5 comments about Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman (Grove Great Lives).

1. fantatstic book
   not one sided at all
   story told from letters written
   you get to decide how you look upon Marie Antoinette which is refreshing since she is so controversial



2. I love all the works of Stefan Zweig; even in translation, you can tell what a brilliant storyteller that Stefan is. In Marie Antoinette, you could almost feel pity for the unfortunate woman that fate so harshly dealt with the responsibility of a queen. The book is excellent in detailing the emotional stages of her life as a young child into womanhood, & all that she had to endure amid all the royal duties, gossips, struggles & fights behind the palace doors. All in all, an execellent book that I enjoy over & over again.



3. As a disciple of Freud, Zweig was fascinated with the new psychoanalysis and applying it to historical characters. I think he overdoes it in his biography of Marie Antoinette, attributing her love of clothes, gambling, and partying to supressed desires rather than youthful vivacity, since she was a teenager, married at fourteen. This is a book that has outlived its time. Unfortunately, Zweig's Freudian interpretation has been imitated by other biographers and gives a false view of Marie Antoinette even to this day.



4. I think the title should read, "The Portrait of an Average Woman's Behavior". I think one would find it hard to accept that Ms. Antointte was anything but an average woman of her time. Yes, it is true that her behavior was typical of an average woman, but she was raised to become a queen, not your average woman. Finding true love with a warm, romantic, and compassionate man in comparison to her husband Louis XVI and the manner in which she handled the affair are truly average. Her thoughts and behavior as the momentum of the French Revolution accelerated are those of an average woman. Aside from the misnomer, I truly enjoyed the information and the manner in which Mr. Zweig presented it to the reader. Mr. Zweig exposed Ms. Antoniette to the reader as if he had known her personally. After reading this biography I now feel that beneath all the hair pieces and hats, she behaved as any woman would have done in her situation.



5. Dating from 1933 in its first edition, this book is part biography and part psychological analysis of the great Austrian Empress Maria Theresa's daughter who died a hated Queen of France. While both its writing style and its ideas - particularly its author's assumptions about the fundamental nature of womanhood - may seem quaint to the 21st Century reader, it's still very well worth reading. Zweig refuses to rely upon a number of commonly used sources that he has reason to consider suspect, and he approaches his subject with genuine interest that's refreshingly uncontaminated by awe. The Archduchess Antoinette, the Dauphiness of France, the giddy young Queen to Louis XVI, the maturing mother of the Dauphin who would have become Louis XVII - Zweig captures them all, and then takes us with him through this woman's terrible final transformation into the prematurely white-haired "Widow Capet" who mounts the scaffold. He writes her life with frankness that's remarkable, truly, considering the era in which his work was originally published.

2 comments about The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library).

1. This is one of the best books about Lee! It is written from his youngest's son's point of view. It's a great book for every library.



2. Robert E. Lee never had the chance to pen his own autobiography as U.S. Grant did. He meant to, but kept holding it off until heart disease claimed his life five years after the surrender of Appomattox.
   
   Many of those who served under him during the Civil War wrote biographies of the great Confederate General, claiming to know how he felt, and what he thought. But only two of them really came close. The ponderous but solidly written "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee" by his Aide, Colonel Long, and this volume, comprised of letters actually written by Lee, and the remembrances of those who knew him well, and none more so than the author of the book, his own son, Captain Robert E.Lee, Jr.
   
   Captain Lee describes his childhood in the Lee household, of General Lee's love of animals, especially horses. He describes a man who smiled, was warm, as compared to the austere, solemn descriptions and illustrations of him once the Civil War commenced. He writes how Lee agonized within his own family of the decision to leave the U.S. Army, and then join the Confederacy, even though wishing for a quiet, neutral life, and of Lee's personal losses during the war - a daughter who passed on, a son wounded and captured, the son's frail wife also passing on, and the known loss of their dearly beloved home in Arlington, which was turned into the national cemetery of the same name.
   
   Captain Lee studiously avoids the controversial sides of Lee, his stand on slavery or the rights of the South, concentrating mainly on the personality of man and how he dealt with others.
   This is a volume that belongs on the shelf of any Civil War buff, especially those interested in the life of Robert E. Lee.
   I recommend this book, and Burke Davis' "Gray Fox" be purchased together.

