Texas Books

I read this book in 2 days, couldn't put it down. It is well written. Cheryl Wolverton blends reality, romance, faith, and plenty of humor. For those who like romance novels but love to laugh too, this book is for you. Very interesting. A great read.

I read this book in 2 days, couldn't put it down. It is well written. Cheryl Wolverton blends reality, romance, faith, and plenty of humor. For those who like romance novels but love to laugh too, this book is for you. Very interesting. A great read.

My favorite,{so far}, of the McCade Brothers books. Julian "Hawk" McCade has a lot to learn about families. And Susan "Freckles" Learn is just the person to teach him. This book was a lot of fun to read! The "accidents" that keep happening over and over are hilarious. But once Susan learns to relax around Julian they find that God has placed them in each other's lives for a purpose. I love all three of the McCade brothers! This is truly a good, lighthearted read, but don't miss the depth that Cheryl has woven into the story.

This book was wonderfully funny and enjoyable. Freckles, the main character is a clumsy idiot around the man she loves, and both are afraid she's going to kill him! But when she forgets to be nervous around him, she's warm and caring and very lovable herself. I very much enjoyed reading this book. There were some drawbacks for me, though....I would have preferred this book to be longer and deeper. I wanted to have more description and a better feel for the setting and characters. I also would have liked the author to have explored the heroine's relationship with her family more instead of having it tossed in at the end. But, in retrospect, I don't think the author was trying to make any profound statements, but rather give the reader an enjoyable read. And she succeeded very well. I would definitely recommend this book for a quick, funny read.

This book reminded me of my family, funny, silly and makes you smile a lot. I'm a teenager and would tell all my friends to read it. Freckles makes the story one to remember.

Description from the back of the book:

Sanford Colston left his hometown of Saints Roost to hire it's school a new teacher - but instead found himself stuck at the Dallas train station, robbed of the clothes off his back! It was clear to Ford that this thief wasn't your ordinary outlaw - and he was right. Hannah was a beautiful woman on the run, desperate for a disguise that would help her escape her dangerous past. But when fate forced their paths to cross again, Ford couldn't get away twice.

Ford wanted to help his charming your bandit, but didn't know how - until she had a most exciting idea. Hannah could hide in Saints Roost! Back in the strict little town, Hannah made quite a first impression...and, with Ford at her side, learned that sometimes life offers second chances...

* Another fabulous book from my favorite author. I have yet to be disappointed with any of Jodi's books. If I had to have any complaint about this book it would be that it took too long for these two to become intimate but it was completely understandable. The storyline in this book is wonderful & it makes you keep turning the pages even when you really need some sleep. The secondary characters were a huge plus to this book & I hated to see the book end. I highly recommend this book.

I started this book last night at nine and read it all the way to the end. It was one that I just couldn't put down. Jodi has a way of building her characters to where you really know them so it seems before the "climax" comes.
I appreciate her lack of bad language, too.
Thanks, Jodi!

Ford Colston left his hometown to find a teacher. After failing to do so he is returning home when he's robbed by Hannah, a woman on the run from killers. She takes his clothes and leaves but later comes face to face with Ford again. Trying to start a new life she convinces Ford to let her pretend to be the new school teacher, however when she and Ford are caught kissing they are forced to marry. Part of the agreement between Ford and Hannah is that in one months time she will leave and Ford will tell the town that she died, therefore becoming a widower. The rest of the story covers the killers that are still hot on the trail to find her and Ford's mistrust of Hannah, since items are being stolen from the town stores.

Now normally I'm pretty picky on Jodi Thomas's female characters, since they all tend to seem whinny or afraid of relationships for no reason. In this book I feel that Thomas wrote a fairly strong heroine, who at first was afraid of intimacy, but at there is a reason for that and it is explained in the story. Hannah is able to overcome her fears and wants to be closer to Ford.

