5 comments about Reluctant Return: A Survivor's Journey to an Austrian Town (Jewish Literature and Culture).

1. "Reluctant Return" by David Weiss presents the intricate emotional landscape of a Holocaust survivor compelled by the sincerity and heart of a new Christian sect to return to his Austrian hometown of Wiener Neustadt on a mission of reconciliation. Ichthyus, a new Christian sect devoted to repairing the deep wounds caused by Christian anti-Judaism and anti-semitism, begins from the dreams and visions of a minister's wife, Uli Eiwen, who feels led by God to uncover the truth of 1000 years of Jew-hatred in her hometown, and to work to forge a reconciliation. Uli's visionary experiences lead her to the belief that God has abandoned Christianity because of two thousand years of Christian anti-Judaism. Recognizing her God as the God of the Jews, she feels that God's covenant with Abraham speaks directly about Christians in particular in the statement, "your enemies shall be my enemies." She convinces her husband, Helmuth, of the power of her beliefs after a chilling vision of the Nazi swastika during a mass he leads drives her from church screaming. He discovers the horrible history of Lutheran complicity with the SS in his hometown, resigns his ministry, and starts Ichthyus. Weiss and other Jews from Wiener Neustadt are convinced to return by the simplicity and honesty of the Eiwens, much to their own surprise. Weiss's mapping of the intricate and complex emotions he feels during his return has much to say about the destructiveness of prejudice and hatred, and the difficulty and beauty of forgiveness. Weiss writes with a pained lyricism in this profoundly moving book. I have used this recently in a course on religious autobiography (college level), and it has been a powerful source of knowledge and reflection for my students. Very highly recommended.



2. This is an astonishing work -- deeply revealing, personal, and yet universal in its message. David Weiss uses language with precision, describing complex emotions and internal conflicts with grace and originality. This book, regardless of our associations to the Holocaust, is one that we can all learn from. It reminds us that each human being must be judged as an individual, even when circumstances make it difficult for us to do so. For those of us who search within to overcome old biases and hatred, this book can be an epiphany. For any thoughtful person, it can illuminate a black period in history and inform our responses to it.



3. David Weiss opened his heart and soul with "Reluctant Return" and I was drawn into his life and experience so deeply that I finished the book in one sitting (with a dinner break). We all have our ghosts and parts of our past we have buried or refuse to acknowledge and we live our lives fully, successfully and quite happily. David Weiss lived like that until he was forced to take another look at his feelings about Austrians and growing up in antisemitic Austria. He shares his own survival experiences during the 1930-45 period and his feelings about pre- and postwar Germany, Germans, Austria and Austrians. He points out that Germany and many German people have openly acknowledged their role in the holocaust whereas Austria and the Austrian people are barely beginning this process. He describes his experiences and deepest feelings when he is returned to the town of his youth. Then how he shared his life and these feelings with groups of Austrian school children whose history books have deliberately omitted their country's role in the holocaust. The children start to realize and accept that their elders committed terrible crimes against other humans whose only error was to try to live peacefully in this small town in Austria.

   If this book were published by a BIG NAME publisher, it would be an instant best seller. I believe that "Reluctant Return" will take a path similar to "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "The Perfect Storm" and grow to be a classic.




4. David Weiss has written a profound memoir of a difficult encounter with people and his past. It is eloquent, brilliant, deeply moving and eminently readable.



5. This is the sad story of the Jewish community in wartime Nazi Austria and the return of surviving victims to Wiener Neustadt. A gripping tale told by the son of the former chief Rabbi of the town.

3 comments about Roger Tory Peterson: A Biography (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology).

1. The subject of this biography, Roger Tory Peterson, is very interesting, but the biography is not particularly well written.
   The narrative flow and the use of language is such that only the content retains the interest.
   Oh, I would still have bought the book, but the above short-comings detract from the enjoyment I had anticipated.
   Douglas Carlson might be a former professor of English, but his writing style is staid, sadly. He obviously hasn't caught on to the creative writing rule of 'show, - don't tell!'
   
