No comments about A Top Secret OSS - Psychological Analysis of Adolph Hitler.

3 comments about Hilde and Eli: Children of the Holocaust.

1. David A. Adler may be the author of the best-selling Cam Jansen mystery series for children, but he struck a slightly sour note in this story book concerning two children murdered during the Holocaust. The facts presented are not the usual storybook material.
   
   However, Adler cannot be blamed: the subject matter is difficult to handle for children. The fact is, most children's novels on this topic have heroes and heroines who somehow escape the terrible fate that in fact claimed the majority of Jewish children in Europe--1.5 million, according to official records.
   
   Adler, in telling the tale of two children who did NOT survive--with details given to him by their respective siblings, who did--takes off that sugar coating.
   
   I'd agree that this book is not suitable for little children, but second, third and fourth graders who still like picture books would find it informative. If you don't mind telling your children the ugly truth about the Holocaust and its young victims, this is as good a place as any to start.
   
   --Alyssa A. Lappen



2. "Hilde and Eli" is a good book about the Holocaust and its effects on children; however, there are better books that recount this experience. The picture book format is misleading because the information (and the blunt way in which it is presented) is certainly not suitable for young children. Children in 4th-5th-and 6th grades would find it informative, though I doubt they would pick up a picture book readily. In the context of a classroom discussion, it may serve its purpose - to inform about a devastating event in the history of humanity.



3. Hi' I'am a 6th grader. And reading a book about the Holocaust. My book is Hilde and Eli childern of the Holocaust.This book is really fun to read when there's nothing too do. The characters are Hilde and Eli, they are the kids of the holocaust.

5 comments about A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara : Hero of the Holocaust (Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: a Hero of the Holocaust).

1. A Special Fate is the story of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese consulate to Lithuania who, against the wishes of his superiors, hand wrote about six thousand transit visas to Jews fleeing the invading Nazi forces. His bravery saved many lives, but cost him not only his political career but also his youngest son's life. The author also weaves the story of two Jewish children who received visas from Sugihara into the main narrative.
   
   The book is very engaging, not at all like the dry lists of dates that typically pass for history. I usually don't find history books enjoyable, but I enjoyed this one and learned a lot, not only about how Sugihara's visas saved so many people, but also a bit about Japanese culture.
   
   The story moves quickly enough to keep younger readers from getting bored, but not so fast that the details are lost. Most older children will be able to read the book and understand what is going on as long as they have a basic knowledge of W.W.II history.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone learning about W.W.II, and even though it is supposedly a children's book, I would recommend it to adults too.



2. Chiune Sugihara's story needed to be told. In a dark period of Japanese history, one man listened to his conscience, discussed the consequences with his wife and children, and chose to do the right thing. In the early days of WWII, Sugihara, a diplomat to Lithuania, issued thousands of life-saving visas to the Jews of Europe against the direct orders of his superiors. After the Russians took over Lithuania, Sugihara was forced to close the Japanese Embassy, but he continued writing visas until the last possible moment.

   The rest of Sugihara's story is anti-climactic, dealing with his diplomatic career throughout the war. After the war, the Soviets sent the Sugihara family to a Siberian detention camp. When they were finally repatriated, Sugihara was immediately dismissed from government service for disobeying orders. He spent many years in obscurity before finally being found by some of the grateful Jews that he had saved. Near the end of his life, he received some well-deserved acknowledgement by both the Japanese and Israeli government including being recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations."

   Alison Leslie Gold, who has written several other non-fiction books of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, tells the story of three families. Besides Sugihara's story, Gold describes the experience of a Jewish family from Poland and another from Lithuania who received Sugihara visas. Gold focuses on Solly and Masha, children from those families. She interviewed them as well as Sugihara's widow, Yukiko, for first hand accounts of the heroic and tragic events described in this book. Masha's family used their visa to travel to Japan and survived the war. Tragically, Solly's family repeatedly delayed using their visa until it was too late to use it resulting in many family members' deaths at the hands of the Nazis. Solly found it quite ironic that a Japanese man tried to offer his family assistance at the beginning of the war and the first American face that he saw when he was liberated at the end of the war was a Japanese American soldier.

