MY

In *All but My Life*, Gerda Weissmann Klein tells us the story of a young girl forced into the events of the Nazi Holocaust. The story of a family torn apart never to see one another again. The story of Nazi work camps and death camps and seemingly endless inhumanity. Sadly, this story was her own.

Klein provided a heartwrenching account of the events leading from her teens to her adult years. We met her family, lived vicariously through her relationships with friends and neighbors and hoped and prayed the Nazis never capturedd the Weissmanns. But the inevitable occurred.

Over the years that Gerda was a prisoner of the Nazis, we learned of the unspeakable acts the Germans performed. And we cried with Gerda through her experiences. And we finally felt the joy of freedom and the love relationship that ensued.

*All but My Life* should go up on our shelves next to *Schindler's List* and *The Diary of Anne Frank*. It's an absolute must read and a classic. Thank you, Gerda, for showing all of us what must not ever happen again.

On the hot June day that Gerda Weissmann left her home for the last time, her father insisted that she wear her hiking boots. Gerda resisted, but an unspoken plea in her father's eye convinced her to strap them on. During a death march from January through April of 1945, those boots saved Gerda Weissmann's life. Many other women died of cold and starvation, but most fell for simple lack of footwear. Her camp sister, with whom she survived the worst horrors in several concentration and slave labor camps, died of exhaustion at a water pump minutes after American liberators freed the women from the march.

Ms. Klein's tale about her boots, screened at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, led me to her book. I wanted to know every detail--although, over the years, I have been privileged to hear many personal accounts from Holocaust survivors I know. Too many still cannot not speak about what they lived through. Millions never had the chance at all. By itself, the silence of the majority makes Ms. Klein's testimony priceless, like every other personal Holocaust chronicle. So does her reminder not to take anything for granted. So does her gem of a soul. Alyssa A. Lappen

This book was assigned by my English teacher. The first page, i thought of reading it as a chore. After that, i couldnt put it down. i read the whole thing in two days. It was remarkable!! This showed what the Holocaust was really about. The Holocaust wasn't just about the millions of Jews that were killed- it was about real people being killed, real people losing all hope to live, among Gerda. When liberation day came around, it didn't mean much. The very few survivors still had a life to rebuild. Gerda told her own remarkable story of what happened to her. Gerda goes from camp to camp, hardship to hardship, but learning valuable lessons about life in gerneral on the way. This book deserves way more than 5 stars- everyone should read it.

Don't Die, My Love is probably my favorite book ever. (And I've read an awful lot of books in my 10 years.) Anyway, Luke and Julie have been dating since eighth grade. He asked Julie to marry him in sixth and she said "get lost bozo." Now they are in their junior year of high school. Luke has been sick for a while but refuses to get checked out because of money problems. He and Julie fight a little bit about it. She finally convinces him to go to the doctor and they find out that he has Hodgkin's Disease which is a type of cancer. Note: The beginning of the book is a bit boring. But if you get past that it will be worth it because the parts after that are so moving. Julie sticks by him the entire time. A lot more happenes in between all of that but I am not going to say what it is. Here is a description of Julie and Luke: Julie is a high school student who has the guy everyone at school wants. She is a straight A student whose mother is constantly trying to get her focused on applying to colleges. She feels that Julie focuses to much on Luke. Julie is a wonderful character who like any other student is constantly worrying about what to wear and making plans for Friday night. Once Luke is diagnosed with cancer she realizes how much more there is to life than parties. Luke is a football star who in his junior year already has college coaches offering scholarships. His mother works in the steel mills of their town. His father died in a steel mill fall when he was seven. He and Julie plan to get married after they graduate college.

I thought this book was absolutely amazing. I feel so close to the characters and the dialogue is incredible. Don't heisitate about buying this book. You will love it! Great job Lurlene!

Other books to check out by Lurlene McDaniel are Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, Telling Christina Goodbye, Let Him Live and many others.