Now Ford is a sweetie. He grew up being told he was ugly and had an animal nature. He always wished for a wife but never thought he would find one that would be able to tolate him. He's honest and caring but at times did have trouble trusting Hannah but I guess that can be expected. She did rob him, remember. The part I like the most was when he kissed her hand in town. That was incredible. And when she is pulling her hand away she runs her fingertips across his palm because she couldn't bear to let go. Now that was intense.

If your lucky to find this out of print book buy it, because you won't be disappointed.

I'm not usually a romance reader--although there has to be romance in anything I read--but this book drew me in from the beginning with its atypical hero, Ford Colston. He's hardworking, honorable, and honest to a fault, and he believes no woman would ever want him because he's not handsome in the traditional sense and harbors inside him a "wild" passion that has always alienated him from his insensitive family and the puritanical town he lives in. When he meets Hannah of the orphaned gypsy spirit, she sees the goodness in Ford and is drawn to him despite her need to run from the hired killers chasing her because she witnessed a murder. She and Ford strike a deal that keeps them together for a month, and although they both want it to be forever, they both also think they're not worthy of the other's love. Hannah is a likable heroine, but Ford captured my heart from the first page. A touching, satisfying read I recommend highly.

I've read many romance novels, but this one had an appeal totally separate from the run-of-the-mill. The secret is the hero, Ford. He's face is not that handsome (although his body is rock hard!) and he's given a background that makes your heart break. He's grown up in a town where everyone thought he was ugly, his sister calls him an animal, his father didn't want him around...rejected again and again, he's resigned himself to be the lonely outcast no one loves.

But in the opening of the novel, a girl on the run robs him of his clothes, then ties him up on the bed to keep him from following her....but before she goes she kisses him. And then the human drama and romance begins.

The "suspense" of the plot (will the bad guys catch up with the heroine?) is mimimal, but I really didn't care, as the depth of emotion of the love story made this more than a worthwhile read.

A well-researched collection of ghost stories, ranging from the
beginning of Texas history through the late 1880s-early 1990s. Unlike a lot of writers on this topic, Docia Shultz Williams makes the effort to conduct interviews, and do research, rather than (for the most part) rely on "this happened to a friend of a friend of a friend"-type recollections. Most of the recent stories claim to be first-hand accounts, and the rather substantive bibliography at the back shows actual research and investigation was done. Further, the author shows admirable restraint in not embellishing the stories told her with extra "spooky" details to punch them up, which makes the stories themselves more believable. Very entertaining, especially if you are familiar with this part of Texas.

Docia does a great job of recreating old Texas ghost stories as well as modern ones. Informative as well as entertaining.

Great book. As good as the rest of her ghost books. I love a good ghost story and this book is filled with them.

Ghosts along the Texas Coast is a fun and mystical tribute to unexplained phenomenon in Texas. As a native Texan, I heard many of these stories growing up, and to read the book brought back those eerie feelings I had as a child, at the same time decreasing my skepticism and leaving me wondering."How do you explain that?!"

I lived along the Texas Coast line until I was 19, first in Corpus and then in Houston/Galveston area. Places and descriptions in this book were what I remembered in most cases being told when I was a child. What wonderful memories were retold. She is very good writer and to find out what were once scary stories as being true by those that believe them - well that was grand! I knew of another in Corpus about a man buried on the bluff in a park. That story wasn't in there but maybe it will be in another one. I bought this book at Padre Island in 1997 at the park there and it's a treasure to me.

At least this guy's an original. This is my first trip in Kinkyland and I was repaid by getting a few laughs. I especially liked his frank no- nonsense tone in telling us for instance, that he goes around giving advice to people happier than himself.
He is deeply at home in the world of Austin and gives the reader a lot of local color, and a lot of advice as to where and what to visit and see.
On the Jewish side it seems to me that that part of his identity is a lot like the Jewish star on Max Baer's trunks, more for crowd power effect than anything else.
But who knows? This guy may be a genuine Longhorn Yid.
However the Kink should be aware that his love of the four- letter word will not give him an A in the big cheder upstairs which I suspect he is more likely to get to than to what he says he wishes to in this book, the Governor's Chair in Austin.