   But it is still a good gift idea to anyone interested in birds and birdwatching.



2. Roger Tory Peterson: A Biography (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology) (Hardcover)by Douglas Carlson, University of Texas Press, October 1, 2007, ISBN-10: 029271680X, # ISBN-13: 978-0292716803 is a surprisingly enjoyable read for someone like myself whose knowledge of the natural flying world is limited to appreciating that birds have feathers and bugs do not. Carlson's subject, that of a famous ornithologist's life's work, is not for birders only. No, Carlson's biography of the field guide guru is an especially enlightening read for those of an awakening mind, for shining through Carlson's study of the professional Peterson are the universal themes, love, genius, art, joy, freedom and peace. Carlson's studied account of Peterson's life makes articulate for the philosophically-inclined what these abstractions mean, and for this naming treasure Roger Tory Peterson: A Biography is a treat to read. To articulate, love is the movement toward knowing what is, which is to say love is infinite. Genius is the acute awareness of what is. Art is the representation of what is. Joy is the surrender to what is. Freedom is the expression of what is. Peace is the reflection of what is.
   
   Roger Tory Peterson loved birds because, he imagined as a boy full of romantic notions, birds were the ultimate expression of freedom (Carlson, 8). Peterson's idealization recalls the famous claim by the Christian guru of freedom, Jesus of Nazareth: "Behold the fowls of the air" who do not sow nor reap; neither do they store for tomorrow and yet they have enough food to eat, Matthew 6:26. Peterson, who as a child was brought up, baptized and confirmed Lutheran, his mother a Sunday school teacher, (Carlson, 4) was no doubt influenced by this of all lies. This of all lies: birds are not carefree. Birds are bound, rather, by their need to gather the resources to live, theirs being a subsistence existence. And yet for young Peterson birds represented "the physical freedom to go anywhere they wanted" (Carlson, 260).
   
   Peterson eventually discovered that birds did not satisfy as a symbol of freedom because they are "captives of environmental factors and genetically encoded behaviors" (Carlson, 18), which is ironic because so was Peterson bound--bound by cultural expectations of man as provider. Like the birds he studied, thought about, wrote about, and painted, Peterson himself was confined first to earn a living for the clothing, feeding and nesting of his family, and finally to establish his legacy. Publishing revised editions of what became for him his "dreaded" Field Guide, Peterson was not free. Freedom to him was to luxuriate in his studio with paint brush and bird subject (Carlson, 233), but he had little time to let loose the floodgates of his vision with the demands of his life's work, the work that brought him fame and a modest fortune, pressing down upon him. He was, to put it bluntly, no more free than the fowls of the air. Carlson's biography of Roger Tory Peterson builds brilliantly the tragic irony of Peterson's life. And for this too, a cautionary tale equal to the opening scenes of The Bhagavad Gita in which the warrior, Arjuna, because of his attachment, cannot see reality, Roger Tory Peterson: A Biography is an eye-opening read.



3. Roger Tory Peterson devoted his life to the study of birds. In a 1996 speech delivered in Houston shortly before his death, he said, "Birds have occupied my daily thoughts, filled my dreams, dominated my reading."
   
   He traced his love for birds to his boyhood and a day when he came upon a flicker with its head tucked under one wing. It was exhausted from migration, but Peterson thought the bird was dead and reached out to stroke its back. The bird exploded with life, and took off with a golden flash of wing, leaving the boy filled with wonder at its resurrection, its freedom and ability to fly.
   
   Peterson began as an artist and by his early twenties had added his love of birds and nature to his art. A close associate suggested he write a field guide. Peterson took the idea a step further, incorporating his trademark identification arrows and descriptive text describing song, flight patterns, and nesting habits.
   
