history

I was only eight or nine years old when the events took place in Burma that are described in Mandalay's Child. The book brought back a lot of recollections from my childhood when World War II began. My parents would take us to the movies on Sunday afternoon and the newsreels would show the terrible destruction of the war and the disruption of lives happening in faraway countries. Prem Sharma has provided a personal insight into what people were going through in Burma because of the Japanese expansion into southeast Asia. The book makes one visualize what it must have been like to suddenly give up a stable and comfortable family lifestyle and flee for one's life regardless of the loss of propery and acquaintances. The author has created a moving adventure about a family's experiences in excaping from Burma only to find themselves after the war's end living the horror of the nationalistic and religious upheaval associated with the independence of India from British colonial power. I highly recommend Mandalay's Child to students and to adult readers as a wonderful story and also as a review of contemporary history. Laurance Geldermann, Hartland, Wisconsin

Mandalay's Child is a novel that is exciting, historical and philosophical. It has appeal to everyone; those who lived through the 1940s and those who wish to immerse themselves in the history of the period. The 10 year old Burmese child sees the evolution of power struggles from the vantage point of a citizen, and the feelings portrayed are poignantly current and painfully true to the headlines we hear today. Her trek through adverse weather and terrain, and through prejudice and cruelty bring to the reader a sense of the micro world that we see as a macro vision through the headlines about thousands of refugees fleeing religious and ethnic persecution. I am not a student of the dates and places and historical events recounted in the book, but it seems that those items were well researched and not fictionalized. This makes the book doubly valuable to history classes and others as a very entertaining and palatable way to devour the chronicle of those times and places visited by the storyteller. "True" fiction has a different flavor in the hands of a talented author. Authors who simply "make up" characters and events and scenes can stimulate the imagination with skill, but when you know the action had to be experienced by the heart and mind of the author, the imagination can actually produce in the reader the sobs of a participant in the drama of each day. The use of flashbacks was very deftly handled, with never a chance of reader frustration or disorientation. The character development was natural, and one simply had the feeling each of the persons one traveled with were members of one's own family. It was hard not to internalize the joys and pains of the people involved! The use of foreign words and phrases added a pungent sense of reality and authenticity, as did the reference frequently to the reaction of all five senses to the action at hand. The psychological exploration into the post traumatic stress syndrome problems of the heroine was realistic and effective, and the tragedy of war and religious fanaticism was reduced to specific feelings and injuries in characters with which one could identify. This, and the loving references to people who accepted the various paths to the mountain top of religious worship allowed the reader to deeply reexamine the conventional wisdom of many prejudices and narrow views concerning people who are different. The story was indeed reality captured in a way that lit the imagination like the flares in the night sky over Mandalay. It was riveting and exciting and even gruesome at times. But it was educational, occasionally romantic, a great story, and it stretched the mind and heart to a new level, challenging our safe and selfish world with a philosophy of kindness toward others and of a greater appreciation for our wonderful differences.

I was born in Burma (post independence era) of Indian Descendants. I would love to read this book but at the same time I am concern that I might get too sad for it would remind me about the Japanese Occupation era in Burma that costed my grandfather's life (for no good reason). May be I will read it someday when I can handle the pain a little better.

Harry Browne continues his wonderful streak of books dedicated to liberty, libertarianism, and the free-market.

In his bid for the Presidency of the United States, he has been ignored by the mainstream media that caters to the pro-government Bush and Gore syndicate. In "The Great Libertarian Offer," Mr. Browne offers countless examples of the federal government's failure to keep promises and the resulting chaos of failed federal programs. After identifying the problems with government, he lists examples of tried free-market solutions that have brought prosperity and freedom to citizens worldwide.

Mr. Browne offers a logical and workable solution to problems that most politicians just ignore or sugar-coat. The great part about this book (and libertarianism) is the fact that this solution is very simple: get the federal government out of our lives.

While exploring this book, readers will pleasantly discover that Libertarian ideas mirror the ideas of our country's founders - ideas of liberty, privatization, and individual responsibility.

