Division I Books

This book has been truly amazing and life changing for me. I picked it up at my local library during a very difficult time in my life. After I racked up a great deal of late fees from the library I knew I needed to purchase my own copy, as I carry it with me and read it often. Iyanla's story moved me to tears as I recognized alot of similarities in "Rhonda's" and my own life. I now have some necessary tools to help get my life in order. Iyanla Vanzant is truly a blessing.

Iyanla Vanzant has written from her heart of her personal and difficult journey in life. I learned a great deal from her style, a "What's the lesson when..." heading for each chapter. All of those lessons are life lessons and she let's us peek into areas and emotions of her life that many would try to hide. Even pushing 68 years, I learned new things and ordered copies for all of my children dealing with similar or the same issues. Sometimes, I wanted to say, "Oh, no. You're in the same old situation again!", but then, we all repeat the same senario again and again until we learn the lessons! I read a quote that experience is the only teacher that gives the test first, and then the lesson. Iyanla proves that again and again for us.

I loved this book, but unfortunetely I did not read the one that I ordered from Amazon. This particular edition is in small print and it was hard for me to read it. So I ended up buying it at a local bookstore where the print was bigger and much easier to read. So if small print with no space in between the lines bother you, this may not be a good edition of the book to purchase. But please purchase a copy of the book. It's a wonderful story with great lessons to be learned.

This book was written for me. I can relate to the story. Gives you hope and inspiration. Iyanla hasn't let me down yet. You'll want to read this book over and over. I even bought the book for a friend of mine.

Iyanla writes a great book that is truly inspirational though sad. I could not put this book down, it is such a look into the feelings of a young girl and how her life affected her. I could totally relate and see this book as giving anyone hope and inspiration to have a great life and help others.

Lately, the economic performance of Europe has come in for some rather critical comments from commentators on both sides of the Atlantic, in particular in comparison with the performance of the US economy. To this, in defense, one could reply that the data are not exactly comparable or that life is about more than gdp figures. However the most interesting answer is found when looking back 50 years at the basket case Europe was, economically, politically and militarily.

At the end of World War 2, Europe counted tens of millions of displaced people, gdp per capita was only half that of the US, politically speaking Germany was a blank sheet, Stalin was closing the Iron Curtain and threatening the rest of Europe, despite Allied victory over Germany and Italy fascist dictatorships remained in place in Spain and Portugal, Greece was in a state of civil war and threatened to become another communist satellite state and Europe was a patchwork of nation states with relatively little internal trade flows.

This book describes how over a period of 50 years, Europe has become what it is today : at peace, democratic and prosperous (although more so for Western Europe than for Eastern Europe which is lagging).

Some of the chapters I found most interesting are how it was Europeans who begged Americans to stay militarily involved in Europe after the war in order to be a deterrent for Stalin, what exactly was the impact of the Marshall plan, how did the European Union originate, the importance of the Ostpolitik of the German chancellor Brandt, etc...

The author tries to remain as factual and neutral as possible about the EU as an institution, which may disappoint some readers. However I could not escape the conclusion myself that many of the positive changes during the last 50 years, such as the democratisation of Spain, Portugal and Greece, were at least indirectly in part due to the influence of the EU states on the rest of Europe. By making democracy and human rights a pre-condition for membership of the EU, the EU has forced many countries to become more like it : a civilised place to live, possibly not as rich as the US, but better off in general than anybody would have dared to forecast in the ruins of 1945.

Well written, thorough and really easy to absorb.

If you are looking for a solid overview of Europe since 1945 in less than 500 pages, this is it. Sure, in other books you can find more detail about each event or with all points of view presented, but I haven't seen any books so balanced and so concise. I wish I could find other important topics covered in a similar fashion (e.g. WWI and WWII).

Regarding style, Hitchcock keeps things interesting. Organizationally, each of the 12 or so chapters covers a particular aspect of European history and in the beginning of each chapter he sents forth his themes, which is very helpful. At the end, you feel that not only do you understand the events, but the underlying themes and how they are manifested in current events.

