her mother's death. It relates the events of the Nazi persecution in Poland, the suffering and degradation of the Warsaw Ghetto ... and an extraordinary courage and will to survive. Realizing the fate in store for her, Ruth made plans for escape. In the winter of 1943, she and two-year-old Eva were rounded up and crowded into a cattle-car for the fatal journey to Treblinka. A single chance for life remained to them: a perilous jump from the moving train. Their first night of freedom was spent huddling together in a freezing, abandoned dog-kennel, with Ruth licking her daughter's wounds. In their danger-fraught flight for survival, they encountered kind-hearted Catholics who risked their lives to aid a Jewish mother and child. This book is a powerful first-hand account of terrifying times, and a testimony to a mother's courage.

It is ironic that the author of this amazing journal never saw her work published, instead it was her two daughters who published it after her death. It is a gripping read,and recounts how the author escapes a death train heading to Treblinka by sawing off the bars on the window of the train and jumping out of it into the wilderness, together with her 2 yr old daughter! It is so much more than an account of survival, it gives one pause for thought as to what one would do given similar circumstances...I myself am mother to a toddler, and reading this just made me feel connected to the author, in that I too would do anything for my child, but do I possess the same courage as Ruth? It's impossible to imagine her life in occupied Poland, trying to live on the Aryan side, amongst Gentiles, keeping her daughter amongst strangers, not knowing if she will be saved...this is an amazing account of a woman's courage, a mother's love, and undying faith.

Originally written in 1946, Cyprys' account is remarkably free of the Judeocentric, German-whitewashing, anti-Christian, and anti-Polish tendencies of today. She devotes almost as much attention to German crimes against Poles as to those against Jews. Furthermore, Cyprys makes it clear that the Germans regarded the Poles as having no more inherent right to live than the Jews. Consider what happened when two Poles were mistakenly herded with Jews into a Treblinka-bound train: "Two gentiles in our wagon tried to explain to the Germans that they did not fit into this society and tried to show their documents. All to no avail. `Even if you are not a Jew, you are a damned Pole', yelled the German, and slapped the older woman's face, barking `Polish swine' and with his rifle butt drove her to the wagon." (p. 95).

Cyprys reported a balanced range of Polish attitudes towards Jews (pp. 118-119, 127, 132), some of which varied within the same family (pp. 142-143). Ironically, she was helped by the obsessively anti-Semitic Mrs. Zosia, who felt sorry for the Jews and who aided them (pp. 220-221).

In his FEAR, Jan Tomasz Gross presents a distorted view of Poles acquiring Jewish properties during the German occupation. In contrast, when mentioning how some Poles pretended to be Volksdeutsche in order to join in the German-sponsored pillage of Jewish properties, she nevertheless added: "The local mob usually guided the Germans to the rich Jewish houses and stores. With the deepest shame I must admit that there were some Jews among the scum." (pp. 25-26).

One inflammatory Polonophobic Holocaust myth is the one about Jews, while being transported to the death camps and with full knowledge of their impending deaths, being forced to endure the sight of indifferent or gleeful Polish onlookers. Against such nonsense, we learn that the death trains had small, barred windows well above eye level, and with nothing to stand on in order to look out of them (p. 96). Viewing (in either direction) was nearly impossible. The author and her daughter were loaded on a Treblinka-bound train. It was only with the greatest difficulty that Cyprys was boosted up and enabled to cut through the bars to jump out and to have her daughter Eva (Ewa) get pushed out.

The oft-quoted Polish remarks about Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising "getting burned like bugs", although invariably presented as such, wasn't necessarily derogatory. After all, Poles used the same phrase to refer to themselves in the face of their defenselessness against German incendiary bombing during the Warsaw Uprising! (p. 200).

The Germans strongly promoted alcoholism among Poles. This was done in order to degrade them (Lemkin elaborated on this) and to exploit this dependency as leverage in the denunciation of fugitive Jews (p. 174).