Like he did in 1994 with his book "Why Government Doesn't Work", Libertarian candidate for President Harry Browne outlines what he calls the Great Libertarian Offer and how we can achieve it. Browne shows the reader throughout the book how running to government to solve all of our problems ends up doing more harm than good. Browne puts forth a compelling case against big government and offers real and rational solutions to solve the majority of our problems.

Of Course you may not agree with everything he says, which he acknowledges, but the primary concern of reducing the size and scope of government, allowing us to make our own decisions, is something he says we all can agree on.

Though many of the same arguments can be found in 'Why Government Doesn't Work", there is also a host of new information such as Mr. Browne's budget plan, should he be elected, and new and updated material on the "issues" that have dominated this political season.

A quick and easy read for those new to Libertarianism and an excellent refresher/motivator for those already familiar.

This book opened up my eyes. I now clearly see what direction the country needs to head in order to be both free and competive in the world. Bravo, a master piece of facts and conclusions

I first picked up this book when a job change brought us into the Tallgrass Prairie region of Kansas. As it turns out, we settled in Cottonwood Falls, Chase County, Kansas! It was extraordinary to read PrairyErth, knowing that we would soon be experiencing this place first-hand.

There is truly nothing like living in this community and experiencing the sights, places and people described so richly in PrairyErth. William Least Heat-Moon knows this place well, and paints a picture that is as vivid and timeless as Chase County itself. As a "local", I've returned to this book time and time again.

Unfortunately, my job is now taking us away from here. If you've read the passage about Spring Street in Cottonwood Falls, then you know our home. This is truly a beautiful and extraordinary place; unique in the world. If you would like to experience the sense of community that my family and I have been so blessed with, give me a call.

I have just spent 2 days exploring Chase County, Kansas. I had read the book PrairyErth and found myself drawn to explore it for myself.

Driving along I50, I rejoiced at crossing the Chase County border. I had fun exploring the Chase County courthouse, eating at the Emma Chase cafe and meeting folks that have met Heat Moon. Seeing the small towns of Matfield Green, Bazaar and Wonsevu were particularly interesting.

The historical museum in Cottonwood Falls was a highlight for me, Pat, who is one of the volunteers there was extremly helpful and I found everyone I met and spoke too in Chase County as well as the whole of Kansas, a joy to meet and talk too.

I plan to read the book PrairyErth again and relive my 2 days spent in Chase County. I congratulate you Bill on a great book that placed in my soul a want to travel and discover Kansas for myself.

If you want to experience Kansas, with its excruitatingly boring places that slowly creep up on you and leave you blissfully satisfied and in awe of beauty; if you're willing to read long passages of flat text just to discover the beauty of burning fields; I highly recommend PrairyErth.

I grew up in Kansas, about 2 hours from Chase county and was always facinated by the hills, the people, and just the auroa that came from Strong City and Cottonwood falls. After reading "PrairyErth" I am even more mesmorized by the locale.

I have been out of the state for 2 years now, and long to go back. Many friends have complained about the long drives through Kansas, the flat scenery, and boring people. PrairyErth brings to life these flat lands and opens up new worlds of community and life.

For me, reading Moon's book was much like experiencing life in Kansas. I did find some of the chapters long, dry, and dull.. but, that's how some Kansas life is. Moon always concludes these sections with a gorgeous snapshot of the land. He shows us what it is like to be in relationship with the land just as we are in relationship with one another.

He concludes the book with a beautiful journey down the Kaw Trail.
"How do you know when the Prairy is in you?"
"When you see a tree as an eyesore."

in this narrow corner, not one of the great sports books of all time yet still of much interest because it deals vividly with the late, lamented ABA. it seems the ABA was a league 30 years ahead of its time. if it came out today with such colorful stars as connie hawkins, dr. j and even colorful failures like fly williamson and desperadoes like warren jabali and john brisker, it would really catch on with the public. after you get used to the original dumbness of the red, white and blue ball, it seems really nifty, and with the wild, crazy styles of running, dunks and afros, not to mention a bunch of thugs willing to level anybody at anytime, the ABA would be sort of like pro wrestling. Unfortunately, it is never coming back, so you'd better read this book, sit back and imagine Dr. J flying through the air with his giant afro. basketball doesn't get any better.