Overall, excellent and very enjoyable as an introduction to the period. If you are more of an expert, this is not for you.

"An excellent book! A thorough, lively interpretation of how Europe got to where it is today and the struggles Europeans had to overcome, sometimes with US help but often in defiance of the USA. In addition to being well-researched, Hitchcock illuminates his themes with very telling details from everyday life and biographies of overlooked historical figures that inform his thesis. A brisk, well-informed counter to the usual Europe-bashing in today's media. Highly recommended."

This book provides a solid political history of Europe from 1945, covering both Eastern and Western Europe. It is better as a reference work than a coherent story. If you want to a summary of the events of the Hungarian uprising in 1956, or the riots in France and Italy in 1968, this book is for you. Many names from the past (Jaruzelski? General Spinola?) appear in its pages.

The book is not a social or economic history. There is no meaningful discussion of the causes and impact of changes in sexual mores, for instance, or of living standards (except with national statistics), or of the decline in the birth rate. The discussion of immigration and the problems it is causing is superficial, and is one place where the political prejudices of the author show through - any opponent of immigration is automatically categorized as "far right".

Finally the style is poor. It consists of short sentences. It has been dumbed-down, probably so that the book can be sold as a textbook for students with short attention spans. This makes it an unenjoyable read.

Very well researched and yet very entertaining. Hard to put down once you get into it.Lots of time period sayings, song verses,skits, and jokes.Not hard reading at all. Usually these books bore you with too much of what wasn't important. Not this book. It will definitely hold your interest.

There were a lot of liberties taken for the sake of telling a story in this one. The author could have gone deeper into the men and their effort. I would definitely recommend other books, for a historical view, first. Not a bad book just not that great either. I would recommend "Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous Ww1 Epic" for more depth.

Alan Gaff has produced a first-rate depiction of war from a fighting man's perspective. Unlike many military histories I've read, this one doesn't subscribe to the "Big Man" theory of history that emphasize generals and strategy. Instead, this book tells the stories of the regular, blue collar guys in battle. It has a gritty realism, lushly illustrated with songs and anecdotes that reveal the underlying humanity of a truly human endeavor--the practice of war.

Readers who enjoy stories of military units and army encounters will appreciate Alan D. Gaff's BLOOD IN THE ARGONNE: THE 'LOST BATILLION' OF WORLD WAR 1. For the first time the story of the 77th Division is told from the perspective of soldiers in the ranks, following the unit which penetrated German lines in the Argonne Forest of northeastern France only to find themselves surrounded by German forces and alone. How to keep seven hundred men alive without food for over four days? The story of their ordeal comes to life as Gaff explores soldier backgrounds, struggles and achievements.

I first became interested in the "Lost Battalion" when I learned there was a local connection. As part of my volunteer work for my local county historical society, I have been privileged to listen to taped interviews with two of the men who surivied being pinned down for 5 days in the Argonne Forest. Their names were Peter P. Koshiol (pg. 152) and Albert A. Euteneuer (pg. 306). Although they were both long dead, their words remained just as fresh as the day they were spoken. But one thing was clear. Although their experiences have gone down in history as a great example of American courage under fire, the blood and fire of those five days in the Argonne Forest scarred them both for the rest of their lives. This is a point that Alan Gaff hammers home again and again in the book he has written about what they went through. His book follows the "Liberty Boys" from the moment they were all drafted, their training and their shipment "overseas," and their final experiences in coming up against the Kaiser's military machine. Mr. Gaff pulls no punches in describing the brutal reality of hand to hand combat during the First World War. AS the Generals and Colonels whiled away their time in fortified bunkers behind the lines, thousands of "grunts" were killed fighting for their country. On October 2, 1918 a ragtag crew of American soldiers were pinned down and surrounded behind enemy lines without food or water, and what comes out of this book is not only the story of the Officers, who most accounts have focused on, but also the strory of the common soldiers who watched their best friends eviscerated before their eyes. This is combat reporting at it's best. It is also the most accurate report we are likely to get. This book, which I recommend highly, is certain to remain the definative account of World War I's heroic Lost Battalion. For this Mr. Gaff deserves a round of applause.