"Don't Die My Love" is the best Lurlene McDaniel book so far. I've read it five times and I've cried every time. Julie reminds me of what I would do if the guy I was in love with had a deadly disese. The characters make you fall in love with them. It is one of the most sad, romantic, tear-jerking, all around PERFECT books. My friend Brittany and I got stuck on Lurlene's books a couple years ago and haven't been able to stop reading them, plus got most of our friends to read them.

Don't Die My Love is one of the first books I ever read by Lurlene McDaniel. And to this day it is still my favorite. I began reading her books when I was in Middle School and now I am 23 years old and still rereading her books. I am now collecting her series in order to keep them in my classroom when I become a Middle School Teacher. This book helps to teach about Leukemia and also about teenage love. Julie and Luke are very realistic characters. I also believe it's good for teens to be able to read stories that open their awareness. Many of McDaniel's books helped me become more aware of myself and how I treated others. I hope that she continues to extend these messages to young people through her writing. Don't Die My Love is a truly inspirational story.

As a student of Gerontology I was anxious to read this book. I laughed (Jackie is a wonderful writer) and cried as I read about Jake and Mariel Marcell. I found this book to be very insightful and agree that it is a must read for anyone who is dealing with the elderly or even studying the subject. Jacqueline Marcell writes in such a way that the reader cannot help but get caught up in what is happening and feel as though you are experiencing everything she is going through first hand. I applaud her for her strength in dealing with her parents (especially her father!), the many caregivers she had to screen and a system that needs a real overhaul when it comes to dealing with the elderly and what is really needed.

She has gone through a lot and thankfully she is sharing what she has learned with the rest of us by writing this book, creating a website ..., and doing speaking engagements.

I have just finished reading "Elder Rage" and I must tell you what a wonderful book it is! She intersperses her experiences as a caregiver for her elderly parents with considerable humor, so it is an enjoyable easy-read about a most difficult subject. Anyone who has unwittingly become a sole caregiver of parents (despite having siblings) can identify with her trials and tribulations. I also became exasperated with my search for an assistant as I realized my mom's physical and emotional problems were too much for me to face without help. I, too, sought medication for my mother when I realized she had become too difficult to control. If only I'd had this book then! Adult day care and the behavior modification techniques she describes are invaluable tools. This book demonstrates that you are not alone and that help is available if you know where to turn. Jacqueline is one who has truly "been there - done that." The story is riveting, and the self-help section is extensive and so helpful. If you have lived with this situation or think it is coming your way, this book can save your life. Jacqueline's website is filled with valuable resources too.

Anyone who even knows somebody with an elderly parent must read Elder Rage by Jacqueline Marcell. My husband and I couldn't stifle our laughter in Barnes and Noble just reading her table of contents! We were there to do the demographics on our own book and ended up buying hers. We couldn't put it down and bought at least 10 copies for our friends and family who in turn purchased copies for their friends. I have spoken to her on the phone several times and she is just as hilarious in person as her writing depicts. She is a terrific writer and person. You won't be disappointed in the least. Everyone should have their own copy.

Like many other reviewers, I read this book in a few sittings, staying up until the wee hours of the morning, and neglecting my husband and kids (except for reading parts to my 7-yr. old daughter), because I was so involved in Sarah's life. I read it on the treadmill, in the car, making dinner, at work...just couldn't put it down. I love how the story starts, with Sarah's "quaintly uneducated" narrative, watching her prose progress to the likes of a great teacher. I loved all the main characters, especially Jack, Sarah, and Savannah and feel as though I've learned much about life from them. Pioneer women are truly heroes, and I want to know more about them and their incredible experiences.

My eyes have red rings around them today as I totally lost it at the end. I had water coming from every hole in my head and snuck to the bathroom before my husband could see me and make fun of me. I've even begun to cry numerous times just reading these reviews. Jack wasn't perfect but his love and devotion to Sarah and the kids was amazing. I hated the irony of what finally happened to him and was hoping he would stay. The romantic parts of the book were tastefully done, yet I couldn't get enough of those either. I just didn't want it all to end and will reread it immediately, savoring it this time and picking up things I missed before.