5 comments about The Devil Knows How To Ride: The True Story Of William Clarke Quantril And His Confederate Raiders.

1. You won't find a better, more up-to-date analysis of the border war and the guerillas and bushwackers. And now is a good time to bone up on the subject, as we are in the midst of the 150th anniversary of the Border War and the anniversary of Quantrills raid on Lawrence is just 5 years away. Lock and load, people.



2. Mild-mannered teacher. Mama's boy. Impressionable Army teamster. Professional gambler. Lady's man. Expert horseman. Cold-blooded killer.
   
   William Clarke Quantrill, the leader of the most feared group of guerrillas in American history, possessed all of these personas at one time or another in his short life. Tackling a subject of this complexity requires an author who is up to the task, and Edward Leslie proves that he is the man for the job in The Devil Knows How to Ride.
   
   Leslie does an admirable job transporting the reader back to a time when people's survival was day-to-day and the difference between life and death often depended on one's political sympathies. Leslie probably comes closer than any other author to understanding Quantrill the man and his motivations. This is all the more impressive when one considers that Quantrill, the most important figure in the story, died a month shy of his 28th birthday, leaving behind few correspondences and no memoirs.
   
   The book is thoroughly researched and meticulously detailed. Well-known events such as the Lawrence Massacre are covered. But so are little-known historical nuggets, such as the story of Quantrill escaping from the headquarters of a Confederate general who had placed him under arrest near Bonham, Texas. It seems that every raid ever undertaken by Quantrill's gang gets a mention, whether it be for one sentence or an entire chapter. Despite the book's great detail, its pulse-pounding pace is rarely compromised.
   
   Besides good research and an easy writing style, another of Leslie's hallmarks is that he brings objectivity to the subject of which he writes. He projects a balanced view that never resorts to "purple prose." Many of the more incendiary allegations against Quantrill are presented very carefully. For example, Leslie takes issue with stories of Quantrill gleefully abusing animals as a youth and attributes them to a single source who had reasons for disparaging his character. Perhaps because of Quantrill's fierce reputation, many such stories about him were taken at face value when they were first published.
   
   This book is ideal for readers with a basic knowledge of the Civil War who don't want to sift through long narratives of troop movements, flanking maneuvers, and the like. The irregular nature of guerrilla operations makes for interesting reading. The story is also interesting because guerrilla groups were small units compared with the regular Army. As a result, the participants in the story have related their experiences in very personal terms.
   
   Leslie's attention to detail and fresh perspective on Quantrill ensures that Civil War aficionados will appreciate the book as well.
   
   If you are looking for one book on Quantrill, or even one book on the Civil War in the West, you can't go wrong with The Devil Knows How to Ride.



3. I am a history fanatic and I loved this book. It is about a time of which I did not have a lot of knowledge and this was so well done.
   I am sorry Mr. Leslie doesn't have more books as he is an excellant story teller.



4. As little as I heard about William Qunatrell and as much as I wanted to know about him, I found this book sadly lacking in any depth or insight. Even though the author writes an introduction about knowing a sociopath who massacred a dozen people in a McDonald's and how this led him to be interested in serial killers and the like, he falls back on narrative devices of the Gone with the Wind cliche.
   
   Whilst there is a fascinating story buried in this narrative about a man who took up guerrilla warfare and how he scared the hell out of Kansas and Missouri, the retelling sucks the life out of it. The author relies too heavily on the original histories and reports some of the hokiness bits of dialogue and fictions without comment. Sure, the guerrila bands MIGHT have been avenging their sisters and the good southern women, or that might have just been the melodramatic recreation. Sure, a man might have said "D-mn them. They are desecrating the flag" upon seeing a Lawrence raider dragging an American flag on horseback. Or he might have just been running for his life and thought up the story later on.
   
   Sadly, this is considered the classic of the historical accounts. So it will be many more years before a better book comes along - one that actually attempts psychological insight and historical accuracy and actually discusses the original texts instead of swallowing every bit of romanticized twaddle without question.



5. ....and Colonel William Clarke Quantrill called in the debt. He sure as hell did. Hart was an assumed name that Quantrill used as a young man when he went west from Ohio seeking fame and fortune, or at least a living. Problem was, he landed right in the middle of the "Bleeding Kansas" mess that was especially hot along the Missouri-Kansas border. Quantrill worked as a teacher, and is said to have been a good one, but trouble was brewing...Charles Jennison and his Jayhawkers, John Brown and his murders of innocent whites....more than enough motivation for a young man to follow the South when war came.
   