My nine-year-old son and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although the language is inappropriate for young children at times. Stories were very informative while being extremely funny. The history of the ABA comes alive through interviews and anecdotes by and about some very colorful players, coaches, and team representatives. People "in the know" are extremely open and honest about their experiences in the ABA and involve the reader immediately, from the league's inception to its demise.

All fans of basketball, especially the ABA, will enjoy this tome.

A riotously funny book.

Like many others who grew up in the late 60s/early 70s, I wondered about what was really going on behind the scenes of this "upstart league" that wound up ultimately changing the way pro basketball is played (and not just the 3 pointer either!). Pluto took a great approach with this book, letting the former players, coaches and execs tell their own stories of what really happened.

From the league's start to its ultimate merger with the "enemy," (ie the NBA) it also showcases the successful (Indiana, Denver, Kentucky, San Antonio, NY Nets) and the "flameouts" (Spirits of St Louis, LA/Utah Stars and esp the ill-fated Baltimore Claws and San Diego Sails). It talks about the bidding wars for players, the personalities from each team, and what ultimately led to the merger with the NBA.

This book contains a wealth of humorous and virtually unbeleivable stories about the ABA. What little I did see on TV of the ABA I always enjoyed and finally sitting down to read this book brought back some memories.

There is a "new ABA" now called "ABA 2000," but it's strictly a developmental league. While at times the ABA could be "rinky dink," it was never a "minor league" for the NBA.

If you want to know what the ABA was really like in its heyday, get this book. It's a keeper!

You've read the sweet valley sagas.This one is about Lila's ancestors.It starts off with some of them getting their heads chopped off.

I think most of you can agree when I say we hate Lila Fowler. So when I picked this book up I thought, oh this will about more about people in the past that are complete snobs! Well when I finished this book I thought, why can't Francine Pascal make Lila more like her ancestors! My favorite story was the one of Lili. That made me cry so hard but, I loved how it ended up good for Celeste her daughter! I have read all the Sweet Valley Sagas and hope there are more to come!

If you don't like history, you might be a bit put of by this book, which goes bak in time to the people who come before Lila Fowler. But it's really romantic, and exciting, starting in the middle of the french revolution with my favorite character, Lili. I felt like I could see the people and their surroundings with the great descriptions- and The Wakefield's Of Sweet Valley is just as good. Get it now!

It would be hard to come up with a more obscure topic for a book. The 1913 US Open? Are you kidding? Who wants to read about that? It was only because I heard a positive review of this book over the radio that I even considered picking it up. I am most gratified that I did.

The first section of the book, which discusses both the rise of Harry Vardon to golf superstardom and the childhood of Francis Ouimet, is riveting. Two individuals, raised half a world apart (although in similar economic circumstances) make their way through their respective worlds. It seems totally unlikely that their two paths will ever intersect.

The second section of the book, which covers the qualifying & final rounds for the US Open, was to me a little less engaging, at least until the final playoff round between Ouimet, Vardon, and Ted Ray, where the 20-year-old Ouimet shocked the golf world by defeating the seasoned British professionals. His victory announced the arrival of American golf, and ranks as one of the great upsets in sports history. Ouimet was the first US amateur to win the US Open. The stroke-by-stroke description of the final round is a true page-turner.

The book only bogged down when the author attempts to describe the era in which the game is set. He gushes over Teddy Roosevelt & castigates William Howard Taft, whose term he describes as one of the most disastrous in history. This section not only seems unnecessary, but clearly shows that Frost is not exactly a student of US history. Taft may not be one our great presidents, but his term was not exactly a fiasco. Why Frost spends as many pages ripping into Taft is a mystery to me.

