history

Walter Harding was one of the greatest Thoreau scholars. His annotations include explanations of puns I hadn't understood, sources of quotes and references in the text, and information about Thoreau's time. I also learned that one of my favorite places in Concord was referred to by Thoreau as Fairyland Pond.

The book also includes a map of the area in Thoreau's time, reproductions of HDT's manuscript pages, drawings and excerpts from his journal, and his map of Walden Pond with water depths he determined.

I wouldn't say the book is perfect--there are still a few obscure references without notes, and some notes for points that are obvious--but it's as close as anyone is likely to come.

Be sure to also read Harding's The Days of Henry Thoreau, a great biography.

Undoutedly <>is a great book for every nature lover .In this eligent edition you will surprised in such considerations that pulisher had made,the lovely dark green hard cover and gorgeous essays by Thoreau were fit author's initial intents of his writting.I read <>for more than three times,this special book could popular for hundred year because of its humanity remedied most of people's madness and negetive thoughts.<> surely is not a personal expirence,mostly reflected the goodness among the nature ,human and poetry.

When I first heard about this author in one of my classes, I felt that it was the most boring pices of information that I haveever heard. But, when I started to actually lusten to what he was actually saying it really got me thinking. I was the only onbe in my class that actually understood what he was saying in his stories. His writing has got me thinking different ways on everyday situation. I had never thought that I would start to think like this. His writing has got me to see things different than I ever thought that I would. What he did in his life is cool, going to live at a pond all by himself for about 2 years and find the essintials of life, is brilient. In resistance to civil government, I had never read better writing in my life. When he had to spend a night in jail and realized that it was not even a hard punishnment, for not paying his taxes. There are really no words that I can use that can explain my love for his writing, because it has just moved me to no end. I really wish that I could have been alive when he was so I could have gotten to know him better.

Warfighting was written with the intent of informing Marine Officers about the Commandant's vision of what Marines should think about combat. This manual is about more than just conducting military operations; it sets forth the framework for success in all endeavors. Completely lacking in detail, this manual puts forth ideas that encourages the reader to fill in the details themselves. Whether you are fighting a war of mobility or planning an upgrade for your company's IT infrastructure, Warfighting suggests the mindset that you should have to create success. If you are looking for a step-by-step tutorial on success, please buy a book written by a consultant. Warfighting is meant for people who value adaptability, creativity, personal initiative, and the ability to improvise to overcome obstacles as they present themselves, not people who fear uncertainty.

When General Al Gray became Marine Corp Commandant in 1987, he did a lot of things that shook up the high command of the Marines. He did a lot of things a lot of people didnt like. One of the things he did was try to shift the Corp's focus away from cold war style centralized chain of command warfighting styles to a more decentralized, "maneuver warfare" style of combat. Many of his ideas were based upon Sun Tzu "The Art of War" and his experiences fighting the Asian communists in Vietnam, who thought and fought totally differently than the American military did.

"Warfighting" is a direct result of General Al Gray's tenure as commandant of the Marines in that "overhaul" period from the late eighties thru the early nineties. I found this book to be outstanding and would recommend it to anybody whether they are in the military or in the business or legal world. Its a way of thinking...a state of mind. Its truly well written.

The basic codeword for this book is "decentralized." It preaches that every Marine is a leader, down to the lowliest enlisted man. If a Marine sees an opportunity to effectively engage an enemy, he should not do the old style, centralized chain of command mode of operation of requesting "permission" and passing it up thru the chain of command and waiting for a reply to come back down. Rather than waiting for orders to come down thru the chain of command, junior Marines should instead seek out weaknesses and gaps in the enemy on their own, whereever they can find them and exploit them using their own initiative. He should just make a decision on his feet, in the location he is in and as the Nike commercial says "just do it."

In other words, it preaches a warfighting philosophy of operating on your own, without micromanagement from above. Having to constantly ask permission thru a bureaucratic, centralized chain of command and making a lot of requests is simply not a part of the maneuver warfare fighting philosophy.

I would recommend reading Sun Tzu "The Art of War" before reading this book. You will get more out of it if you read Sun Tzu first.

Eric

Warfighting offers the capstone examination of the American way in battle- of how free men structure themselves to achieve victory against the enemy. And unlike many military treatments, this manual offers a host of ancillary applications for life: anyone who is part of a team would benefit from Warfighting's maxims. The brief, yet penetrating historical analysis of the Grant v. Lee campaigns of the American Civil War justifies this book. The logical dissection of purpose, strategy, tactics and leadership make Warfighting what I consider to be an essential text in any thinking person's library.