Cyprys elaborates on the semi-collaborationist Polish Blue Police (Policja Granatowa): "There were policemen who would accept neither bribes nor ransoms but, for the sake of their ideology, would hand over the Jews. Looking at this group objectively, however, one has to say that among their ranks there were many Volksdeutsch volunteers. The activities of the Polish police aroused such hostility among the majority of the Polish people, that death sentences were passed on several policemen by the Polish underground organizations and executions were carried out by Polish lads...upon the orders of the Organization a detailed list of all policemen was kept in the Underground offices. These contained, apart from proved misconduct, evidence of their standard of living which ascertained whether a dark blue was profiteering from blackmail or extortion. These lists of evidence were kept till the Warsaw Uprising: I do not know whether they survived the insurrection." (p. 138).

However, by no stretch of the imagination was the Polish Blue Police the main force in the roundups of Jews for their deaths: "On about 5 August [1942] all `workshop territories' were hermetically closed and the Germans and Ukrainians started a ruthless expulsion of anyone found outside these areas--always with the efficient help of the Jewish militia. Wherever a German or a Ukrainian did not venture the militia men would gladly fish out as many as possible of those still hidden in cellars and vaults, only to oblige the Germans." (p. 52).

Most Polish blackmailers (szmalcowniki), "the scum of mankind" (p. 119), took only part of the belongings of their Jewish victims and didn't usually actually denounce Jews to the Germans (pp. 119-120). They sometimes excused their conduct by their poverty and even gave the Jews advice on how better to disguise their Jewishness (p. 140).

Underworld Poles weren't the only ones that fugitive Jews feared: "The Jewish Gestapo men who remained alive were very dangerous. Their eyes were penetrating and Jews pointed out by them were lost beyond hope." (p. 165). Cyprys personally observed them shouting Jewish slogans or singing Jewish songs in order to provoke a telltale reaction in fugitive Jews among the pedestrians (pp. 165-166).

Cyprys alludes to Zegota as follows: "It goes without saying that only a fraction of the Jews in hiding knew about the existence of this committee. Those who were in touch with the patriotic `Polish intelligentsia' or people who worked in the Underground were most likely to benefit. Everything was obviously carried out in the greatest secrecy, using all available means of security." (p. 150). Complaints about Zegota aiding only a modest number of Jews are clearly off the mark.

In fact, Cyprys has a very sage understanding of ALL underground activities: "In reality underground activities were extremely stressful and required a great deal of steadiness and concentration. And because it had gone on for so many years, it was exhausting even to the strongest individuals and led to many casualties." (p. 184).

Cyprys provides a level of detail about the Warsaw Uprising usually done by Polish authors. We read, for instance, about the devastating effects of the German nebelwerfer ("roaring cow" or "cupboard"), and the systematic destruction of Warsaw by Germans AFTER the Uprising.

This book is very helpful & definatley somthing I would recomend. Not only does it have the words & translation it has a pronunciation as well. It comes in handy when I look up phrases & need a quick review. Definatley a good buy

Some one came out with this book! This is a life saver I have been together with a serbian for 5 years and have not completely learned the language. I am leaving for Bosnia in 4 days to meet my in laws and this book has everything I need to know! It's more that enough to get by, and I have purchased several books in the past for a ton more $$$ and didn't get half of what I got out of this book for $4.00. It's a must if yuou are going to FRYOG !

This book is designed to help you get around a Serbo-Croat speaking environment with ease. I think the book is capable of providing the basics needed to get around. I would recommend this book for foregin travelers.