   The photographs in the book help readers understand that this is a true story that happened to real people. There are photographs of all three families and additional photos from the time period. The photos are separated from the narrative in two clumps. Though this distracts from their impact, they are still powerful.

   This is an easy to read introductory book on the incidents in Lithuania. However, I found information on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum web site that was not included in the book. In the web site's section on Sugihara, I learned about the interesting larger story involving the Dutch council, Jan Zwartendijk and his involvement in helping the Lithuanian Jews. I also learned that Yukiko was Sugihara's second wife.

   Gold is non-judgmental towards Japan's involvement in WWII and of Sugihara's father's involvement in occupied Korea. However, she seems to lose some of that impartiality when she adds comments on Sugihara's conversion to Russian Orthadoxism. She adds the comment that he did not forget his Buddhism and Shinto religions from his youth (10). I wonder how she knows that detail of his conversion.

   The research that went into A Special Fate could have been better documented. Gold's sources are summed up in an author's note at the beginning of the book and an author's acknowledgement at the end. The book does not include a bibliography for further reading or works consulted.

   It is estimated that Sugihara wrote 6,000 visas. Now there is a group numbering over 40,000 descendants known as "Sugihara Survivors." Even in later life, Sugihara remained a humble man and once said, "I didn't do anything special....I made my own decisions....I followed my own conscience and listened to it" (175). Yukiko also should be commended, because had she dissuaded her husband, he might not have written the visas that saved so many lives. Karen Woodworth-Roman, MS Library Science




3. Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara is one of the little known heroes of the Holocaust. This is rather unfortunate, as Mr. Sugihara was probably responsible for the saving of more Jews than any other individual! While serving as Japanese Vice Consul in Lithuania in 1940, Mr. Sugihara, against the express orders of his government, issued some 6,000 visas to people (individuals and families) desperately seeking to avoid the Nazi death machine. This book is the story of Chiune Sugihara, from youth to honored old age, and also the story of two young Jews, one whose parent took the visa and ran, and one whose parent waited too long.

   This is a great and exciting story! I got this book for my twelve-year-old daughter, but found that I liked it just as much as she did. I really enjoyed this story of one man standing up and doing what was right, in spite of the costs. If you are looking for an uplifting story, one that teaches an invaluable lesson, then I highly recommend that you get this book!




4. Alison Gold has documented with elegance the selfless humanity of Sempo Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat of the World War II era. Against the orders of his superiors, Mr. Sugihara wrote 6,000 visas in an effort to spare the lives of Polish and Lithuanian Jews. Through Alison Gold's brilliantly crafted accounts, we learn of the horrors and atrocities of the Holocaust, of the mixed fates of several families who were granted visas, and of the injustices to which the Sugihara family was subjected as a result of Sempo's courageous response to human torment. In several places throughout this magnificent book, Ms. Gold introduces Japanese phrases that do much to enrich our understanding of cultural concepts at the core of the Sugihara's way of thinking and living. We learn of the considerable influence that Mrs. Sugihara had on her husband's decisions. While this book was written for a young adult audience, most adults would find its content engrossing.



5. This is a beautiful book. I had to check the total number of pages after the first 10 pages, because I knew I would want to read the whole book in one sitting. "Hands reaching... for visas for life." Some people had never seen a Japanese person before. We hear the ice on rivers breaking up with loud cracking, we taste the Lithuanian pancakes with cheese filling and jam, we experience the shock of watching an American movie to then walk out into the light and see Russian tanks rolling down the street. The writer carries us gently through a lot of history, pain and beauty. I thought this would be a depressing book about the Holocaust, I was very wrong.

No comments about The King of Children: A Biography of Janusz Korczak.

5 comments about Izzy's Fire: Finding Humanity in the Holocaust (revised 2008).

1. I met Nancy Wright Beasley at a writer's conference in Richmond, Virginia. She was kind enough to share the story of her book, Izzy's Fire with me. I saw the love and passion in her eyes when she spoke of her seven-year journey to complete Izzy's Fire - and I knew I had to review the book.
   
