5 comments about I Can't Forget: A Journey Through Nazi Germany and WWII.

1. This is a book about a young girl growing up during the Nazi period and WWII in Germany and Poland. It ends with a perilous flight from Poland in advance of Russian troops and the effort of starting a new life in the chaos of the immediate postwar years. It is so well written that I couldn't put it down, rare for me. The personal story is by turns, humorously touching and heart rending. The historical detail is eye opening and quite different from what we have been taught in school or seen in the popular media. I highly recommend it.



2. I just read this book and it blew me away. This account is so personal and so compelling, I couldn't put it down. On one level, it is a coming-of-age story that begins with earliest memories of a little girl and follows her as - against all odds - she blossoms into an accomplished young woman. But there are many more levels to this book because it unfolds against the overwhelming background of World War II and its aftermath.
   
   In the beginning, the war is a minor character in the distance. A tranquil childhood with youthful adventures and discovery is in the foreground. Before long, however, the war emerges as a major character in the story. Innocence is ripped away as the writer and her family suddenly lose everything and become refugees fleeing the horrors brought by the advancing Soviet army.
   
   Based on her own uncolored recollections, the author describes this trek through a seldom-described hell. Society and all its infrastructure are in ruins. Any sense of order is gone as Germany crumbles in the final throes of defeat. As the war ends and the Allies consummate their victory, those larger events create new terrors and more carnage as millions of displaced casualties flee to the west.
   
   Most readers know the many events surrounding the Allies and their hard-fought victories. Similarly, everyone already knows the heinous stories about the Nazi crimes that led to war and continued throughout that tragic era. Less known are the atrocities that accompanied the Soviet advance through the smoking ruins of Germany and the other countries that would soon fall behind the Iron Curtain.
   
   As I looked at some of the other reviews posted here, I was surprised to see a few people who just didn't get it. Those few only want to read the same history they've already read before. Too bad for them. A closed mind is a terrible thing.
   
   For everyone else, I highly recommend "I Can't Forget: A Journey Through Nazi Germany and WWII." It's tightly written and loaded with amazing photos and details. The book is a great read for anyone who wants to discover a different perspective on a history we all think we already know. I would like to thank the author, Gudrun Everett, for sharing this unique and firsthand viewpoint we rarely have the opportunity to experience. This book would make an awesome movie.



3. I just finished "I Can't Forget" and have mixed feelings about the book. It is an interesting read as the book is written by a woman (civilian) and on the 'losing end' of WWII. The story enfolds like a historical family album with lots of (excellent) pictures. The description of the flight from Poland for the oncoming Russian Army as a 13 year old, the fear for the Russians (which is interesting as I've read this in many accounts of Germans and I'm still unsure what lay at the basis of this fear in the '30s (pre-war) and '40s), the chaos and the arrival in safer Bavaria are very good. Describing life in the first post-war years is interesting as well with many small details on day-to-day affairs. What is lacking though in my few is the total lack of insight in the thought of the writer and family members on their lives in Nazi Germany under Nazi rule? How did it affect them in their choices? What were people thinking? Hence you are kept at a distance of the true feelings of the writer and her family resulting in not feeling anything except wonder.
   When reading the book one could come to the conclusion that everything just happened and that's that.
   What bothers me in this repsect is the unhidden bitterness over the treatment of the German people and destruction of German cities and infrastructure by the Russians and Americans notwithstanding the horrors inflicted by the Germans on peoples and countries in the first place. Had this book been written directly after the war I would not have been bothered by the tone. Given the fact that the book was written in 2004-2006 one wonders how the writer, more than 60 years after war's end, was not capable of balancing her thoughts or at least provide the reader with more insight in why her judgement - after all these years - is still what it is.
   I regret as well that the writer has not given more information on the family after the war (what has become of them at this day and age?).
   In all I would recommend this book as - fair enough - the story is apparantly the writer's true experiences of life in Nazi and occupied Germany. I do emphasize that one should read other books on the subject as well to deny a one-sided few on the events!



4. I just finished reading "I Can't Forget" and am bothered by several aspects of it. It does give a different side to WWII victims but it still bothered me. Gudrun Everett tells the story of her childhood first in Germany where her father was mayor of a Bavarian town. This part was fine as it told her life in pre-war times. Her father obviously a Nazi was given a position in Poland where he oversaw a large district. The family moved there and Gudrun described her perfect childhood with animals and living in huge and beautiful home all this taking place in the country where millions were dying in concentration camps at this very time.
   
   Their perfect life came to an end in 1945 when the Soviets came and they became refugees and from Jan'45 to June of that year were on the road fleeing for survival along with millions of others. She describes their hardships after they were finally settled in Bavaria in June of that year. [...]
   
   I am glad to have read the book and can recommend it as the pictures were excellent and it was good to read the other side however I found I could not garner up much sympathy for her. She found a good life in America judging from the picture of her on the back cover but was very critical of America's part in and after the war.



5. World War II ended in 1945, but interest in that conflict remains high. I CAN'T FORGET by Gudrun (Koppe) Everett is a memoir of her "journey through Nazi Germany and WW II." Published in 2006, this book is a BookSurge product.
   
   My copy is securely bound, well-illustrated with black and white photographs, most of which aren't credited. Furthermore, I haven't seen most of these before and suspect that they might be from the author's collection. There are also some helpful maps and line drawings.
   
   I carried this book around for a couple of weeks while I was reading it and am impressed to see that the binding is still tight and the pages still secure. The quality of this book is comparable, or better, than the quality of most paperbacks in my opinion.
   
   The author provides some unique insights into the catastrophe she survived. Her father, for example, was assigned to be the mayor of Dolsk, Poland, and she arrived there with her family a short time after the "Bromberg Bloody Sunday" slaughter of September 3, 1939. Polish mobs reportedly hunted down German speaking residents of the area and murdered many of them. The author's book includes what appear to be snapshots of the aftermath of that little-known atrocity.
   
