No comments about Jews And Baseball: Volume I: Entering the American Mainstream, 1871-1948.

1 comments about Found Tribe: Jewish Coming Out Stories.

1. There's a wide range in this collection of seventeen essays by gay Jewish men. From young to old, from previously published to new for this book, from established writer to beginner, "Found Tribe" has something for almost everyone, even the non-Jewish. Sometimes humorous, but always poignant and informative, these essays explore how these Jewish men blend their religious lives with their personal lives when many would use that same religion to condemn them. Schimel is an amazing writer and anthologist who continues to bring thought-provoking works to the public, and this book (despite its minor plague of editorial misprints) surely enlightens. Even those who are not Jewish or even gay can benefit from the honesty, humanity, and self-liberation contained in these essays.

5 comments about Recollections and Reflections: How I Turned Despair into an Appreciation of Life (Library of Holocaust Testimonies).

1. A very interesting and inspirational life story about overcoming impossible odds.
   The author just passed away and local newspaper said the book was out of print, but Amazon as usual, has an amazing collection of items available.



2. As an archivist who works extensively with autobiographies and memoirs pertaining to pre-war and wartime eastern European Jewry, I can attest to the fact that Dr. Jack Brauns is one of the last remnants of a rare breed. From his impressive family pedigree dating back to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden to his earliest years growing up in Kaunas, Lithuania to his postwar years training as a physician in Milan to his professional medical career in the United States, I could not help but be impressed and captivated by everything that Dr. Brauns has managed to achieve in his rather full life. As if that alone weren't enough, Dr. Brauns' account of Jewish life in pre-World War II Kaunas helps shed further light on the history of this once vibrant cultural and intellectual center of Lithuanian Jewry, which was all but decimated in the Holocaust. From the dual perspective of a researcher and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I thank Dr. Brauns for the multifaceted lessons I have garnered from his uniquely inspiring autobiography.
   
   Rivka Schiller, MLIS
   Gruss Lipper Digital Project Archivist
   YIVO Institute for Jewish Research



3. I read the book in one sitting. I came away taking the incredible journey of survival that Dr. Brauns experienced as something that I was living while I read his words. The power of Postive thinking and appreciation for life; the struggles that came with the help of angels that enter our lives. This book represents Hope in the midst of Horror. Dr. Brauns allowed me to come away seeing how God actually intervenes without religious beliefs or doctrines; but acts of kindness without reason or reward. Especially in the darkest hours of one's life. These are the threads of humanity that keeps us from losing hope in our fellow man. For those who perished we mourn and remember; but it is from those who lived that we should learn. This is what I came away with after turning the last page. I recommend this book to anyone who would be open to be inspired.



4. When Jack and Joyce called us several weeks ago and told us about Jack's book we were thrilled and couldn't wait to read it. I must say that I read and digested every word. The first part of the book reads like a Dickens novel. The tragedy of the holocaust is ever more gut-wrenching as seen through the eyes of this innocent boy who matter-of-factly tells us his personal story of the horror and unbelieveable suffering that he is witnessing every day of his young life. Amazingly there is no hate - just disbelief and bewilderment. And an incredible ability to survive in a situation where most of us would have surely perished. And most did. I was also amazed by his ability to remember so many people, places and specific happenings. Jack's unique personality and intelligence, even in his formative years, were obviously instrumental in dealing and coping with the many crises and near fatalities. His Guardian Angel was certainly working overtime! Jack obviously, even at a young age, had the unique ability when he was up against overwhelming odds to see an opportunity, seize it and take control of his destiny in a way that not many of us could have . A combination of intelligence, charm and eternal optimism. Which describes the person that Karina and I met in October 1973 when I joined Jack, Don and Mark in their surgical practice. I have always had great respect for Jack as a person and as a surgeon but now having read this powerful account I am absolutely humbled. We cherish the time that we spent with Joyce and Jack and their lovely family. Thank you Jack for writing this book and sharing a story that had to be told - and told it was!
   I should also add that the account of Jack Brauns, M.D. frrom Medical School through internship and residency and into the practice years is an one that should be read by every young aspiring surgeon and doctor. It is full of wisdom and practical advice, from both Jack and his dad, that would benefit even a seasoned surgeon such as me. In fact just after reading Jack's book I had a patient who had sustained chest trauma. We weren't sure whether or not she truly had had a pneumothorax. Of course I told the radiologist "make sure that you take an expiratory film as well!". Thanks again, Jack. (And I bet that Dr. DeBakey, if he read this, would smile).
   David C. Rilling, M.D.
   Surgeon
   Sellersvillie, Pa.
   October 31, 2007



