Wisconsin Books

I'm reading the full Little House series to my 6-year-old, and my 3-year-old felt very left out. This book is perfect for her. It gives some of the sense of Little House, giving an entry to talking about the era and how it differs from now. And she really likes it.
But it doesn't draw you in much -- you don't get any sense of the characters and it misses the beautiful details of the full Little House books.

It's almost magic, the way my daughter is fascinated by these First Little House books ...all of them, all the time. The illustrations are a delight, and prompt her to pointing, and naming the different kinds of animals, as well as "Pa," "Ma," and "Jack" the bulldog. The text is simple, but holds up under repeated readings, and keeps my two-year old captivated. DANCE AT GRANDPA'S, is a nice example of this picture book series, which captures the spirit of Wilder's chapter books in a way that can delight a very young audience. This book, and all we've read from the series, is well worth having on the shelf.

These are great little books (there are several in the series). These are adaptations of the Little House books, formatted as picture books with full color illutrations that are inspired by Garth Williams original Little House artwork. Dance at Grandpa's is an abbreviated excerpt from the Ingalls Wilder novel Little House in the Big Wood. The fun pictures and straitforward text present the incident of a dance and celebration at Grandpa Ingalls' cabin - quite a story as presented in the original novel and adapted well here. The essential elements are presented here with perfectly matched illustrations. One of those books that you hope your kids will choose for you to read at bedtime

I have to admit that my daughter loves these books. But I think they are much less than they could have been. The illustrations are attractive but have no dramatic power and no personality. All the people look the same. The stories reveal no individuality in the characters. Everyone gets along and behaves well, and no desires conflict. I think the idyllic quality is part of what appeals to my daughter, but I think she also enjoys seeing some details of how people lived in a very different time.

My 2-year-old daughter loves this series (My First Little House Books). Dance at Grandpa's was her first and still her favorite. At 2, she is already fascinated by Laura, Mary, Pa, and Ma and their lives...just as I was by reading the Little House series when I was older. Dance at Grandpa's is a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations. I highly recommend it (and the other books) to all parents!

Nancy C. Unger's "Fighting Bob La Follette - The Righteous Reformer" makes a timely and valuable contribution to the biographical record of one of America's greatest Senators and Statesmen. Unger's work easily stands on its own among other great biographies of Senator La Follette, including Belle Case and Fola La Follette's two-volume "Robert M. La Follette" and David Thelen's "The Early Life of Robert M. La Follette 1855 - 1884," among others. A refreshing reminder of what is possible when a politician becomes a Statesman and fights for what is right for all Americans. The book also provides a valid and insightful analysis of the strong influence La Follette's mother, extended family, and wife had on the development of his character, and on the values and motivation which compelled La Follette to an extraordinarily effective and selfless career in public service. America is long overdue for another such beneficent "shaper of democracy," and this book will provide effective food for thought for any true patriot willing to lay down his life for the good of his country. An important book, inspiring, and enjoyable.

I found Dr. Unger's book on Bob LaFollette to be insightful and thorough. In a provocative way, the author challenges some of the common beliefs about LaFollette, and creates a new awareness of his contributions to political history.

As a public library director with a special interest in the Progressive era, I found Fighting Bob LaFollette by Unger exactly what I seek in history writing. It has the strengths of all solid history in its sources but the author draws on other fields, in particular medicine, to broaden our understanding.

More than a century ago, LaFollette said "We are one people" and recognized the importance of minority groups shaping their own future. Before the mass media and big money took over political campaigns, Progressive reformers focused on the needs of average people. In three-hour speeches, LaFollette fought for what was needed and was the right thing for the nation to do. The author's direct and clear prose brings the reformer and the times to life. We can learn much from the book for our time.

Nancy Unger has written an outstanding and insightful biography of one of turn-of-the-century America's most influential political figures. Indeed, it is the first full-scale biography of Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin. For anyone seeking to understand the Progressive Era this book is a must read, for Unger's subject was at the center of the defining reform struggles of the age - from women's rights and corporate regulation, to labor and political reform. Drawing upon a vast collection of private papers and primary sources, Unger brings to life not only the public persona of "Fighting Bob" but also the private La Follette that few people know about. We learn, for example, how his early life struggles shaped his personality (for good and for ill), as well as how much he relied upon his wife, suffragist and reformer Belle Case La Follette, for advice and strength. Written in a lively yet balanced style, this book greatly adds to our knowledge of a complex and fascinating man and era.

This is an excellent biography of a most worthy subject. Nancy Unger provides readers with a vivid and often entertaining account of one of the most important American political figures of the early twentieth century. Crucial to Unger's effectiveness is her dedication to balanced histocial writing. Her portrayal of La Follette is multifacted. It is political and personal. La Follette comes to life for the reader, not only enroute to his many political successes but also amid his failures and personal shortcomings. Unger's lauditory praise of her subject is deserving and her sharp criticisms are valid and substantiated. La Follette was an influential and flawed champion of democacy and social equity, and interested readers will thoroughly enjoy this insightful retelling of his life story.