The Kinkster (Texas' next governor?) takes readers on a whirlwind tour of Austin. Anyone who has lived in Austin for a significant period of time will not find much new here. Those who have only visited might get some inkling of what makes this city unique and why millions of people all over the country consider Austin home even though the population is 600,000. This is an extremely funny journey. I can't think of a better tour guide than a man who refers to Garth Brooks as the anti-Hank

there are a few versions of this book. Don't get one that isn't read by the author. Otherwise, it isn't remotely funny!

Kinky for Governor!

Ok, so this review will be online forever and 50 years from now lots of people will probably be saying "Who the hell is Kinky Friedman?" (People in Buffalo probably already are saying it, but that's another story.)

If you want to get a quick look at who Kinky is, you can't go wrong with this slim volume. Its essentially a travelogue for the city of Austin, Texas, but the Kinkster's wit shines through. Kinky covers a lot of ground in short order to tell you where the best sites in Austin are: for music and nightlife (like The Broken Spoke), for food (like Threadgill's), for sightseeing (like Willie Nelson's house, where else?).

Along the way, we get bits and pieces of Texas and specifically Austin history. Whether you are new to Texas or have been, as I have, a lifelong resident, you're sure to find something you didn't already know. If you get through this and are dying to read more, the next step of course, is to get cracking at his mysteries (i.e. Greenwich Killing Time). In the mean time, sit back and enjoy. The Kinkster is at the wheel, and the cigar smoke is filling up the car. I can't see where we are going, but the trip is sure to be fun.

Any traveller worth their salt knows what a big mistake just showing up at a foriegn city empty minded can be; we also know an even bigger mistake exists: showing up with a mass-produced, banal "city guide." Of course, if you have never awoken on an airplane with a throbbing hangover and without any idea what you are doing there, or where 'there' is, maybe this book isn't for you. I once woke up in Toronto, the city hosting the International Conference for Progressive Psychology (ICPP) in 1968 -- before Dr. Shoozenschaurts' breakthrough work on depression was publicized. Sure his work was edgy, and progressive, but I knew it was dangerous. I tried to warn my colleagues of the inherint dangers in thinking such thoughts, after all, what we don't know can't hurt us. My fellow scientists ignored my warnings and embraced Dr. Shoozenschaurts' revolutionary concepts. After the conference of '68 I found myself and my ignorance is bliss theories discredited. Now I live on a couch. You live in a nation of depressed sociopaths. You could say I'm having the last laugh, but I'm not; because I live on a couch, and I am too depressed for laughter.

"With her countless clubs, bars, and dance halls, Austin is a whore with a heart of gold flaunting her gaudy necklace in the Texas night."

Naturally I am unemployed. This is important because this book along with the other Crown Journey books are, I believe, written for the unemployed. These books are written for the traveler with True Grit, whose idea of vacation is drinking coffee in a foriegn city and reading about one human's experience of a city that stands out from the pack; The kind of person that no longer finds excitement in visiting New York, London, Paris, or Los Angeles. The Crown Journey series captures real, unique culture in the most pleasantly unexpected places (Like Austin, Nantucket, Portland) and then combines it with real, unique personality in equally pleasant form (Kinkster, Pahlaniuk).

This book will make you laugh. This book will give you good ideas on where to go, and what to do in Austin. Perhaps most importantly, this book will give you the background perspective you need to enjoy your Austin vacation to the MAX~!

To read a book numbering 945 pages of fine print is a luxury these days. It took me such a long time to read the Fourth Edition of Paul Horgan's wonderful, Pulitzer-Prize-winning "Great River: The Rio Grande In North American History" that sometimes I felt as if I were experiencing 10,000 years worth of history in real time. At the tail end of the epic, when President Wilson hesitates to send troops across the river to pursue bandits, citing his personal shame regarding the United States' "invasion" of Mexico during the Nineteenth Century, I felt able to "remember how it actually happened" - how U.S. fear concerning France's courtship of then independent Texas coupled with its distaste for Mexico's ethical transgressions (e.g., mistreatment of Texan prisoners of war) made U.S. annexation of Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico seem almost righteous.