Ms. Turner: Thank you for such a riveting work. Please do a sequel! I kept thinking and hoping that Sarah would end up a Professor of Latin at the new University in Tucson. (It was also baffling to me that Sarah didn't explode in anger that her husband opened her test grade, presenting the paper to her as a gift, for her birthday) She's only what, 38 when the story ends, so there's so much left for her to do and share about herself and family! Sam Elliott and Sissy Spacek would have been good for the movie 20 years ago. Now, it's questionable who could carry these characters, but please bring this story to life! Movies are NEVER as good as the books they portray, but bringing this beautiful story to the big screen, even if the movie's not altogether worthy, would be better than nothing at all!

I don't want to ramble on and on about how much I LOVED THIS BOOK, but I've got to say a few things at least. This book was sooo sweet, and was action packed, and made characters seem so real that they jumped out of the page when they spoke. In ways, I know that I can relate to Sarah. I love books with heroes or heroines you can relate to, because they can so easily put your feelings into words. The story is about Sarah Prine, an 18-yr-old Texas-girl who is "pioneering" to Arizona Territory. She suffers lots of hardships, like family memebers dying, friends dying, indian attacks, stuff like that. Well, guarding the wagon train is the handsome(yet one whom Sarah despises)cavalry officer named Captain Jack Elliot who has lost his heart to her. When they settle down in Arizona, Sarah marries an old family friend name Jimmy, entering into a loveless marraige. When Jimmy dies, Sarah is left with her baby named April, when Captain Elliot enters her life again. She finally falls in love with him, and the rest of the book is about their wonderful marraige. But, a word of warning, all you emmotional readers, beware. The ending of this book left me bawling like a baby. It was so heartbreakingly sad!That must mean that the story is really powerful, for I've read lots of saddish books, but this is the only one I ever cried for. I'm not kidding...I literally bawled. Also, I'm glad the book ended when it did, cause I don't think I could bear wondering how Sarah lived on after the tragedy that happens. Anyway, though the ending is really sad, that doesn't mean that this marvelous book isn't worth reading, so READ!

The immediacy of the first person narrative coupled with the author's use of understatement in Sarah Prine's journal thoughts and writings made this one of the best books of the year for this reader. From the first sentence, I was completely immersed in Sarah's world and felt priviledged to meet all the members of her family and to witness her relationship with Capt. Jack Elliot. There are unforgettable men that we as readers all carry in our hearts, and Capt. Jack Elliot certainly deserves to be included among them! These Is My Words is just one of those wonderful, sink-right-in-to-the-book stories...tailor made for a cozy winter weekend reading experience.

I have read the autobiography, I Am Jackie Chan.This book is some three-hundred pages long but good from page one.I liked this book because it was very well written by the person who actually lived it.This book takes you all through the life of a small poor Chinese boy who worked his way up and went on to become a well known movie star.It all started with his living in the emporer's castle, his dad being the cook and his mom the maid.On ascale from one to ten I give it a ten because it kept me interested the whole time and I never wanted to put it down.Jackie Chan had many experiences in his life that we will never have. He attended the school of the Peking Opera in his days as a child.Also a student at the opera was NBC's hit show Martial Law's star, Samo Hung.Jackie started out as a stuntman, constantly searching for work. He became known for his stunts and began getting bigger and bigger pieces of movies,and in more famous movies themselves.If you look carefully you can find Jackie Chan in Bruce Lee's famous movie, Enter the Dragon.(My personal favorite)To sum this all up I'm just going to say that this book is great and beyond a shdow of a doubt well worth reading.

I have been a big fan of his movies, but I did not know much of his personal life other than that he was a former Chinese Opera performer. This book describes his life, from his childhood growing up as the child of a cook and maid to an ambassador in Hong Kong, getting into trouble and having problems with school. It then goes through his ten years of life at the opera academy, and went into great detail to explain the tough life of exercise, training, and rehearsals that went into this. The book goes on to describe his rough start in the movies as a stuntman and his climb to the top, ending with his then current project at the time--Rush Hour.

At first, I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book, but Jackie's honesty and openness about his feelings throughout his life and hardships that he had to go through was very endearing. He admits to being a cocky person when he first tasted success, causing him to lose one of the loves of his life. I really enjoyed reading about his evolution from that person to a more humble, yet ambitious veteran actor which he is now.