   Missouri was even more deeply divided than the rest of the country; it really was brother against brother. The Confederate commander in Missouri was Major General Sterling Price, a fine and decent man, but not our best General. Initially, Quantrill served in the regular Confederate Army, but gradually broke away, with a band of followers, to form The Missouri Partisan Rangers, forerunner of the modern Special Forces, complete with proper Confederate commissions. At first, they played by regular rules...taking prisoners, giving paroles, etc. But when Jim Lane wantonly burned Osceola, and murdered civilians, the black flag came out...
   
   Quantrill's followers are the stuff of Legend...Captain Bloody Bill Anderson...Captain George Todd, who eventually supplanted Quantrill [I am married to a direct descendent of Captain Todd; our son will gladly tell you about it]...Archie Clement...Bill Gregg...Cole Younger...Frank James...Jesse James. Some died in the cause; others went on to fame after the war.
   
   Quantrill's Raiders lived off the countryside, and made things hot for the Yankees wherever they went. They even fought, and won, regular battles, like Baxter Springs. Finally, the Yankees imprisoned female relatives of the Raiders in a structurally unsafe jail in Kansas City...when it collapsed, five innocent girls, including Bill Anderson's sister and Cole Younger's cousin died...enough was enough, the bill was due, and Lawrence paid. When Ewing issued his infamous Order #11, clearing northwest Missouri of Southern civilians, resolve hardened.
   
   Eventually, Todd and Anderson were killed, and the war ended. Quantrill was mortally wounded in Kentucky in 1865. Or was he? He was seen alive as late as 1915...the ultimate legendary status...seen alive after death, joining such company as Jesse James [seen as late as 1951], Houdini, Elvis, and JFK. His skull was used as a prop in a college fraternity initiation for years; he finally received a military funeral, and Christian burial, in 1992. Surviving Raiders held reunions from 1898 till 1929; interestingly, there were two black Raiders at the reunions, though no one knows much about them.
   
   This is a well researched account of a little known aspect of our Civil War. "Quantrill's War" by Duane Schultz is more academic, but this is more readable...both get five stars.

3 comments about The World I Live In (New York Review Books Classics).

1. I received the book promptly. The material was in new condition without any flaws. I was very pleased. Thank you!



2. She tries to help you understand the reality of her life. It is much more than you can imagine.



3. What beautiful writing! It's pointed out in the intro that, more than most of us, her world was shaped with WORDS. I've only read about four essays so far, and am profoundly touched. I've always admired Helen Keller, but am newly re-impressed with her wisdom and vision, and touched that she can write so clearly as to make me feel how little she felt limited by her handicap. If Helen Keller had simply learned to behave and ask politely for her food, etc, it would have been an impressive accomplishment. The fact that she grew to fully embrace her intelligence, her world and her potential . . . wow. I know so many people who are content to just do the bare minimum, to not stretch their limits at all, to not show any intellectual curiosity . . . she had the perfect excuse to exert the least effort, yet she didn't. Once she was given the key, the entree to humanity, she didn't let her handicaps stop her. I love that even all these years later, she is still able to share that.

5 comments about War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars.

1. There are letters from `very' different types of people such as George W. Bush (after he was shot down) and from George McGovern (who was a bomber pilot). I really don't care whose side (politically speaking) the authors of the various letters represent as long as it deals with the stated topic (WAR LETTERS). This is why I only gave the book 3 stars. What in the blue blazes are letters from Helen Keller (who is writing about a friend she once knew who is now in jail for being an American commie) & a letter from the American commie traitor Alger Hiss doing in the book? Neither of these letters even remotely have anything to do with an American War.
   There are other letters which also have very little to do with a U.S. war but I looked over these as they `sort of' and that is a stretch - were leading up to a war. I do not know for sure - but I believe the author is a left of center sort of guy and it comes through in the letters he chose.



2. This book is a great read. It is refeshing to be able to read words, thoughts and dreams from people as they perform such honorable duty overseas. This book is powerful and should be required reading for all, especially Americans.
   
