No comments about Autobiography of a Generation: Italy, 1968.

5 comments about Bridge Across My Sorrows: The Christina Noble Story.

1. This book was the most inspiring book I have ever read. Christina Noble, is an astounding person, she shows such courage and determination. The book changed my life and had great effect on my career choice. The book has subtle spiritual aspects while at the same time it is gritty and honest.



2. I had to choose a book for a school Book oral review and I was stuck. I couldn't find a good book to read so I asked my teacher and she recommended this book to read and It truly is the Best Book Ever.

   It tells a story of great suffering. Christina as a young child lost her mother at the age of 10 and had an alcoholic Father. She was forced onto the streets when her Mother died and her father couldn't look after her and her sisters and brothers. They were sent to different Orphanages and were told that their siblings were dead. Christina went to live with an uncle and an aunt but was sexually abused by the man many times. So too was her younger sister Philomena. She left there and live d ina burrow in a Park where she grew up. She ate card board and drank water from puddles. While she was out obne night she was gang raped by 4 men and fell pregnant soon after.

   She left for a new life to England where her brother wa. Her suffering was not to end there. She entered into a very violent marriage where she was repeatedly beaten. She was overworked and was sick. She left her greek husband Mario. She had a dream about going to Vietnam and helping the street children of vietnam because she too was a street child.

   She told her second gusband of her dream and soon she left for Vietnam. Although she had nothing, she had alot to give to the street children of Vietnam. She has built shelters and Medical Centres. She couldn't have done enough.

   think Christina is a very brave and courageous woman and I congratulate her on an excellent Biography and I applaud her.

   a must read to people wh0 like true stories.




3. Thankyou Christina, for finding the courage to write your story. We hear so much of what the world says is "sucess", yet here is a woman who writes of true success. Taking a tradegy and turning it into a triumph. If this book does not inspire you, challenge you and propel you into action for the world's poor, nothing will.



4. Like many other readers who read this book, I couldn't help myself reading it until I've finished. The story is full of love and at the same time, sadness. The childhood of Christina was really poor, homeless, being abused, lack of love..... However, she didn't give up, she kept on working to achieve her goal/dream -- help the street children in Vietnam. Even though there're lots of problems for her to solve, her experience gave her strengths to over come all these obstacles. Finally, she succeeded, thousands of children in Vietnam got help from her, She's no longer lonely and desperate but enjoying her life surrounded by love. I'd recommend this book to readers who're interested in biography or those who've been suffering from failure or poor life, you may learn a lot after reading it.



5. If Frank McCourt thought his life in Ireland was tough, he should read about Christina Noble's life!

   This is a wonderful book about triumphing over adversity, following a dream and really caring about others.

2 comments about Yale English Monarchs - Edward the Confessor (Yale English Monarchs).

1. Wow - this man knows his history! If you are a serious historian interested in Edward the Confessor - this is your Bible! The reading is extremely dry - don't think you'll find more here than the facts, but there are facts galore! Barlow begins with an indepth look at Edward's background and the background of the political situation in England. He ends with the impact of Edward during the reign of Henry III and covers literally EVERYTHING in between. Then for good measure, he adds nearly another 100 pages of appendicies, time lines, maps, tables and illustrations. I'm very impressed with the author's knowledge of the subject. I only hold back that last "star" because I regret that the author didn't make it a bit more "friendly" to read. It is dry and moves slowly and is not probably a book that would generate interest in Edward the Confessor so much as it is a book to verify facts for those already interested. I personally prefer history and historical fiction that can introduce a reader to a subject and make them want to read more. I'm afraid that his work will be too daunting to many and makes Edward sound extremely dull - which he truly was not.



2. Though the subject of this book may seem a bit daunting and even boring, I promise you that Frank Barlow has done a fabulous job. He has brought to life the enigmatic and somewhat obscure lives of the most important Englishmen of the late 11th century: Edward the Confessor, Earl Godwin, Edith Godwin's daughter, King Harold II, Swegn Godwinson, and Tostig Godwinson. A must-read.

No comments about Notes from the Heart: A Celebration of Traditional Irish Music.

3 comments about The JG26 War Diary, Vol. 2: 1943-1945.

1. A Classic on the Luftwaffe! It is without a doubt one of the "must have" books for anyone interested in the fighter operations of the Luftwaffe. It is full of previously unpublished pictures and narratives by surviving Luftwaffe pilots. At its price, it is a bargain



2. This has to be the best book ever written in english of the subject of the Luftwaffe. This book covers the day by day history of the most famous and sucsessful unit facing the onslaught of the British and American forces during WW2.Included are a complete list of all victories and losses. This alone is worth the price. I only hope future histories are this indepth. Recommended to all. THANX Don.