5. I have known Jack Brauns for many years, and always urged him to write his memoirs. The result is far beyond even my expectations: a moving account of childhood before the Second World War, of suffering and pain during the war, and of rehabilitaion, perseverance and achievement after it. This book should serve as a beacon of encouragement to anyone who finds difficulties on life's road.

1 comments about Revisiting the Shadows: Memoirs from War-Torn Poland to the Statue of Liberty.

1. You should almost ignore the publisher's blurb for this book. This isn't an adventure story of a valiant teenage freedom fighter, nor a chilling recount of Jews in Nazi concentration camps, nor a "Do not forget" shout about the Holocaust.

   Well, to some extent it is these, but that misses the point. This is one woman's very personal tale of her story through this period. The book draws you into her world back then, and flavors it with the present, tracing her own process of revisiting these memories.

   It's almost disconcerting how little time is spent dewlling on the horrors, and how matter-of-factly she can recount them. But this is her life, the life of a young girl, and her life contained many things.

   Come to this book for any of many reasons. You may find yourself staying for others.

4 comments about Words On Fire: One Woman's Journey Into The Sacred.

1. One woman's journey into Torah study as vehicle for touring the world of modern Torah study in the late 20th Century. Vanessa Ochs tells of her quest to discover on a very personal level if women have a place in Torah study. Nearly 20 years later, many of these issues seem dated. But Ochs' story is so intimate and so well told that I doubt one can read this book without coming away with a burning desire to study Torah for one's self. On another level this book is a treat simple for the people Ochs encounters in her journey. The book is worth reading for her portrait of Aviva Zornberg alone. Also featured are: Pardes Institute, Nehama Leibowitz, Matan, Malke Bina, Batya Miller, Chana Safrai, Judith Lieberman Institute. This book is a gem!



2. As a Christian I had very little understanding of the traditions of Judaism. I had difficulty understanding why contemporary, intelligent, independent women would follow such strict rituals. Bt weaving her interesting personal story and academic study into this story Vanessa Ochs provided me with a start of understanding. Very interesting, enjoyable and entertaining.



3. A very well written and enjoyable account of a woman's experience trying to learn Torah in Jerusalem. The author portrays other women's attitudes towards Torah learning (which has traditionally been reserved for men throughout Jewish history) as she tries to formulate her own attitudes. The reader travels with Ms. Ochs as she goes from the highs of grasping a complicated Torah passage to the lows of realizing that some Torah ideas are just plain sexist (in her perception).



4. As a theology minor during university, I was assigned to teach this text for a women in northern american religion class. It so moved me, that not only did I go on to study Judaism, both on my own and with a rabbi, I also converted. Truly amazing.

3 comments about 1492: The Life and Times of Juan Cabezon of Castile (Jewish Latin America Series).

1. I like history, but I just started 1492 and will never finish it.
   This is really really, I mean this is really b o r i n g.



2. This book is truly great literature. I read it a couple of years ago and have since given it as a gift to several of my friends who appreciate the art of fine writing. In my view, this author uses perfectly chosen words to weave a vividly colored tapestry of life in Spain in 1492.
   
   Despite expectations the title might evoke, this book has essentially nothing to do with Columbus. Nor is it a historical novel in the sense of illustrating a chronology of notable events. Rather, the story is populated with ordinary people attempting to cope with life during the religious upheavals of the time. As such and given the superb word craft, this story provides an opportunity to actually feel what it must have been like to live in those times.