Hank Berlin has come back to Pinery Falls, Wisconsin from Canada, where he went to escape Viet Nam. He's a P.I. now, one among several in this town. So he's a little shaken when his old high school flame, Liz Drucker, asks him to find out who killed her husband Jack, and why.

The trio were very close in high school, but parted ways in college, when Jack was gung-ho to go to Viet Nam and Hank chose not to. Liz had already made her choice by then, but used Hank as a sounding board when her life got rough. Hank hasn't spoken to Liz or to Jack in probably twenty years, but he has lots of memories.

Jack Drucker was killed on the side of the road, in his hot little Corvette. The neighbors either weren't home or didn't see anything. So Hank shifts his focus to Jack's career; Jack was the investigative reporter for the Pinery Falls Torrent, which is owned by his father, Wes Drucker.

Jack's recent stories have dealt with a variety of topics. There is the city council's voting division on some new development; corruption is hinted at but not directly addressed. There is the story on the son of a downstate Mob connection, and his relocation to the area. Why has Wes Drucker gagged the staff at the Torrent; the coverage of the case is minimal at best.

Kronenwetter is a skilled wordsmith. He manages to convey the interconnectedness of small-town life without getting cutesy. He lets the reader see Hank's qualms and trepidations without making Hank a lesser person. He bounces from the present to the past and back again without jolting the reader, as easily as we can slip in and out of our memories. His portrayal of Hank's personal life, and how that interacts with his professional life, underscores how real a person Hank becomes to the reader.

I found FIRST KILL to be a highly enjoyable book, both in the quality of the writing and in the story itself. I think we can expect to see good things from Kronenwetter in the future, and I look forward to that very much. I have only one beef with FIRST KILL, and I hope that this isn't a major spoiler. If you've read TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE, the last chapters of FIRST KILL will seem familiar. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something that struck me as I was reading. Don't let it stop you from reading FIRST KILL. It will be time well spent.

Private detective Hank Berlin is trying to be a good father when his high-school girlfriend approaches him. Her husband Jack, once Hank's best friend, has been murdered and the police are getting nowhere. Can he take the case?

Hank is conflicted. He still feels desire for Liz, and avoided both her and star reporter Jack ever since returning from Canada where he sought refuge during Viet Nam (Jack went). But he's gotten on with his life, has a girlfriend and a child. Still, he's drawn to the case.

His investigation begins with a look at a major construction project. Where there's construction and city funds, there is the possibility of corruption and one of Jack's recent articles pointed the finger at this project. Then there's the son of a Mafia kingpin living in the neighborhood--a man about whom Jack had recently written an article. Whatever might have motivated the killer, Jack had told his drinking buddy that he was working on a story that would bring down the town's elite--and that certainly provides a motive.

Author Michael Kronenwetter has created a compelling and powerful mystery in FIRST KILL. Private eye Hank comes alive as a father, detective, ex-draft dodger, and drinker. His investigation turns up the usual lot of red herrings, with a sweet twist at the end, but Kronenwetter's story is more about the people, about relationships, about growth and change than it is about a straight murder.

I am happy to recommend FIRST KILL and will certainly be looking for more novels by Kronenwetter.

This is the novel that won the 2004 PWA/SMP Best Private Eye Novel contest. I'm not surprised it won.

Michael Kronenwetter has done a great job on this book. The plot is briskly paced, and there are enough twists in the story to keep the reader on edge. I really liked the protagonist in the book -- he's not a macho superhuman type, but he's not a dysfunctional wimp either. He's just a normal, realistic human being. This makes him, in my book, the most likable PI I've seen in a long time. I hope for more books featuring this character.

This book, for whatever reason, has largely been ignored by the mainstream press. I think it's easily one of the best mystery debuts in 2005 and I hope that it's nominated for an Edgar and a Shamus award for best first novel. It's that good.

Michael Kronenwetter's first novel left me hoping for a second novel. And I really don't read much fiction. I just read it in about 4 sittings over the holidays. It moves fast and actually got me to turn off my TV.

Hank Berlin is a terrific "unlikely hero" character with which we can all identify. He is the ordinary man confronting extraordinary circumstances, but in a believable way. He's a gutsy, hard-working detective, but also more than that. He's struggling to be a good father, struggling to make sense of a failed marriage, and really looking forward to his next beer.

I'm from northcentral Wisconsin, and I can also add that Kronenwetter's depiction of the fictional "Pinery Falls" is dead-on authentic without ever descending into caricature. "First Kill" is not set in a desolate countryside or a metropolis, but in a typical American small city struggling to save its old downtown. It's the type of setting that's perfect for Berlin--he can find anyone in town within a few minutes, but can also go unnoticed thanks to his ordinary looks and his unremarkable Nissan Sentra.

The novel's Vietnam subtext makes it especially thought-provoking. Kronenwetter doesn't engage in a political discussion about Vietnam. Instead, he explores how the Vietnam era forever changed those who lived through it. Whether you experienced those years or not, "First Kill" will illuminate for you the many ways in which Vietnam still affects American communities.