I think this book is the best book ever for getting to know the basics for this language. I know several words in serbian already but I will be meeting my in laws for the first time and I need to know more than everyday words and enough to get by . I have purchased several learning books for a ton more money than this book for the language and this has been th most helpful. They have the pronunciation in English and it's exactly the way I know it's suppose to sound due to looking at the words I already know !

a wonderful well written travel book to get you started learning the serbian language. the book works best when you read thrugh it 2-3 times.then ibegan using cassettes for pronunciation. i would also recommend all of the teach yourself serbo- croat series by TY. it worked for me.I recently traveled to serbia and montenegro ( Yugoslavia)a beautiful country with great food and wonderful people. i loved yugoslavia so much i plan to move their this summer when i graduate from high school. i now am practically fluent in serbian because i have taken night school and saturday evening classes. its all because this little book that got me so fascinated about sebian language and serbian people. i love serbia and am counting the days now. (26) DAYS. in the near future my whole immediate family may move to serbia. i hope you read this and if you do you have got to buy this book. i found it at Borders. so as the serbs would say Dobro dosli!

Some reviewers have commented that Robert E. Conot's book, Justice at Nuremberg, doesn't add any new knowledge or insights into the Nuremberg Trials. This may be true, but why did Conot write this book-what was his purpose? In the introduction Robert himself says why he wrote this book: "Although the record has furnished a documentary bonanza for histories of the Third Reich, there has been an absence of knowledge and comprehension of the trial itself." (Conot x) Conot was concerned that not many people knew very much about such an important historical event. He wanted to write an easy to read book that would interest people in the Nuremberg Trial-and of course, make sure that "history was written true." (Conot xiii) Many people have misconceptions about the trial; the trial is often times seen as a sham trial and Conot wanted to clear up this perception. Indeed, the very name of his book, Justice at Nuremberg, suggests his belief that the trial was in fact fair, from the outset. Conot presents his case convincingly as the lawyers did at Nuremberg, with the final verdict being Justice at Nuremberg.

Some have complained that Conot's jumping around between the trial and what he believed were contextual actions confuses the reader, making it difficult to understand his reasoning. It is true that his presentation style is hard to understand at times, but this is probably more to do with the complexities of the Nuremberg Trial and the historical and political influences that Conot believed affected the trial. The complexities, therefore, can be hard to follow and confusing. In order to understand what happened at Nuremberg one has to understand what happened in Germany when Hitler came to power; all these events are confusing but without understanding them it would be pointless to even look at the Nuremberg Trial. The reason for this is simple: the reader would see what the defense and prosecution were saying; one side saying that the defendants were innocent, the other claiming to have documents and witnesses which show the defendants culpable for many atrocities. How would the reader know who was telling the truth? The past is being studied, and because of that there should be an explanation of the events leading up to the trial.

Robert Conot did a good job putting the trial into its historical context. While readers who have studied Nazi Germany for quite some time would be annoyed at having to read about things they already knew about, this book is good for people who have not studied Nazi Germany in depth. Robert Conot gives background information on the defendants-there are many interesting tidbits that he provides. Two examples that come to mind are the defendants Goering and Hess. Conot provides some interesting information about how when Goering was little he had to write an essay about a notable German and he chose to write about Epenstein. (Conot 41) Immediately after turning in his essay he was taken in to the principal's office and asked why he wrote about a Jew instead of a notable German. He was punished by having to write "I will not write essays in praise of Jews" on the blackboard one hundred times and by having to wear a sign around his neck saying "My godfather is a Jew." (Conot 41) Hess, a very strange man, thought that the Jews were controlling people with hypnotic powers. (Conot 47) He stabbed himself with a knife one time and then claimed that the Jews used magic to place the knife in his hands in order to tempt him (Conot 47) The kind of background information that Conot provides may seem like trivial facts or gossip to some, but these things are important because the reader gains insight into the lives of the defendants; what made them tick.