3. Part picaresque novel, part moving romance, part historical document, this extraordinary reconstruction of fifteenth-century Spain, by one of Mexico's leading literary figures, has been acclaimed throughout Europe and Latin America. This was the century that changed the face of Spain, and of the world-the century of the wars with the Moors, which led to the end of Moorish Spain; the voyages of discovery, which culminated in Columbus's enterprise; and, perhaps above all, the century of the Inquisition, which financed both the wars and the voyages by seizing the fortunes of condemned Jews, and which led inexorably to the Expulsion. Here these events are seen through the eyes of one Juan Cabezon, a descendant of converted Jews, who is orphaned at an early age by a series of bizarre accidents and taken in hand by Pero Menique, a clever blind man, who uses him as a guide through the rich street life of Castil. It is Menique who brings him beautiful young Isabel de la Vega, sentenced to death by the Inquisition, and begs him to hide her in his house Juan and Isabel fall in love, but as time passes, Isabel is driven close to madness by her forced seclusion in Juan's house and her constant fear of death. One day she vanishes, and Juan sets off on a desperate search for her which takes him across Spain, into the heart of the Jewish communities, and constantly into the path of the Inquisition's autos-da-fea journey that stamps itself indelibly on the reader's mind.

   About the Author: Homero Aridjis is one of Mexico's foremost poets and novelists. He has published more than twenty books of poetry and prose and won the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize for best book of the year in 1964 and the 1988 Diana. Novedades Literary Prize for the outstanding novel in Spanish for the sequel to 1492, Alemorias del fluevo mundo. Two volumes of his poetry have been published in English, Blue Spaces and Exaltation of Light, as well as a novel, Persephon. Twice the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he has taught at Columbia University, New York University, and the University of Indiana. He has been Mexican Ambassador to the Netherlands and Switzerland and is the president of the Group of 100, Mexico's leading environmental organization. He lives in Mexico City.

2 comments about Will to Live.

1. This is a remarkable book. It is different from many books on the Holcaust because the main characters do not end up in a concentration camp or death camp. Instead, they remain in Poland and try to survive by maintaining Christian identities. Without giving anything away, the method that the parents select for their baby daughter to escape the ghetto is not to be believed. The book also provides a stunning first-hand account of the conquest of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union.



2. I justy read this book and it was very informative and interesting. Such hardships by all but informative as well. I just recently visited Dauchau Concentration Camp in Germany and it makes me appreciate what they went through so much more. Everyone should read some of the books on the Holocaust.

1 comments about Flight from Babylon: Iraq, Iran, Israel, America.

1. In this phenomenal book, Heskel Haddad writes of his childhood and youth as a Jewish child growing up in Iraq in the 1930s and 40s, a country where Nazi influence was making life for the Jewish community more and more difficult.
   A child passionate about Iraq, Haddad's world is shattered when as a boy of 9, carrying his baby sister, he is attacked by an Arab mob, thirsty for Jewish blood.
   At age 11, during the Nazi-inspired pogrom against Jews in Iraq, known as the Farhud, Heskel's best friend and cousin was brutally murdered by Arab pogromchiks leaving Heskel to vow to avenge his blood.
   Heskel joined the Jewish underground and became an active Zionist, ferevently following events as they unfolded in the Holy Land, where the Jews struggled to regain a foothold in their ancient homeland, under murderous arab attack.
   Furthermore Heskel was following events from a country, where the society and media where hysterically anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish.
   Something of the hatred nascent in Arab society for Jews and Israel is preserved in these pages, and we read of how as the conflict developed in the Holy Land, life became more dangerous for Iraq's Jews.
   Jews were forbidden to carry or own anything with a Star of David emblem, or they would be guilty of the capital offence of Zionism.
   In Nazi Europe they had been forced to wear a star, here they were forbidden from possessing one, on pain of death, a diffrent rule but the same spirit.
   Heskel became a medical student at fifteen, and qualified as a doctor, before being forced to flee Iraq, after an unnamed informer made his exitance there perilous.
   He then began a new struggle, socially and professionally to adapt to life in the struggling, infant State of Israel.
   The author brings life in Iraq, Iran and Israel to vivid colour, as the sights, sounds and smells of the Middle East of the time, comes to life from these pages.
   It is a very skilfully woven tapestry of the story of the Jews of the Middle East, of their flight to the reborn State of Israel, and their role within building up the reborn Jewish home.
   We learn of how Iraq disposessed all of that country's Jews and forced them to leave, hoping that the entry of hundreds of thousands of destitute refugees would destroy Israel financially and socially.
   The refugees were all absorbed by Israel.
   And Israel's vicious and loathsome critics have the gall to accuse her of 'disposessing' the Arabs.

