No comments about Night, Dawn, the Accident: Three Tales.

No comments about Hope And Honor: Library Edition.

No comments about The Audacity To Live.

1 comments about I'm No Hero: The Journeys of a Holocaust Survivor (A Samuel and Althea Stroum Book).

1. Henry Friedman's life story is played out against the horrors of the holocaust and how one teenager survived with some family members, and ultimately triumphed in America. His life as a hidden teenager is a riveting account of sheer dogged determination to survive under horrendous conditions. The reader is enthralled as he survives one episode to the next. Considering how honest the author is about his growing sexuality, this book should be made into a Hollywood movie. But it is ultimately a tale of the triumph of the human spirit to survive! A must read in any collection on holocaust survivors.

   Other books of a similar theme include Harold Werner's "Fighting Back"(although Werner was older and was a partisan, which Henry wasn't), Larry Orbach's "Soaring Underground"(although Orbach lived in Nazi Germany), and Thomas Blatt's "From the Ashes of Sobibor" (although Blatt's adventure included stays in the concentration camp prior to his escape/hiding)

4 comments about Last Walk in Naryshkin Park.

1. I think when writing a book of this type there is always a tendency to exagerate facts and figures in order to make it more dramatic and sell more copies. One case in point: the author says that the 3,000 figure for Jews killed in Zagare is more likely 7,000. Where does she get this figure? According to census records, in 1938 Zagare had 5445 residents, not all Jews. In 1942 it had 2,936 residents, mostly non-Jews. So about 2,509 were killed, not 7,000, perhaps not even 3,000. This of course does not make the crime any less horrendous. But let's stick to facts, please.



2. This is an interesting account, part personal and part historical of the plight of the Jewish people of Lithuania, focusing primarily, but not restricted to, the Second World War. The author begins by providing a brief history of her family, which serves to personalize the tragedy to come. The town her parents were from originally is the main subject of the book, and although a small town, appears representative of other towns where the same thing happened. The title of the book alludes to the park in the town where a great number of the towns` Jewish people are buried, after being killed by other townspeople during German occupation. This is not a casual read, although that`s more to do with the subject matter, rather than the writing style. It will make you sad and perhaps angry, and there is no happy ending, perhaps just an understanding that we can learn from our mistakes. The latter part of the book follows the author as she heads to Lithuania for her first ever trip there, (she lived in South Africa as a child), and her experiences when visiting the park, as well as meeting the only Jew now living in the town. A moving and involving book.



3. Congratulations Rose Zwi's book Last Walk in Naryshkin Park is the Winner of the Sliver APPA Award, category General Literature, in Beijing, China for the translation from English to Mandarin of Last Walk in Naryshkin Park



4. Rosa Zwi traces her roots back to a small town in Lithuania. Her family had fled Zagare to escape the rising anti-Sematism in Lithuania in the years leading up to WW11. Most of the family that remained were trapped in Lithuania, and were murdered by local Lithuanians and/or Nazis. The book is invaluable in telling the story of Jews from the town of Zagare, almost all of whom were murdered. There is no-one left to tell me the story of my own relatives from Zagare who are likely to be in the mass graves in Naryshkin Park. Thank you Rosa Zwi for sharing your journey back in time. The book is well written and easy to read.

No comments about The Oxymoron Factor 2: Part II, the Tale of the Ring: A Kaddish for Civilization (Oxymoron Factor).

No comments about Chestnut Roulette: The Amazing Story of A Lvov Jewish Youth Who Triumphs Over Adversity,Outwitting The Nazis and Luftwaffe!.

No comments about Jewels and Ashes (A Harvest Book).

3 comments about Private Wars.

1. Mr. Shecket writes a powerful story. Although I knew antisemitism went on in the service I would have never known how bad it was had I not read Private Wars. I normally I would say that only someone who has lived Gerry'experience could grasp exactly what happened to him. However now, thanks to Mr. Sheckets moving story, everyone can understand what he and others must have gone through. It's a fast reading, fast moving, smoothly written book. I laughed and cried, and I could not put it down. Rosalie Ferrer Kramer, author: "Dancing in the Dark: Things My Mother Never Told Me."



2. "Do it now, Gerry, blow his head off!" Amazingly, Gerry in "Private Wars" is talking about his own squad leader! What follows is one the most gripping and exciting stories of a young boy who has to fight two wars, - the Germans, and anti-Semitism within his own ranks. His ingenuity and creativity help him stay alive as a rifleman in the infantry. We are treated to a fascinating psychological study of an eighteen year old developing into a mature young man. I found "Private Wars" intense, suspenseful, gratifying, and hard to put down.



3. Comments about "Private Wars" by Ed Yanis of Cherry Hill NJ, and author of "Dancing With Bears":

   Yesterday my routine turned out to be different. Instead of grabbing the Wall Street Journal, I picked up your book and started to read it for my usual 15 minutes before I would doze off. But, I couldn't put Private Wars down. I was entranced. It held me captive for four and one-half hours until I finished. All sorts of emotions and thoughts were zooming through my brain like lightning bolts. I must say it was a terrific novel. Well written, easy to read and the mental pictures it conjured were fantastic. You are an excellent writer and you should feel very proud of yourself for taking on such a project and accomplishing such a wonderful work. That's quite a legacy you leave to your kids and the world. Gerry, thank you very much.

1 comments about The Waltz of the Shadows - Second Edition.

1. This book of poetry is just beautiful. It is the story of The Holocaust in poetry form. Everyone know what happened was horrible, but Magda's book put it in a way that lets you share her experience while listening to the music the poetry makes.