For fans of his movies who have seen his bloopers and mistakes at the end of the film, we read how all of the work through his childhood to early stardom to the present has gone into it. I almost felt that I could truly understand what went behind the movie and stunts that we might take for granted.

In any case, this book is a must for any Jackie fan, and is also inspiring as Jackie shows that hard work and a dream can often lead to great things.

I am a fan of Jackie Chan and I read this biography one year ago. When you read this book you almost have a feeling like you are watching a Jackie Chan movie. Normally I do not read so much but when I started to read this biography I could not stop it because Jackie Chan's life was and still is full of action. It is fascinating how he grew up from a stuntman to a very famous filmstar. And it is also interesting how he managed the problems he had in his career when he was younger and not so famous. So if you are a Jackie Chan fan you must buy this biography because it is a "crime" :D if you do not so. Have fun reading the book!

I first met Donny Osmond in 1978 and I've had the priviledge of interviewing him for a magazine article which had as its focus his role as a father and husband. In 1983 I started working for his brother Alan, so I thought this book would just be a fun review of the family I thought I knew everything about. Wow! Did I learn a lot, and I really understand more clearly now who Donny Osmond really is. I've always thought he was kind, gracious, and generous man, but my respect for him has grown a hundredfold after reading his book. Whether you think you like him or not, I hope you'll take the opportunity to see Donny, and the entire Osmond family, in a new, more meaningful light. One of the best biographies I've ever read.

TO THIS DAY, I GET RIDICULED AND LAUGHED AT FOR BEING A DIE-HARD DONNY OSMOND FAN FOR FOR 29 YEARS. PEOPLE TREAT YOU LIKE AN OUTCAST JUST FOR LIKING DONNY. MY FEELINGS FOR HIM HAVEN'T CHANGED SINCE I WAS 7 YEARS OLD. HE IS THE MOST TALENTED AND NICEST INDIVIDUAL YOU CAN EVER MEET. THIS BOOK SHOWS YOU HIS MOST SENSITIVE AND VULNERABLE SIDE AND TRULY MAKES YOU FEEL FOR HIM. I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT SOMEONE WHO HAD SO MUCH AS HE DID, COULD BE IN SO MUCH PAIN. TRULY A MUST READ FOR NOT ONLY OSMOND FANS, BUT EVERYONE. I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE NOT A DONNY OSMOND FAN, YOUR FEELINGS WILL CHANGE DRASTICALLY ABOUT HIM AFTER READING THIS BOOK.

As much as I followed the Osmond Family careers, I read this hoping to find all the rumors to be false. It opened my eyes to how it really was for him in the limelight.
Glad to have the MAN back......the little boy grew up.

As I read this book, I literatly felt sick to my stomach. Alicia Appleman-Jurman was, and is a very courageous woman. Reading about the things she, her family, and all the other people that were tormented, went through was very upsetting to me. At times I had to put the book down and take a deep breath. I am not ignorant to the things that happened in WW2, but I learned alot. Alicia wrote of things that I had never heard before. Her book makes me want to learn more about WW2. We have to learn then, educate the people around us about the Holocaust, and hope that through knowledge, history will not repeat itself. Reading this book is a good start. Alicia: My Story is a good book and I would recomend it to anyone who wants to learn more about WW2.

Alicia Appleman Jurman tells us a truly captivating story that makes us to see her grife throug tearful eyes. Alicia very quickly grew into a resourceful and brave human being. A young survivor has so much courage to live through the holocaust as well as loss her family one by one. Alicia passed through extremely dangerous situations when she was younger than 14 years of age. For a child to survive and fight back is truly awe-inspiring. The world depends on people like Alicia who still are today heroes and survivors from the march and telling the exhilarating story of an epic life and hardships. It helps all of us to know what was done and what happened. This is a truly powerful book, I would recommend to anyone who has never read or know about holocaust.