   Simply put, Izzy's Fire is one of the many millions of stories that came out of those dark and desperate times we now call the Holocaust. But on another level, it is the intense and personal story of one real family as told by a woman who was willing to walk through the horrors of despair, death and war to make sure that justice was served and Izzy's Fire was shared with the world.
   
   Izzy Ipson married the love of his life, Edna (she was formerly known as Eta Ipp). They had a son, Jay (known as Jacob). They believed, as most young couples in love believe, that the world was there, just for them. And they were going to live life to the fullest.
   
   The reality of the Ipson family was World War II and a madman known as Hitler. From the beginning of the book, when we can literally hear the sound of the military boots hitting the pavement as the Ipson family attempts to escape their two-year imprisonment in the Kovno Ghetto-to the celebration of a man whose family risked it all to save the Ipsons, you will be mesmerized, shocked and will be lifted from the depths of despair by something called hope.
   
   Izzy's Fire is a must read. Let us never forget the Ipsons and millions of others who experienced the Holocaust. If we forget, we give the world and ourselves the opportunity to make the same mistake again. And that would be the greatest sin of all. Izzy's Fire is remembrance. It should never die.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Read this book, so we don't forget!



2. ....there is something wrong with you. But, it WILL inspire you. {I shall say at the outset that I will leave out a lot of the names I can't pronounce}. This is the story of a family of three Lithuanian Jews, and, secondarily, of ten others, saved from the Holocaust by the courage and sacrifice of one Catholic family. They survived, and made it to America....
   
   The tale is told from the viewpoint of Etta Ipp, who became Edna Ipson here in Richmond, VA. "Izzy's Fire" was a pet name her husband's family had for her. Some of the scenes, and stories, will make you sick. {DON'T let little kids read it}. Some will make you cry. There is great evil in the world; if you doubt that, read this book. There is also great good...never doubt that, either, for you shall meet it here.
   
   The Ipsons lost almost all of their family to the Nazis, but they survived, and even prospered. Izzy died in 1997. Edna was still alive at the publication of the book in 2005. Jay, their young son, is now in his mid 70s, and helps run the Virginia Holocaust Museum, in Richmond. He is living history. I shall do something I never do, and recommend you not buy this from your favorite bookstore...if you purchase it from the Holocaust Museum, Jay will sign and personalize your copy; that virtually makes it a sacred relic. I assure you I treasure mine.



3. Rebeccasreads highly recommends IZZY'S FIRE as a compelling account of how a Lithuanian Jewish couple & their son survived the Nazi occupation, & hide for 3 years in a Catholic farmer's root cellar. & then surviving the Communist "liberation" of their homeland.
   
   Beasley draws from personal interviews, research & numerous memoirs, including those from Israel "Izzy" Ipson, who helped his family escape from Kovno Ghetto, one of the most notorious killing fields for Jews in Lithuania. The Ipps, as they were known then, relocated to Richmond following their liberation and later changed their name to Ipson. Their story has been re-created at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia.
   
   IZZY'S FIRE is Eta's answer to those who say the Holocaust never happened, & is a tribute to personal bravery & the unquenchable resources of compassion, quick-wittedness & sheer determination to live, with a lot of luck thrown in.
   
   Complete with maps & photos, IZZY'S FIRE is a story for all time.



4. Izzy's Fire: Finding Humanity In The Holocaust is the triumphant true story of a holocaust survivor and members of her family escaped the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, survived trials and successfully hid until the war's end in a hiding places granted them by a Catholic farmer. She, her husband, and other refugees dug a hole between two potato cellars, and with the unselfish aid of that selfless, risk taking Catholic family, miraculously survived the Holocaust. Afterward she and her husband emigrated to America and encountered a joyful reunion decades later. Izzy's Fire gives voice to those who survived the Holocaust in hiding, and is a welcome addition to Holocaust studies shelves.