3. Whether you are a fan of Don Caldwell's previous works on the Luftwaffe, or a first-time reader, you will not be disappointed by his latest effort. Caldwell is able to provide a wealth of detail and a highly readable narrative at the same time. His research is excellent, and the lives and deaths of the fighter pilots are presented with an unusual depth of realism. Mr. Caldwell continues to be among the top aviation historians writing today.

1 comments about Royal Family, Royal Lovers: King James of England and Scotland.

1. King James, sponsor of the famous Authorized "King James" Bible, is often lauded as defender of the faith by some who worship his 1611 publication as the be-all and end-all of all English Bible translations. Many hagiographic works abound, but Bergeron's isn't one of those.

   While writing his Basilicon Doron to attack the sin of sodomy, James himself used his royal position to shield himself from such a charge against himself. Bergeron digs up the historical dirt and shares a contemporary's view of the hypocrisy, a diary entry in 1622 by one Simonds D'Ewes of a conversation he'd had with a friend:
   "Of things I discoursed with him that weere secrett as of the sinne of sodomye, how frequente it was in this wicked cittye, and if God did not provide some wonderfull blessing against it, wee could not but expect some horrible punishment for it; especially it being as wee had probable cause to feare, a sinne in the prince as well as the people, which God is for the most part the chastiser of himselfe, because noe man else indeed dare reprove or tell him them of ther faults." (Bergeron, p. 183)

   Many more pieces of evidence are to be found in those pages, and what emerges from Bergeron's picture is that of a great man who was both King of England and Scotland and quite human.

1 comments about Freedom of Angels: Surviving Goldenbridge Orphanage.

1. This is a surpisingly objective account in places, but it's interesting to see how the author, a qualified counsellour, often reverts back to a childhood linguistic mode when describing her early experiences. She's conscious of the effect that living in an orpanage has on the way she percieves the world as a whole. At times it feels like the book is written by 2 different authours, one a badly scarred orpanage vitim, the other an impartial commentator.

   it works, though, it's often harrowing and should be enough to make anyone who perpetuated the institionalised cruelty of these institiutions feel ashamed. It's an angry, but not necessacarily bitter book that deserves a wide audience in Ireland and elsewhere.

No comments about Oliver Baldwin: A Life of Dissent.

1 comments about Lenin Lives!: The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia, Enlarged Edition.

1. This is a very good book about how Lenin was made into a god to Russia. There is a lot of detail about Lenin's life, but more about what happened to Lenin after he died. It was not to surprising his body was preserved and put on display. In this way he was treated as the Orthodox Church has always revered its saints by keeping relics and body parts. Lenin's wife was angry that Lenin was not properly buried, but Stalin's idea was to make him into a saint. For all the years following Lenin was practically worshipped. This book shows how the cult was created by the Communist Party and forced on Russian citizens. The book treats Russians and Lenin with respect, and it has very good history.

4 comments about Tudor Women: Queens & Commoners.

1. I was disappointed, mostly because I was interested in the how women of the Tudor period lived. The book gave very few details about the average woman, it was mostly about the queens of the period. I gave it 3 stars because what it did do, it did very well. It was a fast moving overview of the Royal Tudor women but there was very little depth.



2. It's a good book,but it lacks detail.I kept getting Margaret Beaufort and Margaret Pole mixed up because it didn't explain better. Still,it has good stuff because it has feeling; you can feel how daring Catherine Howard felt,you can feel the disapointment of poor Bloody Mary.It almost makes up for what it lacks.



3. This book presents, in chronological order, the stories of the women of the Tudor family starting With Margaret of Richmond, Henry the 7th mother, and the founder of the Tudor line.

   The writing in this book is easy to read, and the author is factually correct. However, the biographies lack any real depth to them, and there is little new information in this book and it mostly just skims over the surface of these women's lives.

   The bulk of the book deals with the women of the tudor royal family. (Mary and Elizabeth Tudor and Henry 8th's queens). There is some discussion on the lives of non-royal women, but 95% of this book is on Royalty.

   This book is a great introduction to the lives of Women in 16th century england, but don't get this book if you have read Extensively on 16th century england, because it primarly relies on secondary sources, and contribes very little in the way of new information.




4. By summarizing the Tudor dynasty through its women (including the underrecognized Margaret Beaufort), Alison Plowden has constructed a surprisingly gripping read. Her conclusions seem well-researched, and she approaches her subjects, even Katherine Howard and the despised Mary I, from a symathetic yet realistic vantage point. Far from being a dry bit of history, this book is succinct and extremely well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.