Europe Books

A thorough history of the notable and extended art forgery career of Han van Meegeren. While it seems the basic facts surrounding Mr. Van Meegeren's blatant and many frauds are now known, I did not find the prose style of Jonathan Lopez in the retelling of this particular tale in any way exceptional.

I also think the author shows a rather unsympathetic (and, to my mind, unwarranted) attitude towards The Netherlands in terms of the immediate post-war period and that small country's uneven treatment of its German collaborators.

If you have a lively interest in the criminal forgery of European artworks or, more specifically, fake Vermeers --this book would be a reasonable purchase.

There are a lot of fun books out there that use artworks as a sort of McGuffin for an elaborate or at least distracting plot. Books like The DaVinci Code or The Girl with the Pearl Earring, for instance, give the impression of being based on art historical research, but they take gross liberties with the historical record (or lack thereof). In a way, this ultimately devalues the artworks such books use as plot devices because readers come to see the art as mere accessories to a fantastical tale.

In The Man Who Made Vermeers, the artworks (or, rather, "artworks") remain at the center of a fascinating history. As objects of aesthetic pleasure, economic gain, or social status, the paintings at the heart of Lopez's story exert exactly the sort of power we have come to expect from art. Their status as fakes only complicates our understanding of the real value of art in society.

The Man Who Made Vermeers proves that it is possible to combine lively prose, an intriguing plot AND original research to create a wonderfully engaging yet scholarly narrative. Because the book's prose is so effortless, the painstaking archival research that the author must have undertaken is not as evident as it might be if the book were written in a more conventionally academic style.

Highly recommended!

Not only is "The Man Who Made Vermeers" a great introduction to Han Van Meegeren and his notorious Vermeer forgeries, it serves as an excellent window into Nazi-controlled Holland during the war. It is Lopez's examination of Van Meegeren's Nazi sympathies--and his deft analysis of how Van Meegeren's faux Vermeers sprang from the same 20th-century Nazi iconography as contemporary propaganda paintings--that really sets the book apart. A devasting reappraisal of the man who "fooled" Hermann Goering and a good read for anyone interested in art, World War II, or how the two intersected.

I just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it. It's a book that appeals to the general public -- not only those into art. I'm not especially interested in art myself, but I got so into the story and the characters that I read it in record time. Faster than I've read anything in a long time. The author clearly did a huge amount of research. But he turns it into a really easy read. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a really interesting true story.

As an art historian, I approached this book with considerable skepticism because the story of Han van Meegeren has been told so many times and, in general, so badly (at least outside the Dutch academic literature), that yet another volume on the subject seemed like it would probably be a waste of time. "The Man Who Made Vermeers," however, is a very different kind of book than its too many English-language predecessors. In its level of detailed research on Van Meegeren, this book is comparable only to Marijke van den Brandhof's out of print "Een vroege Vermeer uit 1937," which I highly recommend to readers of Dutch. As Lopez acknowledges, had Van den Brandhof lived, she might have gone on to pursue many of the lines of inquiry explored in "The Man Who Made Vermeers." In any case, instead of indulging in the usual anti-intellecual sneering that the Van Meegeren story tends to inspire in people who write for a popular audience, Lopez successfully adopts an approach that I could easily compare to Simon Schama's best work, where story-telling, history, and a profound engagement with the world of ideas make for an exciting narrative that is nonetheless well grounded in real scholarship. "The Man Who Made Vermeers" contains, for instance, a discussion of the history of Vermeer attribution and misattribution that is as good as anything in the academic literature but that is completely comprehensible to someone with no previous background in art. The only objection that I might raise to the book as a whole would be that Lopez sometimes concedes a little too much to the lay reader. In his efforts to appeal to a broad audience, he shies away from interrogations of his methodological framework. Quibbles aside, much to my surprise, this is a very strong book.

Robert D Kaplan's latest book, "Mediterranean Winter: The Pleasures of History and Landscape in Tunisia, Sicily, Dalmatia, and Greece," is written in the tradition of what was known in the 1930's as "landscape companions." The most well-known practitioners of this lost art were Robert Byron, David Talbot Rice, Lawrence Durrell, and Patrick Leigh Fermor.(They were all children of the British Empire.) This book recounts a journey Kaplan took shortly afer graduating from college in the mid 1970's. Kaplan writes: "With this journey, I acquired the habit of searching books linked to landscapes and seascapes through which I traveled. Reading became surgery; a way of dissecting the surrounding landscape and may own motivations for being there."

This is not the tourism of our present age, which is an escape from the drudgery of work; this is travel as work. Every landscape, every ruin suggests a book or an author. Every train trip or boat ride fills another notebook with observations and reflections. Travel teaches us about history - the rise and fall of civilizations, the ebb and flow of empires.

Kaplan's prose is on overdrive when travels through northern Tunisia. He recalls on a bus trip: "...the sculpted, liver-hued steppe of northern Tunisia and the pinks of the southern deserts, with their vast blotches of salt; interior tablelands racked by lonely, bone-chilling winds and the grave, museum light of late afternoons; the smoking and hacking coughs of the other passengers wrapped like ghosts in their caftans in the pre-dawn darkness, drooping woolen sleeves concealing their hands; the comforting smell of tea, fresh bread, sharp cheese, and harissa at half-empty cafes where the bus stopped after sunrise, with their loud music, scabby walls, and bitter espresso served in whiskey glasses only a third full; the just-boiled eggs that would keep my hands warm in the bus, bought at a cafe or given to me by a friendly passenger with whom I might share may sunflower seeds."

Kaplan has said elsewhere that waited until middle age to write this book in order to avoid the purple prose of youth; however, there are some delightful moments of recidivism.

In Tunisia, Kaplan uncovers the layers of history of this north African country, focusing mainly on the Carthaginian era and the subsequent conquest by Rome. Rome is still everywhere present in the landscape of Tunisia, from the roads and aqueducts to the Colosseum at El Djem, and Kaplan illustrates this vividly.