All golfers should read this, if for no other reason than to be humbled by the description of the equipment & conditioins under which these golfers played. In a day of graphite shafts & over-sized heads, where duffers can launch the ball great distances, it is almost inconceivable that men could play with any accuracy with wooden shafts & gutties. One is left with the impression that Harry Vardon would massacre most modern-day professionals if given half the chance. It is very depressing for hackers such as myself, but then one has the example of Francis Ouimet, who reminds us why we love the game so much.

Although I drive past the Ouimet museum every day on my way to work, have contributed to the Ouimet Scholarship fund for caddies for many years and thought I knew all about the 1913 Open, this book was an eye opener for me. Almost everything I thought I knew was incorrect in some important detail, and the best parts of the story were unknown to me until I read this well researched and exciting book.

While I'm not sure that the 1913 Open was the greatest game ever played, I do know that The Greatest Game Ever Played was the best sports book I read in 2003. I heartily recommend it to any golf fan and those who love to read about the underdog rising to the top.

Before discussing the Open, let me comment that this book has a format that most will find unusual. There is extensive background on the origins of golf, the backgrounds of the players, the development of golf in the United States and the social history of the time, as well a lengthy section on aftermaths of the players and individuals involved. You will learn about unexpected subjects, such as how tuberculosis was treated before there were antibiotics.

The story-telling style is in the best tradition of fictional dramatizations. Some of the dialogue is invented. The author indicates that "in employing dialogue to bring these scenes to life, I used source material for direct attribution whenever possible. In its occasional absence I attempted to infer intent from prose or reportage . . . . In rare exceptions, with a dramatist's license, and in the utter want of an eyewitness, I took the liberty of elaborating on those perceptions beyond what I could absolutely verify." It's impossible to know which dialogue material is a quotation and what is invented, so don't take the dialogue too literally. It's like watching a made-for-television movie about the Open. One of the strengths of the dramatization is to capture the psychology of the event in what read to me like realistic terms.

During the matches, there's a tremendous amount of detail about the shots that were taken. I was impressed by the amount of research that went into capturing the drama of the occasion.

If you don't know the story, Harry Varden was the greatest star of his day. He was touring the United States with Ted Ray to earn money and to establish British superiority over the Americans by winning the Open. Before he was done, he would win six British Open championships despite having lost many years due to World War I and his illness with tuberculosis . . . and its permanent effects on his putting. Varden was Ouimet's idol, in fact. Their backgrounds were very similar in coming up as caddies from poor, working class families. Golf had been a game for the privileged rich until a small class of professionals rose up. Ouimet's victory was exceptional in that he played as an amateur and because he was so inexperienced. His victory had large ramifications for the sport in encouraging its further development in the United States and in attracting future stars to the game like Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones.

The venue for the competition was The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Ouimet lived across from the 17th hole and learned to play on three holes that he and his brother built in their backyard. Ouimet got his first golf club by trading used balls he found on the course. Golf fans will be delighted to know that the 17th hole has been important in three major tournaments at TCC, the most recent being the long putt that Justin Leonard made there to win the Ryder Cup in 1999.

To me, one of the most delightful parts of the story involved tiny 10-year-old Eddie Lowery caddying for Ouimet after the first day of qualifying. Eddie was no taller than the bag and had to dodge the truant officer to get to the course. He had injured his foot before the Open and the wound bled through his bandage every day. Anyone who has ever had a young caddy will be reminded of the pleasures of working with a youngster and how that joy adds to the fun of playing.

Mr. Frost is an exceptional story teller, and I hope that he will write other historical dramatizations in the future.

As I finished the book, I realized that I should be sure to look for well researched versions of historical subjects to test my understanding of those events. Otherwise, my beliefs will often be wrong . . . and I will miss out on the drama of the real story.

The greatest golf book ever written.

