5 comments about The Rings of My Tree: A Latvian Woman's Journey.

1. The product was in excellent shape when I received it. The book looked as if it were new and bought right off the book store shelf.



2. An excellent book which relates very closley to my own Mother's situation, in escaping from Latvia with her Sister, Mother and Father. I felt the book was very true to the plight of all of the Baltic People and their forgotten past. A very easy and understandible read. I enjoyed it and bought copies for my siblings. Well Done!



3. The Rings of My Tree is a well-told story of one young woman's journey starting in pre-WWII Latvia. We follow Jane's friend Mirdza as she is ripped from her beloved home in Liepaja (which was also my mother's home at the time the war started), is separated from family and friends, and ends up, like so many of our own family and relatives, in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany. For those of us that are Latvian, it is a familiar story. However, many Latvians of my generation, including myself, regrettably never heard the whole story from their parents, for one reason or another--most often it was because they were memories they did not want to recall, or that they simply wanted to "spare us." Still, over the years, I had gathered bits and pieces of my parents' separate experiences, and reading Mirdza's account helped me put those pieces into context and understand them better.
   
   Regardless of what your own history is with the WWII and immigrant experience, The Rings of My Tree is well worth reading. As I mentioned, the story is familiar, and there are no great surprises--but I found peace in Mirdza's quiet strength as I read this book. Before reading Mirdza's tale, I had read book reviews that described Mirdza as submissive; I don't agree at all. She was assertive when necessary and smart enough not to make waves in the face of dire consequences, even when threatened with death. In her new home she learned how to get along for the greater good. Like all of the brave Latvians that survived the ravages of war, the camps, and then started over as immigrants in new countries, Mirdza showed great courage and tenacity. She was able to survive separation from family, countless atrocities, a bombing injury that left her with a permanent limp, and extreme prejudice from her new community after finally making it to America-ostracized as a "German" since she had arived from Germany and spoke English with an accent-all without a single trace of bitterness. To face every day anew, with quiet inner strength, required the heights of courage.
   
   I'm writing this review from a personal perspective for a reason. I've corresponded with the author several times. Moreover, reading the book motivated me to finally sit down with my father and interview him about his experiences during and after the war. My parents had always been reluctant to talk about those times; it was just too painful. My mother passed away several years ago, and my father always looked forward to my monthly visits and loved to chat so I had a feeling he'd be ready to tell his story. He agreed, but he wasn't feeling well, so I put it off. Unfortunately, he passed away Christmas Day, 2004. Now his story will never be told. So I urge you, fellow Latvians, read this book. If you have stories of your own to tell, tell them, and if you have parents living to share their stories, have them do so while there is still time, that is, if they're at all willing.



4. The monsters and beasts in my childhood bedtime stories were not imaginary. They were flesh and blood and in human form, and usually they wore the uniforms of the Red Army. They marched in my parents' memories, relentless and cruel, driving them from their homes in Latvia during World War II. My parents were refugees, displaced to camps in Germany in the 1940's while awaiting sponsors for their immigration to the United States. Although I was born in the States, I have known two homes, two cultures, two languages, two histories, and the stories on which I was raised have become a part of my ethnic inheritance.
   
   Reading Jane E. Cunningham's book about another Latvian woman's personal journey as a refugee from Latvia to the United States during the war was like hearing the stories of my parents all over again. What amazed me, however, were the accuracy of perception and a to-the-core understanding of an experience the author could not have shared. Cunningham, after all, is not Latvian. She is an Irish-American living in Connecticut, a teacher, and no closer to the Latvian experience than, well, crossing the street, as it turned out. For 45 years, Cunningham has known and befriended her neighbor, Mirdza Vaselnieks Labrencis. Now a woman in her mid-eighties, Mirdza has shared her stories about her home in Latvia and her journey to America with her most attentive neighbor, resulting in this slender but powerful book. Cunningham has even written it as a first-person account-a daring move, but one at which she was surprisingly successful. In nearly every detail and perception, the story is Mirdza's. It is also the story of most all Latvian refugees.
   