   The first Peterson's guide almost didn't find a publisher. The country was in the grip of the Depression; publishers thought people had more to worry about than learning how to identify birds. Finally Houghton Mifflin took a chance with a small first printing, and in 1934 "A Field Guide to the Birds" was published. To everyone's amazement, the book sold out almost immediately. The Field Guides have continued to be a bestsellers ever since.
   
   Peterson was one of the first to recognize the importance of environmental awareness, and was instrumental in getting the 1972 ban on DDT implemented. Additionally, he brought the world's attention to the decimation of the penguin from oil spills, and to the destruction of the bird-rich rain forests of Central America.
   
   Painter, educator, photographer, writer, and environmentalist, Peterson lived to the age of 88. He chose as the epitaph on his tombstone: "Birds are the most vivid expression of life."
   
   Douglas Carlson's skillful and absorbing biography brings this passionate, energetic man back to life, and celebrates his great gifts to the world of nature.

1 comments about The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives From Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century.

1. This reference work utterly fails at the fundamental requirement for all encyclopedia-style entries: Who Was This Person, And Why Were They Important?
   
   Instead the entries are give a vague idea of what the person did, with more interest seeming to be placed on personal scandals then academic credentials.
   
   Take for example the entry on Elda Byron which begins "A warm friendly woman..." What!? How is uncited hearsay on someone's personality academically relevant?
   
   I would recommend A Biographical A to Z of Women in Science and Math (Facts on File) whole-heartedly over this two volumes of fluff.

1 comments about TEX JOHNSTON PB.

1. This is a great historical accounting of the life of an American aviation pioneer. Tex Johnston's life was a colorful mix of barnstorming through the flight testing and air racing of WWII fighters, and finally the experimental flight testing of the Bell X-1 (prior to Chuck Yeager) and the Boeing aircraft when the jet age was underway. The book is a little scant in his accounting of the famous (infamous?) barrell rolls of the 707 prototype over Lake Washington, which is disappointing. Overall, a great book and must reading for any fan of the early years of experimental flight testing.

5 comments about Renaissance Man of Cannery Row: The Life and Letters of Edward F. Ricketts.

1. This collection of Ed " Doc " Ricketts letters rates 5 stars if for nothing else the glimpse it gives into a man that is all too rare. For the non-biologist reader considering reading Ricketts book, Between Pacific Tides, The Life and Letters of Edward Ricketts is a good place to start. If any reader is interested in exploring what John Steinbeck called " a mind without horizons", this is a very valuable resource as well. What we find in this collection of letters is really what his friend Steinbeck saw, a man with unlimited understanding of the human condition and a man who still, almost 60 years after his death, has much to teach.



2. ...and that's it.
   There is little penetrating biographical detail in the short essay that begins the book, and the failures of action and inconsistencies of thought are shrugged off. Everyone has failings and Ricketts's were substantial; but they are also what make us interesting, and are what often create the context in which greater aspects of character can be realized. There is little critical analysis of Ricketts's thought and work (which is probably not a bad thing), but we are left thinking, "Wow, what a nice clever guy; wish we could have shared a beer." Which is about right.
   The letters are about as engaging as such collections go, and do sort-of flesh out the evolution of the man and his thoughts. But Ricketts was careful, as we all are, about the manner in which he projects and portrays his character. He is at a distance, more often than not, and somewhat armored.
   Not a bad read at all, mind you, and I am grateful the editor has pursued the project. Pull up to a tidepool, have a beer, and do some non-tele(ological) thinkin'.



3. Ed Ricketts had an important influence on the developing science of marine ecology during the 1930s and 40s. Even if John Steinbeck had never met or written about Ricketts, his work Between Pacific Tides (co-written with the forgotten Jack Calvin) would stand as a significant contribution to biology. But Ricketts also was a close friend of Steinbeck's, and so Ricketts himself (as he appears in the Log from the Sea of Cortez) and the caraciture "Doc" (Cannery Row) overshadow his written accomplishments. For better or worse, Ricketts now is remembered mainly as Steinbeck's friend. Besides reading and thinking about his scientific work, we want to know what it was like to hang around Pacific Biological Labs and drink with Ricketts, listen to music, and talk about big or small things.