Also fascinating is his journey through Sicily. In Sicily, he sees the legacy of the Crusades. In the 1100's, two brothers from Normandy, Robert and Roger of Hauteville, conquered Moslem Sicily and created a modern multicultural state, in which Normans, Latins, Greeks, and Arabs could live together and prosper. The historian John Julius Norwich describes this era in depth in "The Kingdom in the Sun."

Kaplan then travels to Tivoli, east of Rome, where he explores Hadrian's Villa. "Hadrian's Villa was the Versailles of the ancient world." This was the subject of Eleanor Clark's 1950 book, "Rome and a Villa." To his villa, Hadrian brought thousands of books, statues, and reconstructed landscapes to remind him of all the cherished moments of his past. Kaplan compares him to Jefferson and his Monticello.

After leaving Tivoli, Kaplan sails to Split on the Dalmatian coast. Here he ponders the life and times of the emperor Diocletian, while walking through his palace: "If Hadrian was a romantic aesthete who encouraged the arts, Diocletian who ruled the Roman Empire 150 years after him, was a nuts-and-bolts pragmatist who spent most of his life in military camps." Diocletian was the first Roman emperor to rule the empire from the Balkans. It was not long until Rome was sacked in 476 and the Balkans were annexed by Justinian to the Byzantine Empire. After Byzantium, there were invasions by the Slavs and the Turks. Kaplan is very good when describing the mixture of people and civilizations that inhabit this part of the world; it was the subject of one of his previous books, "Balkan Ghosts."

The book ends with an entertaining visit to a spry 88-year-old Patrick Leigh Fermor, a fellow literary traveler and adventurer, living on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. "The last pascha of the Mediterranean" was working on the third volume of his memoirs of a journey on foot from the Hook of Holland to what is now Istanbul. We can only hope that Kaplan is still traveling and writing when he reaches this stage of life's journey.

This is travel writing the way it was meant to be - Informative, concise and illuminating.

Kaplan relives his journeys from many years ago as he first travelled through the Mediterranean struggling with being a free-lance writer. Most of the book is recollections from more than 20 years ago although there are comments from recent trips back to some of the locations and a wonderful recent interview with Patrick Leigh Fermor, author of A Time of Gifts, and other well-known travel books.

The down-side of reporting on these decades-old journeys is that some of the spontaneity and opinion is lost. I find that sometimes I learn more from disagreeing with a travel writers' hasty opinion than in boring, well-edited neutral reporting. However, in this case, I think that the elapsed time has given this account nuances and a filtered content that add to the writing. It's as if the ensuing decades have concentrated the meaning and subtleties of the journey.

The part on Tunisia was replete with history of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Berbers, and Carthaginians. Sicily was filled with the Greek influences on this place. Dalmatia, in previous Yugoslavia, and Greece were well-represented.

I confess I particularly enjoyed the recent encouter with Patrick Leigh Fermor who in his 80's is working on the last book of the trilogy about his travels in the 30's on foot from Holland to Constantinople. If you haven't read his first two, you need to.

Kaplan also includes a list of books that he considers essential to understanding these regions. It is excellent and is a good start to understanding these areas in depth.

Overall, excellent and gripping - which is hard in travel writing.

Impressions are akin to the distillates of grape rinds which when aged in the charred barrel of time yield the fine cognac of memories that become smoother and more satisfying with age. Mediterranean Winter is not an account of a recent journey or the nostalgic pining for youth but rather the mature reflections of a man whose impressions of a lifetime of world travel have been aged in the in the cask of the mind. Kaplan’s work is a delicate blend of autobiography, travel, philosophy, and above all, history. Like a fine cognac it is smooth, delicious, and relaxing.

The book commences with his very first journey, wanderings through Tunisia. My wife and I had the pleasure of traveling there in the mid 1990’s. His descriptions of Tebersouk rekindled my memories of that town in an early spring, a meal of runny eggs with fresh French bread, the quaintness of the village, and the heartfelt “Bon Jour” expressed by the school children. I still savor that crisp morning in the ancient Roman amphitheatre at Douga gazing in awe at the emerald green fields in the valley below and listening to the mellifluous exhaust tone of a moped as it serpentined the narrow road. I recollect gazing out our train window en route to El Djem and the sudden appearance of the Roman Colosseum replete with all its ancient glory. Sitting in the stands under the brazen Mediterranean sun it took but little imagination to hear the clanging of metal on metal and the roar of the crowds. But most of all, I shall never forget the warmth and kindness of the Tunisians themselves.

While Tunis brings back delicious memories his discussions of Sicily, Greece, and Dubrovnik elicit longings to visit these places so rich in history. I visited Athens, and like Kaplan who intended on staying but a few days remained eight years, I also, could have remained years. My wife too was seduced by Athens’ charm as an immigrant traveling from Eastern Europe to the United Stated. She remained captive to its charms for nine months. To this day she refers to Athens as ‘home’. Her final wish is that her ashes be scattered at Placa in Athens.

Kaplan imbues his travels with history. We are its products and what better ways can we understand ourselves than through history and what better way to understand history than to stand on its consecrated sacred soil. I found his historical discussions of such places as Sicily, Dubrovnik, and the southern Peloponnesus both intriguing and delightful. Perhaps most interesting of all was the reoccurring motif of the difference between the Byzantine and the Western ethos. Byzantine geography is so close and our history so intertwined but yet our consciousness is so divided. This is best exemplified by his encounter with the Russian seminary students in the Peloponnesus.