R.W. Byrd's ONCE I HAD A COMRADE: KARL ROTH AND THE COMBAT HISTORY OF THE 36TH PANZER REGIMENT 1939-45 tells of the author's German father-in-law Karl Roth, who grew up in the 1930s, and of his regiment. His eyewitness participation in campaigns in Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and Yugoslavia in 1941 before serving at the Eastern Front charts a division under siege and a fighter who saw much of the war's many battles. A vivid memoir of Karl Roth and his war encounters.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is an excellent historical account of the author's father-in-law (Karl Roth) in a German Panzer division during World War 2. The author amassed an extraordinary amount of data on the military activities, and on some of the personnel associated with Karl Roth, who comes across as a decent person caught up in circumstances over which he had no control. He had to serve in the military and suffer the consequences of the German defeat. The author is commended for adhering to historical detail with virtually no mention of the politics of the time, other than a few brief references noting Hitler and Goering bungling the military operations, which contributed to the German defeat, particularly in Russia. A highlight of the book, is the description of the battle of Stalingrad that started the disintergration of the German army. The book, desspite all of its detail, is easy reading; its extensive bibliography and footnotes make it a superb resource for anyone interested in World War 2, especially the eastern front. It would have been even better had the many photographs and maps been larger.

Elliott Lesser

This is an average book on Panzer Regiment 36. Though the author also claims this book is about Karl Roth, a maintenance NCO in the regiment's tank recovery section, the pages contain little information on this NCO other than brief accounts of his family life and snippets of information from former comrades who remember little about the man, except that he was a competent leader and a solid soldier. If the book had contained more information about German tank recovery techniques and equipment, it would have rated 4 stars. The use of more primary source material, especially corps, army, and army group war diaries might have boosted it to five stars. I do commend the author for using the war diary of the 14th Panzer Division as a primary source.

I just received the book yesterday so I wanted to update my previous review. I am working on a similar biography for an officer from a sister regiment so I am very familiar with the topics presented in this book. I will write a final review once I am finished reading it.

Overall, this is a good bio of a panzer soldier and an overview of the unit in which he served. The author has put in a lot of effort to provide background to the subject and to provide a coherent timeline for the events in this soldier's life. The photo material and graphics are good. The book is well put together physically.

I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars because although the author has done a fine job, I think there are some weak spots in the editing and the sourcing. The book would have been well served to have been proofread to clean up some odd uses of English and catch some German errors - like translating fortress as "Berg" instead of "Burg." The quoted sources tend to be generic secondary sources like Time-Life books rather than the archival materials which the author even mentions that he had access to.

Don't let the weak points deter you from buying this book.

Author tells the story of his heroic father-in-law whom he never met in person. This is a quick read with strong historical research. Great photographic journaling. The personal interest is compelling. Gripping, what's going to happen next combat action. By the end of the book you feel that Karl Roth is a close friend. Authors personal insights are of note. Must read!!

Great biography of the sculptor, Rodin. Reads like a novel, NOT A TEXT!

Beauty and the Book delivered this out-of-print edition in record time. The book looks brand new.

A delectable piece of near-non-fiction about one of the most evocative and emotive artists of the nineteenth century, Auguste Rodin. I came upon this book (original hardback with cover c. 1963) via the shelves of a former paramour just after graduating from art school, a happy coincidence for a dewey-eyed artiste! Not a lover of the biography genre in particular, I devoured this book nonetheless, in part because it is loosely-based fiction, but primarily because David Weiss has molded a remarkable figure in his story of Auguste Rodin.

From his birth in Normandy in 1840 and first crayons at age five, through his tumultuous entree into the world as an artist (he was born to a minor police official), to the development of his work alongside some remarkable contemporaries (Monet, Renoir, Hugo, Zola, Rilke and Shaw) and the tragic affairs with Beuret and Claudel, it's a book you'll find hard pressed to close long after bedtime has come and gone (note: bring home the film _Camille Claudel_ when you have finished the book to add a little color to your perspective).