   Ricketts was a hard-working and prductive biologist (without a college degree), a struggling small businessman, a father separated from his two daughters and wife, but close to his son, a serial monogomist, a drinker, a reader, a music fan, and by all reports a very appealing guy. Someone who almost anyone would enjoy spending a few hours talking to.

   Ricketts important previously unpublished writings were collected in The Outer Shores (2 vols.), edited and with biographical notes by Joel Hedgepeth. Hedgepeth knew Ricketts and wrote in an entertaining iconoclastic style. It's long out of print and hard to find, but provides greater insight into Ricketts than this collection of letters can. Readers willing to wait should be encouraged from an NPR news report a few months ago that Ricketts son, Ed Jr., is editing a collection of writings which presumably will include much of the same material.

   Ricketts wasn't a great philosopher, but he wrote 3 essays of philosophy that he was proud of. He was interested in music and poetry and felt he knew what characterized really good work. His ideas wouldn't fit into today's postmodern world, where a basketball in an aquarium can pass for art. Fans of Robert Pirsig's Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance might find Ricketts philosophy appealing.

   Katharine Rodger has collected about 100 letters, written to various friends, family members, professional contacts, and John Steinbeck. She also has written a bare bones outline of Ricketts life, with little insight into his thoughts. We can fill these in ourselves from the letters, assembled mainly from Ricketts own papers (he kept carbons of his correspondence). Sadly, they cover only his later career, because his lab and its contents burned down in 1936. There are no letters addressing Ricketts marriage and how he came to spend both his nights and days at the lab instead of home with his family. Further, after Ricketts was killed, Steinbeck went through Ricketts files and destroyed most of their correspondence.

   I found most of the letters here unsurprising. Most of the really revealing letters are the ones to Steinbeck, but there aren't many of them. I wasn't rivited to the book until the last few pages, when Ricketts (near) step-daughter dies, his long-time partner Toni Jackson leaves, and he suddenly takes up with 25 year old Alice. The emotional impact of these changes all within a short time must have been immense, but we get only a hint of it in the last letters to Steinbeck and Jackson.

   A worthwhile read, but it doesn't leave you feeling like you know him any better than you did before. I hope for a more comprehensive biography some day.




4. Renaissance Man of Cannery Row finally puts flesh on a real person who has been perceived as a caricature for too many years. In this book Edward Ricketts, a father, a marine biologist, a hard-working figure found for two decades along Cannery Row in Monterey in California (shades of Steinbeck?), and the persona found in at least six of Steinbeck's novels and short stories comes to life. Katharine A. Rodger has done a masterful job of editing that allows a wonderful insight into Ricketts personality and philosophies. The letters include Ed's correspondence with such figures as John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell and Paul De Kruif.

   The book is a must read for any student of Steinbeck, Cannery Row or the Monterey area and is beautifully done. As professor Richard Astro stated "to know Steinbeck one must know Ricketts." How true.




5. Renaissance Man of Cannery Row finally puts flesh on a real person who has been perceived as a caricature for too many years. In this book Edward Ricketts, a father, a marine biologist, a hard-working figure found for two decades along Cannery Row in Monterey in California (shades of Steinbeck?), and the persona found in at least six of Steinbeck's novels and short stories comes to life. Katharine A. Rodger has done a masterful job of editing that allows a wonderful insight into Ricketts personality and philosophies. The letters include Ed's correspondence with such figures as John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell and Paul De Kruif.

   The book is a must read for any student of Steinbeck, Cannery Row or the Monterey area and is beautifully done. As professor Richard Astro stated "to know Steinbeck one must know Ricketts." How true.

2 comments about Albert Einstein Mileva Maric: The Love Letters.