I have always been interested in the Halocaust, and have read tons of books on it, and this is one of the best. It is a great, true story that really gives you a close up look at how life was to be a Jew during the Holocaust in Poland. Alicia is about a 13-year-old girl whose family is eventually all killed. Her emotions come out through her reading, and she describes tis so well. It gives lots of detail, and is truly a heart-warming story about Alicia. It is a very inspirational book, written by Alicia herself. I would definetely recommend this book to almost everyone. Sad, yes, but it does have some happy parts. A must-read!!!

I am a student in high school, and this book was the most wonderful book I've ever read. I read it in eighth grade, and ever since then I've been trying to find it in hardcover. I found the book to be deeply touching, and while reading it, I actually cried. This book is a must-read for everyone, especially those who are fans of skating. You won't be able to put it down, and once you finish you'll never want to let it go. You'll want to read it over and over again. The story is very touching, about Ekaterina Gordeeva, and her passed husband, Sergei. She starts telling the story from when she was four and continues through until the death of Sergei by a sudden heart-attack, and her struggle to move on in life. It is a beautifully written biography of Sergei and Katia and there never-ending love. It will bring a tear to your eye, and you will never forget it.

This is one of the most wonderful, most touching, most compeling books that I have ever read. It just pulls you in. Once you start reading it, you just can't stop. It's a wonderful explanation of love and life. Ekaterina expresses herself so well in this novel. She tells how she led a fairytale life with Sergei. How he took care of her and sheltered her from the harsh and bitter world. Then when he died, she tells of the extreme loss of herself that she felt, the lonliness, and how she basically had to learn to live again . . . alone. It's like she is right there in the room with you, telling you her deepest, most heartfelt feelings. When you finish reading this book, you, yourself feel a deep sense of loss, because you can tell that the story is not over. No matter how much loss Ekaterina suffered, her life went on. No matter how hard it was, she went on to skate again . . . with Sergei right beside her.

I recommend this book to anyone, young or old. Especially to teenagers like myself, because it teaches so many life lessons that are so hard to explain. It's astonishing how well Ekaterina was able to distinguish her feelings and put them in words in this book to share with all of us. I plan on reading it several times more. I suggest that you do too!

My Sergei, which is a love story written by Ekateria Gordeeva, can be a very powerful book if the message sinks in. I love books that have some type of drama, as well as a twist of love and total romance. My Sergei are Ekaterinas or Katia's words and story of how her skating at age four escalated to pairs at eleven and falling in love with her one true soul mate and partner Sergei. All the trials and happy times are put together to create their love story. When tragedy strikes Katia's dear Sergei on November 20, 1995 her whole world changes. Katia's words are so strong that it is hard to not get sucked into the adventure of their skating life as well as their love story.
My Sergei is a book that shows love for many different things. Any woman who would characterize herself as a hopeless romantic would fall in love with this novel. Anyone who has some sort of passion for something, whether it is a person of for an activity, knows how pushing yourself can change your love forever. The reader has to have an open mind and have a soft attitude about love and romance. In reading this novel, you can even find lessons that you yourself want to apply to your own life. Tears should not be an issue for those reading this novel though. Readers will definitely find him or herself feeling different emotions for a novel they never though they had.

I am not even a science fiction or super-natural fan, but I could not put this book down. All of the usual cliches come to mind: page-turner, edge-of-your-seat suspense,etc. It usually takes several books for a writer to become this good, but Tananarive Due is is a rare and gifted exception.

Only a writer of obvious sensitivity and insight (and a brilliant imagination)could make such an implausible plot seem possible. Let's be real: Who but God is immortal? In our logical mind, we know we all have to die sometime. The author also makes us care about the characters, especially David, despite his often psychotic and socio-pathic behavior. No matter how much you want to hate him, you can't. We understand his desparation to keep his secret, yet we also sympathize with his love for his current family and willingness to behave in a Dr. Frankenstein-like manner to keep his family with him.

I saw room for a sequel in this book. I do hope Ms. Due produces one.