   I'd heard of the treks trough the blizzards in January, 1945, when the Red Army initiated its massive offensive. The author gives a dramatic, evocative account of her own trek with her family and the narrow escapes including one in which Red Army units overran the town in which she and her family were sheltering.
   
   If you're interested in European History, World War II, the Eastern Front, or epic tales of survival against long odds, you'll want to read I CAN'T FORGET. I like the book and gave it five stars.

5 comments about Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl (Vintage).

1. Steven Bach's book is an entertaining read, perhaps more so for those with little previous knowledge of Riefenstahl, the events leading up to the second world war and the fate of other Germans who supported the Nazis, benefitted from their collaboration with the Third Reich and then had highly successful careers in their chosen fields after the war. While the book appears to be well supported by a long list of references, it is unfortunate that Bach has a tendency to use comments from interviews with third parties to refute statements in Riefenstahl's own Memoirs while at the same time citing statements from her Memoirs when those statements support the conclusions he has already made about her. Bach also seems to feel it necessary to repeat certain facts several times during the book, almost as if a single mention were insufficient: for example, he refers twice to Riefenstahl's having given a Hitler salute at the showing of one of her films and mentions twice that Guzzi Lantscher and his brother were both devoted Nazis. This kind of repetition is unnecessary given that Riefenstahl herself admitted many times she supported Hitler. Perhaps rather than repeating what has already been established about Riefenstahl, Bach might have better devoted some time to comparing her fate with that of other prominent artists of the Third Reich such as Elizabeth Schwartzkopf who joined three different Nazi organizations and continued to deny this for decades. This is not to suggest that Riefenstahl should have been let off the hook - rather, that there were others that got away with far more than she did.



2. Of all the existing books on Leni Riefenstahl--and there are a lot of them out there, including Riefenstahl's own self-exculpatory memoirs--Bach's treatment is in my opinion the most lucid, judicious, and detailed. Unlike many film enthusiasts who try to excuse away Riefenstahl's work for Hitler and the Nazi party, Bach bears down hard on this period in Riefenstahl's oeuvre, situating it in the context of world history, film history, and Riefenstahl's personal development. Riefenstahl is one of those insoluble artistic paradoxes: her best, most creative films were done in the service of one of the most evil ideologies ever invented. Bach is at his best dealing with this material. He spices things up with a few too many details of Riefenstahl's romantic adventures, which are ultimately unedifying and completely irrelevant to any assessment of her importance as a historical figure. Nonetheless, Bach has produced a stunning book which deserves to become the standard account of the subject.



3. Riefenstahl biography reveals a multi-faceted conundrum. The sexually-charged and Nazi-friendly female filmmaker in a man's time (1930s-40s) , place (Nazi Germany), and business (movie making, especially as a director and producer) made two of the greatest movies ever made-- or denigrated. "Triumph of the Will" recorded and glorified the 1935 Nazi party rally in Nuremburg and Olympiad (actually a pair of movies focusing on the nationalistic results and the athletic beauty of the competition) documented the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, at which Hitler and Nazi racism were spectators if not headline participants.
   
   For these, Riefenstahl was rightfully praised as a film maker and rightfully castigated then and later as a propagandist for Hitler's Aryan racist regime. Riefenstahl was an insider whose work was funded and assisted directly by Hitler, Goebbels, Speer, and Bormann, but in the post-war settling of accounting claimed to be either blissfully unaware of the atrocities or outspoken against them--neither likely given her intelligence and her sponsorship.
   
   But "LR" had a life before and after Hitler, which Bach's book covers well. Interestingly she started her career in front of the camera, and finished her career as a pariah from the mainstream because of her questionable political history and her insatiable egotism which made her impossible to work with.



4. There have been many attemps to stain Riefenstahl's image along the years, and this one is not the most successful at all. It serves little purpose to the academic bunch. It ashames those that search for objectivity. It ashames those that perceive that Bach has waited for Leni's death (102 years old) to publish this piece of propaganda.
   
   Bach fails on piercing the German mindset that prevailed in the pre-Shoah years. From Triumph of the Will (1935) to the final solution (1942) there are 7 years that searchers will keep on investigating otherwise than in this failed book. Years that can't be blamed on Leni.
   
   Mr Bach, Leni Riefenstahl is a victim of her time. Don't try to bury her merits as an artist into this pile of ordure you have written. The reasons for the Shoah have to be sought somewhere else.
   
   Look for Fiendlander's works for example and leave Leni aside. That's too cheap and un-academic. It's 2008 now and we don't need Leni's head to be cut off to please the masses. She was an artist. We need a deeper insight. The kind of insight that explains how such a German cultivated country faced a cultivated Jewishness in such a violent, deranged manner as to lead to a Shoah. And for that, Mr Bach, Leni's influence plays little relevance.



5. After reading Jurgen Trimborn's admirable but somewhat inaccessible biography of Riefenstahl, I sought out this book in hopes that it would be friendlier to a Riefenstahl novice such as me. It certainly is an easier read and a much better starting place.
   
   Steven Bach, of Final Cut fame, writes from the standpoint of a motion picture enthusiast. He also has a POV where Riefenstahl's Nazi associations are concerned and he doesn't hide it. For Bach Riefenstahl is the living version of Klaus Mann's Mephisto, a careerist willing to do anything and associate with anyone to advance her "art." He also makes the case (clearly building on Trimborn's work, among others) that Riefenstahl not only had no problem with anything Hitler did or said, she likely agreed with most if not all of it.
   
   Bach's style is that of a gossipy Hollywood bio, which is fine by me, but he's no fan magazine hack. He knows the power of the snide observation and, best of all, how damning Leni's own words were. At times Riefenstahl comes across as downright delusional about her artistic abilities and men's lust for her. To hear her tell it no man so much as entered the same zipcode as Leni Riefenstahl without falling madly in love with her.
   
   Some may have disagreements about Bach's assessment of Riefenstahl's artistic contributions. I've only seen clips of her work so my own opinion is somewhat limited. Bach does make a good case the Riefenstahl either stole the ideas of others or took credit for their work. Bach doesn't buy the argument that the art is more important than the character or actions of the artist. He also doesn't buy that Riefenstahl was much of an artist.
   