A minor flaw, which I quickly forgave as the characters emerged, might be the slightly formal tone (hasn't he heard of contractions?) in which Weiss, scholar before bestselling author, constructs his prose. Otherwise as powerful, colorful, and unforgettable a glimpse at the artist as Rodin's own Balzac.

"NAKED CAME I" was a bestseller in many languages when it was published in the sixties, and I still expect that someone will have the sense to adapt it for film sooner or later.

Weiss's portrait of Rodin is vivid and moving, and remains one of literature's classic examples of the "historical novel," a format that inexplicably has declined in popularity in recent years. (Weiss, who continues to write well and prolifically, and Gore Vidal, are its principal practitioners at this point.) I recommend NAKED CAME I highly, and you can track it down at almost any good library.

Auguste Rodin,sculptor;this biography reads with force and energy and somehow gives without the sacrifice of accuracy a wonderful tale of a great artists life. Self directed and dedicated a lover of many women,Rodin's story is both interesting and entertaining. To appreciate great art one must try to know the artist. This book attempts to do just that. A little like a novel,with lots of dialoque but worth your time.

This oversize book is packed full of photos and sidebars, but it fully tells the history of the Brittany campaign. Gawne gets into the neat details of the story, but also recounts the grueling struggle for Brest as well. I was interested in this book because my grandfather fought in this campaign and I was surprised to learn that his battalion was at one time cut off behind enemy lines! The few stories he told were always war-lite. My main quibble with the book is that the maps don't have a scale on them, so it's hard to understand the scale of, say, the battle for hill 111. Great book with a great packaging.

Jonathan Gawne has followed up his successful _Spearheading D-Day_ with another of what could be categorized as the tables of organization, uniforms and equipment genre of military history. This time around, he presents the least appreciated backwater operation of the entire war in Europe: the Brittany campaign.Gawne's forte is unit organization, military hardware, and uniforms and equipment. His audience are the veterans of the Second World War, specifically, those that participated in the battles and campaigns of which he writes (Gawne's own father fought throughout the campsign as a company commander in the 28th Infantry, 8th Division). To a lesser extent, the author targets collectors and re-enactors. Author/Historians with experience in working with veterans will attest to their tendency to complain bitterly if their unit is slighted by not being mentioned in a text dealing with a campaign or battle in which they had participated. Gawne is well aware of this fact and has developed a reputation for going above and beyond the call to include every American unit from the obvious to the obscure (the 23rd Special Troop, a tactical deception unit that operated in Brittany, is a case in point). This style may have its advantages, however, like the writer of a good movie script whose drama gets buried in the myriad of special effects, _Americans in Brittany_ leaves one intoxicated with sensual overload.Nine of the book's fifteen chapters are devoted to individual armor, infantry, and ranger units plus a chapter on artillery. Each page (of only 160-pages total) attempts to cram photos, side bars of people, places, and other interesting tid-bits, computer generated maps, models displaying uniforms, and numerous tables of organizations, not to mention a text font so small it blurs even the sharpest of visions. The photos, however, are impressive (some in color), many of which are contributed by veterans and family members. Particularly noteworthy are the photos offered by the family of Hermann Bernard Ramcke, the German commander of Fortress Brest, which are seen here for the first time. It is here that Gawne displays his expertise in captioning, oftentimes pointing out minute details that could otherwise escape the untrained eye.Like the military units he dipicts, however, when too many columns vie for a limited amount of space, something has to give. In this case,it's Gawne's narrative. Gawne tries his best to chronical a campaign that possesses a multitude of intertwining themes that are ripe for the picking. All of the factors that make for good military history are contained within the Brittany Campaign. Some of these themes include: logistics, professional military education, the so-called "war of the generals," armor and cavalry doctrine, its uses and abuses, and a much neglected aspect, the role of French civilians and armed resistance in the American effort. Due to what I believe are strategies of the French publishers, Gawne was limited in scope and forced to gloss over many of these important concepts with a broad brush stroke. In addition, the absence of even a "selected" bibliography or endnotes hinders what otherwise could have been a great reference work.For those seeking a more scholarly treatment of this truly forgotten campaign, this book may leave some wanting. Yet, Gawne's labor of love has certainly reached his intended audience, the veterans and their families.I strongly recommend it for anyone truly interested in the war in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).