   To survive-"where there is life, there is hope"-Mirdza undergoes a psychological shifting in her spirit and in her psyche. "Inside my still anesthetized cocoon, the soul of the self is changing. This forced-by-war metamorphosis was a lonely place to be, and yet it seemed to be a place of unconscious, unfolding change that surfaced through a new, foreign determination that surprised me. Survival is a funny thing... tied to self-respect. The greedy monster ministers of war had separated my family, killed some of my friends, issued a warrant for my life, bombed my house... raped and pillaged my country and took away the normal use of my left side... the caterpillar in my mind was losing its slow-crawling legs and I have no idea when the wings of courage developed, but there was a flapping inside of me." (pgs. 31-32)
   
   Pushed to its limits, human nature shows its true colors and true fiber. A frightened girl emerges a strong, determined young woman, doing what she must to survive and to establish some semblance of a new life for herself. It is not in her nature to be bold, Cunningham writes of her heroine, nor is it the nature of a nation to be subjected to the depravity of war. Those who cannot adapt-die. Those who find wings and tap into a core wisdom of resilience-live. Mirdza makes a decision to live.
   
   To survive one does what one must, sometimes shutting off the mind, other times shutting off the heart. When required, both are called back into action. Cunningham writes of Mirdza's life in German refugee camps with a compassionate honesty, never glossing over Mirdza's very human moments of weakness, but letting her moments of personal heroism quietly shine in their own illumination.
   
   Cunningham's account of a story so far, surely, from her own as an Irish-American living in Connecticut is testimony of the ability to bridge two cultures and two very different perspectives on life to form very human bonds of friendship. This slender volume is highly recommended for anyone willing to take a moment to appreciate what makes us all different... and what makes us all the same.



5. My mother escaped from Latvia in 1944. Her path to freedom, through Poland, Berlin, and Hanau, was very much like that described so well in this book. This book tells a compelling story of Mirdza. It is a must read for anyone who is interested in the Baltics, or in what life was like as a refugee during WW II. It is down to earth, highly readable, and heart warming. Once you start reading it, you can't put this book down. This book also is inspiring when life seems hard.

5 comments about Sick Girl.

1. I found this a compelling and provocative story. Silverstein never flinches when telling of her journey from type-A law student to a young woman ruled by a failing heart, and she gives voice to the anger people whose bodies fail them invariably feel. I gave the book to my daughter-in-law, a cardiac nurse, who passed it around to her colleagues. They all said Silverstein's story gave them insights into their patients they could not have had without it.



2. I'm kind of shocked at all the negativity being hurled at Amy Silverstein. What did she do but share her true feelings? Who are we to judge her personal growth arc and determine that she "should" be over her resentment by now? I can only assume that most who view her so harshly have their original hearts? Thought so. Might you then be willing to accept that you don't in fact know how she should be feeling by now?
   
   I, for one, was willing to listen to Amy with an open mind. Not only did I learn a lot of fascinating details about transplant surgery, it also helped me appreciate anew my own health, however imperfect. Mostly, though, "Sick Girl" is simply a gripping read from start to finish. The way I judge a book's worth is simple: how eager am I to return to it? This one scored off the charts on that score -- I couldn't wait to pick up where I left off each day. I hope Ms Silverstein writes another book; she's very talented.
   
   If you're reading these reviews, Amy, forgive my fellow readers for doing exactly what you feared your friends and acquaintances might do if you dared to slip off the happy mask: turn away from the ugly reality. Rest assured not all readers feel that way. Thank you for telling your story.



3. I just finished this book yesterday. What an irritating book.
   
   There were some interesting details about heart transplants... For example, one's nerves not being connected to the transplanted heart so that one would feel the effects of walking up hill or being frightened suddenly, minutes after the exercise/event, etc.
   