   This is no love letter to Leni. It is an entertaining read. Gossipy, slightly bitchy (as one reviewer here has aptly noted), and full of telling details and quotes, this is a easy entry into the myths and controversy that make up Leni Riefenstahl.

5 comments about The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.

1. Thoughtful best describes Gordon-Reed's treatment of the Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemings relationship. The most important aspect of this work is her research of the attitudes and behaviors prevalent after the Revolutionary War. It is very easy for one not familiar with that timeframe (and how could we be, as it was two hundred years ago) to assign "Victorian" bias to an inter-racial relationship. The author's thoroughness in explaining and identifying morals and ideas of the post-revolutionary era, as well as European/French laws and philosophies, allows the reader to understand the basis of how this relationship was created and endured for 38 years. She is not critical of either party, even Jefferson, who ensured his career was not jeopardized by never formally acknowledging his mistress or his children. All of this takes place during "heavy" political times for Jefferson. The Hemings family history is exciting and very unusual for it's day. This is a great book.



2. The Hemmingses of Montecello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed is a fascinating look into the strange black/white family constellations that emerged under the weight slavery during the American Revolutionary period. Providing a glimpse into southern patterns of interracial mixing during 18th and early 19th century, it illimunites the ways in which standard race relation practices differed during the Antebellum and Jim Crow periods of time. These things, taken together with the interesting individual Hemings family stories, made the book hard to put down.



3. This book helps us rethink our past and remember what we have forgotten. America is a racially mixed country because of slavery and its legacy. Now we know definitively that Thomas Jefferson and Annette Hemings had a relationship--one that was tragic but also beautiful. The author takes the history of an interracial relationship out of the shadows and tells it with vivid detail. It opens up a new way of thinking about America's founding fathers--and mothers.



4. One star only because the Kindle version needs to start at $9.99, $17. . . .



5. Annette Gordon-Reed has written a captivating piece of history about the Hemings family, about the way they were inexorably intertwined with the Jeffersons well before the Sally story, about the feel of what it meant for slaves like the Hemingses to live in Virginia and in other places like Paris and Philadelphia. For me, the most interesting aspect of the book is the story of Sally's brother, James. What abilities he had, what a rich life he led by the standards of his time, what a right arm he was for Jefferson, what a conflict of identity he shouldered, and what tragedy and mystery defined the end of his life! The author has shed light on so much about the story of the two families, but another interesting aspect made crystal clear by her book as well, is to have to learn and accept what we do not know, what we will never know, such as James's death, in other words, what is lost to history about that and so much else concerning slavery and the Founding Fathers.

5 comments about The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874-1958).

1. As the first full length biography of James Michael Curley, a long term fixture in Boston Democratic politics who served as mayor, governor and congressman, in between two brief prison terms, to be published in almost forty-five years, this book was a most welcome addition to library bookshelves.
   
   Curley possessed great personal charisma and wit, so much so that he makes Chicago's long term mayor, Richard J. Daley, look like a dullard by comparison. Throughout his public life, Curley seemed to be a cat with nine lives.
   
   The book is enjoyable, but somewhat uneven. The concluding chapters seem hurried. Occasionally, the author mixes in (then) contemporary comments about the 1988 presidential race that have nothing to do with Curley whatsoever. I rate the biography as a near miss owing to its minor defects.
   
   The novel and the motion picture "The Last Hurrah" which are loosely based upon Curley are deservedly well known, but the truth is oftentimes more entertaining than fiction.



2. Loved this book about Curley. I agree with other critics here that the book can be uneven at times. Overall it is a fascinating work about a mythic politician. His personal and political life is arguably more tragic and flawed than the whole Kennedy saga. Curley's wife and seven of his children die during his life. A lifelong politician, he is loved and feared, respected and vilified, a loving husband and the most crooked of politicians. His funeral was and still is the largest in Boston's history. It's amazing that more hasn't been written about Curley, there is no website devoted to his recorded speeches. He would be a wonderful subject for someone like Ken Burns. If you have an interest in boston politics....read this book...you won't be disappointed.



3. For a journalist, author Beatty, doesn't seem to care about balance. His historical research is great and filled in some gaps for me, but his personal spin is not objective and anti-Curley. The author wonders what Curley's son Francis would think of the author's use of the information and perspectives he provided. Easy answer, Jack, he'd be spinning in his grave. You've done a good man a great disservice. My advice for those who wonder whether to buy this book - pass, read it at the library.



4. As a life long Massachusetts resident born after Curley's death, I have heard antidotes about James M Curley for years and hoped this book would provide the details of this interesting character. But I have to agree with a couple of the previous reviewers, the author's handing of this subject is a bit weak. The early childhood section was the worst, just a string of antidotes that bounce back and forth thru time becoming almost impossible to follow. The author also apparently brought into this work his own personal political agenda. Written in 1992, the author 'liberally' inserts poor and in some cases run on analogies to the Reagan - Bush administrations. I can still recommend this book to those interested in Curley, the books coverage of his career is excellent, just be prepared to skim through the sections where the author vents his political beliefs.



5. I read "The Rascal King" after reading Edwin O'Connor's great "The Last Hurrah," a barely fictional account of Curley's reign over Boston. I have to say that O'Connor achieved with fiction what Beatty failed to do with biography... paint a realistic picture of the fascinating life and times of James M. Curley.

   Beatty's work, while greatly researched, was extremely choppy and amateurishly written. His timeline is vague and, at points, difficult to follow. He feels it necessary to interject into Curley's story several times with poorly made comparisons to present day political situations, as well very annoying literary references. (He consistently refers to Curley's arrogance of power as Massachusetts governor as a "Xanadu complex." Why not just call him arrogant?). Overall, it felt like Beatty was trying too hard.