The ideas in this manual represent not only guidance for military success, but for thinking and acting in general.

In July of 1965, Naval aviatior Jeremiah A. Denton was shot down over North Vietnamese territory and taken as a prisoner of war. When Hell was in Session details the harrowing experiences faced by Denton and many other United States prisoners of war in Hanoi.

During his seven and a half years in captivity, quite a bit of that time spent in solitary confinement, he was subject to horrific tortures and treatment that the average person could only experience in their very worst nightmares. It is readily apparent that Denton was a very brave and honorable man with an iron will when he resisited his jailors at every turn. Furthermore, it is a testament to his courage and character that he chose to relive those horrifying years in his mind to be able to write this book with so much detail.

Even though this book is only 182 pages, its contents are probably one of the best eye-witness accounts you will read of an American held in Hanoi's infamous Hanoi Hilton prison complex. I've read quite a few books on U.S. captives in Hanoi and this one is at the top. Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in this subject material.

About five years ago, I picked up Denton's book with intentions of quickly skimming through it- I was hoping to grasp enough of it to write a report on it for my high school history class. But after reading just the first chapter of it, I knew that there was no way I could just skim through it. Denton's experience is rivoting- absolutely gripping and heartwrenching that at times I read through it with eyes blinded by tears. I could not put it down. Upon completion, I was left with a feeling of overwhelming pride and passion for my country, and with a sense of awe and admiration for our Vietnam POWs. Jeremiah Denton is a courageous man and an extraordinary role model- even in dire circumstances he stood by his country with so much love and determination that even in the face of death, he did not falter. I have read his book many times (since that first time five years ago), and every time I read it, I find something new- some glimmer of hope in the terror that held him captive for so many years. Denton's book is truly a masterpiece- a song of freedom and a narrative of patriotism so strong that it challenges the hearts and minds of it's readers to remember that we live in a such a blessed country- the land of the free.

This book was an eye opener. I respect every uniform I see now, and have the upmost pride that those that were POWs are one of my own and beam at their bravery. My favorite quote comes from this book. He states it at he end of the book after he has come home and went through hell on earth, EVEN then he still has pride in his country. It was like he justified his beatings, and starving, and psychological beatings in one statement, "A nation is only as strong as the collective strength of it's individuals." Blew me away! Great book, I'd advise anyone that has pride in being an American to read this book and appreciate he is one of ours. For that matter, I'd advise someone who doesn't have pride in the United States to read it and learn what that Freedom of Speech they use so often costs.

I'm only half done, but agree that this is a great way to learn about the history of Atlanta, race relations, and politics. You know that Pomerantz is a good writer when he can even make Ivan Allen's privileged, silver spoon in mouth upbringing look interesting. The Ivan Allen part of his book almost makes me feel like I'm a part of the Northside Drive old Atlanta aristocracy, but then I snap out of it and remember that I'm not a WASP and Bob Woodruff didn't give me a gift of 25,000 shares of Coke when I was starting out. Also never knew who JW Dobbs was, even as I rode my bike up and down Auburn Avenue. Great read.

I knew Atlanta in quite a different way. This book has opened my eyes to how the city became what it is today and gave me a wonderful historically accurate picture of the people who build the city. This should be a must-read for anybody connected with the city or anybody interested in how race relations affect the building of any city. I was thrilled when I recently drove thru Atlanta and saw an exit off of interstate 75 south for the "John Wesley Dobbs Ave." and felt like I was part of history too after connecting some things in my family with events in this beautifully written book. This book also gives me hope that all human beings can strive together to make the future of Atlanta even greater than the past. This book was good on so many levels and touched so many different issues: Historic, human, socioeconomics, I can't begin to describe how much I liked it with the poor words at my disposal. I can say READ IT!

An excellent, wonderfully written epic of The City Too Busy to Hate, rendered all the more poignant by the nearly simultaneous deaths last summer of its two main characters, former mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson Jr.

Even if you're not a fan of Edith Wharton or Henry James novels, there is something for everyone in this book. Almost of all of the book is about American and English society during the Victorian period. The authors went out of their way to make the vast amount of material easy to read and very entertaining.