Author Armin Lehmann possesses a sole right to this book's title, both now and forever. He most probably was the last surviving courier lad available in the Berlin bunker to serve Adlof Hitler, "the Führer". Moreover, Hitler (together with his longtime mistress, Eva Braun, now his last-moment wife) was about to kill himself even as the youth, ignorant of that fact, departed on his final, almost certainly suicidal mission.
For Russian tanks rumbled up the street behind him as he ran for dear life, their guns firing after him ...
Such is the essentially final, certainly climactic scene, set in mid-1945, of "Hitler's Last Courier"; whereas Lehmann's memoirs begin with also often horrifying family scenes, dominated by his overbearing Nazi father, dating from the early 1930s.
The whole 15-year span deserves our study and understanding, for only by realizing the bitterness of such a brutal upbringing can we appreciate the realities of its consequences such as the boy's simultaneous hatred of and avid desire to please his father, and his suceptibility to brainwashing and the acceptance of rank misinformation.
Even as young Armin's perspective outgrew his family's heavy influence, there was precious little relief; for now the state's constant oppression, hypocrisies, and lies could simply take over mastery as the dominant theme in his life, leading even to war.
Our word "incredible" is badly overworked, and for someone like myself, born in 1932 and still able to recall both prewar times and the vast changes that swept over us even in Canada from Sept. 1939 onward - for instance, the loss of my dear cousin Leslie over the English Channel in 1940, and those stabs of fear as German U-boats torpedoed ships and killed men right here in the St. Lawrence River - I unfortunately know all too well how tragically credible this book really is.
Buy the work, then, by all means! - together with such overview works as Sir Winston Churchill's compendious non-fiction series (for its broad perspectives as much as anything) and Erich Maria Remaque's war fiction (for its complementary human insights), if you are able.
I do however hope to see a Second Edition someday, providing photos, maps, and a table of major events during the period covered.
The present edition is a marvel; the next will surely excel, although a roomfull of books would be needed to tell the entire tale of such a massive, far-reaching conflict as World War II.

If you've ever wondered how Adolf Hitler could have gotten the cooperation of all those German citizens, then you should get your hands on a copy of "Hitler's Last Courier."

Armin Lehmann will take you through the childhood of an ordinary German boy (his own childhood) and not just tell you, but SHOW you how this happened.

I found it hard to put this book down, (just one more page - and one more page!) and now that I have finished it, I will never think of Germany, or Germans, the same way again. It is particularly chilling to discover that the Germans of the 1930s and '40s were, and are, just like us - and disturbing to think that we could be caught up in a similar situation, and would likely behave much as as the Germans did in the thrall of Hitler.

Lehmann's account of the final days and hours of the Third Reich is riveting. He was holed up in the bunker along with Hitler and his henchmen, and often sent scurrying across the street - with shells exploding all around him - in order to deliver messages to the nearby radio station.

We have in Armin Lehmann a historical treasure: an eyewitness to the final days and hours of the Third Reich. "Hitler's Last Courier" is the kind of book you want to pass along to your friends and family, and make sure your library has a copy. What Mr. Lehmann has seen and lived through shouldn't be forgotten.

You would -very much- enjoy this book for the following reasons:
* It is very informative. It is a social analysis of the Nazi Germany. You come to understand everyday life in Germany and how they (especially the younger ones) were indoctrinated, why they supported Hitler, even in the desperate final days. "We were willing to forgo our lives, as a sacrifice for Fuehrer and fatherland". "In the great scheme of things, we had been taught, our individual lives belonged to the nation. Not for us to live on, but for the nation to survive".
* It is an easy read. The book was divided into many chapters.
* Well-written. It reads almost like a novel. Other than the historical information, the auther writes about his personal experiences which are not related to history that's being written around him, like the chapter "love and lust". These personal stories don't take away from the book or become a distraction; they add literary beauty.
Overall, very good book.

I recently purchased this cookbook and at first I thought that this was absolutely the best Middle Eastern book I could possibly get my hands on. However, after a few weeks use, I discovered that this book is very biased and does not reflect the true culinary journey through the Middle East. Furthermore, none of the receipes faired well with my favorite Courvoisier.