   Structural and literay problems aside, James Curley has one of the most interesting stories in 20th century American history. His use of "race baiting" against Boston's old Yankee elite (although "nationality baiting" may be more appropriate a term), his questionable campaign tactics, his dubious financial activities as an elected official, and his compassion and kindnes towards the forgotten common man make him one of the great populist leaders of our history. He was the quintessential campaigner and politician. It's too bad Beatty couldn't do him justice.

5 comments about Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library).

1. Albert Schweitzer had a high intellect and sought to improve the lives of many people through hard work, and dedication while sacrificing position and individual wealth. The man could have been a university professor of theology and philosophy, a Pastor of a prestigious church or a wealthy doctor. He became an accomplished organist as a musical artist, playing concerts to large audiences, and an expert in organ building; He wrote a book that became a standard in how quality instruments are to be built. Albert Schweitzer was a man of much intelligence and accomplished skills. After forging a bright future for himself he had an epiphany to be Christ like was to serve his fellow man. So he studied to become a medical doctor, so he could practice medicine where one was remote from what constituted modern society in the early twentieth century to practice medicine in Africa.
   This is an interesting read. The autobiography ends in 1932, so 25 years of his life is missing. I disagree with how this man perceived God and Jesus. He interpreted the Bible as if it were purely man made; that the Christian faith evolved through time. He determines theology based on the idea Jesus was a confused individual that expected one thing and events made Him adjust his thoughts. His view makes Jesus out to be quite pathetic. The author also believed Paul's thoughts were more informed and formed by events and his surrounding culture. Albert Schweitzer did not believe God's word was inspired through the Holy Spirit but by individual interpretation and culture.
   
   This book is an interesting read. How this man worked as a doctor - a physician in Africa yet still pursued practicing playing the Organ and intellectual pursuits. He even did this when he became a prisoner of war in the Great War. Where he eventually served as camp doctor to his fellow prisoners? I found this book a relatively easy read.



2. This book is not an easy read, but it is an interesting and worthwhile read. The chapter on why Dr. Schweitzer chose to be a medical missionary to Africa is especially interesting and meaningful. His thoughts on "Reverence For Life" are interesting and worthwhile reading, most provacative. His wide array of talent, abiltiy and interests are amazing and especially interesting, almost beyond belief and comprehension. His experiences as prisoner of war are revealing and somewhat shocking. At times the book gets tedious, especially in his philosophical thought,but don't let that stop you for slow you down. This book is well worth the read.
   
   Do men like Albert Schweitzer exist anymore? Could or would our culture let them exist?



3. This is an elegant though brief memoir written by the great man himself. One should not expect too much detail, however, as the text only gives us glimpses into the man's life and the singular events that shaped who he was and what he became and, more importantly, what he accomplished. Schweitzer focuses mainly on the development of his theological and philosophical thought, beginning with his early endeavours leading to his famous work, `The Quest for the Historical Jesus'. From this point, he continues on towards the shaping of his magnum opus, `Philosophy of Civilization'. It is in this section of the text that he discusses two worldviews of life-affirmation and life-denial and pessimism. This work evolves into his philosophical perspective of Reverence for Life.

   The biography ends in the year 1931, well before the advent of the Second World War. Schweitzer was only fifty-six years of age when he penned this work, well before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, living and working for another forty-four years. Curiously, when his publisher requested that he write an autobiography, he was hesitant, as he was more or less still in his prime. However, as he wrote to his publisher fourteen years later on his seventieth birthday, memory fades with age, and he believed that writing about himself at that stage of his life, he could put down those important memories that remained fresh in his mind.

   Schweitzer is certainly an inspiration - a man of immense strength, physically, emotionally and spiritually, with an almost endless capacity for work. The man worked in the most difficult of circumstances. Practicing medicine in intense tropical heat, day after day, disease run rampant; constant worry over funds to purchase much needed medical supplies. Moreover, the terrible events of two world wars - the odds he worked against to maintain the Lambarene Hospital, to my mind, is simply unimaginable. But the man persisted, rising every morning to meet disease, suffering, violence, death and loneliness.

   This is an inspiring little book, charming and entertaining.




4. There is no better short book available on the mind and thoughts of Albert Schweitzer than this book. His theology on Jesus and Paul, his thoughts on Bach and organ building, his philosophy on Reverence for Life are all laid out here.

   George Marshall (see my review of Marshall's excellent biography: Schweitzer) once asked Dr. Schweitzer what professors would best provide him an education on Schweitzer's thoughts. He replied that Marshall should not go to professors but "read my books! No one can express the ideas of a man as well as he has expressed them himself.... read my books".

   Bob Frost of "Biography Magazine" once wrote, "Albert Schweitzer is not exactly forgotten today, but his name won't crop up in daily conversation. Fifty years ago, though, people talked about Schweitzer all the time. An American magazine selected him, ahead of Albert Einstein, as the "world's greatest living nonpolitical person." He was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Fueled by idealism and burning spiritual passion, this medical missionary led one of the most intense lives of the 20th century."

   Be apprized that "Out of my Life and Thoughts" is not an easy read. Dr. Schweitzer's theology and philosophy, though dense, is not incomprehensible. And due to the translation from French to English, you many find yourself reading a passage multiple times to get the gist his thoughts.

   That said, for students of this great mind, this is a must read. Strongly recommended. 4.5 stars.