The Preface to the Fourth Edition is dated 1984. But the book, initially authored in the Forties, reflects the philosophies of its times. Written well before the feminist era, the book, whether dealing with Pueblo peoples, Spanish Conquistadors, Mexican revolutionaries, or American generals, mostly follows the pursuits of men and ignores women. In Pueblo times, one glimpses Pueblo women washing garments in the river. Centuries later, several pages focus on Maud Wright, an American frontierswomen who must have been ferociously brave to have endured unspeakable horrors at the hands of bandits yet survived to provide U.S. troops with knowledge that was "valuable to know." And yet, passive adjectives describe her - "helpless" or "thankful to be busy" - before the narrative again turns its attention to colorful male warriors, raiders, politicians, navigators, or thieves.

Similarly, the book displays a Forties-style awe of "machine technics." Technology, it explains, had a positive effect on river cultures, liquidating "all indigenous aspects of the river's three [Indian, Spanish, Mexican] societies." Half-a-century later, it seems a day doesn't pass when "you Rio" isn't in the news, whether sporting a new, angry-looking border fence (to hold back hordes, who wish to ford the river and flee a still troubled Mexico) or failing to reach the Gulf thanks to global warming. Alas, technology, as Henry Adams feared, is proving to be the river's enemy.

One can't reverse the course of a river, but one can reverse the course of policies made in the heat of whatever political moment. This book should be required reading on both sides of the border.

The level of detail amassed by Horgan for this book is nothing short of incredible. Roughly half the book is dedicated to historical events; the other half covers culture, the role of religion, native living conditions, and a hundred other nuances of day-to-day living by peoples (both native and the later Spanish/American cultures) along the Rio Grande.

Readers who want a VERY in-depth history of the Rio Grande can't do any better than this book. However, readers looking for a more general overview of events might want to consider other sources.

I probably fell into the latter category; I found myself skipping 2-5 pages at a time because I just wasn't that interested in knowing every single detail of (for example) how the Indians dressed and meticulously prepared bits of food for a ceremony to welcome the growing season. Or details covering 5 pages of how Spanish missionaries held a typical mass in the settlements in 1650.

That said, I recognize that this book is about as complete a works as could be published. I'd much rather skip over detail than have an account which isn't thorough.

This book is the best ever written on the history of the southwest along the Rio Grande. Horgan manages to capture the shared history of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico as no other historian/writer has ever done. This one will be around as long as readers want to understand history in the borderlands.

This two-volume series was my inroduction to Paul Horgan who became one of my favorite authors. It is interesting to note he and Frank Waters ('the Man who Killed the Deer') died recently just two weeks apart. They were both 92, and among the greatest authors who dealt with the Rio Grande. Mr. Hogan's dedication to detail set him apart from Willa Cather whose fame rests upon her book 'Death comes to the Archbishop,' using Lamy as her subject. She rejected the aproach of Paul Horgan who at the time was writing his own history, 'Lamy of Santa Fe.' Willa Cather was a novelist; Paul Horgan an historian, and of the two I prefer the truth. Anyone interested in the history of the Rio Grande will be delighted with Paul Horgan's two-volume introduction to it.

One of the major materpieces of American historical writing. The two volumes are a continuing delight, far better than any historical novel. Scene succeds scene, filled with movement, passion and unbelievable heroism. Won the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes for History, and is considered the greatest history of the Rio Grande from pre-Columbian time to mid 20th century.

This past week when I was considering ordering another book by George Arnold
I decided to re-read his Growing Up Simple and am still laughing.Although I grew up in Houston in an earlier generation, Mr.Arnold has really keyed in on many of the things that differentiate a Texas childhood and beyond from other areas where I have lived and done it in such a brilliant manner one does not have to be a Texan to enjoy his sometimes wild humor.
As I stated previously I am still laughing from my second reading.