The differences in the upper class of both countries are contrasted in life styles, art, architecture, travel, marriage and courting customs.

This book is wonderfully presented with sidebar articles, minibiographies, drawings and photographs. It was a pleasure to read.

"To Marry An English Lord" may sound like a how-to guide, but it is really one of the most fascinating history books on the English Peerage ever written. This book specifically follows the migration of rich American girls to England and, subsequently, to marrying a member of the English peerage. It also reveals life in both England and America at the dawn of the 20th century. This book contains the most fascinating and seldom-explored facts from the period, and really takes an in-depth look at the everyday lives of the privileged during the Gilded Age. If for nothing else, buy this book for the pictures! With cartoons, photographs, maps and paintings, you get a visual guide to the period. This book is so well organized that practically every page gives you detailed information on a specific subject, and a picture to illustrate it. Most pages also have small factoids that are some of the best parts of the book. Certainly the best part of the book is how it follows a few American heiresses throughout the book, which really makes you care about the 'characters' and gives you the full story: from start to finish. If you love Victorian/Edwardian history, or the English Peerage, you will absolutely love this book. I refer to it almost once a week and enjoy re-reading it whenever I have some spare time!

Those few of us who have wondered why in the world a comfortable, cosseted American girl would want to marry an Englishman and live in a cold climate in an even colder stone castle will find answers here, even if the answers aren't satisfactory to the modern ear.

Think of it: wealthy American society girls, products of generations of men and women who gave lives and fortunes to escape a Royalist society, thought it a worthy investment of their lives, loves and wealth to buy an English title in the form of a husband. It's understandable that men who have no money and are saddled with huge estates and titles with no way to support themselves "in the manner to which they have become accustomed" would search out these women. It's another matter to understand the women, especially if they were bright and energetic (like the fabled Jenny Jerome).

Of course the first women to get involved in this weird method of social climbing didn't realize what was involved. (Though why American society decided that an English title was important in the United States, especially if it could be bought with money, still escapes me.) The problems included loveless husbands who paid little attention to their wives and carried on affairs; cold and drafty castles into which Papa sank tons of money to no avail as far as comfort was concerned; families who refused to accept them in spite (or because) of the fact that they provided the money to keep the lifestyle intact; servants who often were sulky and rebellious ("but we've ALWAYS done it that way"); children they handed over to nannies. The first brides must have kept the hardships and loneliness from the succeeding generation, for the rage for English titles prevailed from the mid-19th century almost through the mid-20th century.

TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD is a fascinating and complete look at these women and the lives they led. Illustrations showing the homes and households of the times and how they operated, fashions, maps, photographs of the women and their friends, families and husbands all combine to present the core of that particular section of society in that particular age.

The book is meticulously researched and includes a bibliography, a register of American heiresses, a suggested walking tour of the women's London and a very handy index. It's built around the stories of these women and the men who wooed and won them. Who they were, what they did and what the consequences were -- all adds up to an intriguing and fascinating read.

The story of B. Traven is as fascinating as any of his novels. A resident of Acapulco, Mexico, who wrote in English, he carefully clouded the issue of his real background, so that for many years he was believed to be one Berick Traven Torsvan, from Chicago, IL, and some even believed him to be Ambrose Bierce. It is still not possible to say with certainty who he actually was, but the best available evidence indicates that he was Ret Marut, a revolutionary anarchist who fled from Germany in the wake of the failure of the post-WWI revolution. This supposition at least has the advantage of squaring with the radical-Left political tenor of his novels, the most famous of which is Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

This is one of those books which has become inseparable from its better known movie version--it's probably impossible to read the story without picturing Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. As anyone whose ever seen the movie (which hopefully means everyone) will know, Dobbs is a down-at-the-heels American looking for work in the Mexican oil fields. He and Curtin, another roustabout, have idle dreams of getting rich quick, but it's not until they join up with the aged gold prospector Howard that they actually head into the Sierra Madre mountain range to find their fortune. It is Howard who enunciates Traven's political message and forecasts the plot of the tale :

[G]old is a very devilish sort of thing, believe me, boys. In the first place, it changes your character entirely. When you have it your soul is no longer the same as it was before. No getting away from that. You may have so much piled up that you can't carry it away; but, bet your blessed paradise, the more you have, the more you want to add, to make it just that much more. Like sitting at roulette. Just one more turn. So it goes on and on and on. You cease to distinguish between right and wrong. You can no longer see clearly what is good and what is bad. You lose your judgment. That's what it is.