The best chapter is the last chapter entitled “The Last Pasha of the Mediterranean”. In it he chronicles a visit to a most amazing man, one who journeyed from his England to Istanbul on foot! Patrick Leigh Fermor is an erudite man in the twilight of his life. His villa in the remote southern outpost of Kardamyli in the Peloponnesus is a panoply of a lifetime of learning. Rooms are piled high with antique volumes of books, back issues of journals and magazines, artifacts, and maps. His most prized possession is the 1910 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica – “the last good one” which he keeps in the dinning room because as he puts it: “You should always have good reference works where you dine. The best sort of arguments start over dinner, and you must have the means available to settle them.” Here is a man who lived his life in conformity to David Hume’s dictum that the “two pleasures in life are study and society.” It is refreshing to know that there are men like Robert Kaplan who are heirs to the mantel of Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Kaplan made explicit what I knew implicitly that “divinity exists in beautiful memories” and the reason I travel is because “so much of commonplace existence is forgotten, while our journeys never are.”

As in "Balkan Ghosts," Kaplan writes with great clarity and intelligence, weaving a fine travel narrative founded on extensive historical research. He writes with a unique and creative eye, and tends to focus on important yet little-known locales. He philosophizes quite a bit, but it is an intriguing, pleasurable philosophy. The following quote from his section on Greece crystallizes for me the special appeal of this type of writing, "...travel writing, rather than a low-rent occupation for the Sunday supplements, could also be a means to explore art, history, literature, and statecraft..." Precisely! Bravo, Kaplan!

Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece

This historical essay by Kaplan which flows along a geographic journey from North Africa, to Sicily, Italy, Croatia, and Greece is a great read for anyone interested in the history of the Mediterranean. The book is part travelogue, part history, and part philosophy. The key test I have with this type of writing is whether the book leaves the reader with a nice roadmap for further in-depth exploration of the subject matter or some nice sideroads for further exploration...and this book gets five stars because it excels at just that. For example, I may be showing my ignorance but although I was aware of Lamb, and Byron, I had never heard of Fermor; although having read Norwich on Venice, I was ignorant of the Norman invasion of Sicily, etc. There is probably something like that for every reader who is not an expert in mediterranen history. It's easy to read, flows nicely, and worth one's time.

A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Aptly described as "part Anne Frank, part "The Great Escape" and part Marx Brothers. A plum for some actress, with a range from Lorelei Lee to Mother Courage.

Couldn't put this book down until I finished reading it, then wished that it had not come to an end. A beautiful story of how we can do anything if we put our mind to it.

I so admire and respect the strength & determination of this mother and her son.

Inspirational and entertaining. Julian recaptures the voice of a little boy and tells one of the great stories of WWII.

Julian Padowicz's perilous escape from Warsaw is an exciting adventure, made all the more engrossing because he conveys so much about his feelings and impressions of this time in his life. The young Julian, who seems at times wise beyond his years, has a wonderfully wry outlook on the varied circumstances in which he finds himself during the course of his journey. The author enables us to understand his doubts and fears, his joys and sorrows, and above all, his great need to connect with his mother. His story is truly a poignant and heart-warming chronicle.

Product received promptly and in good condition. I am very happy with your service.

This book is more than a story of Isabella's murder, in fact, very few pages are devoted to the actual murder. The murder is the culmination of the family relationships that brew from page one.

Through this story we learn of the people and their times. We come to appreciate Cosimo Medici, who rebuilt his family dynasty through politics and strategic marriages. We come to appreciate even more his extraordinary daughter.

Not being steeped in the history of Italy at this time, I found the first few chapters hard going. The genealogies of Medicis and the other European monarchs are complex and difficult to follow. After this, as the personalities get drawn and the story unfolds it becomes a page turner building to the actual murder.

The book built my interest Italian history. I will be reading more Italian history.

At first, I scoffed at the title, thinking that this might be a work of fiction, and a real potboiler at that. And to be honest, despite my fondness for historical novels, nearly every other novel set in the sixteenth century seemed lately to be centered on either Tudor England or Renaissance Italy -- and both of them done to death.

But in spite of my misgivings, this turned out to be a stunning read. Caroline Murphy, author of a previous book on women and politics, has continued her stories of women who played an influental role in the backgrounds of Italian history. This time, the focus is on the city of Florence and the powerful Medici family.

Begining with the fall of the Medici, the book focuses on a member of the junior branch of the family who brought the glory back to Florence. Cosimo de' Medici was a consummate politican and manipulator, but also a fervid patron of the arts and architecture. With his wife, the beautiful Eleonora di Toledo (who was known as La Fecundissima) they had eleven children, many of them sons, but Cosimo's favourite was his daughter Isabella.

A middle child in a huge brood of offspring, she was closest to her brother, Giovanni, and they could be found together constantly, playing games and partnering each other in dancing lessons. Several paintings survive of the princess, a lovely dark haired child with expressive eyes and nearly a smirk on her lips as she surveys the world before her. Clearly she is her father's darling, and knows it. When it came time for her to marry, her father brokered a deal with the Orsini family, based in Rome, and a wedding to Paolo Giordano d'Orsini, a young man with an itch for power and money, and seemingly in love and adoration with Isabella to judge from his letters.

But Cosimo slipped a small clause into the wedding contract -- Isabella would only accompany her husband to his home in Rome if she wanted to. It was a curious condition to the marriage, especially in a time where women were considered to be not much more than two legged birthing machines and subject to abuse and violence from their spouses. For a time, all went well between the couple -- Paolo was off working for advanage of both the Medici and the Orsini, with Cosimo supplying plenty of money for his spendthrift son, and keeping his daughter by his side. He indulged her as best he could, supplying her with the trappings of the high life in the artistic capital of the world.

Isabella created a world of poets and music, sending a steady supply of letters to her husband, letters that were filled with assurances of her love and devotion. But read between the lines, and something else emerges. There's a sly quality to the letters, something that bothers the reader, and if read carefully enough, it becomes clear that Isabella doesn't care very much for her absent husband, and is determined to live her life as she chooses. Even if that means having a lover or two.

The story takes on a much darker tone as it progresses. Her beloved brother, Giovanni, dies of malaria along with another brother and their mother, word comes of Paolo's affairs with various prostitutes in Rome, and Isabella's own growing irritation of her husband. And when Cosimo dies, Isabella tries to keep her glittering fantasy of a life going, but it might already be too late...