5. There are many people today that feel "entitled" due to race, relegion or the condition of the home in which they were born. This is a story about a family who's life was turned upside down by war; who lived in barns, potato holes and lived in fear of being murdered as was the fate of many of their family members. Through perserverance and a strong faith in God, they were able to get to America and lived the "american story" of pulling themselves up from poverty to owning a successful business. All young people need to read this story.

4 comments about Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin.

1. "Fireflies in the Dark" is an amazing children's book - it covers a dark period in mankind's history, i.e. the Holocaust. This is a difficult enough subject for adults to discuss but how does one convey the story of the Holocaust to children without terrifying them? Well, "Fireflies in the Dark" manages to make this unpalatable and tragic subject accessible to young children.
   
   In this book, the story centers on the true life account of art teacher Friedl Dicker Brandeis who was shipped off to the Terezin [ known as Theresienstadt in German] Concentration Camp, a sort of 'model' camp built by the Nazis for Jews and other people they deemed undesirables during WW II. Although it was not a death camp like Dachau, Treblinka, Mauthausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau, conditions in Terezin were still deplorable with disease and starvation being rampant. When she is transported to Terezin, Ms Brandeis [accompanied by her husband] brings along mostly art supplies, as she believes there will be many children in need of an outlet for their loneliness and despair and quickly assumes a teaching position at the camp, freely giving of her services to children - mentoring them and caring for them in the darkest of times.
   
   Friedl Dicker-Brandeis is indeed a heroine of the Holocaust. Although she doesn't survive the death camp, her legacy lives on amongst the works of art by her students [both survivors of the war and those who perished] at the camp. Though only a few of her students actually survived the Nazis' horrific extermination policies, what shines through these works of art [reproduced for readers throughout the book] is theability of art to foster hope no matter how small. It is a testament to the courage and determination of one amazing woman, and also attests to the faith and hope of children during the bleakest of times. Highly recommended for young readers.



2. I first heard about Friedl Dicker-Brandeis at a 2007 exhibition in Vienna titled "Austrian Art Between the Wars" - where she was honored for her remarkable ability to run art classes for children in the concentration camp at Theresienstadt (Terezin). "Fireflies" offers a glimpse of Friedl's ability to bring joy and light into the unbelievable horror of children's lives during the Holocaust.



3. This book is wonderful, It is a must read, Freidl Bicker-Brandeis is a heroine, and her story is amazing. One look at this book and you will be glad you bought it. Rubin did a great job choosing pictures for this book, and bringing a hard issue of WWII concentration camps to a child level. Very good at illustrating the importance of Art Therapy.



4. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was an artist of the Bauhaus who was also a Jew, sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and eventually executed at Auschwitz. The story, set against this bleak and oppressive history, is one of love and hope: she teaches children art and helps with "art therapy" in the camp. The importance of her choice in relentlessly pursuing a beautiful and healing expression of the spirit is revealed by the testament of a few who survived. There are numerous examples of the children's art, some of Dicker-Brandeis' art, and photographs that bring the story to life. Interesting, informative, and moving. This is a book to read to children (ages six to nine) or to allow older children to read on their own, and of course it raises questions that will explore the very meaning of humanity.

5 comments about The World As I See It.

1. I read "Ideas and Opinions" before diving head first into this one, and I'm glad I did. Had I read this first, there's a great chance I never would have read "Ideas and Opinions" which I found to be fascinating. In "The World As I See It," I found it to be a bit jumbled and thrown together without too much thought as to why it's presented the way it is, etc. There are some good bits and pieces included in this book, but overall I just couldn't get into it.
   
   Normally, I like to read while lying in my bed with a dim lamp on, and normally it's not an issue. I can read for hours like this--but I needed to read "The World As I See It" outdoors or with music on, otherwise I was constantly falling asleep after a mere one or two pages.
   
   Again, there are some good things to take from the book, but I think you'll do yourself better by exploring other Einstein works that are out there. Just one man's opinion.



2. To most of us the name Albert Einstein is synonymous with the formula E = MC-squared. Because the formula is such a simple statement of a complex idea, the public tends to see Einstein as both a simple and complex man. Like a god of sorts, he is omniscient, omnipotent, unknowable, and incomprehensible all at the same time.
   