Perhaps this too argues for Traven's Germanic origins, for sure enough, they do find gold, and within short order the men are acting like creatures out of the Brothers Grimm or the Ring of the Nibelungen, with predictably horrific and tragic results.

Traven's point here, though grounded in everything from Genesis to Teutonic myth to Marxism, is ridiculously utopian. It is not gold (or materialism generally) that makes men act like animals; filthy lucre is merely one more thing to fight over; but food, land, mates, beliefs, skin color, language, etc., serve equally well to make men lose their judgment. In this sense, the novel is horribly dated, obviously a product of a time before we'd seen just how evil socialism would turn out and the degree to which right and wrong would cease to be distinguishable to the practitioners of the anti-materialist ethos.

On the other hand, the awesome power which Traven confers upon gold, to corrupt the human soul, and the harkening back to ancient myth, somehow serve to give the novel a quality of timelessness. Read simply as a meditation on greed, it's hard to see how Traven's core message could ever be out of date. There's a whole lot of Dobbs in all of us; let's try to avoid his fate, eh?

GRADE : B+

Traven deserves recognition as one of the great social novelists, right next to Stienbeck and Orwell-anyone who wonders why need only to read this, his most well-known work (thanks to the film by John Huston). Traven's story is a simple enough tale of how greed can corrupt men, but his intimate portrait of the social conditions which brings this about is what makes the book special. Set in Mexico between the two World Wars, it starts with a destitute American vagabond who's reduced to begging for his meals. He joins up with another American to work at oil camps, only to be exploited and cheated out of their pay. Eventually the duo team up with an old prospector and head to the hills to seek gold.

When they do find some gold, it gradually begins to corrupt them like some cursed treasure from myth. Even though the old prospector warns the two younger men at length of what gold can do to men's minds, paranoia and obsession slowly infiltrate the men's heads. While the men's encounter with bandits is one of film's most famous moments ("Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges!"), many other predators lurk in the dusty Mexican landscape. Traven's familiarity with the area is one of the elements that makes the book so strong, as he is able to capture the textures and smells of the mountains and bring them to life. As the story plays out, Traven seems to reveal a strong belief in karma or cosmic justice of sorts and in the end, only the indigenous Huichol Indians emerge as wholly admirable people.

The movie is of course famous, and deservedly so. It is one of one of the very best films made during perhaps the peak period of the Hollywood studio system. The direction, cinematography and peformances are all flawless. But sadly, very few people seem to even realize that it was adapted from a novel. Even fewer have read it. And this is truly a remarkable novel. The mysterious B. Traven (there were two nonfiction books published about trying to uncover his true identity) writes with passion and power. His portrayal of Dobbs' descent into madness is one of the great psychological character studies in all of fiction. His descriptions of the Mexican people and landscape all have the ring of truth. (Probably no author has ever so successfully immersed himself in a foreign culture. It is hard to believe that he is not himself a native of this land.) He makes the minute details of prospecting into something fascinating. And even through extended discourses on a range of subjects from desert topography to the Mexican lottery system to the horrific treatment of the indiginous people by the Spanish colonists, he never loses the thread of the story. And he is above all else a master storyteller. Comparisons to Steinbeck, Jack London, Dickens come to mind. Add to that the psychological depth of a Dostoyevsky and the crusading spirit of an Upton Sinclair. So even if you've seen the movie, don't miss out on this novel. It is one of probably only a few cases in which a great novel was made into a great film, and each stands on its own as a masterpiece. (I can think of "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Wuthering Heights" but not too many others.) And then go on to read the rest of Traven. The grim realities of which he writes may be strong medicine for some, but there is an underlying love of the underdog and faith in a better future that shines through.

This is avery informative guide and will appeal to those who know "something" about jazz, but really don't know that much about specific eras or classic jazz artists. The book does not include some important players, but such a thing is not avoidable. My only concern was the lack of consistent referencing of classic or otherwise notable recordings. In some chapters, Giddins provides titles and record lables, as well as choice cuts. In others, he'll say something like "Ella Fitzgerald's classic 1945 recording" and its up to the reader to see if any of the 400 available Fitzgerald recordings might be the one.