This is a tale that is not for the squeamish, as Murphy doesn't hold back on the lives, and especially the deaths, of various members of the Medici family, and also of more ordinary folks. The book is filled with details about daily living, clothing, food, the art of spectacle, and the role of servants and those unseen. What I found very interesting was that the book shifts the focus to women, who usually get shoved to the background of most history. And the subject of the book, Isabella de' Medici, I had never heard of before.

I happily recommend this book for anyone interested in Renaissance Florence, especially for life after the heyday of Lorenzo di Medici. Caroline Murphy has created a story full of life here, creating a woman that is very vivid and aware. The use of family letters is very effective, giving insights into how their minds works, their hopes and moving them beyond the surviving images that have come down through the centuries.

Along with the story, the book is full of black and white drawings taken from the time, which give little snapshots of the world that the Medici moved in. A map of Florence at the time give a sense of place. A genealogical chart sorts out the many branches of the Medici family, and helps to keep everyone straight. Along with the illustrations in the text, there is a gorgeous collection of colour plates, with several paintings of Isabella along with the other players in the story. An extensive bibliography gives enticing suggestions for further research, along with footnotes and an index.

I suspect that this is a book that is going to hit one of my top-ten book lists for 2008. It is a stunning story that breathes new life into what I had thought was a stale topic, and has renewed my interest in Renaissance life and culture.

Caroline Murphy has also written The Pope's Daughter, which does have a tie-in to this story, as Paolo is the grandson of Felice della Rovere, another woman of the Renaissance who was able to hold her own and more in what was very much a man's world.

Five stars overall.

Caroline Murphy's new book is another "must have" for lovers of remarkable lesser-known royal stories. One is taken into the extraordinarily "ahead-of-her-time" life of Isabella de Medici, a Renaissance princess and daughter of the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. A thoroughly gifted, cultured and independent individual with an interesting personality that still resonates after 500 years, Isabella was unique among female royal women of the time in her ability to live her life on her own terms, even as a married woman, which truly defied all convention. From the title, obviously things do not go well in the end, and with recent tomb excavations mentioned in passing at the end, the full extent of murderousness in this generation of the Medici is only nowadays fully coming to light. If you think your family is dysfunctional, you will feel as though you grew up in the very bosom of normality after learning what eventually happened within this once-upon-a-time "big happy family."

I knew very little of this family and this book is easy to read, easy to follow and yet, it was FILLED with history and facst. WONDERFULLY written!

This is the fascinating true story of Isabella de Medici, the spunky socialite of Renaissance Florence. She seems like the type of girl you'd want as a friend--independent, interested in the arts, and quite a flirt. The writing is very fluid--you cheer as Isabella runs the show and gasp at her husband's bold violence.

One of my favorite book recommendations for high school girls who think history is dull. No fiction writer could make up a story like this.

Not recommended for children younger than that, however-- Genevieve's descriptions, while factual, are very graphic.

This is the story of a young girl who ends up helping US soldiers during the D-Day invasion. It is a unique, remarkable and moving account of her interactions with both German and US forces. She was recently seen on TV interviewed in France during the 60th anniversary of the invasion. Highly recommended first person historical account.

Such an historic record of the paratroopers landing near Normandy! This beautiful, brave and abused girl tells a poignant and most memorable story. Her descriptive writing is enchanting. Her experiences completely unique. I loved the book and came to love her. Ms. Duboscq would you tell us more of your later life too?

A tremendous book about the experience of a young french girl during WWII. Incredible depth of human joy, pain and misery. It is tremendously sad and rich and points to God.

There are few books that you can tuck under the folded wing in your heart and hear it humming whenever you think of it. This book along with And There was Light by Jacques Lusseyran are the most powerful books I have found about the 2nd World War in France. Perhaps it was made especially poignant because my uncle was a paratrooper at Normandie. He, much like my father who was the radio operator on US subs during WW 2, refused to talk about his war experience. So I sought it out in this unlikely form; through the words of a young French girl. The utter stark honesty of her painful upbringing, told without judgement shows a soul who has learned to forgive and to see the dignity of even the most beastly. Genevieve, who received the highest civilian citation for her work is to congratulated, the book highly recommended.

Imagine my suprise to read this account from the very unit, cavalry group,squadron,troop and possibly platoon in which I served. What a revelation to think I may have driven the author's jeep and fought with the men he left behind. An erie feeling since I was a replacement who followed in his footsteps after he was wounded. This is the only account I have read of the special soldiers who were trained as replacements to be inserted into fighting on the line. He recounts the incredible lonliness and feelings of isolation as the teen age replacement moves through training camps, trains, ships, encampments, trains, more camps until making it up to the front. Each move means new strangers and parting with short term friends who are really only aquaintences. The final assignment means an entire new order of friends meeting under fierce combat conditions. The author accurately captures this atmosphere of isolation and dread. I highly recommend this book which balances the reality of the young soldier in war against the usual histories which suggest that the fighting units were fueled by glory and esprit de corps.

I've read many World War II memoirs, and this is one of the best. Few veterans express the terror, dread, and danger of combat as well as Prof. Pagliaro. He faced a difficult situation and handled himself admirably. I recommend this book to everyone. It is on a level with other great World War II classics such as "Those Devils in Baggy Pants", "If You Survive", and "The Other Side of Time." Very moving to read.

I had the opportunity to read a pre-publication draft of this engaging book. When it appeared in print I was delighted to see that the publisher had produced such a handsome volume--in both paperback and hardcover. I immediately placed "Naked Heart" on the reading list for my U.S. History class at Drake University, and in many years of teaching I have never had a book received and reviewed so favorably. It provoked interesting class discussions and prompted many students to visit with their grandparents about World War II experiences. A number of students purchased extra copies to give to members of their families. It is hard to imagine a book that matches this one in cross-generational appeal.