5 comments about Two-Gun Cohen: A Biography.

1. First of all, I should say that my primary reason for reading this book was not because of some particular interest in the story of Two-Gun Cohen. My first attraction to this book grew from my interest in the history of China, and particularly modern China, which I date from the Macartney's mission in 1783. This book did not disappoint. It is a very useful addition to the study of China in the period from the 1911 revolution through the Communist revolution of 1949 and beyond. It gives very little insight into the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), but there is lots of stuff written on that period.

   I have not read anything else by this author, so I cannot make comparisons to his other work, but I will say one thing: I like a guy who does his homework. This book is nothing if not well researched. That is, in fact, it's main strength. I used to be a country school teacher-believe me, I have heard every excuse in the book for why the homework wasn't done. And I have become weary in recent years of "historians" who pretend to be writing history, but in fact have no interest in what actually happened. Ever go to a library and try to get Gore Vidal's "Lincoln?" It's in the fiction section. Or how about Oliver Stone, who openly admits (without any sense of shame) that he plays loose with the facts? That kind of stuff sells to a nation of people who are products of the American public school system. But for those who really care about what actually happened, a higher standard must prevail. Daniel Levy holds to that standard, and even helps to establish it, because his careful workmanship serves as an example to those who would address the same period. Bottom line: this is just very good history.

   Now to the story. This book addresses the question of who Cohen is in comparison with how he presented himself, or allowed himself to be presented. Cohen was not the "mover and shaker" that he is sometimes said to be. But he was not just a worthless pretender, either. As I see it, Cohen distinguished himself in two areas: He was a very good body guard for Sun Yat Sen, and he also had the dubious distinction of being a first rate gun runner. Other than that, he doesn't seem to have been able to get by without some kind of a hustle. He started life as a petty crook, and this set a pattern that really prevented him from having dependable, gainful employment when the chips were down. I don't mean that he could never get away from the life of crime. What I mean is that, because he took the easy way out as a youth, he never took the time to learn a trade. I always encourage young people to develop a marketable skill that they can fall back on if they ever need to. This is something Cohen never did, and there was a time in his later life when it really would have come in handy. While Sun Yat Sen was alive, Cohen was riding high. But after he died, and especially after World War II, Cohen suffered a long period of marginal or nonexistent employment. Nothing wrong with being an adventurer, but it really helps if you have a trade skill to take you through the dry periods.

   Toward the end of his life, Cohen did manage to secure some very good work as a consultant because of his contacts in China. These connections, by the way, were genuine. It would be grandiose in the extreme to suggest that Cohen shaped the future of China. But he was well acquainted with some of those who did. That part of his self-presentation was not made up.

   I gave this book five stars because it was so well researched. But it is also a very personal story of a man that I think, in some way, we all aspire to be. I respect Cohen for daring to step out and discover a world that so many of his peers shied away from. He was not satisfied with the ordinary. And he was in many ways a very likeable, if sometimes pathetic person. This was a very enjoyable book. It is not as quick a read as some others, partly because the author went to great lengths to verify his assertions. But I think any honest reader will find it to be a worthy contribution to the literature.




2. Two Gun Cohen is bigger than life. Like most biographies it is not a fast reading book, but it is a great book for anyone interested in the history of western Canada, China or interested in Jewish biography. I read the book after visiting places in England where Two Gun Cohen spent his youth,in the cities of western Canada where he spent his youth and China where he spend his mid life. The book is not for anyone that is not interested in history or biographies of unusual people. For me it was a great book; I wish that it was still available in hard cover, I am buying two addional copies for two friends of mine.



3. I long ago heard of Two-Gun Cohen, and was pleased when I found out that there was finally a biography of him. Daniel Levy has crafted a clear, well written account of Cohen and taken the time to delve deeply into his life. I was amazed at what Levy uncovered, from Cohen's World War I medical files (I am surprised that such material still survives), to the dossiers the State Department kept on him and the depositions chronicling Cohen's various court visits. More importantly, Levy obviously took pains to get Cohen's life right and to track down those who knew him well. For by going through his encyclopedic footnotes and seeing all the people he spoke to, one realizes that if Levy solely relied on the cold documentary history of records and newspaper clips, Cohen would have come across as a less interesting and much rougher character. What Levy has presented us with is a well-rounded view of this adventurer, and written a riveting and graceful history of an amazing man.