   I do undertand this woman's anger and her depression. Well, maybe...I get the feeling no-one is capable of understanding this woman, except for her cardboard saintly husband, and even he gets slammed. The opening chapter and closing chapter seemed deceitful. I never really thought she'd choose not to take her medicine and give up completely. It seemed like an attention grabbing literary device.
   
   It is never explained why she thought one lady was laughing at her (or if she indeed was laughing at her) or how Ellen's child was doing (it seemed like her character was just inserted to show that adopting a child was a better choice) or why her father would jump out of a car in the middle of this lady's crisis. Had her father 'had it' with her life long histrionics?
   
   Irritating, irritating book. The author herself got in the way of a good book.



4. I was intrigued by the lack of insight or growth experienced through Amy's ordeal. The constant self pity and victim mentality made a well written informative book very hard to read.
   
   I have dealt with chronic illness for over twenty years, and have mourned the loss of "normal" functioning. I have dealt with abusive doctors, people and family who have judged me, not understood and ignored it all. I understand what it is like to lose one's health at such an early age, and I only have empathy for Amy.
   I was dumbfounded though that her book only focused on the dark side of her experience. The loss of health at such a young age is devastating, yet can also open doors for true growth and inner healing. "Sick Girl" only focuses on the "sick girl".
   
   I had read an article with Amy, where she expressed thankfulness for her life. If this is true, she does not express any of these feelings in her book. This is Amy's story, and she can only tell her story the way she sees it.
   
   The picture on the cover, showing her scar with the title "sick Girl " over it, says it all. This book is overflowing with victim consciousness and self pity. I know that through what Amy did live through and continues to live through, she is anything but the victim she portrays herself to be. She is a strong, courageous powerful woman. I wish perhaps that she could see herself that way.
   
   A very informative, well written book about transplants. I would not recommend it as an inspirational book.



5. I don't know where to begin with this book. On the plus side, it was very difficult to put down. I read it in no time at all. It was compelling and suspenseful. I liked learning about heart illnesses, the treatment available for them, and the complications of these treatments.
   
   But I found myself absolutely disgusted with the author. Because she had a heart transplant, it took me awhile to even register my antipathy towards Amy. I was worried that I wasn't being fair to her and that I just didn't understand major illnesses. At some point, though, I've got to call a spade a spade. There is absolutely no excuse for the behavior she exhibited throughout her illness. And there's no excuse for the unbelievable whining she does throughout this book.
   
   If Amy's account is to be believed, she was incredibly unfair to her doctors. She blamed them for things they couldn't control. In some cases, she hated them just for doing their job. A choice sample: "But I can tell you, when you try to push this anger thing on me it just makes you look like a big idiot--standing there in your ivory tower, telling me what I feel. Don't kid yourself" (pg. 108). Here, Amy is chewing out an apparently well-meaning psychiatrist who's been trying to help her cope. She makes fun of his appearance, too. Some people might admire this "spunkiness" and "spirit." I don't--I think it's childish. Wallowing in her self-pity, Amy just refuses to put herself in other people's shoes. She even has trouble empathizing with her husband, Scott. It's all about her and her illness. If you're thinking about buying this book, you'd better prepare yourself for a ton of this.
   
   When Amy describes one of her first doctor's visits at the the beginning of the book, she recognizes that she's being immature. "My accumulated years began to fall away from me one by one until I landed in the safe haven of a ten-year-old girl--and a bratty one at that" (pgs. 28-29). What she doesn't seem to realize is that she remains a brat for the rest of the book. You can even tell in the language she uses to describe herself. Yes, yes, we know it's unfair that you got sick at twenty-four. The whining gets old after awhile. I kept hoping she would toughen up, but she never did.
   