"Saving Private Ryan" will undoubtedly generate reader interest in books about WWII and the individual experiences of combat soldiers. The most dramatic lines in this movie came when actor Tom Hanks says in effect: "I don't know if I can ever tell my wife about today or what I've seen." This struck a chord with me because my father was a WWI combat veteran of the European Theater, but he would never talk about his combat experiences. So prior to the release of "Private Ryan" I had read many books about the individual experiences of combat veterans trying to understand why combat had affected them so.

I recommend Naked Heart above many other excellent books about WWII held in high esteem by professional historians, who prefer to use a broad brush to paint the picture of the stories they tell. Naked Heart is the story of the military service of Harold Pagliaro, retired Professor of English Literature at Swarthmore College, Pa. The story begins with his induction into the Army, ASTP and Infantry training and transfer to a Cavalry unit prior to shipping out. His service in combat takes place in France, and ends in Alsace when he is seriously wounded.

It is the story of only one man but the same reveals the shared experience of thousands like him who faced all the fear, misery, uncertainty,and horrors that combat has to offer. The language, details, and writing style are clear, vivid, and straight-forward. The reader will have little difficulty envisioning or understanding what he is reading.

A medium like any movie as well done as "Private Ryan" is very visually graphic as well as audibly compelling with all the theatrical flair of the actors, the script, the special effects, sound effects, and background music to fill the viewer's senses. A book lacks most of these, but a book as well written as Naked Heart tells a story in a very personal way, much like a father might relate his wartime experiences to his son. I recommend Naked Heart for anyone interested in trying to understand the psyche of our WWII combat veterans.

John R. Walker

While I served in the European Theater during World War II, Professor Pagliaro's experiences and mine were significantly different. He served as a replacement, while I joined my armored field artilelry battalion before the unit went overseas. Infantry and cavalry performed the most difficult and dangerous tasks in combat and replacements served even more difficult roles in these units.

I found this book to be an excellent description of Pagliaro's combat experiences and also an excellent espression of his feelings and reactions to some very difficult combat assignments as well as difficult miltiary leaders. Pagliaro suffered problems similar to many ASTP students, but many of these persons failed to survive their assignments in the infantry and cavalry and few have expressed their feelings so adequately.

I highly recommend this book not only for veterans of World War II, but for all who wish to learn more about the role fo the "little people" in that conflict.

Stunningly powerful, this tragedy and triumph of a non-practicing Jewish family portrays a happy and privileged family life dedicated to medicine and intellectual pursuits. All that changed in late May of 1941, when first German motorcycle with machine guns arrived practically in front of their home. Forced to run and hide, first from Germans and soon from Ustashe, Julius family with two sons barely survives attacks and joins resistance.
The parents, father a doctor and mother a nurse, worked day and night to save wounded communist partisans. Their youngest son Stevo, the author, at age 14 is appointed a military courier, given an outdated gun, and sent to roam alone through mountains, forests, and small rural villages of Croatia. Their older son, 18-year-old bravely defends the territory of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Severely wounded, caught by Germans, he talks his way out with fluent German.
"Neither Red Nor Dead" is an inside story, full of details and naming names among 481 pages, explaining why communism failed in Croatia and former Yugoslavia (now referred to as f-Y).
After the WWII, in 1953, the Julius family suffers a fatal blow, when dirty communist politics in Zagreb pins the father, a hard working and totally dedicated head of a hospital, against the wall with false accusations. Meddling into hospital administration in a typical communist style, Dr. Julius sees no way out and commits suicide.
The elder son dedicates his life to the communist ideals, but when he critizes Slobodan Milosevic (now a war criminal), he is considered a persona non grata in the country he loved so much. He dies from cancer.
The author, Stevo Julius, educated in Croatia is now internationally recognized as one of the leading scientists in the field of hypertension.

Submitted by Katarina Tepesh

As a reader with only a vague awareness, understanding, or even interest in Yugoslavia and the history of the south Slavs, Julius' book not only opened my eyes to that part of the world but also enhanced my strong feelings of empathy for persons ensnared in the horrors and anomalies of war. His reminiscences of how he handled his ordeal are lively, pointed, and get to the heart of how people react in times of great upheaval. In spite of the serious character of this autobiography, the author was able to see the humorous side of the human condition. Maps and a brief history primer help explain the geography and the times. Not only for history buffs, this book gives all readers a better perception of events in a part of the world that has moved from relative obscurity to major importance in present times.

Have you ever wondered what motivates those who make great contributions to society? Neither Red Nor Dead is the mesmerizing autobiographical account of a young teen-ager caught up in the horror of the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. Blessed with intelligence, incredible insight, perhaps an overabundance of courage and much luck, the author describes in great detail the activities of Yugoslavian partisans and a young boy, largely separated from his family during this horrible time. After the end of World War II the author and his family attempted to reconstruct some semblance of a normal life during the equally terrifying Communist takeover. We follow the trauma of life during the author's education in University and Medical School with amazement, laughter and sadness. It is difficult to put this captivating and fast-moving account down. What makes the epic so much more incredible is the recognition that despite the difficulties and personal loss sustained during this period, the author developed a keen sense of humor and used his brilliance and insight to make many major contributions to the benefit of mankind. This is the personal story of one of the great hypertension (high blood pressure) researchers of our age to whom hundreds, even thousands of people are indebted for his services as a physician, teacher, researcher and friend.

Reading this book has added greatly to my understanding of a significant set of social and political events in the Balkans. It is more important, though, in providing insight into the ways in which individuals cope and grow through being part of those events.

Prof. Julius is a wonderful scientist and clinician. This book addresses issues well beyond medicine and science.

For the American, Prof Julius' book provides a the history of the Balkan peoples and describes the maelstrom there during and after World War II. Often our histories overlook this region. Through his eyes, the very unique state of post-WWII Yugoslavia becomes plausible. Secondarily, more recent events in the area are more understandable.