Can't wait for the next installment!

Hank isn't your stereotypical PI; he's a normal guy trying to do his best with his business, son and life. Even Harry, Hank's six-year-old son seemed realistic. The plot was interesting, took some great twists. I did not see the end coming and was reminded a bit of Lehane. The events and impact of Vietnam was effective yet didn't overwhelm the story. This is a very enjoyable debut and I look forward to Kronenwetter's next book.

I'm familiar with this book and know the author. Plus I've done some of the hikes in this book. It's well done and I think you'll really enjoy the results of the author's extensive research about the entire state. He's found the hikes that will bring you to quiet, scenic spots. In some places he has put together parts of adjoining trails to give you the best of what a place has to offer. Many of his hikes are not well known or are in areas like the Sand Counties where you might not have thought to go hiking.

I heard Eric Hansen speak recently and was impressed by his enthusiasm for what Wisconsin has to offer and for connecting with nature through hiking. His hike descriptions give you a good feeling for why you'd want to hike in each place plus the directions and a trail map. I especially like the extensive "hike finder" in the front of the book where he lets you know which hikes are best for things like waterfalls, quiet lakes, views etc.

The fifty percent of Wisconsin residents who like to hike, most of the eighty percent who like to walk, and visitors to the state will find value in this book. Several premier Ice Age and North Country Trail segments are highlighted. The introductory chapter offers insights for foot travelers to improve this popular and healthy activity. The size of the book is handy. The "For more information" listing on every hike review can be especially useful.

Wisconsin borders two of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It is home to hardwood and evergreen forests, a superb system of lakes and streams, and a wealth of municipal, county, state, and national parks. In Hiking Wisconsin, Eric Hansen (who hiked over 800 miles of Wisconsin trails while working on this guide) showcases the best outdoor hiking trails available to the general public. Each hiking trail entry features hike descriptions, difficulty ratings, and trail lengths. Hiking Wisconsin is enhanced with "user friendly" maps, clear directions, information on camping, seasonal access, and trail restrictions. Hiking Wisconsin is the perfect "take along" guidebook whether you plan to be gone for an afternoon or a weekend or a week. If you are anticipating an outdoor excursion somewhere in the Badger State, then begin your planning by securing and browsing through a copy of Eric Hansen's Hiking Wisconsin!

Eric Hansen's guidebook provides the reader with hikes that take you away from traditional trails and allows the hiker solitude and ability to experience nature in some of its purest forms. I have personally travelled on some of the trails listed. His directions are clear. The book provides Eric's insight into various experiences along the routes. Erics's keen awareness of the environment and trail savvy makes this book a must for any serious trails enthusiast interested in the midwest outdoors.

I have just read this book and I think I could place it among the ones I liked the most (together with Gerald Durrell's ones): what I prefered was the poetic that filled the whole book , in the descriptions of landscapes, and people, that poetic you can't find in modern writers.

A window into a time and place where men culture and tools were formed by a harsh natural selection process. The wide open range wild herds of cattle and horses a few men isolated from civilization. Henry Hudson was there, his first impressions are from the viewpoint of an educated Englishman examining barbarians. He then gets immersed in the environment and sees the deeper human experience and the effects of total freedom and self reliance on the character of men

If you are a fan of turn-of-the-century literature as I am, you will find this narrative a good read. I had never heard nor read anything about this Hudson fellow until I recently began to read "The Sun Also Rises", which, as you may know, is Ernest Hemingway's first novel. Hemingway nonchalantly mentions Hudson and the travels of Lamb briefly in his story. I was intrigued as I gathered Hemingway himself had read the book and apparently liked it well enough to mention. Or perhaps I am mistaken. Regardless, this book is really as series of tales of adventures in the jungles of South America. You meet the natives, the food, the lifestyle and the beautiful girls (as you might expect; latino woman are notably lovely, in my experience). It should be noted, however, that the author, being a product of his times no doubt, is not particularly sensitive to political correctness.

"Dangerous if read too late in life", Hemmingway.

This is an excellent book if you can find it.

This book was discussed on either Public Radio or Oprah had the author on to discuss this book--I can't remember. I read this book all in one day. It is a collection of stories that aren't very long but the characters have depth which allows the reader to feel like you have read a short book after each story. I shared this book with my Mom and my really good friend and they agree; it is a very good book.

I have read all of Ansay, and like her work alot. I never just read her work, I feel it. This collection shows that short stories are her strength. My favorites were the title story, Lies, and Spot Weaknesses. No one who's been a girl or had a daughter should miss Spot Weaknesses. It captures perfectly the pain of adolescence and the mother/daughter dance. Evolution is wonderful, too. Ansay has a way of crystalizing details and exposing emotional truths that we all intuit but rarely articulate. She manages to consistently get things "right", including the snapshots of animals which inhabit virtually all of her stories. I got this book from the library, but plan to buy it to reread and share.

I enjoyed reading this book of short stories so much that I bought a copy for my mom. She enjoyed it too. It's definitely not an uplifting collection, but the pieces feel honest and real.