   Something for the theologically minded: Amy describes one of her near-death experiences in a way that's supposed to disprove the whole idea of heaven. She says there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Yet she gets very preachy about the "true love" between her and her husband. It's too syrupy-sweet in the midst of her postmodern rantings. In short, she thinks she has the authority to deny God while affirming true love. She tries to shove her views onto the reader. I did not appreciate it. Just because she has a heart transplant, she's supposed to be our greatest expert on the universe?
   
   In short, the front cover is a very good indicator of this book's content. The cover photo seems to be saying, "Look. I've been through a heart transplant. That makes me better than everyone else. Don't you feel sorry for me? And don't you dare judge me. You don't know how it feels to have a scar like this." If you don't enjoy that perspective, steer clear. I like getting angry when I read, but not everyone does. I would NOT recommend this book to anybody facing a health crisis. Amy is suicidal and thinks killing herself is a viable option.

5 comments about Jackie Ethel Joan : Women of Camelot.

1. I Loved reading this book!! I recently saw the TV movie version, so I decided to read the book. I was SO impressed! I was 10 years old when Pres Kennedy was killed, so of curse I'm familiar with Camelot and all that goes along with it. Now that I'm in my 50's I thought I'd look for a book written in recent years about the Kennedy wives. I'm so glad I found this one! What these 4 women had to endure, Especially Joan, being married to a Kennedy is incredible! The last 66 pages! are devoted to "Acknowledgments and Source Notes", which I didn't read thoroughly, but now know this isn't just another made up Kennedy story, but Facts!



2. This book is well worth reading more than once! It has so much information that I could hardly put it down!! You feel so very bad for Joan and what Teddy did to her. He was a very poor specimen for a husband and it is amazing she has managed to hold onto life. I don't know what the quality of it is now, but what she endured was truly unfair. My heart really goes out to her and now that Jackie is gone I can't imagine how she is doing.



3. I really enjoyed reading this book because I am fascinated by that time in our history and with Jackie Kennedy. I found this book to have an interesting point-of-view on all three Kennedy women. Ethel seemed to be easily envious or jealous but loyal and loving of her family. Jackie seemed to be snobby with a mind of her own, but again a deep loyalty for her family especially her immediate family. Joan seemed to be sad and a 'door mat' until she grew much older. She seemed to put up with the most crap and lost the most in return. I have no idea if any of what I read was accurate or not, but I liked reading it regardless. It was fun and fast in a very tabloid sort of way. If you're interested in the Kennedy women, then you'll probably like this book. The movie that was made based on this book is also pretty good, but naturally the book is by far better with more details.



4. Heard the cassette version of JACKIE, ETHEL, JOAN: WOMEN OF
   CAMELOT by. J. Randy Taraborrelli and enjoyed it--in a guilty pleasure
   sort of way.
   
   It is a tell-it-all about the three Kenney wives and listening to it
   helped me relive some days of my younger days when John, Robert
   and Ted Kenney were alive and running for various political offices.
   
   For some reason, I never followed too closely the dirt behind
   their respective careers . . . yet this book more than made up for
   anything I may have missed.
   
   If everything in it is to be believed, I now know that Joe Kennedy
   offered Jackie $1 million not to divorce JFK and Jackie allegedly
   replied, "The price goes to $20 million if Jack brings home any
   venereal diseases." . . . also, that Bobby had an affair with
   actress Lee Remick who actually called Ethel to tell her that they
   were sleeping together--only to be told by Ethel that he was
   home in bed (when he was actually with Remick) . . . and that
   Ted once showed up for drunk with a prostitute for dinner with
   the king and queen of Belgium, whose priceless antique coach
   Ted's date ruined by wetting it.
   
   Overall, the book left me feeling sorry for the Kennedy women . . . although
   they appeared so glorious from afar, how they were forced to live
   their lives because of the constant spotlight made life anything
   but easy for them.