I would purchase any book by Sonia Uvezian sight unseen! As it turns out, "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen" is one of the most remarkable ethnic cookbooks I have ever come across. Not only is it the best volume by far on the cookery of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, it may well be the most important and valuable Middle Eastern cookbook on the market.

This extraordinary work brims with originality, from the epigraph to the last proverb. It is the author's finest and most personal book yet, filled with the spirit of the land and its people as well as with hundreds of magnificent recipes, many of them not found elsewhere (wait till you try her Meat Soup with Pumpkin, Quince, Apricots, and Prunes and her Potato Kibbeh with Pistachio Nuts and Pomegranate Molasses!). The unparalleled ingredient information alone makes "Recipes and Remembrances" an essential purchase. Uvezian's passion for authenticity, her extremely clear instructions, her creativity, and her sense of humor are all impressive. Her understanding of Middle Eastern cooking is profound, and she has the ability to write about it brilliantly.

One cannot help but love this book. Every recipe is a winner. This is Middle Eastern food at its very best!

Also recommended: "The Cuisine of Armenia," by Sonia Uvezian. Anyone interested in Armenian cooking will want to own this definitive volume of inspired recipes that range from traditional to innovative.

I am a passionate cook and collector of ethnic cookbooks. Even though I own many books on eastern Mediterranean food, nothing had prepared me for the astonishing amount of information and hundreds of magnificent recipes found in this extraordinary study of one of the world's most venerable and healthful culinary traditions. Uvezian, who has made illuminating contributions to cooking literature in the past, has outdone herself with this rare and masterly volume full of observation and insight. The depth and quality of her research are constantly apparent throughout the book's 440-plus pages, which are packed with fascinating culinary history and lore, personal reminiscences, quotations, anecdotes, proverbs, evocative illustrations, essential information on ingredients, utensils, meals and menus, and major holidays, and, of course, the recipes, which are dazzlingly rich in scope. Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen is a unique work that has deepened my understanding of the region's cookery as no other book has. It is filled with invaluable information not found elsewhere, and it sets the record straight on a number of points. I have gained a far better historical perspective of the region's cooking from Uvezian's book than from any other eastern Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cookbook. Her chapter introductions and recipe forewords are almost always much more informative. Her extensive discussions of breads and beverages are unparalleled, as are her chapter introductions to appetizers (mazza), fish and shellfish, grains and pasta, sauces, pickles and preserves, and desserts. The geographical information is also vastly superior. For example, Uvezian gives detailed descriptions of the great garden oasis of al-Ghuta, which nurtures Damascus, and of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, one of the major agricultural and winemaking regions of the entire Middle East. She also includes valuable information about the culinary specialties of numerous regions and towns. The little that has appeared on this subject elsewhere is limited to only a few places such as Damascus and Aleppo so that the reader gains hardly any idea about the range of local specialties. The information on ingredients and beverages found in Recipes and Remembrances far surpasses that available in other books on the region's cookery. For instance, wine has been made and drunk in this part of the world since ancient times (especially in Lebanon), yet Uvezian's is the only cookbook to devote proper space to the subject. Another overlooked item is truffles, which have been an important article of food in Arab cookery for millennia. There is either no mention of truffles at all or only a few lines on them in the other volumes. In contrast, Recipes and Remembrances contains more information on these "diamonds of the table" than all the other cookbooks combined. The same holds true for other ingredients such as grape molasses (dibs inab) and pomegranate molasses (dibs rumman). Uvezian's highly informative entries on these two staples are unmatched. She offers the best material on grape molasses that I have ever come across in any cookbook. Her detailed first-hand description of how it was traditionally prepared in Lebanon is truly fascinating. She also mentions that during her childhood it was made in no less than four different consistencies. In no other cookbook have I read anything like this. Uvezian's outstanding essay on pomegranates (which includes a recipe for pomegranate molasses) corrects longstanding and widespread inaccuracies found in previous cookbooks and magazine articles. This eye-opening section alone is worth the price of the book and will prevent not only many Arab dishes from being ruined but numerous Armenian, Georgian, and Persian ones as well. Recipes and Remembrances also rectifies some other errors found in previous cookbooks, such as mastic being wrongly identified as gum arabic, nigella as black cumin, and soapwort as bois de Panama. A very special feature of Recipes and Remembrances is Uvezian's modernizations and adaptations of several recipes from medieval Arab culinary manuals as well as some highly interesting interpretations of standard dishes. These recipes add considerably to the uniqueness of her book and greatly expand a cook's horizons. The author makes imaginative use of a variety of spices (not just cinnamon and allspice!), herbs, and other flavorings. Many of her variations on traditional recipes invest familiar standbys with born-again interest. For example, her Tahini Dip with Za'atar is an ingenious departure from the norm, as is her Hummus with Red Pepper Paste. A tempting alternative to the usual Aleppan version of muhammara is the Damascene one with tahini, which no other author that I know of has even mentioned! Another outstanding appetizer from Damascus, for which you will not find a recipe elsewhere, is Uvezian's Cheese Dip with Toasted Sesame Seed and Nigella. In addition to superb recipes for such traditional favorites as tabbuleh, kibbeh, musakhan, and baklava, the book includes a number of the author's own creations inspired by the eastern Mediterranean style of cooking. Uvezian's Meat Soup with Pumpkin, Quince, Apricots, and Prunes, Fried Fish with Oranges and Limes, Duck with Apples and Sour Cherry Sauce, and Mulled Pomegranate Wine Punch will be sure to earn you raves from both family and guests. Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen sets a standard that will be extremely difficult to surpass. It is a gold mine of information on the culinary traditions of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Anyone interested in the cooking of the eastern Mediterranean/Middle East would be well advised to purchase this book. There is nothing like it on the market. Were I allowed to own but a single volume on the food of this region, Uvezian's would be the one. If only there were more cookbooks as imaginatively and intelligently written!