   The World as I See It presents a clear and coherent picture of Einstein. It contains numerous Einstein's non-technical writings organized in four major parts: The World as I See It, Politics and Pacifism, Germany 1933, and The Jews. My favorite part is by far the first. This part is packed with pure wisdom on a variety of topics. I enjoyed reading things like: "To be sure, it is not the fruits of scientific research that elevate a man and enrich his nature, but the urge to understand, the intellectual work, creative or receptive" (p. 7). Such insights glue the entire book together.
   
   The reader will see in this book Einstein, the scientist, and Einstein the person, both in one unit. Einstein the person was very encouraging to others and thankful to people and things in the world. His letters to a college freshman, to an Arab admirer, to Japanese schoolchildren and so on, all have the same calmness of purpose to them as his messages to VIPs like Lorentz, Berliner, Katzenstein, and others.
   
   In these writings, Einstein distinguishes religion from science. It is clear for instance that he did not believe in God at the time of his writing. Even so, there is no evidence that he sought to dehumanize and ridicule believers, only to defend science and humanity. And defending it he did in Germany, Italy, everywhere. His defense was based on the notion that "There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair" (p.29).
   
   It is clear that Einstein loved science. It is not hard to understand from the writings in this book how he was a pacifist. He believed in democracy as an ideal, and not surprisingly, he declared in "Germany 1933" that "As long as I have any choice, I will only stay in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all its citizens before the law are the rule" (p. 81).
   
   This is a great book - highly recommended.
   
   Amavilah, Author
   Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
   ISBN: 1600210465



3. einstein's essay was a good readbut the rest of the letters didnt really get to me



4. This is a short collection of various speeches, letters, and other writings on Einstein's thoughts on various subjects. Delves into matters such as his thoughts on war, religion, and a few other subjects. A very quick read and recommended for anyone who enjoys Einstein's brilliant insights into matters beyond Physics.



5. I had a v.old copy of this book which was falling apart so I replaced it with a less inspired production but still the same inspiring content. I like AE's view of the world, the greater power, truth and beauty -- it is written by a scientist with heart.

2 comments about Diary of Anne Frank.

1. When I first read the story about Anne Frank, I was in 8th grade where every english teacher in my school had chosen to read this story to all of there students. I had no idea of what the story was going to be about and also had no idea who Anne Frank was. But after reading about her life, I had saw how hard it must have been for her.

   This year in school we had to choose a book to read and do a book report on it. I had chosen to do Anne Frank because I had already read a little about her but I had wanted to learn more information about her and life for Jewish people during WW2. By reading both of this book it had shown me how hard it was for Jewish people of all ages. They where taken out of there homes and sent to a concentration camp where most of them later died. It puts the whole world to shame because we all knew about this and nothing was getting done early. But finally we were able to help them and save them.

   It takes a brave little girl like Anne to be able to write everything down in a diary that was happening in her life. And by Mr. Frank giving Anne's book to be published must had taken a lot of courage also. But in many ways we are glad that he did because Anne had showed us in many ways how tough it was to be Jewish and how hard it was to go into hiding. I would recommend this book for people off all ages because it is a wonderful book, and I know everyone will enjoy reading it.




2. Even though I was born during the war and grew up with the remembrance of it I was untouched by its reaality. When, at the age of 14, I first read Anne Frank's diary it was perhaps the most amazing encounter with the horrors perpetuated on millions but seen through the eyes of one person.

   Her little diary gave the world a personal view and meaning to the millions who suffered the same fate. It will continue to be read and lets hope they will be young readers, caught in time to perceive it while their hearts and minds are still impressionable. It simply proves that life is a wonderful mystery. Anne Frank's diary and death were destined to touch the hearts and minds of millions. Her legacy written into history as a trivial, adolescent words scribbled in her little diary to transgress time.

   My own question when reading her diary was "who was Hitler?" which brought tears to my mother's eyes. She said, I was told that someday your children will ask ! that question. One great and powerful forgotten, another, a little sparrow, remembered by millions.

5 comments about Forging Freedom: A True Story of Heroism During The Holocaust.