5. "Since my first years at the university I had grown increasingly to doubt the idea that mankind is steadily moving toward improvement. My impression was that the fire of its ideas was burning out without anyone noticing or worrying about it. ... What was just and equitable seemed to be pursued with only lukewarm zeal. I noticed a number of symptoms of intellectual and spiritual fatigue in this generation that is so proud of its achievements."
   Albert Schweitzer was a man of action -- humanitarian, theologian, historian, musician, musical technologist, medical doctor, author, philosopher, missionary, professor, environmentalist, prisoner of war, recipient of the Nobel Prize. He writes an interesting autobiography, which is not surprising when one considers the breadth of his interests and of his achievements in science, the humanities and the arts. In his later years he was perhaps the most widely admired and respected person in the Western world.
   Jimmy Carter offers a foreword in this volume; it is economical, a mere six sentences. Schweitzer's philosophical work may be well studied, but does not particularly distinguish itself in this volume (with some notable exceptions). His theological work (i.e., Christology) is generally questionable -- bound to Enlightenment fallacies of a "historical Jesus." I was happy to be concurrently reading the thoughts of a far better theologian, CS Lewis, on the idea of "discovering" a "historical" Jesus. While some of Schweitzer's ideas are [rightly] not highly regarded, his "life and thought" makes for unusually interesting biography. His "reverence for life" precept certainly has great value, but seems to be a less profoundly unique idea than he held it to be. Perhaps my view here is merely ignorant of the world in which Schweitzer lived.
   He considered this book to be his best, or at least his preferred, writing, but if you are going to read only one book considering theological and historical exegetics, this is probably the wrong book. On the other hand, Schweitzer makes many observations cleanly and powerfully: "Our world rots in deceit. Our very attempt to manipulate truth itself brings us to ... [a truth] based on a skepticism that has become belief... It is superficial and inflexible." Kant had observed the intellectual paralysis of such "a skepticism that has become belief," but Schweitzer goes further, recognizing it as an even deeper spiritual paralysis.
   While Schweitzer's Christology is, at the least, arguable, his firm commitment to Christ's commandment of love is a strong example of the Christian life led in the light of its Teacher's example. The author is [rightly] given to referring to Christianity as "the religion of love." In this aspect, Schweitzer at once offers the non-Christian a true image of Christianity and offers the Christian an important, if gentle, reminder. "[God] announces Himself in us as the will to love. The First Cause of Being, as He manifests Himself in nature, is to us always impersonal. To the First Cause of Being that is revealed to us in the will to love, however, we relate as to an ethical personality." And quoting Paul: "Love never faileth: but where there be knowledge it shall be done away."

5 comments about Letters from the Dust Bowl.

1. This book is best read quickly, if not at a sitting, then over a weekend. In that way Henderson's prose gets its power, and it will take you from youthful optimism to euphoria, then to despair, and then to a sort of middle ground in which she makes peace with herself and the land. She's at her best when she describes her mental and verbal battles with intolerant churchmen: she just couldn't buy into the vengeful God of the itinerant evangelists of the time, and she was not shy about expressing her opinions. This book will make the Great Plains and Dust Bowl come alive, not as a scholarly, "objective" tome, but as a woman's journey of the heart. A very nice read.



2. This is trying. The personal letters presented in the book convey a manner with which Caroline uses to overcome life stresses that come with homesteading a difficult land in a fickle environment. The Hendersons live quite alone in No Mans Land. The welfare of the Henderson family depends strictly on their ability to manifest a steady resource of food substances for nutrition and for trade. The letters from Caroline Henderson are written in a very flowery style that worked well in the early half of the 20th century. Digesting the text isn't easy if you've become adapted to the pace of life today.
   
   However, the reader is treated to an infinite barrel of wisdom. Certainly, Caroline had to deal with much more in her life than overcoming writing styles, so it helps knowing this just to get through the book. It is easy to miss what is really going on here. Homesteading requires a harvest of food for nutrition and another harvest of food for the soul. The book talks very little about dust storms. More is spoken of the planted gladiolas, the harvest, the songs of birds, and of Christmas. Letters are torn up in frustration, and rewritten to be positive. Each response to a letter opens with words of thanks for encouragement offered.
   
   This little book is terrific - the kind of book that changes lives. If you enjoyed Victor E. Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" you might also love this. Though not analytical and direct as Frankl, it quietly relates shared personal values. In contrast to Frankl, Henderson lives very much in freedom, but within the shackles of her environoment.



3. Caroline Henderson's letters are historic and illustrative and heart-wrenching. You get to know this truly remarkable person and how life was in this era through her writings and see the progress from youth and hope and optimism to age and despair. Losing her at the end of the book was like losing a dear grandmother. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in studying The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. I read it as a companion to "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan.



4. Deftly edited for contemporary readers by Alvin O. Turner, Letters From The Dust Bowl is a collection of letters and published materials written by Caroline Henderson (1877-1965), a woman who lived through the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Her articles on the Dust Bowl first began appearing in "Atlantic Monthly" in 1931, drawing the woes of American farmers into the public eye. Her correspondence and articles, which date from 1908 to 1966, offers insight into the daily struggle to put food on the table, and her descriptions of the dust storms that covered the Plains are unforgettable. Enhanced with a biographical essay and precise annotations supplementing this extraordinary compilation, Letters From The Dust Bowl is highly recommended for students of 20th Century American History.



5. Alvin Turner likes to quip that "Letters from the Dustbowl" is the "best written book" that the University of Oklahoma Press will publish this year. Indeed, Caroline Henderson, the author of the columns and letters it contains, may be the most quoted authority on the social aspects of the dustbowl. Her views on Oklahoma farm life were disseminated across the country both in her columns for "Ladies' World," and her "Letters from the Dustbowl," were published in "Atlantic Monthly." In selecting material for this book, Turner told me that he had twice as many columns and letters than would fit. Alvin Turner is the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

   Caroline Henderson moved to a farm near Eva, Oklahoma, in 1907. During the next six decades, she and her husband, Will, endured the hardship of depressions and the dustbowl on their farm, with really only one bumper crop to show for their labors. Turner's overall introduction, as well as his introduction to each section, does well to place Henderson's life in context. She had great dreams for her life, both as a literate woman and as a farmer but by the end of her life, she is disillusioned and considers herself a failure.

   Most of Henderson's farming experience demonstrates that dreams can save a person from an otherwise mean life. In 1917 she wrote, "The fact that we cannot see the end does not relieve us of our obligation to push forward, to gain every inch we can in humanity's forward march." As a young farm wife, she met challenges with inventiveness, and hardship with strong will. Even as crops withered and neighbors moved away, she finds beauty in flowers and friendship in animals. However, too many failed crops and dried-up dreams took their toll on Henderson's optimism. In 1952, she wrote in a letter to her daughter, "Every day seems to bring some new sorrow in these last years of fruitless effort and disappointment." With dreams dashed, Henderson loses all sense of proportion and she reads each setback as catastrophe.