When the Brittany Campaign took place in August of 1944,
it was big news: Patton had broken out of hedgerow country
and was making unbelievable progress into German-occupied France.

However, as the destroyed port of Brest became a lower priority
than the drive directly east toward Germany, this initial thrust
to the south and west of Normandy (yes, west; look at a map)
became somewhat forgotten and has been overlooked in
post-WW II histories.

Author Gawne has done a wonderful job of researching this
campaign and gathering previously unpublished photos and
personal recollections into a well-illustrated and very
readable account. My own father served through this
campaign with the 6th Armored Division, and I was very
happy to see an entire chapter devoted to this important
but relatively unpublicized unit. Gawne's own father (to whom the
book is dedicated) served in the 8th Infantry Division, yet
the author devotes equal, detailed attention to all units
without unduly focusing on the Division which must be of
most personal interest to him.

He even devotes time to the French (FFI) and German units
that the Americans faced, an aspect often overlooked in
war histories.

This book should find a place on the bookshelf of any
student of WW II in the E.T.O.

This is a well written, but extremely brief, account of the Lost Battalion of WWI. The story, with myths & mistakes removed, is pretty amazing. Robert Ferrell clearly knows the details and larger picture, but only offers glimpses of this knowledge in this tiny little book. It's well written and worth reading, but may only be of interest to someone already familiar with the Great War in general and the Lost Battalion in particular.

A force of raw Americans, cut off by German troops, in the last full month of World War I, makes for a compelling story line. Ferrell gets all of it. Ferrell has done scrupulous research. He apparently scoured all of the relevant archives and surfaced notes, records, letters and material previously unreported. He corrects errors from previous works on the subject and tries to place the entire story in context. His writing is clear and straightforward if a bit too academic. His multi-layered maps are useful in attempts to zero in on the battlefield, but the maps themselves are sketchy, absent topographical detail, and show none of the movements. "Boundaries" appear, and while much of the time the 'battalion' was lost, the run up to the 'lost' five days needs more dynamic mapping and more than the background personalities of Pershing and Alexander. There is still too much of a sense that the men found themselves surrounded, fought herocally from being overrun, and then the media created a plethors of false heroes and images for the battle. Some pictures of the brush-filled "pocket" finally give the setting a three-dimensional feel, but it is too little, too late to make this battle late in the war very colorful. Two airmen of the nascent 'air force' earn Medals of Honor trying to supply the men. Three men on the ground also earn Medals of Honor, including the bespectacled leader, Major Charles Whittlesey, portrayed in a recent film version by Ricky Schroeder, a film worth watching for dramatic, three-dimensional effect.

The book itself is small and short. Eighty-eight pages include eleven pages of photographs. Three appendices, including one devoted to a battalion roster, cover 27 more pages. This is a quick, even brief, pretty dry read. The sad, even ironic fate of Whittlesley is worth more of an explanation.

A must read for the history aficionado with a sense of history, military terminology and brushy French terrain.