The author also does a good job of describing the motivations for the trial. The Nazi party, under the leadership of Hitler started a war that killed millions of people-not only soldiers on the battlefield, but noncombatants as well; but millions of civilians murdered. These civilians died in horrible ways: they were beaten to death, gassed, starved to death, essentially boiled with quick lye, worked to death, and used in horrific experiments. What the Nazis did was so unspeakably evil that it had to be addressed. As Jackson said in his opening statement, "The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their repeating." (Conot 105) However, if after the war, all the Nazis were lined up and shot, what lessons would the world learn? As Bernays said, "Not to try these beasts would be to miss the educational and therapeutic opportunity of our generation." (Conot 11) Furthermore, what would people today think of these actions? Would they believe that we were the same as the Nazis for not giving them a trial? The trial was important; the trial would show the world not only that this was not "Victor's Justice" but how evil the Nazis were and that such actions would not be tolerated in the future.

After reading this book one gets the impression that while this trial appears not to have been completely fair, it was far from a sham trial or "victor's justice." The biggest problem had to do with the fact that a Russian judge was presiding over the trial. This is a problem because the Judge's actions were essentially dictated from Moscow. Indeed, for every defendant, the Russian Judge tried to have the death penalty enacted. Furthermore, there was a very embarrassing incident: during a party someone raised his glass and toasted to the speedy trial and execution of the defendants-a toast all judges partook of. (Conot 92). This may be the definitive proof for some that the trial was nothing more than "victor's justice." To assume this though, is to ignore the rest of the facts-this judgment of the trial is too hasty. If the trial was just a sham then why was it that some of the defendants were acquitted? The actual results of the trial do not support the perception that this trial was rigged given the defendants did not all receive the death sentence. Many were hanged, but some were given various prison sentences, and of course, some were acquitted. Schacht, Fritzsche, and Papen were acquitted. Schirach, Neurath, Speer, Raeder, Hess, Funk, and Doenitz avoided the death penalty receiving varying sentences of time in prison.

Furthermore, there is other evidence provided by Robert Conot which shows that the trial was not a sham. First of all, the very fact that the defendants could even give their version of the story is certainly more than one would expect from a sham trial. Second, the defendants actually did have a chance to best the prosecutors in the verbal battle for their lives. Goering was an intelligent man and he outwitted Jackson. "Time and again it was Goering who caught Jackson in error, rather than Jackson who trapped Goering in lies." (Conot 337) Third, the judges didn't always rule against the Nazi defense lawyers. An important development during Goering's defense was that the defense tried to get the right to submit documents into evidence, and although Jackson (prosecutor) tried to prevent this from happening, the judges ruled that the defense should have the same rights as the prosecution in submitting documents. (Conot 346) Another interesting example of the Judges siding with justice instead of the prosecution or the defense was when the defense complained that they were not getting translations of all the documents that the prosecution was introducing as evidence. (Conot 146) When the prosecution was asked why this was the case it was discovered that the prosecution was sending tons of translations to the media, but not to the defense attorneys. (Conot 147) "...the prosecution seemed more interested in trying the case in the press than in furnishing the defense with copies of its evidence." (Conot 147) The judges ruled that copies of the evidence were to be given to the defense before they were given to the press, as the defense obviously needed them more. This is certainly a ruling that one would expect in a fair trial.

Just think, what is usually the purpose of a sham trial? In this case the purpose of having a sham trial would be to punish the Germans for what happened during World War II, right? If the purpose was to punish the Germans, then why weren't all the defendants executed? It makes no sense to claim that this was "victor's justice" when the victors gave a fair trial. The Nuremburg Trial had its problems-it was by no means perfect. However, to say that this trial was "Victor's Justice" is to show an ignorance of the facts. Not only were many people involved in the trial motivated to make it fair, the very fact that not all of the defendants were hanged is proof enough that the trial was fair.