   "Letters from the Dust Bowl" is as heartbreaking as it is inspirational. Al Turner is right; it's a very well written book.

5 comments about Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War.

1. Sam Watkins style of writing makes this one of the most enjoyable books on the Civil War I have ever read! (And I have done a considerable amount of reading and research using soldier's diaries and memoirs). He was a born writer and this work holds it own against the works of Walt Whitman or Mark Twain. Watkins has a unique way of telling a story. Even when he relates the details of the deaths of friends who's bodies were often blown to bits while standing right next to him, then had to be left, dead or dying, on the battlefield, he does so in such a way that is touching, even heartbreaking, but not gory. He does not dwell on these facts. I found myself not wanting to put this book down. Watkins' style of humor keeps this from becoming just another story relating the horrors of the Civil War.
   Being a Christian strongly influenced Watkins' personal behavior throughout the war years. He tells of rushing up to the body of a Union Soldier killed in that day's battle to take his shoes (his own were in shreds). However, when he looked down and saw that the dead man's eyes seemed to be looking straight into his; he was unable to remove anything from the body. As badly as he needed shoes,clothing and the man's personal effects; he could not bring himself to steal from a dead man. On another occason, he found that some men in his company were planning to steal a pig from an elderly woman living near their encampment- one who had fed him on a previous occasion. He refused to be a part of the theft and went back to camp. When he found that they had indeed gone through with the theft and had taken her only souce of meat - he went back to her house, apologized and paid her for the animal.
   Needless to say, he went on to become a minister after the war. Watkins was a man of morality, of great devotion to his God, his family and his Country. You will NOT be disappointed with this book. His unique brand of humor carries the reader through the worst of times and brings you to the other side of this great war with a greater understanding of the effects it had on the lives of everyday people; soldiers and civilians. Watkins never gave up his belief in the South's right to fight for their way of life. He was NOT promoting slavery - he simply felt that the Southern cause was right. For him, it was about State's Rights, Home, and Family. A great read!! (It took me FOREVER to figure out that "Company Aytch" is "Company "H"!!!! How silly I felt when it finally dawned on me!



2. This book arrived to me in great condition and in a reasonable amount of time.



3. First-hand accounts by combatants have always ranked highly in my list of favorite things to read. When I set out to read the highly touted Co. Aytch I was hoping for a gritty, down to earth story like that of another southern memoir writer, Eugene Sledge.
   
   There is no doubting Co. Aytch's value as a window into the daily travails of the Confederate soldier, whether in camp, on the march or in combat. However, with pickets freezing by the dozen, a falling tree crushing a group of mourners, tornadoes and narrow steamboat escapes, it would appear that there is more Guy Sajer than Eugene Sledge about Sam Watkins.



4. This has to be one of the best books written about the civil war. Reading the experiences of this common soldier you realize how close they were to death from day to day. If you have any interest in the civil war, this book is a must read.



5. Interest in this particular Civil War memoir increased due to its being frequently quoted and referred to in the documentary series on "The Civil War" that aired on PBS stations almost twenty years ago. Thankfully, the success of the series caused "Company Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show" to be reprinted.
   
   As a narrative device, film maker Ken Burns compared and contrasted the recollections of Samuel R. Watkins, a Confederate soldier who served in the Western theater of operations (principally in Tennessee and Georgia), with the diary entries of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, a Union soldier from Rhode Island. Both men saw significant combat action and both survived the war.
   
   Although Rhodes recorded his immediate observations, Watkins began his memoirs after the war had ended and his book was published seventeen years after the Army of the Tennessee had surrendered. He had the advantage of being able to meditate on his experiences and I found his book to be of greater interest as a result.
   
   I have read both "All for the Union" (Rhodes) and "Company Aytch" (Watkins). While both books have much to recommend them, I am partial to the latter. As a writer, Watkins produced more profound opinions. There seemed to be more color, humor, poetry and reflection in his prose. Rhodes seemed dull and factual in his summaries which often culminated with the slogan "All for the Union." I do not mean to diminish Rhodes or his military service in any manner, but Watkins is simply a better writer.
   
   The conclusion of Watkins book is quite moving. It was memorable when broadcast on television and it is no less memorable when read from the printed page.

5 comments about The Words Lincoln Lived By: 52 Timeless Principles to Light Your Path.

1. I've studied Lincoln for nearly twenty years now. This tape/book is one of the best I've read/listened to. It touches on many topics, like Courage, Ethics, Brevity, Honesty and many more. I think it should be required reading in high school. The study of Lincoln should be required before anyone can become a politician or public servant of any kind.



2. I purchased this book at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and have relished the quotes and tidbits from Lincoln's life. Lincoln's attitude on everything from the importance of study, communication, focus, diligence, hard work, compassion, & justice ought to be read, remembered, and practiced. I marked many of the pages from this book and will refer to it frequently!



3. It's clear to the readers of this book that Lincolns difficult time in his early years provided him with his remarkable attitude to forge the ideas in this book. His thinking is clear and relevant and timely. It is helpful for the reader to keep in mind Lincoln probably refered to these pages many times throughout his life to remind himself of the correct choices to make. I think this book belongs in everyones library!



4. Heard the taped version of Gene Griessman's THE WORDS
   LINCOLN LIVED BY . . . this is a short but moving
   compilation of quotations, followed by insightful commentary
   that provides historical context.

   In some respects, I wish I had read this . . . there was
   much that I wish I could have revisited . . . as it was, I
   kept pulling off the side of the road to jot down such
   items as the following (so as to be able to share it):

   [on diligence] "Half finished work generally proves to be
   work lost." No other principle comes closer to accounting
   for success than diligence.

   [on tenacity] "I expect to maintain this contest until
   successful or until I die or am conquered or until my term
   expires or until Congress or the country removes me." Lincoln
   believed that sticking to a decision once made would
   strengthen the individual.