I have read all of Ansay, and like her work alot. I never just read her work, I feel it. This collection shows that short stories are her strength. My favorites were the title story, Lies, and Spot Weaknesses. No one who's been a girl or had a daughter should miss Spot Weaknesses. It captures perfectly the pain of adolescence and the mother/daughter dance. Evolution is wonderful, too. Ansay has a way of crystalizing details and exposing emotional truths that we all intuit but rarely articulate. She manages to consistently get things "right", including the snapshots of animals which inhabit virtually all of her stories. I got this book from the library, but plan to buy it to reread and share.

OK, I have now read pretty much everything written by A. Manette Ansay! I am hooked on her books! I have loved every single one of them, and this one is no exception. She has such a wonderful way of describing regular, down-to-earth people! I liked all the stories in this book. Sure, they may be sad or depressing, but they're written in such a wonderful way!

This book showcases Bachardy drawings and his journal account of the sittings with. primarily, aging movie stars he admired as an adolescent in the late-1940s along with some later stars (Jack Nicholson, Charlotte Rampling, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith), the official portrait of Jerry Brown for the California state capitol, and some other artists (Robert Mapplethorpe, Aaron Copland, Iris Murdoch, Julian Schnabel, James Merrill) and directors Vincente Minnelli and William Wyler. The responses of the subjects to the drawings are usually very interesting, with greater paranoia on the part of other visual artists than of the aging movie stars.

The best stories are in the sittings with Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Louise Brooks. The accounts of those "stars" in whom I have no particular interest (Alice Faye, Ruby Keeler, Helmut Newton) contained insights (both from sitter and portraitist) and Bachardy's prose shows the admirable qualities of those whom I hoped would display them (Ingrid Bergman, Myrna Loy, Maggie Smith, Iris Murdoch, Louise Brooks, Henry Fonda, James Merrill, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, Alec Guiness, Laurence Olivier). The only one whom he comes to despise in the course of the interactions of drawing a portrait is Joan Fontaine. He remains a fan of most and gives even the devil (Miss Fontaine) her due.

The drawings are never flattering and the artist does not flatter himself either, but I find it interesting to read about a professional doing his or her job professionally. The reader gets a very good idea of what it is like to try to portray honestly movie stars and other cultural icons, as well as getting the portraits. Most of his subjects are interesting (not least in their insecurities) people and I look forward to the eventual publication of his diaries from half a century at the edges of Hollywood ) encountering a stream of writers, artists, and film stars.

Bachardy's skill as an artist is evident. The book demonstrates that with his recognizably stylish renderings of celebrities who have subjected themselves to a sitting. Most of his subjects must be very sorry they did! The portraits are never flattering although always interesting. The basis for the book is not the art, but Mr. Bachardy's tattle-tale telling of the circumstances of the sitting. He may visually nail his subjects with the portraits, but he crucifies them with the stories he tells. He may have stars in his eyes (accessible to him through his lifelong connection with Isherwood, of course), but he has poison in his pen and no love for his subjects in his heart.

I have been familiar with the superb drawings of Don Bachardy for many years, but had no idea how well he wrote. Insightful, clear, and sometimes waspish, the various pieces accompanying the drawings deflate the pompous and offer an original and unique view of the famous made vulnerable. Reading this book is like dipping into a delicious box of chocolates.

This book showcases Bachardy drawings and his journal account of the sittings with. primarily, aging movie stars he admired as an adolescent in the late-1940s along with some later stars (Jack Nicholson, Charlotte Rampling, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith), the official portrait of Jerry Brown for the California state capitol, and some other artists (Robert Mapplethorpe, Aaron Copland, Iris Murdoch, Julian Schnabel, James Merrill) and directors Vincente Minnelli and William Wyler. The responses of the subjects to the drawings are usually very interesting, with greater paranoia on the part of other visual artists than of the aging movie stars.

The best stories are in the sittings with Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Louise Brooks. The accounts of those "stars" in whom I have no particular interest (Alice Faye, Ruby Keeler, Helmut Newton) contained insights (both from sitter and portraitist) and Bachardy's prose shows the admirable qualities of those whom I hoped would display them (Ingrid Bergman, Myrna Loy, Maggie Smith, Iris Murdoch, Louise Brooks, Henry Fonda, James Merrill, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, Alec Guiness, Laurence Olivier). The only one whom he comes to despise in the course of the interactions of drawing a portrait is Joan Fontaine. He remains a fan of most and gives even the devil (Miss Fontaine) her due.

The drawings are never flattering and the artist does not flatter himself either, but I find it interesting to read about a professional doing his or her job professionally. The reader gets a very good idea of what it is like to try to portray honestly movie stars and other cultural icons, as well as getting the portraits. Most of his subjects are interesting (not least in their insecurities) people and I look forward to the eventual publication of his diaries from half a century at the edges of Hollywood ) encountering a stream of writers, artists, and film stars.