Conot successfully presented his case. He wrote a highly readable account of the Nuremberg Trial that presents the trial, characters and influences in an easily accessible format to the public. More importantly, however, was that history was written true, and proving Conot's thesis that there was Justice at Nuremberg. Robert Conot hoped to interest a large audience in the Nuremberg Trial in the hope that the history surrounding this trial would not be repeated as atrocities of the future. Justice at Nuremberg captures the horrific atrocities committed during the period leading up to and including World War II, the people behind them, the influencing factors that preceded them, and the justice meted out to the perpetrators. Justice that the victims of World War II never received. Justice that lives up to the adage, "two wrongs don't make a right." Justice that says "never again."

The book is written by a Psychologist who was involved in the Nuremberg trials including testing the main defendants. I found his insites very interesting and combined with other books about the trials was a superb addition in understanding what when on.

For anyone who wants to know about the Nuremberg Trials, you must read this book. Canot gives us a real deal of the trial. He gives us an in to the processes of how the Trial worked and how the Justices felt. He tells the History of the Tiral as if you were right there. And that is a trait that not every book has. As an active reader of the Nuremberg Trials, I whole heartedly suggest and push for the reading of this book, in orfer to fully understand the true meaning of this gret event.

For those who enjoyed TNT's Nuremburg movie and would like to develop a more complete understanding of the trial, "Justice at Nuremburg" is for you. Author Robert Conot does a lot more than just recount the trial of the leading Nazis. He gives a full portrayal of their crimes and details their actions while they were in allied custody both before and during the trial. Conot also gives the background on the leading allied prosecutors and judges as well as detailing the increasing Cold War friction that surrounded the trial. The Nuremburg trial set the standard for international war crimes tribunals as we know them today. Many precedents were established that are still with us. But it is the fascinating (and revolting) stories of the defendant's themselves that make this book so compelling.

I can recommend this book to anyone wanting a basic knowledge of the Nuremberg trial and the atrocities that it exposed. My only complaint is that the book often drifts from the subject of the trial itself to general Nazi and Holocaust history, which is fine unless you've already read a good deal about these subjects in other books. One more issue is that Conot's mini-biography of Hitler, found at the end of the book, relies too much on speculation about the cause of Hitler's madness. (Can the root of Hitler's madness really be reduced to the view that he might have had syphilis?) Still, Conot manages to find some nuggets of information that I have not seen elsewhere, and when he does stay close to the trial it makes for highly intriguing reading.

This book was a huge hit with my entire family, adults and children. My girls repeat the jokes to their friends. It reminds us of the stories of Chelm. The art is wonderful too.

I bought this book for my husband and daughter to share together. My husband is Jewish and I am not, so that makes my daughter 1/2 Jewish. The umor in these stories is funny and also teaches a lesson. Some of the concepts are over a 4 year old's head. The illustrations are fun. Definitely recommended for anyone with a Jewish sense of humor!

With kinetic Jewish drawings and a book design that only Taback can achieve, the author retells 13 stories that were told to him by his zayda. The inside front and back covers are filled with famous Yiddish axioms in primary colors (well, most are Yiddishisms, others might be from Poor Richard's Alamanac). Idioms include From the lowly potato you get the choicest latke; Words are like arrows - both deliver with speedy aim; Words should be weighed and not counted; "Keep you eye on the bagel, and not the hole; and It is easier to be a critic than an author. Each of the 13 stories is followed by axiom. Each story is about 2 pages, maybe 4, but who's counting? One story is about a fish monger, and his neighbors (they all have to put in their two cents cuz they are kibitzers.) Another is about a shnayder, a tailor. Is he a genius, or just bad? One story is about a sick chicken (look closely at the thermometer). Some stories seem like they are from Chelm, one might be from Mel Brooks (hehe); but all have a twist. Of course, there is a well drawn colorful story about the difference between a shlemiel and a shliMazel. In a story about two brothers, God has an important insight into the human condition. In one story we find out when a Labish Noodleman can be a Yankel. My faves: If I Were a Rockefeller; and The Caretaker. The book closes with a glossary of over 45 words, including cheder; meshugge; megilla; klug; Gottenyu; and even gonif.