Five Days In October: The Lost Battalion Of World War I by Robert H. Ferrell (Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University, Bloomington) is the incredible story of five hundred American soldiers comprising elements of two companies from the 77th Division who were entrapped on the side of a ravine in the Argonne Forest by superior German forces from October 2 to 7, 1918. The courage displayed against overwhelming odds as they fought under siege in the midst of rifle, machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire both day and night, with nothing to eat after the morning of the first day, and with water that was highly dangerous to obtain, is among the finest examples of the American troops under fire as is recorded in the annals of American military history. With Five Days In October, Professor Ferrell offers new material that was previously unavailable in earlier treatments of this event and reveals what really happened during those horrific days in the Argonne Forest. Although "Lost" is not an accurate description because American high command knew where the men were, during the five days the men were on their own Five Days In October will elaborate striking details of the ordeal, and includes the findings of court-martial records and 77th Division files that contain full accounts of the taut relations between the Lost Battalion's brigade commander and the 77th Division commander providing the most complete account now available. Five Days In October is an impressive work of scholarship and a welcome contribution to the growing library of World War I Military History.

This book of Dr. Sidlow's was a great book and really brought out what congress is all about in a case of a freshman congressman, which happened to be from the district which I call home. This 156 (plus index) book crams much of everything faced by a member of congress into it, going beyond what a normal textbook with its definitions and general examples can do. I would highly recommend this book for understanding the process by which our congress works.

The book came before I even expected and was cheaper than many other places. Good things all around!

I enjoyed Dr. Sidlow's account of the tenure of Rep. Schwartz, the illuminating anecdotes, and the insider's view of the mechanics of a modern political campaign. This is a good account of a political "freshman's" experiences, his rookie mistakes, and the bare knuckle influence of powerful advocates outside of a representative's district. Dr. Sidlow humanizes the process and takes one through highs and lows, and sometimes suprisingly ordinary lives of those surrounding this 1 term Michigan congressman.

Flora McDonnell is amazing. Her illustrations are simple and beautiful. The animals' expressions are delightful. A must have for every child's library.

Pictures are rudimentary - well, just not so great, let's say and the wording could have been more pleasing to the ear. Nothing for readers/listeners - especially very young ones - to catch on to!

This book was the only one my daughter wanted me to read to her for months, even when she was under one. I would just recite the simple text of the book and it would make her smile. The book is great because of the large colorful pictures of adorable animals and the uncluttered pages are easy for a toddler to focus on. Be prepared to read it over and over!

This is a great book, written by the late Lewis Thomas, who cared deeply about living things on this planet and their future. It's beautifully written, and I found practically every sentence a pleasure to read. I may be a touch biased, however, due to my fascination with biology. In a sense, the book is centered around the author's expertise in basic biology, and topics such as the threat of large scale nuclear war extend from this knowledge base. Fifteen years after its publication the book is not dated at all, as its message that humans must behave more prudently and compassionately, toward one another and toward the earth itself, to avoid extinction, is obviously still very much relevant today. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

In my opinion, Lewis Thomas is the best there is at describing the wonder and beauty of biology. His first book, "The Lives of a Cell" , set the standard against which all other popular writers in biology should be measured. The elegant simplicity of his descriptions of how organisms interact remain as interesting and valid today as when "Lives .. " was first published in 1974. I recently re-read it and found it just as interesting now as I did the first time.
That description also holds for this book, with Thomas once again waxing eloquent, particularly about the absurdity of "limited" nuclear war. His story about the development of Hawaiian Creole is also particularly thought-provoking. The islands were opened up for sugar plantations after 1880 and there was an enormous influx of laborers from many different language backgrounds. They came from China, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico and the United States and none of these groups could understand any of the others. However, a pidgin language rapidly developed among the children of all groups. This hybrid language was almost completely unintelligible to the adults. Thomas uses this to argue his point that language originated among the children of early humans. The point is highly plausible, as only the minds of children seem to possess the necessary malleability to learn languages quickly.
While I found the book interesting, it is not the page-turning classic that "Lives . . " is. The problem is that so much of this material already appeared in that book. This is unfortunate, for when Thomas is original he is so engaging a writer. Given the ongoing advances in biology, there certainly is no lack of material to write about.

Thomas's collection of essays on life, the universe and pretty darn much everything is suprisingly readable. He puts his theories into poetic prose and makes valid scientific points available in laymen's terms. More than a scientific paper, though, this is a deep peice of philosophy and offers much insight to the human soul. Definately worth reading!