   Some anti-war activist may think it is "pro-war" but it isn't just that. This book reveals personal thoughts and challenges faced by American military personnel in wars from the Civil War until the later conflicts in the 20th century. It is pro-war, anti-war and everything in between.
   
   This book reminds me of the sacrifice that so many make for their country. It is a great tribute for those who have served.



3. i only gave it three stars because many of the stories were more about patriotism than about the war themselves. Of course every book has its bias so its still a useful and moving read when taken with this grain of salt.



4. I received this book as a gift because my family knows I love reading personal histories from those who lived it and "War Letters" seemed perfect for that. I enjoy learning what life was like for the average citizen in an era, whether its someone riding the Erie Canal in 1840, a foot soldier in the American revolution, or a journal from the Civil War.
   
   This is a remarkable book and taken individually there are many, many heart-rending emotional stories that probably need to be read by many people. It does in fact put a personal face on war. Because it is a collection of letters, the book is easily read in short spurts; you don't want (and shouldn't) read this book quickly.
   
   I only gave the book 4 stars because I actually found it hard to read. While the personal letters (the spelling, mannerisms of the authors) help tell their stories, it also keeps the book from developing any flow. Some letters are agonzingly slow to read and understand. I'm certainly not faulting the authors or their stories; but if you're looking for a great, well-written, smooth-flowing story that you can't put down, this isn't it.



5. I actually read a review about this book and gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law who teaches high school history. She LOVES it and told me it was an amazing collection of actual letters. She said all of the teachers that she works with have been borrowing it!!

2 comments about AP U.S. History For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics)).

1. Rather than trying to be a synopsis of a text, Velm captures the spirit and essence of each period covered as well as consistently helpful hints on test prep. It's kind of like having Alt. U.S. History version 2, the view from the left side of the fence.Entertaining as a stand alone 'read' even if you're not prepping for the test.



2. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's not easy to make history come alive, especially with the looming threat of a major exam. This book doesn't just summarize facts that you might need for the exam. It takes the drudgery out of the exam review. I found myself forgetting that preparation for the exam was the focus and just enjoying the history that became truly compelling in this book. I really think that it would be helpful if this book were used in classrooms along with other methods of test prepration. It is comprehensive without ever being dull, and it's written with wit and compassion. If it's possible to take the stress out of preparation for an AP exam, this book accomplishes that task.

2 comments about Painter in a Savage Land: The Strange Saga of the First European Artist in North America.

1. PAINTER IN A SAVAGE LAND; THE STRANGE SAGA OF THE FIRST EUROPEAN ARTIST IN NORTH AMERICA is a top pick for any art history collection: it offers a well-researched yet lively survey of one Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, the first European artist to travel around the U.S. capturing its wonders I pencil and paint. In 1564 he and three hundred other French Protestants landed off the coast of Florida - he was one of the few to live the experience, returning home to create dozens of illustrations of America's Native Americans. A powerful, highly recommended art history, this also deserves a place in any collection strong in early American history.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. Miles Harvey once again provides an example of excellent storytelling; not only does he give life to an important but relatively unknown period in our collective history, but he excels at crafting a story that subtly ties the past to the present.
   I like his exhaustive research, and how he can stick to the facts while exploring possibilities and make relevant the lives of people who previously felt so distant.
   His treatment of indigenous Terra Floridians speaks to his ability to examine people and places from more than one perspective. He knows how to engage a reader!

5 comments about Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection.

1. I am no expert on Genghis Khan and picked this book at an airport. I really enjoyed reading this book. There's really not much to complain about at the same time, this isn't extraordinary. I must say that this book is full of information, maps, and makes a good read. Your time wouldn't be wasted if you read this book.



2. Read both this book and Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. John Man spends too much time describing his own travels which was not why I bought the book. Jack Weatherford's book is far more informative and covers not just the life of Genghis Khan but his lasting influence on the world.



3. It was said of the Mongol Empire under the great Kahn that a virgin with a hundred pounds of gold could travel from one end of the empire to the other with no fear of losing anything. Now I'm not so sure you could make it accross Central Park.
   
   On the other hand if you were in a city being approached by his army and you were told surrender or we're going to kill everybody and flatten the city you might think of the Mongols in a different light, especially when you were aware of some neighboring cities having been flattened.
   