However, it is the experience seen through the lives of his father, mother, and brother that capture the imagination in a unique manner. The struggle of the individual within large social and political movements is captivating. Late at night, when I wake from sleep, I often wonder about one or more of young Stevo's experiences described in the book. It is a life well-lived and aspects of his life will always remain with me.

Neither Red nor Dead, an autobiographical memoir by Dr. Stevo Julius (Medvista, Ann Arbor, MI, www.medvistaa.com, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com) is a great read! The author, who is an internationally known researcher in the field of hypertension, is now the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Hypertension at the University of Michigan. He describes his childhood growing up in a Yugoslavia that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. He is separated from his family, becomes involved in the Partisan resistance, and then suffers excruciating hardship under the post-war Communist regime. Despite such difficulties, he survives and even thrives under these career-threatening circumstances.

His story is told in fine detail but with great charm, humor, and optimism. The descriptions of the Yugoslavian countryside, people, cities and politics are extremely informative and well written. The text maintained my intense interest throughout the 481 pages. Accompanying the text are maps showing specific areas of the country where the action takes place. One small concern here is that many of the towns are not depicted on the maps and so the most intricate details of his travels cannot be carefully examined.

While most of the account takes place in Yugoslavia, only the Epilogue deals with the authorýs leaving the country for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. Unlike the rest of the book, the facts leading up to this emigration are less detailed. The last chapter, The South Slavs, is an historical primer, which describes the background of the establishment of the Yugoslavian country after World War I. The author clearly displays the reasons for the internal strife, which has so damaged this territory in the past decade. I might suggest that the interested reader read this chapter first to better prepare for the unfolding of this fascinating memoir.

Dr. Julius maintains his wonderful humor, humility and sense of family and country throughout the book. There are many interesting literary details (stories and poems) included in the text. Most importantly, the writing is not at all medically oriented, so that readers of any background can enjoy the book. After reading it, besides offering it to my friends, I found that I would very much like to meet the author and shake his hand...

This book is about the expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War, whose impacts still last in the present of the 21st century. In this book, the effects of the decisions of the Allies at the Potsdam conference are described in a detailed way as well as the tragedy of these decisions. In a very good documented and researched as well as extensive manner, the author characterize the problem of the expulsion which based on the decisions of the "well-regulated and human" resettlement of 16 million German and led to one of the biggest postwar period crimes in which more then 2 million German lost their lives.
Alfred M. de Zayas is able to illustrate in an objective way the facts of the holocaust on the German independent of any ideology and without putting the blame on so. nor looking for excuses so that a dark but fast forgotten chapter of the 2nd World War will bear in remembrance. This topic is most times tabu for German. A lot of German still suffering ( physically and psycological) from that history and they fear to be considered as a NAZI if mentioned that issue but it is necessary to deal with that subject and to accomplish comprehension which is useful for underlining the efforts for peace.
This book prompt me to do some research on that subject but also to other related documentations of the 2nd World War among other things of de Zayas. He gave me understanding but also the impulsion to get closer to that topic. This book is a must to understand the German history completely and to be able to deal with that. The first German version of that book was published in 1977 under the title: Die Anglo-Amerikaner und die Vertreibung der Deutschen, Vorgeschichte, Verlauf, Folgen.

This book is about the expulsion of the Germans after the Second World War, whose impacts still last in the present of the 21st century. In this book, the effects of the decisions of the Allies at the Potsdam conference are described in a detailed way as well as the tragedy of these decisions. In a very good documented and researched as well as extensive manner, the author characterize the problem of the expulsion which based on the decisions of the "well-regulated and human" resettlement of 16 million German and led to one of the biggest postwar period crimes in which more then 2 million German lost their lives.
Alfred M. de Zayas is able to illustrate in an objective way the facts of the holocaust on the German independent of any ideology and without putting the blame on so. nor looking for excuses so that a dark but fast forgotten chapter of the 2nd World War will bear in remembrance. This topic is most times taboo but it is necessary to deal with that subject and to accomplish comprehension which is useful for underlining the efforts for peace.
This book prompt me to do some research on that subject but also to other related documentations of the 2nd World War among other things of de Zayas. He gave me understanding but also the impulsion to get closer to that topic. This book is a must to understand the German history completely and to be able to deal with that. The first German version of that book was published in 1977 under the title: Die Anglo-Amerikaner und die Vertreibung der Deutschen, Vorgeschichte, Verlauf, Folgen.

Abraham Lincoln once said that "history is an agreed upon set of lies": I believe every word. The atrocities that were committed by the Allies to helpless civilians should never be forgotten and should be included in modern textbooks, lest we be damned to repeat such ethnic cleansing. Let us see history for what it is, not what others wish us to believe. I applaud Mr. De Zayas for having the intestinal fortitude to step forward and offer this intriguing account of the horrors of revenge.

It's very difficult to find much information, especially accurate information, on these expulsions. This book is a very responsible portrayal. Of course the Germans in a way brought this nightmare on themselves, but its hard to really justify the hypocricy and historical distortions of the Poles and Russians. I wonder whether these border adjustments can stand the light, now being allowed, after 45 years of Russian occupation? The current dysfunction of these regions begs for German investment, dispite the ambivalence of the current residents. At least this book brings to light, for those few who have read it, the hypocrisy of the allies.

Abraham Lincoln once said that "history is an agreed upon set of lies": I believe every word. The atrocities that were committed by the Allies to helpless civilians should never be forgotten and should be included in modern textbooks, lest we be damned to repeat such ethnic cleansing. Let us see history for what it is, not what others wish us to believe. I applaud Mr. De Zayas for having the intestinal fortitude to step forward and offer this intriguing account of the horrors of revenge.

This excellent volume combines 2 books by the highly readable Viscount Norwich. His history of the Normans in south Italy and Sicily in the 10th and 11th centuries fills a gap in our knowledge of these fascinating mercenaries who-would-be-kings and rings true even today with the impact of Europeans on the Arab world and vice-versa. Remember, the Normans (of Norman Conquest of England fame) were the descendants of Viking raiders who settled in France and their military prowess against the Byzantine Empire and conquests in Italy were just as important as their better known invasion and conquest of England and Ireland in the same centuries.