4. It's rare when I...(leave a)...biography unread. But I gave upabout halfway through what should have been much more fascinating andreadable. Instead, Daniel Levy writes a rather dull portrait ofCohen, making him into just another hoodlum. There's no verve or excitement here, despite the criminal life Cohen leads in Canada or the revolutions he sees in China. It also doesn't help that this book is rife with bad grammar and sentence structure. Didn't anyone edit this?

   A dull book all the way to the point when I said, "enough!" END




5. Levy does a remarkable job of telling the story of Two-Gun Cohen, from his humble roots as an immigrant Jewish youth in London to his early days in Canada to his glory days in China as a bodyguard for Sun Yat-Sen. It is the remarkable tale of a self-made man that reads in large part like a "boy's adventure" story of the mid-1900s -- except that the whole thing is true. Some may take issue with Levy's debunking the many myths that Cohen erected around his life, but such scholarship does noting to diminish the character, charm and accomplishments of the man.

5 comments about Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany.

1. I hadn't expected this book to be as interesting as it was. I had difficulty putting it down. It is the story of a young Jewish woman in occupied France during WW II. Her efforts during the war to save her family and spy for the French resistance are thrilling and awe inspiring. It is amazing how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when faced with life threatening challenges. Her courage was so admirable.



2. I saw Marthe Cohn on Book TV and was inspired to buy the book. She appears to be a very tiny white haired woman, no wonder her family and friends were shocked to find out that she had been a spy for the free French and a genuine hero. She is blessed with a very sharp mind and a remarkable memory. Her story is so well written that it had me on the edge of my seat, in spite of knowing that she did indeed survive.
   
   The most telling part of the book is where she describes the paralyzing fear she felt as she was about to cross into Nazi Germany. She somehow found the courage and made the crossing many times. Petite, blond and speaking impeccable German, she was easily accepted as "Aryan", even by one Nazi officer who was sure he could "smell a Jew". She was thus able to get much vital information and saved many lives.
   
   This is a great book for anyone who likes adventure stories. The fact that it is true makes it all the more appealing. I couldn't wait to share this book.



3. On October 7 and 8, 2006, C-SPAN 2 featured this book and author on Book TV. The author, now in her mid 90s, spoke in impeccable English for about one hour without notes. Because she used the active voice, her adventures were easy to follow. It was a tour de force.
   
   Her parents lived in Alsace when it was part of Germany. But she and her five older siblings grew up in Alsace after WWI when it was part of France. As a result, she became fluent in German because that was the language spoken in her home, and she became fluent in French because that was the language she learned in school. Despite her youth, her fluency in both languages made a perfect spy for the French resistance and French Army.
   
   The book is about her amazing adventures as a spy and agent of the Free French. Despite her modesty, her actions reveal a woman of incredible physical and moral courage. This book and author should be the subject of movie or miniseries that would inspire young women to use their talents for great causes.



4. This is a story of great personal courage in the midst of horrible tragedy. It is the story of Marthe Cohn who was born in the city of Metz, raised in a devout German- speaking Jewish religious household. Circumstances including the loss of her fiance led her to become a fighter in the French Resistance. Courageously she worked behind enemy lines to provide vital intelligence for the Allies.
   In this book she tells her own story but while doing so tells that of tens of others with whom she shared a struggle and a world. At the end of the book she discloses what has become of many of them with the passing of the years.
   For her courageous actions she was awarded the Highest French Military Medal of Distinction.
   She comments at the end of the book that her maiden name translates as "Hope and 'Goodness'. Her life and actions certainly were an exemplification of her name, and evidence of the greatness of the human spirit in times of darkness and adversity.



5. I became aware of Marthe's story when told I was going to interview her for an article. I found the writing smooth, and the book a quick and educating read. As other reviewers have written, it is filled with events that are intense, suspenseful, sad and hopeful. This is an amazing true story that I'm glad Marthe decided to share.