Gottenyu, I haven't seen a Simms Taback book I haven't liked!! This one is excellent. It has the same wonderful syle of illustrations you've come to love in Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Caldecott Medal Book), There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Caldecott Honor Book), and This is the House that Jack Built, but this book is fundamentally different.

Like Joseph, it's set in a shtetl, but it's not one story. It's a collection of very short stories that teach about Jewish culture and also teaches some basic Yiddish words and phrases. The short glossary (52 words) in the back of the book is quite useful too.

The description on Amazon says it's aimed at ages 4 - 8, but I'd say more like ages 6 - 10. I don't think it will hold a preschooler's interest, but is an absolute must have in your child's library. Not to be a kibitzer, but every Bubbe or Zayda should buy this for their grandkids!

Although this book is considered a childrens book, it reaches all ages. Short stories giving meaning to common Yiddish words through short humorous stories and magnificent illustrations. I gave the book to a 6 year old who loved it; a thirteen year old boy roared with laughter and a 50 year old non-Jewish woman who loved seeing words that she had heard but was not sure of their meanings.What a find! I highly recommend this book.

I travel to Italy a lot on business and I'm taking the whole family for the first time. We've been reading on the internet and other travel books in preparation, but came across this one and thought we would give it a try. It's excellent. In addition to being full of good travel advice and things to look for that are fun for kids of all ages, it is also a good "study guide" of sorts. We homeschool our children and this is the kind of book that is perfect to help teach them about a new country and culture. I highly recommend it.

My kids (and I) think this book rocks. We happen to live in Italy but, even after 18 months here, we still find things in this book that surprise us. The book makes historical sites interesting and fun by pointing out things that kids would find fun and interesting. We have explored "Strange Parks" and located almost all of the license plates and cars listed as we travel around Italy. I'm always surprised as I read it to find more information that I didn't know, more things to try and places to go. We hope to go to Paris soon and I'll be ordering a copy of Pat Byrne's Paris book first.

Pat Bryne provided the personal attention we all hope for when conducting an internet transaction. Her book, Italy Discovery Journal, is both entertaining and informative for a child's natural curiousity. We gave them as gifts which were well received and, reportedly, heavily utilized prior to, during and even following our nephews trip to Italy.

My boys used this journal both times we went to Italy. It gave us a lot of ideas and sparked some that were not in the book. They liked that they didn't have to bring the entire journal around with them; they could just take out the pages that they needed. Even my teens took some ideas, like charting gelato flavors. (Same flavor changed from place to place.) The journal made some of the lesser kid-friendly activities more enjoyable for them, therefore, more enjoyable for us. We are looking out for journals for more countries.

This is a small publishing production, not very sophisticated in terms of formatting or reproduction, but, guess what? The kids loved it. There really isn't any other guide for children out there; I looked! This is for the kids, tells them about things they might be interested in like pasta and fast cars. There's some subtle education going on but mostly just ideas about wierd history, Italian culture and things kids like to eat. Our two children, a boy 13 and a girl 11, carried their little books everywhere and would point out things to us, the parents, that were interesting or surprising. Good little investment for your travels!

Anna Manna!

I will travel to Kiev this fall; this book is fairly recently published (prices quoted are undoubtedly higher) but has all the essential information and very readable historical and factual descriptions of the city, amenities and sights. It will be in my luggage!

This is a terrific introduction to the city, easy to read and digest. It is not detailed like a DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, but it has the essentials, including some phrases, maps, and web site references.

My Ukrainian girlfriend and I spent 9 days in Kiev last month. This book was invaluable. Naturally, when visiting a country it's very helpful to have someone with you who speaks the language. This is particularly true in Ukraine - even though many people in Kiev do speak English. We stayed in a hotel she heard about through a friend that's near the Golden Gate (Zoloti Vorota) Metro stop - centrally located in Kiev. It was $30 a night for me and around $10 a night for her. While I bought a Visa to go to Kiev (around $120) in May - I'm told they are free to Americans and Europeans these days.