Norwich is a storyteller as much as he is a historian. He resembles Barbara Tuchman -- you might not base a doctoral thesis on his work, but he certaily provides a great read. In many ways, this work is superior to his Byzantium trilogy. This may be because he has bitten off a more managable slice of history. This allows Norwich to go deeper on the main personalities and events he is covering. You really come a way with a feeling for this remarkable adventure of the Normans in Southern Italy and the advanced and powerful state they were able to create. It also highlights thier impact on the crusades, Byzantium, and the broader struggle between the Pope and secular power. I really enjoyed this book -- so much so that I travelled to Sicily to visit some of the many amazing artifacts left behind by this underdocumented "other conquest" of the Normans.

Dull and daunting as this title might seem for the general reader, this is actually a facinating and important episode in European history. For the more cynical it could serve as a primer for any group seeking to achieve political power by taking advantage of the inherent problems of a weak and divided polity. Diplomatically, it proves a brilliant example of a weaker party playing off stronger powers to its considerable advantage. For the more hopeful, it provides one of the regrettably few examples of Christians (Roman and Orthodox) and Muslims not only coexisting, but mutually prospering and profiting, under a pragmatic but culturally informed leadership. Lord Norwich's writing style and sense of what is actually important creates a lively, entertaining and informative look at the period.

The prospect of reading a 750-page tome on the history of Sicily between 1016 and 1194 would probably seem inviting only to the most masochistic of history buffs. That Norwich's book (originally published as two works, "The Normans in the South" and "The Kingdom in the Sun") has enjoyed its well-deserved longevity and such an admiring audience is a testament both to the thoroughness of his investigation and to the enthusiasm of his prose.

By necessity, Norwich populates his history on a crowded and expansive stage. This is less a chronicle of Sicily than the story of Europe during the Middle Ages, with the Normans in Sicily playing a starring role. Popes from Urban II to Alexander III, kings from Henry II of England to Louis VII of France, emperors from Frederick Barbarossa to Manuel Comnenus--they all warily circled the arenas in southern Italy and Sicily, with the Normans of Sicily at the center of nearly every major confrontation of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, from the investiture controversy to the Crusades.

But the real heroes of Norwich's masterpiece are the Sicilian rulers themselves, along with several of their often-insubordinate underlings. We are introduced to a sequence of memorable dukes and duchesses and kings and queens: Robert Guiscard and Sichelgaita, the fearsome husband-and-wife team who led the conquest of southern Italy and the campaign against Byzantium; Roger II, the first king of Sicily and a brilliant warrior, diplomat, and administrator; William the Bad, William the Good, and the final William III, who ruled over the island and its fragile government in its glory days; and Queen Constance, whose marriage to Henry VI, of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, brought Sicily into the Holy Roman Empire.

As the above dramatis personae suggests, "The Normans in Sicily" is largely a history of military campaigns, political intrigue, and diplomatic schemes. Norwich supplements his story, which was purportedly written with the tourist in mind, with doses of cultural history (particularly art and architecture) and with descriptions of the palaces, churches, monasteries, and other sites that have survived eight centuries of upheaval and restoration. He also examines the unusual melding of the three religious traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Islamic) and how their occasional harmony and ultimate conflict affected the society and culture of Sicily in ways not coincidentally reminiscent of Spain during the same period.

Especially notable is his resuscitation of the reputation of William the Bad (or Wicked): "The epithet rings false. There was nothing evil about him. . . . [His] reluctance to face up to so many of his political responsibilities was due not only to his natural indolence but to a genuine conviction that there were others around him better qualified for the task. . . . Perhaps William the Sad might have been a more accurate description."

Of social and economic history, there is (not surprisingly) very little. The sources for such an investigation are limited, and these concerns were barely beginning to blossom among English-speaking historians in the 1960s--and Norwich admits he is not a scholar, though he writes far better than many of them. He was, however, conspicuously ahead of his time both in his assessment of the role of women in the expansion of the kingdom of Sicily and in his even-handed presentation of various religious customs.

"The Normans in Sicily" is, then, a traditional history, but one whose scope and whose value cannot be overestimated. And it doesn't hurt that it's exciting to read.

This is one of the best layman's books about any conquest. Norwich is unputownable history at its best. Witty, wise and taking rather a different view of the Norman Conquest of Sicily and South Italy than Norman Lewis, his is above all a kind of adventure story. It is also a look at a dynasty that makes the Colby family look pathetic. The humour that sparkles throughout the book helps make the whole experience more enlightening. A masterpiece of popular history at its best, it may be unfashionably concerned with the doings of the mighty, but who can resist the corrupt Popes, the machiavellian intrigues of the Byzantines, the gormless Germans and of course the Italians themselves, and the city-states and vassal-states endlessly changing sides, like an Italian football supporter when his own team isn't playing.

Ireland's history is a violent one and, as Fulbright Fellow Carol Daugherty Rasnic shows in this book's first chapter, this is not only true for the 20th century but dates back at least to the island's 1169 Norman conquest - and actually, even further, as the Viking invasion of the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries consisted of a series of rather aggressive campaigns as well. The difference, however, was that despite these bloody beginnings the Viking colonists were eventually absorbed into Irish culture and daily life; contributing thereto rather than continuing their attempts at its suppression. Conversely, throughout much of Ireland's subsequent history, suppression was the preferred method of government of both the Normans and their British descendants; who brought in English settlers not to cultivate the island together with their Irish neighbors but to drive those out, thus sowing the seeds of the hatred still plaguing its society today, and no more so than in the six provinces still constituting British-controlled Northern Ireland, after the ill-famed 1920 Partition which eventually brought independence to the island's southern part.