1. During World War 2, Jaap Penraat a non-Jew risked his life to save 406 Jewish people. He was a man of great courage and character and with his friend, author Hudson Talbott, they tell the story of the dangers he confronted in getting Jewish people out of Holland before the Nazis captured them.
   
   This book introduces the Holocaust to children and offers every reader regardless of age some valuable lessons in taking compassionate action on behalf of those in desperate need.



2. "Forging Freedom" impresses me with its factual account of Jewish people in the Netherlands suffering the terrifying power of Adolph Hitler in 1940. Here the impact of Hudson Talbott's art is significant; using somber tones, sometimes in the style of educational graphics, he makes his points dramatically.
   
   Jaap Penraat grew to manhood having friends who were Jewish. His early neighborly task of lighting the Sabbath lights for Jewish families in his apartment block was considered to be a "mitzvah" - a kindness, a deed done from the heart. Not much later his heart responded to the terrible needs of hundreds of people in Amsterdam: for food, clothes, places to hide. There were few who understood the fate of those who were rounded up & taken away in boxcars.
   
   But Jaap rushed ahead to devise a plan, falsifying passports & permits, and then brashly playing the role of transport leader so that a group of young men could be guided to "jobs of national importance" in the German defense industry - - when in reality they were being passed along an underground network from Holland through Belgium & France, to freedom in Spain & England.
   At parting, Jaap and his childhood friend & refugee, Bram Dorland, gave each other the same message: "L'chaim" . . . "To Life".
   
   There is a surprising immediacy in the way Talbott's message is conveyed. He could not be old enough to have a personal consciousness of that time. "Forging Freedom" published in 2000, tells its story hoping there is alsways another generation to teach the next the moral necessity of standing up for what is right. The fact that the bold courage of Jaap Penraat was recognized as a heroic by both the Dutch government and a Holocaust Commission backs up the authenticity to mcHAIKU's satisfaction. The important fact is that we must never forget.



3. Forging Freedom is a wonderful book. I have always hated reading about the Holocaust, but I loved reading Forging Freedom. This book is exciting, descriptive, and it really informs you about what it was like to be a Jew in Amsterdam during the 1940s. I think it is a great book for kids of all ages. I recommend this book to kids who want to read a nonfiction book that is easy to read, interesting, and concise.Forging Freedom is about a man named Jaap in Amsterdam during the 1940s. Even though he was not a Jew he risked his life to save his Jewish friends and neighbors. By the end of the War, he had saved over 400 lives.



4. I read forging freedom during the war unit in my eighth grade english class. i thought it was a great book, and a great amount of infomation of how the jews were treated during halocost. after reading it i was amazed of how brave Jaab was and how clever he was. when my teacher told me that Jaab and Hudson were coming to my school, I was amazed. they were great guys, and having jaab talk to us about it in person was amazing. i also found out that jaab lived in the same town as me, all those times i had a brave man in my backyard and had no idea. this book was great and should be read by all ages so they can learn that brave people do exist and that the halocost was a very dangerous time and also a cruel time.



5. I liked Forging Freedom even though it was sad at times. It was an easy to understand telling of the events of the the Holocaust. Our class was fortunate enough to meet the author and the man who the main character was based on. I was astonished to learn of the poor and terrible way that the Jews were treated. The main character was brave enough to aid his Jewish friends in gaining freedom. My favorite part of the story was when Jaap successfully snuck passed the guards. It was very suspenseful and I felt like cheering and was happy for him. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Holocaust stories. I have also read Number the Stars and Snow Treasure which were on the same topic. I enjoyed both of them as well. They helped me to understand the details of the Holocaust.

3 comments about No Time to Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter.

1. In truth this is quite an obscure topic. Partisans in general do not get the recognition they deserve and even less so do Jewish partisans, who as it will become apparent for those reading this book, did not only have to fight against the Germans but also other partisan and 'bandit' groups around them. In this instance it was the Polish AK that gave the author such trouble and would eventually kill quite a few of his friends and family members. Aside from the Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and others also participated in various ways in working against Jews and helping the Germans in tracking them down.
   