I had some thoughts of using this as a text in a jazz history course, but it's probably better suited to jazz aficionados and "adult" learners (I tend to attract 18-year olds). Giddins may very well be the best jazz writer on the present-day scene, admirably carrying on in the tradition of Martin Williams, Leonard Feather, Gunther Schuller and Nat Hentoff. The sketches, retrospectives and evaluations in this collection are guaranteed to inform as well as provide fresh perspectives on things already known. Perhaps Feather and Hentoff are better at providing some of the first-hand personal information that helps a reader join the music to the musician, the musician to the human being. The making of this music does not come without great physical risks and costs, and it's always fascinated me how jazz artists have come to terms and compensated for weakened chops (Diz), altered timbre (Sarah), or a foreclosing mortage on one's time (Duke). Perhaps it's to his credit that Giddins avoids the merely anecdotal along with amateur psychologizing, though such details can often spell the difference between the glimpse that is insightful and the one that is memorable.

I have always been interested in jazz but I was intimidated by it. The wonderful thing about Giddins's writing is the way it draws you into the music and makes you want to listen; also the incredible range of music discussed, from Jelly Roll Morton to Joshua Redman with excursions into singers, songwriters, and other people ("sidesteppers" Giddins calls them) who have influenced or been influenced by jazz. The chapters on musical humor--specifically Fats Waller and Spike Jones--are a revelation. Giddins has the ability to analyze a solo note for note and keep you enthralled; when you finally get the record, you hear it in a different way, for example Armstrong's Tight Like That or Coleman Hawkins's One Hour or Dizzy Gillespie's Manteca or Sarah Vaughan's Thinking of You, and dozens of others. By the time you get to the book's last three words--"Jazz is everywhere"--you feel that Giddins has more than made the case for the universality of this music. This is a great book.

Former Congressman Bob Mrazek has done a superb job with "Unholy Fire" following his wonderful first Civil War novel, "Stonewall's Gold." Here is a terrific page turner filled with the horrific stories of the underbelly of corruption and intrigue during Lincoln's presidency. For once the reader is not bombarded with the righteousness of the Union struggle but instead is given an underground tour of the many unfit "military" minds of the Union army combined with the crisp storytelling style and historical accuracy we have come to appreciate from Mrazek. There is much here to savor for both Civil War buffs and anyone looking for a satisfying read. For those Civil War aficiandos out there ... there are overtones here and there of Abel Jones in the wonderful Owen Parry books to be found in Mrazek's best detective narrative. What surprised me the most here is how Mr. Mrazek was able to change his approach from his first novel. The adventurer in him is still very apparent but in many ways this book is much more of a "grown-up" read. There is something for everyone here! One can only hope that there will be many more books to come from Mr. Mrazek! Thank you Congressman ... we still miss you in Huntington, NY!

Mr. Mrazek has once again produced an excellent example of unique historical fiction. I have looked forward to my next opportunity to experience his work since I read his previous book, "Stonewall's Gold." I was not to be disappointed. Furthermore, in many ways, I found this storyline to be even more intriguing.

In support of those previous statements, I would note that Robert Mrazek holds a gift for expressing uncommon levels of detail through his storytelling skills. The resultant product of his efforts is embodied in this outstanding work, which holds both great richness and depth. Indeed, it provided me with the page-turning experience that I enjoy so well.

This tale is set at the beginning of the Civil War (a.k.a. War Between the States or War of Northern Aggression for some of us below the Mason Dixon Line). The story is woven around a young Federal officer who is first exposed to the horrors of war during one of the initial engagements of the conflict, at a place known as Ball's Bluff. True to Mr. Mrazek's talent for unearthing previously unexcavated elements of Civil War fiction, a departure from the expected norm of the genre followed. My hopes were rewarded, as I was subsequently treated to an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at personal struggles, Washington politics of that era (or perhaps any era), and the character of prominent and not-so-prominent military and civilian personalities that molded those early days of war. In deference to future readers' pleasure, I will not divulge elements of the plot that pull these seemingly disparate pieces together, but will instead suffice to say that it was most unique by my experiences. I should also mention that the wrap-up to the ending was quite unexpected.

In summary, I would gauge Mr. Mrazek's book as a "must read" for lovers of historical fiction.

