1 comments about My American Education.

1. I was not very satisfied with my purchase of this so-called "book." It seems as though the author wanted to write a book but did not want to dedicate the time. On the positive side, the author did find a good way to keep his old homework assignments from gathering dust.

3 comments about Forgive Us Our Senior Moments.

1. Walter A. Atkinson is brilliant. Not only does he compare the simple life of the 30's, 40's and 50's with wit and the comedic wisdom of a Will Rogers, he makes the comparison with today's society and drives a conservative knive into the heart of the misguided liberal agenda. I loved this book! Atkinson had me rolling on the floor with laughter only to make me stop, reflect and realize that, yes by golly, he's right. How in the world DID we get from there to here? How did it happen in such a short period of time? Even if you can't remember what it was like during a time of elderly respect, manners, REAL movie stars, true heroes, and a grand life style even without credit cards and cell phones, you'll be transported back to those days with many a smile and an occasional grumble. There's another reason I cherish these recollections; BECAUSE I'M IN THEM!



2. ýIn the [19]40s we were raised on B flicks about war, espionage and westerns . . .
   didnýt care about dialogue or structure. . . . A sub-plot . . . was either a German U-boat
   movie, or subsidence at the cemetery. We didnýt know from subtle emotions to
   pie-in-the-face. Every spy movie . . . used . . . the same actors to play the same characters.
   We never got enough of them.ý Thus writes Walter A. Atkinson railing against the demise
   of yet another sub-culture from ýhis good old days of yore.ý Forgive Us Our Senior
   Moments is Atkinsonýs first book and he has fun with it. Itýs one manýs interpretation of
   America--how it used to be and how it is today. The writing is droll and delightfully
   sardonic, with a touch of nostalgic, old-fashioned patriotism thrown in for good measure.
   One can almost feel Atkinsonýs perverse glee as he takes his forty year supply of ýprivate
   gripes and wisdom pearlsý and just ýlets it rip.ý Truly a volume on senior reflection and
   opinionated thought, these essays connect practically every social problem in America
   today to a self-proclaimed ýcultural revolutioný of the mid-1960s.
   Chapters cover ancestors, retirement, sex, music, sports, religion and lots of
   politics. On retirement, and a riveting sense of impending doom, Atkinson states, ý. . . if I
   had my druthers, Iýd be shouting the line Anita OýDay was singing with Gene Krupaýs
   band in 1941, ý. . . just let me off uptown.ýý He talks of family and friends, and adventures
   while growing up in a small Pennsylvania community. A whimsical essay on religion looks
   forward to year 3001 and the evolved theology of Presleyanity amid the pomp of a world
   class event celebrating the 1,024th anniversary of Elvis Presleyýs death. The religiosity of
   all humanity is literally absorbed there in a ceremony of August 16th and a holy pilgrimage
   to the sacred city of Graceland, diocese of the Most Holy Apostolic Presleyan Heartbreak
   Hotel & Church of America, for the annual observation of Rockabilly Requiem. This
   chapter, alone, is worth the price of the book.
   The writing is an ýenlightenedý citizenýs wistful return to the Great Depression,
   World War II, and the early Fifties--a journey with roots, so to speak--critiquing now . . .
   today, relative to more traditional times when America as a different place made a
   difference. Atkinsonýs message will hit home with thousands of seniors who are living out
   final days balancing sacred moments of joy and sorrow from the authorýs aptly described
   blue ribbon years, against his ýinane, do as you please, liberal tripeý of the last several
   decades. Most will relate to Atkinsonýs throwback passion for family, country and God,
   and his repetitive query, ýHow did America ever get from there to here?ý
   Naturally, as any thesis with a political slant will do, folks of another viewpoint
   will be totally bent out of shape by much of the authorýs intended wisdom. Liberals will be
   particularly upset as Atkinson hammers away with gleeful redundancy on foibles at the
   heart of their core beliefs--the first and foremost being: Scare the hell out of old folks, and
   keep doing it year after year, after year, after year, ad nauseam. He takes certain notable,
   liberal politicians to task, citing, where apropos, their public, decadent personal lifestyles,
   as well as their innate inability to fool the people-at-large if ever they should be of a mood
   to posture as statesmen in public. As Atkinson states in his preface, ýWhere convictions
   differ feel at liberty to consider my view a senior moment.ý



3. Atkinson has achieved much with this little book. It's a wonderful collection of essays which harken back to a time when things were different in America. Not for liberals, this book will thrill conservatives of whatever age.

No comments about A New England Girlhood.

No comments about The Horrors of War from the Eyes of a Child.

No comments about Bad Blood.

No comments about Struggle Through the Twentieth Century.

4 comments about 100 Cigarettes and a Bottle of Vodka: A Memoir.

1. I have read this twice now, and its power has not diminished. I give it four, not five, stars only because the writing does not quite match that power. The title comes from the fact that the reward in German occupied Poland for turning in a Jew was just that - 100 cigarettes and a bottle of vodka. Absolutely marvelous memoir of a young teenage boy who managed to survive, all on his own, by smarts, courage and sometimes, sheer luck. His music saved him more than once, and I was astonished, that once he reached Canada, he did not continue in that vein. The kindness of strangers, and the fact that he was blond, helped him many times. And the facts he learned about cows are amusing and interesting. They are not so dumb as we think, it seems.



2. I'm not a reader, and I was working one day and started reading this book. If it's not a good book, I'll put it down and never pick it up again. That wasn't the case with this book. I couldn't put it down and finised reading it within 2 days. WWII and the Holocaust have always interested me, and this book really made me understand more about it and what times were like for the Jews having to endure that horrible time. I strongly recommend this book to anyone.



3. 100 Cigarettes And A Bottle Of Vodka: A Memoir is the true story of the life of a young Jewish boy in Nazi-occupied Poland, when the reward for turning in a Jew was indeed 100 cigarettes and a bottle of vodka. Arthur Schaller lost his mother to the Nazi extermination camps, and was forced to embark on a long odyssey, hiding and passing as a Catholic orphan, to escape annihilation. A powerful story of faith in dark times, and coming of age in a world no child should ever have to live in, 100 Cigarettes And A Bottle Of Vodka is a singularly compelling life remembrance and a welcome contribution to the growing library of eye-witness Holocaust Studies.



4. I read this book the summer i was fourteen. I had just begin to become interested in the Holocaust and WWII. Well, it's a year later, and I still vividly remember how interesting this book was. This is an incredible memoir. I won't spoil it or say too much, but Schaller tells us of the events of his young life as a Jew in Warsaw when the war broke out. I found myself marveling at the fact that when the story begins, he is around my age, and how courageous he is stunned me. This book really set off my fascination for what happened to those 6+ million during that dark time for humanity. Well, it's a great book, just see for yourself.

No comments about Jew Boy in Goy Town.

No comments about The Little Tin Roof House.

1 comments about Prickly Pears and Oleanders.

1. This book is a wonderful gift for a loved one.
   It is inspiring and a pure joy to read.
   I highly recommend it.