This book is a very well written and interesting to read. The only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 stars was because in another book either Owen was quoted on some of the things he did and said that differ from those same things done and said in this book. A good book to read if you are in any way interested in the Korean War.

When preparing to travel to an Asian country on business, I seek context by reading of the wars the U.S. has fought there. When I look in those Japanese, Chinese and Korean eyes, I see the children of old enemies and old friends. While plowing through Fehrenbach's canonical Korean War history, "This Kind of War", I took a break and lost a weekend of yard work to "Colder Than Hell" which I ordered based on the praise given by my fellow Amazon reviewers. My thanks to the other reviewers, for this is a superb first person account of a Marine company fighting it's way up and then back down the Korean peninsula in 1950. Marines of Baker one-seven fought and froze to the death too often, but their sacrifice has let 47 million Koreans in the South build a democracy and learn the meaning of freedom. The price of freedom was huge for Baker one-seven, but the esprit de corps so crisply described by ex-Second Lt. Owen carried his Marines from hill to hill. This is an excellent book and a must read for fans of first person stories of war and sacrifice.

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir. By Joseph R. Owen. Reviewed by Mike Davino

Army Korean War expert Lieutenant Colonel Roy Appleman has called the 1st Marine Division of the Chosin Reservoir campaign "one of the most magnificent fighting organizations that ever served in the United States Armed Forces." The remarkable and inspiring story of the division at the Chosin Reservoir has been the subject of numerous books and several films. During their fighting withdrawal, the Marines decimated several divisions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army while at the same time fighting an exceptionally harsh winter environment.

Joseph Owen's new book on the subject tells the story from the cutting edge perspective of a rifle company. The author served as a mortar section leader and rifle platoon commander in Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines from its activation in August 1950 through the Inchon-Seoul and Chosin fighting where he was severely wounded.