A master storyteller and a masterful work of suspense, mystery, love, and heroism. What an enormous pleasure it was to read this book. With the deft strokes of a Wouk or Vidal at their best, Mrazek captures the mood and spirit of Washington during the Civil War and puts the reader squarely in the middle of a wonderful tale. The characters come alive on the page, both those who actually lived, and those I only wish had lived, including the most beautifully etched Lincoln I've seen realized in fiction. A very special novel.

This is the best combat memoir I've ever read--any nation, any war, any service. "Raz" sweeps the reader along, from his terror-plagued flight to the war in the coach seat of a 707 jetliner, to the still-terrifying but now-routine flights over North Vietnam in a Republic F-105 Thunderchief. These were missions so perilous that by some measures a pilot had a 50/50 chance of not completing his tour. Raz doesn't blink at any of it--not his own fear, not the bone-headed rules of engagement--and in the end he goes back for another tour. Why? He loved it. I especially liked the dustcover photo: Raz is a more handsome man now than he was at 23, and his "bulletproof" mustache is fuzzier. This is a wonderful book. Buy it. You won't be sorry. -- Dan Ford

In "When Thunder Rolled", the reader does not receive the image of Ed Rasimus as a macho-type fighter pilot. In fact, he actually was thinking of quitting after only one mission. Despite these thoughts, his fear, and idiotic rules of engagement, he completed 100 missions over North Vietnam in an F-105 Thunderchief against some of the most formidable defenses our pilots have flown against. In 1972, he returned for a second tour flying the F-4 Phantom. Truly a remarkable individual.

After I read this book, I wrote a letter to the author recommending he expand his last chapter into another book.

As it turns out, Mr Rasimus and I were at the same base at the same time, although I don't think we ever met. At the time, before the Air Force got ECM pods, F-105 losses were staggering. Sometimes several per day were shot down. At one point the odds of surviving a single mission to the Hanoi area were at best 1 in 4. That means that for every flight of four planes that went into the area, AT LEAST one would be shot down. Sometimes all four were lost, but when you took off in your flight of four, you KNEW that one of you wasn't coming back.

Mr. Rasimus does an outstanding job of describing the political climate and the matter of fact way that he and his fellow pilots went about doing a dangerous job with unsuitable equipment under ridiculous rules of engagement (e.g., you must never attack a SAM site unless it attacks you first).

Every morning my alarm clock was the boom of the afterburners of the morning strike taking off. We flew against the same targets every day at the same time from the same direction. I don't know where our biggest enemies were: in North Vietnam, in Moscow, or in the Washington DC mission planning groups.

Anway, this is a great book and a welcome addition to the collection of knowledge of how wars should and should not be fought. I know that writing accurate history is difficult, tedious and fraught with emotion, but I sincerely hope the author accepts my suggestion to add to our sum of knowledge from his first-hand perspective.

While I appreciated Epstein's attempt to write her family's history in terms of women and she is certainly not a bad writer, I found myself put off from the story by Epstein's attempts to appropriate the past for herself. At one point, detailing the unhappiness of her great-grandmother in a Germanic-speaking country during the end of the 19th century, Epstein conjectures that this ancestral unhappiness, passed down to herself, is the main reason why she herself never enjoyed learning German in school (in this passage, Epstein fails to mention the perhaps more obvious reason that her reluctance to master the language could be tied to the fact that Hitler's Germany nearly obliterated her family during the Holocaust.) In addition, Epstein tells her readers that her mother left a fascinating memoir of her own experiences in Auschwitz (unfortunately rejected by publishers at that time). Instead of allowing this work to speak for itself, Epstein dilutes the story's power by telling it through a second hand perspective. Even though the book is obviously meant to discuss Epstein's search for her mother, rather than her mother's story, I believe that Epstein could have dealt with her material much more successfully.

A far better treatment on this theme is Julie Salamon's Net of Dreams.

I was going to go to Prague (didn't make it, but that's another story) and a friend said to me, "I read this book *after* I went and I wish I'd read it *before*."

Well, as I said I didn't go to Prague, but I did read the book. It sucked me in and held me all the way through.

I not generally generally wild about literature that focuses on the Holocaust. But this book is really a lot more than that. It's part history, part detective story, part memoir. I found it gripping, engaging and moving.

Although this book has a slow start with a lot of historical information, once you get to the Holocaust section, you will not be able to put this book down. I read it while in Vienna and after I visited Prague. I felt so connected to my surroundings and the author that I literally felt like I was in the book. Makes the enormity of the Holocaust personal and understandable. A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!