I enjoyed this book more than I can say. I laughed my way through every chapter and memories of my own adventures came flooding into my head. I felt like I was sitting in the same room with the author, listening to him tell these great stories of growing up in the hill country of Texas. I hope he writes another book and shares the stories he thought he shouldn't tell. This is a great read for everyone, especially if you grew up in the 1950's

Every story in this book contains hallowed and hilarious moments. "Growing Up Simple..." takes you back, even if you've never been there. Case in point: while riding in the car with two friends (one 53 and one 13), I read aloud from George Arnold's book. We all laughed out loud, and often. But at the end of each chapter, it was the 13-year-old who chanted "read another one!!" That should tell you something of the timelessness of these charmingly told tales.

For anyone between 12 and 102, but especially for those over 40, this book is hilarious. The comment on the book cover from the author's mother says it all: "Itis my fervent prayer that Billy Graham never reads this book!"

Check it out.

This has to be one of more entertaining books I have read lately, and I happen to be an "in betweener".Talk about deja vu,when George was relating his experiences in San Antonio, I could have just inserted my self right then and there and gone back to 1955 and I was a 10yr.old kid riding my bicycle through the streets of ole San Antonio.There was the Aztec and Majestic Theaters,Breckinridge Park, the same places I would haunt as I'm sure did thousands of other 10 year olds did with the same amazement that obviously George Arnold and myself experienced.As I read the tale about Mr.Lippy and the Red Coats, that's when our bed began to shake from my laughter and I was then invited to finish "that damn book downstairs".Well now it's my turn to tell my wife "Honey I have already read this book and you don't have to tell me about it OK"!
My real hope is that this will be picked up by Hollywood and made into a film,much in the style of Steel Magnolias or The Ya Ya Sisterhood.After all that has gone on these last two years of tragedy I'm ready for a "heartwarm bellylaugh".
Good work George from one "in betweener to another".

Warmest regards,
Pat Heffernan

Russell S. Smith was the Police Chief in San Angelo, Texas for years. He was an outstanding officer. There were many twists and turns in this book, it kept my interest and eyes on the printed page. He is a true detective, enjoying the chase as he traced the facts in order to find the truth.

What a great book! Author, retired Texas Police Chief Russell Smith, has a unique way of talking to the reader. This is an interesting account of the "Caveman Bandit" - in a time much like the Wild West but in the 1960's. Most certainly all those who have roots in West TX would be interested as well as Texans everywhere. As a Californian, who has never been to that part of the country, I referred to a TX map to visualize the expanse of land that the Bandit inhabited. Wow - it is really incredible to think that a human was capable of covering such an enormous territory. Also incredible is the way this man slinked in and out of businesses, houses, rugged terrain, in and out of Mexico and Texas -without detection - sometimes underneathe the noses of those who so desperately hunted him. Yes, the bandit was incredibly animal-like: digging for shelter in caves, surviving off the land, outwitting and outrunning his prey. You will have to read this book for the interesting details and to see how the story ends. Bravo Chief Smith!

Russell Smith has a way of telling a story so that you see every event, almost as if you were there when it happened. You see the rugged country and the people very vividly in your mind. You feel the suspense as the caveman bandit enters a home at night while the occupants are sleeping. You laugh as two macho teenage boys decide they will be heroes and catch the bandit one dark, cold night. I got so involved in the story, I didn't want it to end.

What a great book. I could visualize the caveman bandit, his hiding spots, the rough land, the houses and the people. Russell Smith brings the characters and the landscape to life. Chapter 1 was a great way to start the book and it hooked me. I can't wait to read his next book.

"The Gun That Wasn't There" is an interesting true story about a man who lived off the land, the ranches, and the businesses of the area he was in. The local people knew about him, had often seen him, but it wasn't unusual for "illegals" to cross their ranches so they didn't pay much attention to him until he broke into a house while the people were home and attacked them. This is a story about man against man, one wanting to be left alone to survive the way he knew best, and those who wanted to stop him.