The color map of the metro layout and the color maps of the city listing landmarks in the back of the book were particularly useful for us. The bus guidance was a bit of a waste - never seemed to be right. There were buses going where the book said they were but they always had different numbers than the ones in the book. I never did see a bus schedule anywhere and the bus signs at the bus stops didn't seem to list the numbers properly either - so maybe this was no fault of the author. If you want to take a bus somewhere - go where the book says and then start asking questions about a bus to the place you want to go.

We saw Faust at the opera house. A marvelous performance - for just a little more than the price of a movie back in the states. The author is right about most bathrooms having either rough and unpleasant toilet paper or none at all. The opera house, for all the grandeur of the building and world class performance, had no toilet paper in either the men's or woman's restrooms.

The list of restaurants in the book is ok - but could be better. I enjoyed the Indian food at Himalaya, and Kozak Mamai did indeed have exceptional food (along with very nice atmosphere) - though our waiter was a little pushy about getting a tip. We searched all over Pankivksa street but couldn't find Mangal anywhere. Makabi Kosher is more of a snack bar than a restaurant. We couldn't figure out how to get a substantial meal there. We ended up at a Georgian restaurant a across the same street - a little further down. The wine was very good but the portions were too small and it was a bit pricey. I was thoroughly disappointed with Kyivska Perepichka (author's favorite). I have found bageldogs enjoyable in the past but a hotdog inside some greasy bread is not my idea of good street food. Some other places serve bilash (maybe the wrong name) - hamburger inside some greasy bread. For some reason, I found this to be a great deal better. There are lots of places to eat in Kiev. Some charge quite a bit of money for lots of atmosphere and mediocre food. It make take some talk with the locals to find the good ones.

I really enjoy visiting churches and was most impressed with St Vladamir's - beautiful place and much more exciting than St Sophia's or St Andrei's. We were even lucky enough to catch a ceremony led by the Patriarch of Kiev - head of the Orthodox church in Ukraine. I also highly recommend the Patriotic War Museum. While it helps to have someone who can read Russian or Ukrainian along - there are lots of pictures and maps that can be appreciated by anyone. The statue over the museum is a site to see in its own right. The Monastery of the Golden Domes was a little disappointing. The grounds are lovely, as is the view of the city from them but the caves were not what I had hoped.

The book is full of little anecdotes. The author gives his thoughts on the use of language (Ukrainian or Russian) in Kiev. Many people (including my girlfriend) feel pretty strongly about what language should be spoken and displayed. He also provides an interesting tale about why there are so many old women (and not old men) and why the sword held by the statue over the Patriotic War Museum looks a bit short.

I have made several trips to Kiev (officially Kyiv) in recent years and am very glad to have found this excellent guide, which I will use on my next trip. Well-written, packed with information, and handy. Although more than 300 pages it can easily be carried in any pocket.
Evans covers all the tourist sites but he is very good also on the culture, the amenities, how to get the most from your trip. This book will also be very useful for people who will spend a longer time in Ukraine, at a job or on a business project, or studying. It covers a lot of nuts and bolts that visitors need to know. It is filled with information that will save you a lot of money and that will protect your health. For example: "don't drink the water."
Anyone who gets this book and the very good, just published, Lonely Planet guide to Ukraine, will be well-armed for an enjoyable trip. Evans has also written a guidebook to all of Ukraine that I haven't read yet.

There are not many travel guide books to choose from in English on Kiev. No matter, Mr. Evans book proved to be extremely useful on my first trip to Kiev, Ukraine. It was accurate and I used this guide book every day for the two weeks I was in Kiev. His review of hotels, shopping, restaurants, clubs, and casinos were excellent. Mr. Evans was very adept at suggesting places to go where Westerners could get by with little or no language skills. I recommend this book and I hope he plans an update in 2006. John Doyen, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas USA