   For so important a figure in history, as Genghis Khan, we know so little about him. And here in the west we know even less. We do not study his ways of warfare (the Mongols weapons, tactics, strategy, morale, ruthlessness were all better), or his laws that controlled a huge empire.
   
   This book is an excellent rendition of the history of Genghis Khan and of the search for more information about him. I's easy to see why the story so captivates John Man. It makes me want to go to Mongolia, a place that hever held any interest to me before.



4. Mainstream historians may object to some of the claims in this book, but John Man has created quite a readable mix of travelogue and history. This is more a work of interpretation, rather than direct research, as Man has combined his own past learning about Genghis Khan and the Mongols with his modern-day travels to Mongolia in search of surviving relics. So do not expect newly detailed research breakthroughs, because this is one of those "living history" books. One particular problem is that Man uses a lot of conjecture and opinionating when tackling gaps or contradictions in the historical record. But in the end, we do get a very good summary of all the present knowledge on Genghis and his descendants, and Man engagingly discusses this very intriguing and complex historical personage. This especially applies to how Genghis was surely a genius in military strategy and administration, and was a remarkable leader of men, while also being responsible for the destruction of dozens of classic cities and the slaughter of probably a few million people. Man also discusses the sheer hugeness of the Mongols' empire-building practices, why these once-anarchic nomads decided to destroy every settled civilization in the known world then return to their simple pastoral lives, and how Genghis has been deified as both a god and a devil by multiple societies ever since. Add to this Man's exploration of the modern landscape and the Mongols' ongoing influence, and this conjectural but still very readable book really shows what made Genghis and his boys tick. [~doomsdayer520~]



5. This book is supposed to be an attempt to chronicle the life and times and onward historical march of one of the world's greatest yet most forgotten conquerors and statesmen, by a modern investigator who visits the land of his origins, and tries to trace his clues and history from there onwards. Whereas the author can be said to have succeeded in doing this somewhat, his "onspot" attempt at trying to relive Genghis Khan and his times turn into a amateurish, personal travelogue tale, narrated in the typically perky and cocky style of an ordinary, mediocre Britisher that is evoked in such people when they are confronted with something awesome... The resultant declarations and comments on G.K himself and his legacy, together with an assortment of other such comments on present day Mongolia, its culture and people fall far short of what such a book should set out to do, and tend to deviate from the real purpose of such a venture.

5 comments about Freud: A Life for Our Time.

1. This book describes Freud`s life with deep insight, and you can review the European history at around late 19th century to the beginning of 20th century through Freud's life. Very well done.



2. Best compendium of Freud's work by far. And with intelligent commentary by Gay. Yes, some of Siggy's turgid prose is hard going but, it is worth the investment in time and effort. Read it with an open mind and you will see how timeless Freud's message is...and Gay does not sink into sycophancy, as many others did.



3. If you have minimal knowledge about the father of psychoanlaysis, or if you hold strong opinions about the "Prof" as his students and colleagues referred to him deferentially and affectionally, this work by Peter Gay will highlight the peaks of Freud's dazzling insights, and provide plenty of background for his all too human failings. Freud is presented as a man struggling with issues of family, career, and the inevitablity of death. Gay is able to condense and summarize key Freudian concepts and place them in the context of the life and cultural time of the father of psychoanalysis. For students of psychology as well as observers of our current cultural and political delusions, Gay neatly captures the details as well as the broad scope of Freud's shadow on the 20th Century and beyond.



4. May 6 was the 150th birth anniversary of Sigmung Freud; he died in London in 1939. His theories have been changed along the way by other psychologists, but they remain the basis for therapy. He believed that past conflicts cause current emotional problems, the trauma of being born was actually at the root of neurotic anxiety, and that childhood experiences are the crucible of character. He delved into the science of recollection and reflection. Some of his beliefs have been tossed aside as so much feminist bunk, but had he still been alive, he would have agreed that history will never end because it is made by human beings.
   
   Someone acting rashly (out of character) is said to be "frontal" referring to the part of the brain involved in impulse control. They react to slurs in a violent manner to protect their self-integrity. One must confront the parts of himself which are painful and shameful and difficult to face. A philosopher at the University of Chicago identifies a "core idea" on which Freud's reputation must rest, that human life is "essentially conflicted." Today, we have brain-imaging technology which can prove or disprove his mind-boggling ideas.
   