The book includes several original photographs as well as recent photos of the area. The author paints such a vivid description of the area that you already know what is there without seeing the photographs. There are numerous endnotes that historians and genealogists will love.

this is the first book i ever purchased about ghost hunting exclusively in texas. i was impressed with the detail that the author included in her book. every bit of information that you need in order to conduct ghost hunting trips in Texas is included here. i have purchased a couple of books after this one that dealt with texas ghosts but they fall short of Haunted Texas Vacations.

This is a fun-to-read, informative book full of interesting ghost stories. It can be used for informative, historical reading or for pure enjoyment.

After reading "Haunted Texas Vacations," my husband and I set out on our own ghost hunts in San Antonio, Spring and Jefferson and, I'm happy to report, we were privileged to experience first-hand a couple of unexplained phenomena mentioned in Ms. Farwell's writings because we knew exactly where to look.

Please give us more, Ms. Farwell!

This was my first really good book on haunted places. Anyone who is interested in local (Texas) ghost stories just has to read this one. I am planning my vacation around some of these towns and I am very excited.

This book is so well written that it held my interest for hours and gave me quite a chill more than a couple of times. The way the author put Texas in sections made it even easier to find a particular area I was looking for. Although I was looking for San Antonio, I found there are all kinds of interesting places in between and beyond. I intend to eventually visit them all.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our haunted history or just a great ghost story.

"Remember, ghosts were people too" says Farwell and what a cast: frantically romantic lovers, dashing Edwardian gentlemen, poor pirates, southern belles, war heroes, war victims, and even--well, what other state would his ghost inhabit! --John Wayne...

What great stories!

For example: the story of the 19 year old boy who fell in love with a beautiful girl in the 1860's...she had not only the beauty but also the warmth of a diamond. He proposed, she declined, he shot himself...in a back room of the Texas Governor's Mansion. The boy was the governor's nephew; and shortly thereafter, the family was forced to flee because of the fall of the Confederacy. They simply shut the bedroom door on the blood, guts, fingers and toes. The mess remained until the next governor moved in. Witnesses say the poor spirit remains, still in love, still sobbing late in the night...

Cocktail-party-chatter-sized facts are also included: The average sighting is 15 seconds, ghosts usually have no sense of time, most ghosts are heard, felt, etc. but only rarely seen.

If you like a good story, you'll love Texas Haunted Vacations...Fun! You might not fall asleep so easily tonight, but who wants to sleep when spirits are walking the hallway and shaking the china...

This is a great book to take on a trip to add that extra worldly dimension to your vacation. The book divides Texas into six regions. Then the specific location is discussed there are key symbols to let you know about such things as "Ghostly Missions and Churches" or "Most Haunted Location." It includes such subjects as "What is a Ghost?", " Ghost Hunting", and "A ghost Hunter's Tool Kit."

A place that is eerie enough with out being haunted is the Monahans Sandhills state Park. When you get out the dunes they seem to go on forever. However I sounds like the ghosts are more interested in the "Visitors' center building".

"According to legend the visitors' center a Monahans Sandhills State Park is built on the sight of a nineteenth-center Comanche burial ground. In 1967, two boys digging neat the building unearthed a skeleton, lending credence to the ghost story."

"Historic Texas Courthouses" is a visual treat, even for non-Texans. Very few states have iconic reminders of their heritage as Texas does in its architectural beauties, the Texas courthouses. They stand strong, permanent, and frequently constructed of the materials that tie the buildings and the peoples to the land on which they are built. The histories are interesting and informative. Pleased that this book is now part of our personal library.

I purchased this book for my husband who is an attorney. He proudly displays it in his office. The photography is gorgeous and paper is high quality thick gloss. Price is excellent here- I originally saw this book in another store for $50! Would recommend for anyone who is interested in architecture or historical Texas building.

What a beautiful book to look at and an interesting book to read. It truly covers the courthouse treasures of Texas. I particularly like the way it divides up the buildings by their architectural style, not their geographical locations. Great addition to our library.