   [on conviction] "The world shall know that I will keep my
   word to friends and enemies come what will."

   [on friendship] "The better part of one's life comes out of
   friendships." Lincoln knew how to make and keep them.
   He enjoyed companionship and knew how to attract
   people.




5. There have been a small number of books published which attempt to collect in dictionary form the more noted words and remarks of Abraham Lincoln. Archer H. Shaw did "The Lincoln Encyclopedia" in 1950; Caroline Thomas Harnsberger collected "The Lincoln Treasury" in 1950; Ralph B. Winn wrote "A Concise Lincoln Dictionary" in 1959; Fred A. Kerner assembled "A Treasury of Lincoln Quotations" in 1965, reprinted in 1996; and Gabor S. Boritt published "Of the People, By the People, For the People" in 1996.

   All of those volumes are most helpful in locating a Lincoln quotation, and Don E. and Virginia Fehrenbacher have compiled "The Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln" (1996). Of course, this latter study selects the more important spoken words of Lincoln as recalled by listeners who heard them.

   However, Gene Griessman has put together an entirely different publication. Although it often quotes Lincoln, the theme is actually to inspire and motivate its readers to make an attempt to imitate the immortal Sixteenth President. In this, Prof. Griessman has done a superb job. His book is outstanding. Furthermore, he has identified the sources for the quotes utilized in each small chapter. All fifty-two units are named after one of Lincoln's noteworthy traits, such as "Determination," "Courage," "Honesty," etc. Not only does Griessman give us Lincoln quotes, but he also weaves each one into a little jewel of an essay on that particular subject. If a reader peruses a chapter a week, he or she will have a year's worth of inspiration.

   In addition, this small volume contains "Biographical Notes" on the main figures cited and also a Bibliography of the sources quoted. Dr. Griessman has utilized his background in speaking and teaching the fine art of motivation to write this particular book. He also impersonates Abraham Lincoln for large audiences and has authored numerous books and articles.

   Wayne C. Temple, Illinois State Archives

5 comments about Hitler: 1936-1945: Nemesis.

1. The second volume of Kershaw's outstanding biography of Hitler covers the period from 1936 to his death. Kershaw does a superb job of integrating the biographical material per se with relevant narrative and analysis of German history over this period. Kershaw picks up and expands themes that emerged in volume one. Two in particular stand out. One is the overriding importance of Hitler's crude but powerful ideology. The point of Hitler's actions was the violent attainment of his social Darwinist goals; the elimination of European Jewry, the dominance of "inferior races" like the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe, and German domination of western Eurasia. War was not just necessary to achieve these goals but an indispensable part of the process of establishing German supremacy. The necessity of violence was not merely an ideological preoccupation but something with deep emotional resonance for Hitler. This was a man who found his service on the Western Front a personally transforming and uplifting experience. Kershaw shows well how a large number of Hitler's zealous supporters shared these horrifying views and how an even larger number of Germans, including virtually all of the traditional elites of the German state, were either supportive of Hitler's goals or willing to look the other way as long as he was successful. By the time it became clear that Hitler was leading Germany to disaster, Hitler's power was so well established that any kind of organized resistance became almost impossible.
   
   Kershaw shows well how Hitler's bold repudiation of the Versailles restrictions and the rearmarment policies that expanded the German economy led to enormous personal popularity. Under the umbrella of Hitler's success and great prestige, the Nazis were able to subordinate all the major institutions of German life, perhaps save the churches, which did offer some limited resistance. At the same time, the Party erected a powerful alternative governing structure and some of Hitler's most able and ruthless subordinates developed the powerful security services that policed Germany. Hitler personally established complete dominance over the Wehrmacht, the only institution that could have resisted him successfully. Hitler's daring and ability to capitalize on weaknesses of his opponents, coupled with a good dose of luck led to unprecedented success.
   
   Another major theme articulated by Kershaw is the nature of the Nazi state. The essentially indolent and politically shrewd Hitler ruled primarily by setting himself above day to day government and setting the broader ideological goals for Germany. Hitler's unwillingness to participate in the mechanics of government and his willingness to countenance competing sectors of authority led to an anarchic state (termed polyocracy by some historians) that enhanced Hitler's power because only he had the ultimate authority to adjudicate among the competing authorities. For much of his rule, it also insulated him from public disfavor as unpopular policies were associated with lower ranking Party or government officials. This system, which Kershaw describes as "working towards the Fuhrer" led to competition among different subordinates and power centers for who could gain Hitler's favor by pursuing the ideological goals of the regime. The result was essentially a race to see who could be the more effective murderer of those unfortunate enough to be enemies, real or imagined, of the regime.



2. I finally got around to reading both volumes of Kershaw's biography after plowing through the Fest bio. Fest's is better, in my opinion, although the first Volume of Kershaw's isn't bad. The problem with Volume 2 is that it's redundant, with endless anecdotes about Hitler's tantrums and paranoia---way too much padding. It's more of an historical account of WW2, instead of a biography, unfortunately. As well, Kershaw's contempt for Hitler gets in the way of acknowledging any successes on Hitler's part; he's unable to give the devil his due. Volume 1 is probably worth it; Volume 2 doesn't add much. Some people like Alan Bullock's bio of Hitler, while others prefer John Toland's. I haven't read either one.



3. How could a racial crank with no education rule Germany so effectively for years? If he was an evil genius, Why did he then fail, stupidly leading it into a second war and eventual defeat? Kershaw's answer is the Nazi phrase, "working towards the Fuhrer". When Hitler stated his desires or plans, he didn't have to issue actual detailed commands: he could count on his lieutenants to implement his will in practice.
   
   Thus making Germany's foreign policy (in particular) a copy of his own paranoid, ruthless personality, Hitler won some early victories against opponents used to dealing with "gentlemen" leaders and countries. Also, "working towards the Fuhrer" obscured his personality--that of a crank--behind competent experts. But once he desired the impossible (conquering the USSR) or once his will became increasingly vague and contradictory (during the war), the result was total catastrophic, with Germany willingly starting a war it couldn't possibly win just because the Fuhrer wanted it, with the "bonus" of complete government chaos as numerous competing organizations interpreted Hitler's latest vague speech in a self-serving manner.
   