This novel was on my "to read list" for a couple of months before I finally checked it out at the library. I checked it out three times afterward, and finally they said I couldn't check it out! That is when I knew I had to own the book. The story of David/Dawit and Jessica, and the Life Brothers of Lalibela is one of the most compelling stories I have ever read. The characters were so real to me that sometimes I found myself dreaming of them. Tananarive Due is an amazing, gifted writer. It's been a long time since I have read a novel that totally captivated me from the beginning. I get sooo tired of reading the same novels OVER AND OVER again, about people who can't find a man, or people cheating on their mates. The same he/say she say drama that has proliferated black fiction, unfortunately. Here comes Ms. Due, a new voice in speculative fiction, to rescue people like me from boredom! Thank you, thank you! I was there, in Ethiopia and Miami with the characters, all the way! Everyone should read this novel and definitely go see the movie!

For sistah girl's new book and the movie version of these fantastic, outstanding novels! I read them sometime ago and then I went back and re-read them both and they are still as fantastic as the first time. I told everyone that would listen about these books.. My Soul To Keep and The Living Blood! The best stuff!

My Family and Other Animals is a bare-bones story in terms of plot. The Durrell family goes to Corfu, lives through what could be termed as a soap opera, and leaves. It's humourous, but not particularly challenging.

However, the older Gerald Durrell utilises vivid vocabulary over and over when describing the setting and people of Corfu. Fifteen-letter words that paint a crystalline picture are used frequently, relieving the never-ending roller coaster that is the life of the Durrells.

Overall, this is a highly entertaining book that will keep you engaged for the week or so that you will spend reading it every spare second you have.

I cannot remember when I enjoyed reading a book so much as this one. It is about the five years the author (Lawrence Durrell's younger brother) spent living on the island of Corfu as a youngster and budding naturalist. It is full of anecdotes about collecting animals and about the family that delight the heart and tickle the funnybone. His collection of animals includes snakes, birds, furry things. There is a collection of dogs with peculiar names. Theodore Stephanides, a real life person, a doctor who helps Gerald organize his collection in more or less scientific fashion, figures in some of Lawrence Durrell's writings. He was apparently a wonderful and possibly brilliant person. Concerned over the young boy's education, or lack of it, his mother sends him a few times a week to the Belgian consul, who tries to teach him French by reading out of the dictionary, starting with ''A''. Of course he learns no French. The consul spends most of the lesson time shooting mangy cats on neighboring roofs. This is not an act of cruelty: the town is overpopulated by cats and they are mostly ill and dying and spreading disease. Then Mother sends him to a British person with a Slavic surname for lessons in just about everything. This strange looking man has a collection of rare birds and a mother who never leaves her bed but has wonderful fantasies about her own lost beauty. Older brother Lawrence is, of course, a writer still learning his craft. Leslie is the gun expert who builds the youngster a strange boat for use in collecting marine specimens. Margo is the sister who cares for little in life but how she looks in a bathing suit. Spiro is a hefty Greek with a big belly who drives the family around in his car and helps them in unexpected ways, even getting them out of innocent scrapes with police and customs officials. The mother is a marvelously sensible English lady who behaves very properly and cooks up a storm, almost constantly. The author's language and style are elegant, and one gets the sense of looking at the world through the wondering eyes of a young boy, but always with the idea that behind him there is the mature and accomplished writer. Yes, reading this one again next week would not be a bad idea.

After reading Gerald Durrell at school (it was probably "Menagerie Manor"), I was put off reading his books for over 10 years. One of my friends recommended this as a wonderfully cute book about how a young boy perceives the world and his eccentric family and after hearing descriptions of Larry, the (then) aspiring novelist, acne-ridden Margo and gun-obsessed Leslie, how could I resist? It is a beautifully written book of short stories chronicling Durrell's magical childhood in Corfu, with a kaleidoscope of characters ranging from the human to the animal, all drawn with great affection. The stories are often hilarious and this is definitely one you will want to read again. And for those who are put off by too many descriptions of animals, the descriptions here aren't too long (and they are described charmingly, with Durrell attributing human characteristics which are very amusing) and most of the book focuses on his family. Sequels are "Birds, Beasts and Relatives" and "Garden of the Gods".