Don Bachardy's stature as a gifted draughtsman continues to grow. And now with the current growing respect and exposure of his beloved Christopher Isherwood vis a vis the posthumous Diaries and the notes and essays recently published, Bachardy's gifts as a writer are keeping pace with his important drawings, documenting the art culture of the past century. This beautifully designed book shares the wholeness of his craft: not only do we see important drawings of important people, we also hear the secrets of the encounter that resulted in the drawings. Sitting for Don Bachardy is tough - a joy, but hard work. To read how his silent sessions are processed in his mind and subsequently in his notes written concurently with his drawings opens an important door, not only for understanding Bachardy's keen observations but for the entire genre of portrait making. This is a delightful read and visual excursion....and contains secrets about famous prople we all thought we knew well!

Here's the story: gay Jew (really a half-Jew under Nazi racial law) survives Holocaust in Berlin, despite spending lots of time risking his life by helping ferry other Jews to safety in Switzerland. I didn't find this book as enthralling as I had hoped; either the writing style or the translation left something to be desired. In particular, the last half of the book read like a laundry list of lovers and rescued friends. (Unlike another reviewer, I actually liked the pre-Holocaust half of the book better).

Having said that, I still learned something from this book; I got a real sense of the differences between "full Jews" and persons of mixed blood. Full Jews typically got deported to concentration camps, no ifs, ands or buts. But if the experience of Beck and his family is any guide, half-Jews stood a pretty good chance of survival if they kept their noses clean. Because Beck's mother was born Christian (though she converted to Judaism) his parents were never deported (despite numerous close calls), and Beck got in trouble with the Gestapo only because of his rescue activities.

Another interesting fact: throughout the book, Beck mentions various hunchbacks he ran into. What is it about early 20th-century Germany that produced so many hunchbacks?

Beck gives us a glimpse of a gay man's coming of age in Nazi Berlin. It is not only erotic but holds up a light by which all aspects of love should be measured. Once again, the Gay Spirit has triumphed over bigotry, intolerance, and in this case even the holocaust.

Beck, Gad. "An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Germany, University of Wisconsin Press, 1999.

Triumph of Will

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

We all have a great deal of trouble understanding the Holocaust and what it did to so many people. We have been slowly getting the stories of the Nazi persecution if gays and if one was both gay and Jewish, he had real troubles. Gad Beck was a man like that but he survived and was able to tell his story as he does so eloquently in "An Underground Life". Even though his book begins slowly, it picks up pace quickly and as you read your mouth falls open to see stories about man's inhumanity to man. When the Nazis began their reign of terror he was living underground and was sought by the Gestapo. Beck was an organizer and helped many who lived illegally by finding them shelter and food as well as providing a listening ear and support in any way that he could. The fact that he was gay was secondary to the fact that he was Jewish.
In this memoir Beck brings to life both the cruelty to the Jews but the cruelty to the gays as well. This is a shocking and horrifying account as he writes about a gay man's coming of age in Nazi Germany. It is an erotic tale but also shows how love should be considered. This was probably the first time in the modern age that the gay spirit managed to triumph over intolerance and bigotry--even against the greatest crime ever against humanity.
The fact that Beck survived in itself is miraculous but even more amazing is that he was able to write about what he endured. When Robert Plant published "The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War against Homosexuals" in 1986, the door was opened to a new aspect of the Holocaust. Several personal accounts followed, but few have been published that talk about the Nazi treatment of gays ad I imagine that this is because so few survived and those that did could not think about what they had endured. This makes this book that much more valuable.
Beck's own story is unique in that he was born of a mixed marriage in 1923 to a Jewish father and a Christian mother thereby not Jewish according to strict Orthodox law. Nonetheless, the Nazis did not care--if he had a drop of Jewish blood, as far as they were concerned, he was Jewish. As the Nazi party rose to power and began their housing relocation plan, forced labor and transport to death camps, Beck organized a resistance movement to hide others and to smuggle food and drugs to them, He even once wore a Nazi uniform to rescue a doomed gay man from the camps. He does not in any way disguise his sexuality and he gives details of his own sexual liaisons. He gives us an amazing picture of the horror of Nazi rule. He was one of the fortunate gay men whom his parents loved and accepted his sexuality and was very lucky that the Christian side of his family felt the same. In 1933, when Hitler came to power, he was forced to attend a Jewish school to reinforce his identity and to be visible to the ruling party and he immersed himself in Judaism and embraced the idea of the Zionist movement. He also embraced a great many men and he hides nothing about his sex life (except for actual sexual descriptions) as well as writes openly about his secret political activities. He rose in power in the Zionist movement and became a central character in working to establish a Jewish homeland. He survived the Nazis by living illegally in Berlin. Because of that he was able to write this wonderful memoir.
This is a book that holds you from the beginning to the end, so much so that you want a sequel. He embraced his gayness at the same time that he embraced his Jewish--at a time when it meant death to be either. There are stories of betrayals and back stabbings and secret meetings and the memoir reads like a combination thriller/spy novel. That he survived s incredible and even more incredible is that he endured all that he did.