   A person of character always is truthful. Dishonesty by omission (withhold the truth) or commission (telling an untruth) is a byproduct of the change system. Don't tell people what they want to know; that is misleading. When you fail to tell the truth, minor issues escalate into major ones. You usually become angry at perceived psychological threats. Someone threatens your self-esteem, your reputation, your peace of mind, or your sense of well-being, and you explode in anger. There are biological reasons for the way we act or react to this threat to our self-preservation. Empathy helps us to contain and expand our own sense of self-esteem. You have to confront the parts of yourself (your mind) that are painful, shameful, and difficult to face.
   
   Eric Kandel wrote a book about the memory for which he won the Nobel Prize. The future of neuroscience leads us to the biology of the mind. This science is called phrenology -- a science of the mind. Why we act and think the way we do. How we interpret danger from slander. Too much sadness become depression, too much gladness becomes mania, too much fear becomes panic, and too much anger becomes rage. Can virtue be taught? In today's society we constantly search for the pursuit of happiness. One thing to question is "What makes a problem moral."
   
   It's too bad Freud isn't around to see how immoral our society has become with deceit and even by the way they dress in public. Many more humans have psychological problems these days than in the '30s, which are going unresolved. His ideas probably would be considered obsolete, but they have been expanded to include behaviorism, humanistic, mythological, cognitive behavioral therapy, even self psychology. With his sometimes wrong ideas, we can pick and choose which field is best for us to overcome our hurts (caused by others, not being born or ignored as children) and understand that we are not alone.



5. Disagree with two of the reviewers below: Gay is not unbearly biased in favor of Freud, book is not too much for casual dabblers in the subject.
   
   First, one could hardly expect a six hundred page biography of Freud to be authored by someone who hates the man. Important to be realistic about who writes books in the first place.
   
   Second, Freud was a prolific writer, and the book doesn't shy away from in depth analysis, so really it's like two three hundred page books. Now, if that's too much Freud for you, you're probably not that interested in the first place.
   
   I like to read biographies of thinkers who left behind copious amount of published work. That way, it's easier to get a sense of what you want to read (if anything) by the author.
   
   Because much of Freud's work revolves around family life, his family life is more then usually interesting. It's impossible to appreciate the originality of Freud's thought without having a firm context for HIS everyday life.
   
   This book provides a balanced reading of Freud's controverial life. I found the bad to be included as much as the good. Freud's influence on the 20th century has been so profound that even if you completely disagree with the man (over, say, his attitude towards women), it is still rewarding to learn about his thought.

2 comments about Counterfeiter: How a Norwegian Jew survived the Holocaust (General Military).

1. COUNTERFEITER: HOW A NORWEGIAN JEW SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST is an addition for both general-interest lending libraries strong in Holocaust studies and for World War II or Judaic history holdings. It tells of the Nazi secret project, Operation Bernhard, which used prisoners to produce counterfeit British bank notes - considered some of the most perfect counterfeits ever produced - which were to be dropped over London to destabilize the British economy. Author Moritz Nachtstern was one of those picked for the program: his story of survival and the project offers unusual, gripping insights.



2. Moritz Nachstern was the only member of his family left in Norway when he was arrested and held in prison camps first in Norway (Berg) and then deported on the D/S Donau to Stettin and then to Auschwitz. One of only a few to survive initial selection, his background in typography gave him an opportunity to live by contributing to the Third Reich's ambitious currency counterfeiting scheme, housed in a separate area of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
   
   His account, among the first ever told by Norwegian survivors, is a candid exposition of both the counterfeiting operation and the conditions within the block. Driven both by the threat of immediate death and professional pride, a mixed assembly of prisoners labored to create a money printing press, all the while keeping their work secret within the concentration camp.
   
   Nachstern tells of episodes that would be comical if they didn't so often result in murder and provides a view into a world of madness within utter barbarism and lawlessness.
   
   Nachtstern was one of only 28 of the 770 or so Jews shipped from Norway who survived the camps. He returned to Norway, married, and started a family, but he struggled for the rest of his life to adjust to the memories. This is an unusual story, not just for the events it portrays, but also because Nachtstern somehow succeeds in portraying all those involved as humans, though often deeply flawed.