Inseparably linked to nationality was, particularly from the times of Henry VIII on, the issue of religion; the English settlers being Protestants belonging to the Church of England/Ireland, while the vast majority of the Irish hung on to their Catholic faith; thus suffering discrimination not only on the basis of their nationality but also that of their religious beliefs. Tracing the multiple facets of today's division to their historic origins, Professor Rasnic shows how the identification as "Catholic" and "Protestant" has long come to exceed a mere religious denomination, mixing with everything from a person's stance towards the British administration of Northern Ireland to his or her national/ethnic origin, area of residence and social environment; to the point that the religious label is used even by those who have little to no spiritual connection to the church whose faith they claim as their own.

In the eight chapters following the book's initial historic overview, the author takes an in-depth look at the major issues dominating contemporary Northern Ireland life and politics, from ethnic strife and the (particularly: "Orange," i.e. unionist) parades, apt to newly ignite the fires of hatred every summer, to issues of governance, the release of prisoners convicted of terrorist acts, "decommissioning" (i.e., disarmament of the paramilitary groups active on both sides of the conflict), the position of the police and the administration of (criminal) justice, human rights and instances of persisting discrimination, and finally, the sectarianism in the province's schools, threatening to perpetuate the existing divide for a long time to come. Particular emphasis is given to the terms and effects of the so-called Good Friday Agreement, the April 10, 1998 agreement between Northern Ireland's major political parties and the governments of Ireland and Great Britain designed to bring an end to the province's "Troubles."

Although the book is subtitled "An American Legal Perspective," this is by no means the work of an outsider: Professor Daugherty Rasnic herself is the daughter of Irish immigrants on both parents' sides, and prolonged stays in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have intimately acquainted her with an island which, quite obviously, is not merely her ancestors' home but an inseparable part of her own identity as well. A lawyer by training, she moreover brings to the subject the analytical skills necessary to digest problems as intricate as those ravaging the province of Northern Ireland; and her interest in and experience with the American civil rights movement provides for a truly unique perspective, enabling her to not only put the Northern Irish situation into a larger European context but also draw comparisons to similar issues of racial strife and discrimination in the U.S.

Aware that the issues she addresses - particularly with regard to the legal aspects of the Good Friday Agreement - may well have the effect of a strong barbiturate on her non-lawyer readership, the author apologizes for having to address matters which "only a constitutional [law] purist could love." Quite unnecessarily so, however, as she does a marvelous job in explaining a set of highly complex questions of constitutional and international law which, I am sure, are confusing to many lawyers as well. Moreover, Professor Rasnic's manifold comments, anecdotes relating to her own experience and sections entitled "A Personal Perspective" provide a truly personal tone; while scholarly in its overall approach to the subject and dedication to detail, the book nevertheless reads more like a conversation with the author, reflecting much of her doubtlessly vivacious nature, passion, empathy and sense of humor - humor even in the face of adversity proving her yet again, as cliche (and maybe not just that) would have it, a true daughter of Irish parents.

In addition to all its other merits, this book also benefits from its author's easy access to over twenty principals and other individuals involved in the Northern Irish peace process, from then-First Minister David Trimble and Police Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan to Northern Ireland Assembly members of virtually all political colors (with the notable exception of the Rev. Ian Paisley, whose camp seems to have been the only one to adopt an obstructionist attitude), judges, attorneys, clergymen, social workers and professors at various universities; all of who add their own insight and perspective on the "Troubles," and whose comments are faithfully reported; in many instances verbatim.

Professor Daugherty Rasnic concludes her analysis with the words of Irish poet William Butler Yeats: "I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." Like the great poet's words, her book expresses the hope that, one day, Northern Ireland may find a lasting way out of its "Troubles" (and no doubt, she is watching the province's recent political developments with a certain sense of trepidation). With this book, she has made a contribution of her own to the search for such a path - and I have a feeling that it will not have been the only one.

Also recommended:
The Making of Ireland: A History
Battle of the Boyne 1690
Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland
1916: The Easter Rising
A Memoir
Michael Collins
Eyewitness Bloody Sunday: The Truth
The Crying Game (Collector's Edition)
Cal
In the Name of the Father

I have read many different types of books over the past 60 years, but this book is by far the best, fiction or nonfiction alike. Professor Rasnic has accomplished what many authors wish they had accomplished, by giving the legal perspective in a human and many time humerous way, makes for easier reading for those of us who may not always understand legaleaze. This book in my estimation should be on the required reading list for anyone who wishes to understand the legal aspects and history of American and Irish similarities during the same periods in time.

Northern Ireland: Can Sean And John Live In Peace? An American Legal Perspective by Carol Daugherty Rasnic (Professor of Employment and Labor Law, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia) is an impressively researched and presented study of the conflict in Northern Ireland, including the religious and political forces that drive it, as well as the law and the legal system as a means to deal with what the Irish called "the troubles". A thoughtful, exhaustive, scholarly inquiry, Northern Ireland is a sober and informative account and a very welcome contribution to academic International Studies modern reference collections concerned with global issues and conflicts in general, and Contemporary Irish Political History reading lists in particular.

The world has too many Northern Irelands, and most of the time we form our opinions from some politcal ideology we have, or some news report or TV program. What we really need to be honestly informed about these "trouble spots" such as the Middle East or Kashmire or Ireland is to read a well reserched and well written book like Carol D. Rasnic work. She has certainly paid her dues and told us about something she has studied and live in for many years.And most important, she has not taken sides.

This book allows the American reader to gain insight into the true nature of what Irish call "The Troubles".

The conflict between Catholic and Protestant factions is viewed from the perspective of a American woman. Her experience with segregation in the American South enabled her to understand the cultural and economic factors that divide these groups.

Her insight clarifies the fact that this is not simply a religious issue. It is one of long standing cultural and economic differences between all factions.

I found this book to be an invaluable aid in understanding the complex and difficult social hostilities that afflict these people of a common background.

Professor Rasnic has spent a great deal of time in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Her contacts with officials, politicians, clerics, and most of all, the Irish citizens gives her a special perspective. This was an enjoyable and educational read.