Gad Beck brought to life not only the cruelty to the jews but also the cruelty of the gay and lesbian people of the Nazi Era. I had to do a research paper for a Holocaust in Literature class I took my junior year in high school...and I was entralled the whole time I read this book. It shocked me, it horrified me...and I loved it.

Here is a memoire of life in Berlin during the Nazi regime from the perspective of a gay Jew. Gad Beck was an organizer and friend to many who lived illegally during that period, finding shelter and food and providing friendship and support. That he was openly gay was not important during that period - there were more important thiongs to worry about.

I found this book at the bookstore of National Haulocost Museum in Washington DC on a recent visit. It fits in perfectly with that museum, in that it fleshes out the life in hiding. If you have an interest in the struggle for human rights and length to which people will go to survive, this is an excellent read.

One fact that is underemphasized in the book is Beck's youth during this period. By the end of the war he was in his younger 20s. Yet he had accomplished so much and had the strength of one much older. Bravo!

"The Usurper's Crown" tells the story of Ingrid and Avanasy, who are Bridget's parents, and of Medeaon's past. Many of the criticisms I had for "A Sorcerer's Treason" are still valid for this novel, so I will not repeat them here. But once again, despite those flaws, the novel was still an enjoyable read.

I actually found it very interesting getting to know the full details behind the characters we were only briefly introduced to in "Treason". It's one thing to know that Bridget's mother died in childbirth, and that her father gave his life to seal the firebird, but it's another thing to read the tale in its entirety. Readers got to know those heroes that sacrificed their lives for Isavalta. We see how the love formed between Ingrid and Avanasy; we get to know first-hand the kind of man Everett Lederle was; we learn the reasons behind Grace's estranged relationship with her niece; we meet Peshek in his youth. And the part I found the most interesting was reading of Medeaon's broken history.

In "Treason", Medeaon is a hard, vengeful woman who has succumbed to madness. But in "Crown", we see her as a young woman who is afraid of her destiny and beset by treachery. She genuinely loved her husband Kacha and was irrevocably broken by his deceit. Reading about her struggles, her strength, and her intelligence as she tries to regain her kingdom makes her eventual downfall all the more poignant. Readers finally understand why those who remained loyal to Medeaon even throughout "Treason" did so -- despite her flaws, she was a hero in her own time.

One additional issue I had with this book was that Ingrid's role was never really elaborated on. She fell in love with Avanasy and returned with him to Isavalta, which was apparently what one of the spirit powers wanted. But it was never explained why Ingrid was so special to this power. In a sense, she really didn't do anything, but it was repeatedly insisted upon that she was needed. She was a good character in her own right, but fell flat as a heroine. At least with Bridget we understood where her power came from; not so with Ingrid.

Again, many parts could have been better, but it was still a good read.

I must say, that I at first was disappointed, when I learned that this book was a prequel to "A Sorcerer's Treason". Now though I would not have missed it. It is true that you know how things between Avanasy, Ingrid and Medeoan will end, but still this time you get the details and get to know the characters on their own accord.
So I ended up liking the book, it's well written, and I think "The land of death and spirit" are a very interesting mythology.
But I do hope that the last book in the series takes us back to Bridget.

The second book in Sara Zettle's Isavaltan trilogy is unusual in that it pre-dates the first book. Although that seems strange at first, it actually works really well.
This time the story revolves around Bridget Lederle's parents, again the story moves between Earth and Isavalta, a land of magic and intrigue. To get there Ingrid Loftfield must follow the sorcerer Avanasy across the land of Death and Spirit.
This is a highly enjoyable read that is skilfully written. Sara Zettle is proving as competent a writer of fantasy as she is of sci-fi.

When it is discovered that the princess and heir of Isavalta is a sorceress, the emperor and empress ask the powerful sorcerer Avanasy to teach her how to use her powers. Over the years the two become friends until a political marriage is arranged to Kacha, the nephew of the king of Hastinapura. The princess falls in love with him, but Avanasy warns her that he is treacherous and not to be trusted. His charge turns on him sending him into exile.

When the two are wed, she doesn't realize that Kacha is taking over her duties and replacing her loyal supporters with his own people. Only when it is almost too late does she see Kacha for what he is and flees the kingdom, ordering a loyal retainer to find Avanasy and bring him to her at a place she designates. When Avanasy hears her summons, he is posing as a fisherman on Sand Island in Wisconsin. He stands ready to return to his homeland to help the empress defeat her enemies but he brings with him Ingrid Loftfield, the woman he loves, the wife who will sacrifice much to give her husband what he desires.

This novel takes place twenty years before the events in A SORCERER'S TREASON and it is just as good as its sequel. Readers watch the empress grow wiser and stronger, willing to admit she is wrong and take steps to rectify the problems her emotional blindness brought about. Avanasy is a true hero torn between duty and love while the mere mortal Ingrid contains more inner strength than the two sorceresses do. THE USURPER'S CROWN is an enchanting reading experience.