Finally, a serious book about courthouses. The photographs are breathtaking, and the author brings a unique perspective on the history of these magnificent buildings. BRAVO!

Simply the defintive book on Texas Courthouses...the images are superb and the text enlightening. I have always loved the majestic courthouse, expecially when they are in the town square. Texas is blessed with many great historic Courthouses and this book displays them in their best light. I expecially appreciate the Tarrant, Bexar, and Jefferson County Courthouse, these are so grand in their own distinct way. If you have any interest in this subject, dont hesitate to order this book. Mr. Andrews should be proud of this work, it's a perfect tribute to these quitenticential Texas courthouse.

I am utterly amazed at what this man went through. I have read alot about the holocaust but every survivor has a different story and there is always something that will shock you with every story. The horrors of what happened will never cease to shock me, never. This man has written a memoire that is packed with people and events than do not allow you to put this book down. It is very interesting to read and through all the horror you are glad to know that he made it through and had done so many wonderfull things with his life. I finished this book very quickly due to the fact it was hard to put down. I would recomend this book highly not only because it is so interesting but because it will allow to to understand how blessed we all are, you might just will change the way you live and think.

I am leading a group of five High School Seniors in an independent study about the Holocaust. This work, Holocaust Survivor, is a great resource. It is a raw, transcribed oral history of one man's journey. My students have found it very moving and informative.

Mike came to our school in October and shared a VERY SAD story with us and shode us some very strange things like the soup made of human Fat and a little bottle of poison.And much more but I cant remember them all well I REALLY want to buy his book to see alot more stuff about it!!

Some people write books for money or recognition - not Mike Jacobs.

His whole message - both in person and in his book - urges each one of us to "always remember, never forget," and to "never become silent or complacent." This message at first seemed somewhat obvious from what one might expect from a survivor.

But Mike has a different spin on his message: He doesn't hate, and he doesn't feel self pity. Rather, he's exhuberant in his mission to live life to its fullest, and along the way, to explain what he lived through so no one human being ever has to face it again.

His book is incredible - not just one to add to any collection; rather, your interest in a survivor's tale and triumph over such horrifying persecution should start right here with Mike. Let him tell you what really happened as he lived it first hand...and walk away with the message he lives every day to pass on to us, our children and their children.

"I was never a teenager...I lived on less than 800 calories a day...I was tortured; I was beaten; I've got scars on my face, but I always stood up. I always bounced back." Holocaust Survivor chronicles the five and a half years Mike Jacobs, founder of The Dallas Memorial Center for Holocaust Studies, spent as a youth in the ghettos and concentration camps of Poland including Auschwitz/Birkenau and Mauthausen/Gusen II. From the age of fifteen to nineteen, Mike witnessed and was subjected to horrors that no one should ever have to endure, including the infamous Death March in the dead of winter out of Auschwitz-Birkenau. He spares no detail in the retelling of the events he lived through, from the "beautiful dolls" and sadistic SS Sergeant of the Ostrowiec Ghetto, to the risky business of sabotaging the Messerschmidts he worked on as part of the camp resistance. Mike credits his survival to three things: his faith, his unfailing belief that he would one day be free, and his ability to dream. It is this underlying note of positive thinking that I think makes Mike's story different and eminently readable for all ages. Mike easily makes us believe that, despite the darkness and despair surrounding him, he did, indeed, rely on his dreams and soaring imagination to keep hope alive. His concentration camp friends thought "Mendel is getting off his rocker," but Mike felt the secret of survival was to close his eyes and soar high above the camp like a bird. "Guys, you wouldn't believe it! It was beautiful--I traveled all over the world, I was free!" This incredible story of spirit, endurance, and triumph over impossible odds is punctuated with Mike's message: "Hate breeds hate. But we cannot be silent or complacent. If we are, this can happen again." Thank you, Mike, for all the times you've spoken to my students, touched their hearts, moved them to tears, and ultimately, made them a formidable force for change.