There are many reasons given for the outstanding performance of the Marines in northeast Korea during the winter of 1950. It is clear from this book that a large measure of the credit goes to the Marines and their leaders at the small unit and rifle company level.

Owen's narrative covers the hasty activation and training of the company, its brief participation in the fighting north of Seoul after the amphibious assault at Inchon and the details of its intense fighting at Chosin. He candidly discusses the mistakes made by the leaders and Marines of Baker Company, to include his own. More importantly, Owen covers what they learned from these mistakes and how they used that knowledge to defeat the Chinese in a series of intense actions.

Although focused at the company level, the author frames his story with the overall conduct of the campaign. Refreshingly, unlike many books about the Chosin campaign, it is free of partisan sniping about the contributions made by the various services involved. Owen gives credit to the Army units that fought at Chosin as well as the contributions of naval and air forces and our British allies.

This book is rich in lessons about small unit leadership, training and combat operations. It is an excellent addition to the personal narratives on the Korea War.

I think most of the reviews written before have said enough about how well this book bring out the brutual nature of the Japanese captivity. I believed that Gavin Daw did an excellent job in this book and it probably a must read account for everyone.

To most Allied POWs, their treatment at the hands of the Japanese must be shocking, unthinkable and utterly humilating. It was also quite deadly as well. The book revealed all this very nicely and with shocking details. Its not for the weak of heart here. These men were taken prisoners by an troops who don't believed in surrendering as long as their nation was at war, thus these Allied POWs were often looked upon as cowards, unsoldier-like or subhuman insects by their captors. And they were treated as such. Looking back on Japanese own military history, their many civil wars they fought against each other, I would considered it as a near mircle that they took prisoners at all!!!! I think what really hurt the POWs was that the Pacific War was a racist war, where both sides have basically reduced each other to a subhuman level and thus, the Allied POWs were treated as such. Such as Henry Wirz, infamous commandant of Andersonville, no longer look at his Union prisoners as human beings, Japanese captors did the same and result was a horrifying sense of holocaust of the Allied POWs during the Pacific War.

A great book overall, a book that will preserved the horror of war for the men who experienced it and for folks like me to learned from it. Man inhumanity to man, whether bayoneting a helpless, straving POW or firebombing a grade school from high above, there are no rules in war!!!!

This book should be required reading for all Americans. So many people here think WWII was a glamorous, "good" war, when in fact it was horror and brutality beyond imagination. Perhaps the movie 'Private Ryan' will wake up some Americans to the horrors of war, but Daws' book shows that the war against Japan was infinitely more barbaric. The evidence of the Japanese atrocities against Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Dutch, Australians, and British is INESCAPABLE! Compare the mortality rates of Allied prisoners in German POW camps to those of the Japanese camps. I have studied military history for many years, and this is the most horrifying account of brutality I have ever read. It is criminal that because of the emphasis on the Nazi Nuremburg trials, many war criminal Japanese were able to escape justice. Even more perverse is the fact that a number of these war criminals now hold prominent positions in Japan today, and DENY JAPAN's ATROCITIES! Many Americans may have heard the words, "Bataan Death March," but until you read Daws' account, you HAVE NO IDEA what those Filipinos and Americans suffered at the hands of their Japanese captors. This book will make any free person wake up and realize how precious life is. This book has BEEN NEEDED FOR 50 YEARS!!

This work is one of many I have recently explored in my quest to understand the experiences of my Father-in-Law as a survivor of 42 months captivity at the hands of the Japanese. The author has done a great job at pulling together many of the stories which echo the feelings voiced by many of the USS Houston survivors (of which my father-in-law is one). The research is excellent and the insight is crystal clear.

I strongly recommend this work as mandatory reading for all aspiring servicemen and women, as well as for all those politicians out there who are eager to send our men to battle. War and the outcomes of war are never as planned. Misconceptions regarding the enemy and the society we are fighting can lead to huge blunders on both sides.

Warning however, this book is not for the faint of heart. The truth it portrays is hardly pretty.