Harriet Klausner

I was reluctant to read this when I learnt that it was the story of Avanasy and Medeoan... there are things which we already know, but as is revealed, knowing of them and knowing the WHY of them are completely different. The tradgedy is in Medeoans blind love for Kasha and his complete contempt for it.. We learn what can make Medeoan so completely ruthless, and how it happened... Absolutely fascinating and VERY Enjoyable.

I loved this book! It helped me finally find a piece of history that was missing for me. I was born in 1962 and while I was living during the time period in which most of the events in this book unfolded, I did not have any recollection of them or their significance. I feel like I have a better understanding of my own time period. The book is well written and chocked full of important information. My hat goes off to Dale Van Atta for all of the hard work and effort that must have transpired in order to complete this comprehensive volume.

For every Joe McCarthy, there was a Joseph Welch; for every Nixon a Woodward/Bernstein team; etc. We all know about those guys. However, the real story of our nation's history cannot be understood without a record of the decent, hononorable and wise persons who have been present throughout our history, and who have prevented the country from veering so far off course that it can't get righted. (I hope there are at least a few such people left in 2008 to get us back on course now!) My father was a life-long, Democrat who voted for Mel Laird in every one of his elections, because Laird was such an individual, and I wish my parents were around to read this book.

I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s thinking of bullet-headed Melvin R. Laird as a warmonger who helped perpetuate America's anguish in Vietnam. I was astonished to discover just how wrong I (and many of my friends, as well as much of the press at the time) really were. Though the account is fascinating of how Laird, despite resistance from both Nixon and Kissinger, was actually working hard but finally successfully to get us out of Vietnam, I found the book more valuable for a different reason.

Anyone who objectively reads "With Honor" will learn at least one thing: That it is (or at least once was) possible for Republicans and Democrats to work together and actually realize important goals for our nation and the world. What they accomplished through their efforts, with the integral help of Laird's talent for behind-the-scenes leadership, is nothing short of inspiring. It is a shame that Laird and his Republican allies, together with the Democrats they befriended, aren't working together again, just as this book shows they once did, to salve and solve some of the wounds our nation has endured of late.

But "With Honor" is not just a history lesson that shows us "what could have been," had we true leaders like Melvin Laird and his friends working together again today. Finely written and easily accessible, "With Honor" accomplishes something political biographies often fail at: It manages at once to be a smooth, pleasurable, and entertaining read, yet at the same time sacrifices none of the details, facts, and stories that make this account so rich. And, as the best biographies usually are, the book is chock full of never-before-told anecdotes and facts -- some scandalous, some uplifting, but all interesting. Surprisingly, there is even quite a lot of humor (The story of the smoldering cigar in Laird's suit pocket at the Vatican is worth the purchase price alone!)

Even people not normally interested in politics will find this book both entertaining and compelling -- not to mention hugely educational in the way of showing just how dicey was the birthing of many of the most important institutions of 20th Century America -- hinging as they did on a few key people with their hearts in the right place, working together for the good of all. There are real lessons today's politicians could learn from Mel Laird. Recommend they read it today!

This biography of Melvin Laird was written in a style that makes one not want to put the book down. For anyone who lived through the turbulent 1960's and or are veterans of the Vietnam War, this book is a must read to clearly understand the politics and actions of our government during that period. For others, the story of Melvin Laird is an inspiring history lesson of a dedicated and influential elected official and Secretary of Defense that gives the reader insight into the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon presidential policies and decisions. Having read most of the self serving memoirs of the top players of the 1960's, I thought this book was the most balanced view of the major political and military decisions of that time in our history.

WITH HONOR...MELVIN LAIRD IN WAR, PEACE, AND POLITICS...Dale Van Atta
There are three story lines in this authorized biography. The most prominent and both best and least known is getting out of Vietnam. It is surprisingly timely as Laird's warning to Bush Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld--"It's a helluva lot easier to get into a war than it is to get out one"--plays out in 2008 headlines. The almost eerie coincidence is that the Laird book was released the week that the generals were telling Congress that they needed more troops and more time. According to this book Laird [who removed General Westmoreland who asked him to "send me 500,000 more men" as Vietnam commander] would have (a) done the testifying himself and (b) would have asked "Did you expect the military to ask for fewer troops and less time? "
During his entire four years as Nixon's Secretary of Defense Laird was if not the sole the most prominent advocate of what came to be known as "Vietnamization," his plan to disengage from that ill conceived and unfortunate military adventure. Everyone else in the administration was either opposed to or ambivalent about "getting the hell out" in Laird's words. President Nixon was alternatively both of the above, and Henry Kissinger, his main adviser on foreign policy wanted a peace treaty first, which put him more in the Nixon camp than on the Laird bandwagon.
One of the most cogent quotes from the book was Laird's advice to the military, the White House, and anyone else who would listen that "time has run out."
When President Bush invited all the living ex-secretaries of defense to a show and tell session at the White House it quickly became obvious that his administration which had unanimously been, in Laird's view, "bent on war" was really looking for affirmation not advice.
One of the questions the book answers is how Laird got away with something verging on insubordination that no other Secretary of Defense has even attempted. Forty years later it is easy to say "because he was right," but that wasn't evident then and there are some who will argue the point even now. The real reason is that Nixon needed Laird more than Laird needed Nixon. This was obvious at the outset when Nixon gave him a free hand [in writing, on a napkin] to make all the "presidential" appointments in the Pentagon to convince him to abandon the Congress, which he loved, for the most unpopular and difficult job in the government. It was confirmed continuously over the four years Laird served as Laird won every vote from the Congress that he asked for Defense and the administration.
The second story in the book is the gossipy one about Laird's relations with Nixon and with Kissinger which will attract the attention of the gossip addicted. The non-stop one-upmanship encounters on matters large and small with Henry Kissinger are given extensive play in the book. What is underplayed is that the two remain great friends and mutual admirers. Their struggles were a kind of gamesmanship it seems even though they involved a very high stakes game.
What will titillate is what the book has to say about Laird's relations with Nixon starting with the quote: "...sometimes orders that came at night were not good orders to follow" and the fact that Nixon lied to him about Watergate to get him to come to the White House and try to salvage a crumbling administration.