1. There can be no doubt about it .Mileva Maric(Marity)was a collaborator with Albert Einstein on one or more of the 4 1905 papers published by Max Planck in his German language journal.Her main contribution probably was in explaining to Albert the 1887 Michelson -Morley light refraction-reflection experimental results demonstrating that the speed of light had to be a constant.This would mean that there was no "ether" medium in which light would travel .Understanding these results are a necessary,but not sufficient, prerequisite to building a special or general theory of Relativity.Albert Einstein deliberately left out any reference to these results because he knew that it was Mileva who had helped him master this area of research.He wanted to pretend that he had reached his conclusions without resort to these extremely important empirical- experimental findings or any other empirical work.Albert Einstein was ,of course,the main author of the papers.His refusal to acknowledge her partial contribution means that Albert was a glory grabber in the same sense that Otto Hahn was in refusing to acknowledge the great aid of Lise Meitner in the discovery of nuclear fission.



2. This a nice collection of love letters between Albert Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric. If you don't know the rest of the tragic story (for her, anyway), it's just as well. It's enough to make you reflect on the amount of pain that love turn to hate can engender.
   
   They cover the period when he is getting his PhD, his first job at the patent office (which he was happy to get, by the way) in Zurich, and the birth of their first, but illegitimate child, a daughter named Lieserl, whose eventual whereabouts became a mystery (see the excellent Einstein's Daughter by Michele Zackheim for an exhaustive search for Lieserl).
   
   What is most intriguing about these letters is the number of times Einstein refers to "our" in his scientific work. He has never acknowledged Mileva's help, but I don't know how anyone can avoid the conclusion that she was a collaborator during the critical period leading up to 1905. Consider the following, in Einstein's own words: " . . . our work on relative motion . . . "(p. 39); "Don't [Mileva] forget to check on the extent to which glass conforms to the Dulong-Petit law." (p. 40); " . . .our theory of molecular forces . . ."(p. 45); " . . . enough empirical material for our investigation . . . "(p. 47); and "I gave him our paper" (p. 52). There are other references.
   
   Mileva has had her defenders in the last ten or fifteen years, but for the most part those who want to keep the Einstein myth alive that whatever he did, he did without any help have relegated her to the role of some sort of amanuensis and helpmeet. If the word "our" means what I think it means, she was a whole more than that.

No comments about Bernard G. Sarnat: 20th Century Plastic Surgeon and Biological Scientist.

1 comments about Albert Einstein: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. .This book gives a very thorough detail of Albert Einstein's life from his ideas amounting to his development of the General Theory of Relativity to his difficult family life and his disabilities as a child. It explains many interesting facts and disproves any common misconceptions about Einstein's life. Calaprice and Lipscombe are able to magnify important points in Einstein's life and captivate the reader just through these events. This book also goes into detail describing how Einstein developed each of his theories and explains the ideas that are included in many of them so that any person can comprehend his incredible ideas. This enables the reader to feel they are in Einstein's head exploring the almost inconceivable thoughts of this brilliant scientist. I am sure that both Calaprice and Lipscombe desired to recount Einstein's life because of his varying life status as he became one of the most famous scientists in world history. Einstein's compelling life story is reason enough to read this book. If you have not already become acquainted with Einstein and his discoveries, I would highly recommend that you take time and get informed by reading one of his biographies. Einstein had an incredible life that is thoroughly summed up in Albert Einstein: A Biography by Alice Calaprice and Trevor Lipscombe.

1 comments about The Tangled Field : Barbara McClintock's Search for the Patterns of Genetic Control.

1. After just barely discussing Dr. McClintock's work in my genetics class, I just had to know more. This book is very insightful, and it discusses her work thoroughly. Her use of corn plants in the discovery of jumping genes (transposable elements). Truly an interesting topic and an incredible geneticist who's discovery has no doubt changed all of genetic research. This book gets a bit more in to detail than people may want for just background information. It includes some diagrams of her work, etc. A great book in all that I will add to my library.

No comments about Ingenuity In A Can: The Ralph Stolle Story.