   The author was the only one of his immediate family to escape the Holocaust, his accounts are moving and more than once did I find myself having to reread a paragraph or two to realize that what I'm reading is actually written there. Details of life under German occupation and in a German ghetto, running away from a ghetto and stumbling into the forests in seek of rumored Partisans. Finding them and other groups of entire families as they try to make the best of the situation as they struggle to survive in the forests and wilderness of Eastern Europe while the Germans and their collaborators keep an ever watchful eye out for them. Joining a Partisan group and giving battle to the Germans and those who are helping them by betraying their former friends and neighbors, all of this is recounted with the utmost feeling and, in my opinion, honesty.
   
   What I found extremely interesting were the activities of the author after he had left the Partisans and joined the police force in some local towns around where he had operated as a Partisan. How they hunted down collaborators, what they did with them, what they could and couldn't due according to Soviet rules and regulations, how the NKVD acted toward them, etc. All of this was quite interesting, not surprising on the other hand was the fact that after the war had come to a close Jews were still dying in Poland.
   
   An emotional read to say the least. Highly recommended, the author lead an amazing life and this tragic period of history understandably haunted him for the majority of it. I'm glad he put these words on paper and was strong enough to share his stories and experiences with his children and the world.



2. There have been thousands of books written about the Holocaust but few describe the plight of the Jewish partisans who escaped to the forests bravely defending themselves against their Nazi hunters. Unfortunately, the majority of these Jewish partisans never survived to recount the horrid experiences they endured at the hands of the Germans and their collaborators.
   
   It is estimated that there were approximately twenty-five thousand Jews that escaped to the forests during the Holocaust. One was Leon Kahn, who was born Leibke Kaganowicz and prior to his death on June 8th, 2003 in Vancouver, Canada he recounted his experiences to Marjorie Morris, who for more than two years worked on the manuscript of No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter.
   
   Historian Allan Levine in the introduction to No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter states that many historians dismiss the plight of Jewish partisan resistance as inconsequential due to the fact that there were small numbers who survived as compared to the millions who were murdered in the Holocaust. However, as Levine rightfully states, these historians fail to understand the enormity of their struggle. As he most appropriately asserts: "The question should not be, why did more Jews not resist, but rather, how, under the circumstances, was any resistance possible at all?"
   
   Kahn was born in the shtetl of Eisikes in a part of middle Europe that was passed back and forth between Poland, Lithuania and Russia over many centuries. The Eisikes Jews, although they had lived here since the twelfth century, were continuously subjected to special and discriminatory laws that made their lives very difficult, however, very few believed that one day there would be a massacre on such a grand scale that would practically decimate the entire Jewish population of their shtetl.
   
   At the age of sixteen Kahn was torn with guilt and anguish when he had to choose between escaping to the forest with his father and sister while at the same time leaving behind his mother and grandmother, who chose not follow them. As he quotes Golda Meir, who once said to a group of survivors, "you can get used to anything if you have to, even to feeling perpetually guilty." Kahn relates to his readers that after escaping to the forests he once again felt strong and proud again as a Jew, as he tore the yellow star from his shirt, grinding it into the dirt.
   Moreover, in the place of German oppression, he was revitalized with a new feeling of confidence coupled with an overwhelming desire for revenge for the massacre of his fellow Jews including members of his own family.
   
   No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter succeeds admirably as a captivating and riveting memoir combining historical facts with a personal narrative that will no doubt have a profound effect on its readers. Kahn's passionate chronicle puts a human face to the forgotten Jewish partisans as he vividly captures their fears, perpetual torment and frustrations as they battled against overwhelming odds. This is a book that definitely should be included in the reading list of history courses pertaining to the Holocaust and the Second World War.
   
   Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures



3. This is an extremely worthwhile personal history of surving the holocaust, fighting back against both the German invaders and the local thugs (both of whom targeted Jews for abuse, torture, and death).
   
   I've reviewed it in detail on my blog here:
   http://www.gilgamesh.ca/index.php/2005/09/08/no-time-to-mourn/