   Kershaw's history shows in meticulous detail just how "working towards the Fuhrer" worked in practice: how it allowed Hitler to make his personal paranoia and racial hatered Germany's officlal policy, with all that that implies--the holocaust included--which is the main point of writing a new biography of him in the first place. This thesis, while surely it can never be conclusively tested, is a far superior explanation of all that had occured in 1933-1945 than simplistic "Hitler was evil" explanations. Evil he certainly was, but, as Kershaw notes, that explains nothing: numerous evil cranks exist. Why did so many cultured and supposedly humane and sane Germans support him is the interesting question, which Kershaw answers very well.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. I have read many books about the Nazism, but until I read this one I didn't really feel I understood how a little snake like Adolf Hitler could get intelligent people to follow him. "Working toward the Fuhrer", as Kershaw puts it, became the goal, regardless of the consequences. Being "one of us", rather than "one of them", was the only goal. Facinating stuff, and scary, considering the relevance to our own time.



5. To be sure, military historians may be upset because Kershaw doesn't cover every little thing when it comes to the war, but this is the place to start and finish when it comes to Hitler from 1936-1945. The book is very well written and highly readable. If you want more info on the war, there are certainly other places to go, but if you want to know about Hitler, start with Kershaw's 1st volume and move on to this.

4 comments about Joseph Banks: A Life.

1. This biography is obviously a collection of study material for Aubrey & Maturin. Sea travel combined with geographical exploration as well as botanizing and zoologizing, plus English society bickering is what the series is about just like this book on Banks. The whole O'Brian is there in the material.
   Unfortunately only in the material. The flow of the prose is sadly lacking. The wit and humour comes through occasionally, but not the brillant dialogues, nor the elegant story telling, nor the gripping passages on nature and human encounters with it.
   This is far too lean, relying on the accumulation of facts. Too much of the narrative is told in Banks' own stunted language. I have a hard time going through these condensed and stumbling diary entries. This is mostly a probem in the first half of the book. It gets much better at the time after Banks' travels, when he becomes a 'barnacle' and presides over the Royal Society.
   A good biography ought to be more than material and information. It ought to tell us a story. The story is visible, but not fully told.
   A good biography, on the positive side now, is always also a history of something larger than the main hero. This is a history of science and exploration in the 18th century, with some noteable supporting cast like James Cook and Linnaeus, with King George III and Benjamin Franklin. And awful Captain Bligh of Bounty fame, later Governor of Ossiland. And Jane Austen, but she more by association and less by personal appearance.
   All that is fine.
   But what about poor Solander? The man is there for much of the narrative, but does he ever get a chance to become a person? I don't think so, only in wee little asides. Just a tertiary cast member. Does Solander deserve that? Possibly not, but since O'Brian treats him with scarce attention, I may never know.
   Disappointing.



2. Joseph Banks served forty years as president of the Royal Academy, Britain's oldest scientific institution. His legacy survives as a result of his scientific enterprise; he helped to transform an "insular" monarchy to an "industrial powerhouse."
   
   He sailed on expeditions to North America and Iceland as well as the Pacific, and established Kew Gardens as one of the world's greatest botanical centers. His 'Florilogium' about his botanical studies in the South Seas is there in the library.
   
   He was a naturalist, a young botanist, in addition to being an explorer. He was one of Australia's founding fathers. He accompanied Captain Cook as he circumnavigated the globe to discover that country.
   
   His Last Will & Testament requested no monument, but forty-seven years after his death in 1820 at the age of 77 years, a tablet was erected showing his grave. He was portrayed as forthright, cheerful and a hospitable man, an intrepid explorer abroad who investigated all he encountered as a genius journalist. He left all of his possessions to wife, Dorothea, with his library at Kew under the direction of Robert Brown, who would have the leasehold house after her death.
   
   Jason Wilson wrote in 'London Magazine' that "this leisurely and witty biography brings the 'genuine' Englishman fully to life." P. O'Brian used Banks' letters to such luminaries as Edward Gibbon, Samuel Johnson, Cuvier and Watt -- and his journals. He wrote a biography of Picasso and resided in southern France.



3. I, on the other hand, have never read any of the Aubrey & Maturin books, but I'm extremely interested in the Cook expeditions of which Banks played so much a part. I think it must be because I can see Banks Island right outside my window. Anyway, I must say that, after reading this book, I was prepared to believe Banks walked on water. Founder of modern botany (and modern science generally), explorer, developer of Kew and on and on. Certainly one of the giants of British naval exploration.

   Alas! Cook biographers have been a little less kind to Banks. While often portrayed as a hard driving scientist, he has also been portrayed as a bit of an upper-class twit, always petulent and silly. Which is it? Probably somewhere in the middle. Read this book, but keep an open mind about the hagiography!




4. Having read every one -- all 18, I think -- of the wonderful Aubrey & Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, coming across O'Brian's earlier "Joseph Banks" is a special pleasure. The same wonderful O'Brian dry wit is there, the same fascinated and fascinating focus on the late 18th century, British politics and society, and the sea. O'Brian's "Banks" is an easy read, compared with many scholarly biographies. That is because, actually, it doesn't really qualify as a "scholarly" effort. It is more discursive, easy-going, unpretentious. Delightful is the word that most aptly describes O'Brian's writing in general, and that applies here. Of special interest, though, is that the character of Jack Aubrey is prefigured, very briefly, in the description of a sea-captain acquaintance of Banks's, and Stephen Maturin himself, while not found in person here, is prefigured by the career of Banks himself: explorer, biologist, botanist, collector, and man of the world. O'Brian's "Joseph Banks" is not for everyone, but is certainly for any one of the thousands of O'Brian addicts. Which makes one muse and wonder: when, oh when is "The Hundred Days" coming out in paperback so I can line it up with the other eighteen volumes?