He also told Nixon that he would get along with the Congress better if he didn't make them feel he was smarter than they were. "You can't get a vote if you start on a pedestal," he told him.
What is most admirable about the book is the third story, the often too short descriptions of his accomplishments over an extraordinarily wide range and the very high regard in which he was held in many important places. What he really wanted was something he never got and something he gave up when he took the job at Defense. He wanted to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. His name did show up on several short lists for jobs he neither sought nor wanted. He was regarded as a possible candidate for president or vice president. He might have been commissioner of baseball, and could have been chief executive of a large assortment of large, important corporations. The author does not say why he didn't pursue any of these. He was 50 when he left the Defense Department in 1972. My own observation was that he had aged 20 years in the time he was in that job. I was told that will happen when for 4 years every time the phone rings, it's bad news.
The dichotomy is that when you consider what he did before, during, and after his stint in Defense, perhaps we lost more than we gained because of this important and perhaps indispensable diversion. We could, after all, be almost halfway to our 100 years in Vietnam but for Mel Laird.
But still.
Laird and his great friend and ally Rhode Island's Democratic Representative John Fogarty on the Health subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee can single-or double-handedly be credited for making the National Institutes of Health and Center for Disease Control into major institutions. They were also responsible for creating 13 "Lairdettes" on campuses across the country including the McArdle Center at UW-Madison to do cancer research. They did all of this over the dead bodies of notable fiscal conservatives in the Congress and the White House including President Eisenhower.
Eisenhower, as well as his two immediate successors John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, named Laird the US representative to the annual conferences of the World Health Organization.
His unprecedented base closing record while at Defense, incidentally, indicates he didn't abandon his own fiscally conservative roots altogether.
He introduced Nixon to the Wisconsin concept of revenue sharing whose initiatives gave that idea a short and not so sweet run at the federal level.
Talent was at the head of his criterion list when recruiting for the Defense Department. Of the 68 top jobs there, a little over half were filled by Republicans, the rest by Democrats, Independents, and a few "unknowns" which may have been "unasked." This worthy idea was discarded by the Reagan administration and hasn't surfaced since.
He put his most trusted recruit Bob Froehlke in charge of a reorganization of the several intelligence agencies whose reports he always regarded with something approaching suspicion. The project improved inter-agency communication and reduced costs, which was either hoped for was what they got.
He was always open with the press and the public and told his staff that the way to deal with bad news is to expose it. When he left the Pentagon, the Washington press corps presented him with a football inscribed Laird 194 Press 0.
He is responsible for the military's medical school which has supplied most of the doctors needed by our forces in times of trouble.
He and Bob Froehlke took the lead on designing and promoting a post-Vietnam amnesty program for young people who eluded the draft.
He ended the draft.
New York's Democratic Governor Hugh Carey gave him credit for saving New York City from bankruptcy.
He orchestrated the appointment of Gerald Ford to the vice presidency fully aware that Ford would soon be president, because Laird knew that Nixon had lied about his involvement in Watergate and could not survive the ensuing ongoing cover-up.
The book doesn't make the claim, but it is hard not to believe that he also got President Ford to name Nelson Rockefeller to the vice presidency. So at one time in our country's history, the man from Marshfield had a major role in filling the two top jobs in the country.
He and Senator Adlai Stevenson crafted a presidential nominating plan that would limit the number of primaries to 16 and give a more important role to something now known as "super delegates" which is further proof that the law of unintended consequences cannot be repealed.
He and fellow Wisconsin Congressman John Byrnes worked with the National Football League to preserve their monopoly, distribute their soon to be riches democratically and evenly, and, not so incidentally, save the Green Bay Packers.
His dogged demands for diversity were rewarded with the unprecedented promotions of large numbers of minorities and women to flag officer status in all branches of the military.
What we will never know is where else Mel Laird would have gone or what else he would have done if events and pressing national needs had not altered his own best laid plans. What we do know is that he did what he did with, as the book's title claims, honor.