5. I found this to be a very intrigueing read, but the reader should have a working knowledge of the history, events and relationships that shaped the Kennedy dynasty because they are not going to be detailed in this book. In fact, some will be glossed over or entirely omitted. What you will read about is the experiences of those intimately involved in the events and tragedies: their personal thoughts, conversations and feelings, wrapped up in fierce political ambition and family loyalty.
   Even though I'm sure the conversations and personal information, albeit based on substantial research, has been "developed", anyone who has experienced a family death or misfortune will easily relate to the Kennedys' amazing ordeals, struggles and fortitude.
   I thoroughly enjoyed it.

2 comments about Cleopatra (Life & Times).

1. This book was informative, entertaining and well written. For someone who wants to explore little known details about ancient Egyptian life, or wants a thorough description of Cleopatra's life and times, this book was great. I purchased it for my daughter, but it piqued my interest as well.



2. I highly recommend Cleopatra The Last Pharaoh by Prudence Jones. If you're looking for a balance interpretation of Cleopatra's life based on the ancient sources and the author's insight into the propaganda that was influential in that day this book is for you. This is not the story of a sexual alluring one dimensional Cleopatra. This Queen is multidimensional and smart. Another plus for the book is the choice of illustrations making this volume particularly attractive. It is an excellent read.

5 comments about Miriam's Kitchen: A Memoir.

1. I read this many years ago. I love the stories that the author tells about her life and her family as related to food and Jewish tradition. I could relate. The recipies provided in the book are delicious. I am keeping the book as a reference.



2. Elizabeth Ehrlich is a Jewish American woman who rejected, for many years, her connection to the practices of her Jewish faith. It is only through her discovery of her mother-in-law Miriam's kitchen and the foods prepared there that she learns to value the traditions that shaped her own family, traditions brought from the Old World and translated into the New. Through entries in her journal, through letters, memories, stories, and above all, through Miriam's recipes, Ehrlich recreates for us the story of her spiritual awakening and her self-guided journey into the lives of her foremothers, who nourished their faith and kept it alive and growing in difficult times, difficult places, through pain, separation, and even despair.
   
   This often funny, often heart-rending, always beautifully-evocative book is a powerful testimony to the importance of women's domestic contributions to the survival of their families, their communities, and their faith.
   
   Susan Wittig Albert
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   www.storycirclebookreviews.org



3. Miriam's kitchen is a thoughtful, interesting, warm and homey memoir. If you are interested in material culture -- particularly food -- of various groups, you'll find it interesting. It's also a story about balancing identities -- Jewish, American, feminist, traditionalist, etc.



4. Well done, most interesting, all the various recipes, combined with memories from a time long ago. Have enjoyed it immensely.



5. This is one of my all time favorite books.
   
   I first came across this book when I was living in Holland, and one day, while browsing the second hand book market in Amsterdam, I came across an editor's copy, how it ended up there I don't know, but I bought the book. I never realized how homesick I was until I read this book. . . it brought back such beautiful memories. The stories reminded me so much of my grandmother, now gone 25 years.
   
   Each chapter is organized by month, reflecting the Jewish holidays that take place in each month, the endless preparation, the planning, and most importantly, the cooking associated with each holiday.
   
   I was also brought up as an Orthodox Jew, and I so dearly remember my grandmother and mother cleaning and cooking for weeks, getting ready, especially for Passover. Walking to shul and then coming home to a delicious meal - I can close my eyes today and almost bring back those tastes.
   
   This book is a loving tribute to Ms. Ehrlich's mother-in-law, but it is a story of life as well, how to survive when survival is unthinkable, how food connects us so strongly with our past, and how making those special holiday meals helps to forge a strong spiritual future for our children.
   
   I did not realize how important it would have been for me to ask for my grandmother's recipes before she died and this is something I will always regret. I was able to find a lot of my grandmother's cooking in the recipes included in this book as well, and I make those recipes often, especially the egg salad, which is exactly how my grandmother made it. When I make it now in my kitchen, exactly as Ms. Ehrlich describes, I can almost feel my grandmother's presence - it makes me want to weep because it is such a small way of feeling close to her again.
   
   If you don't know a lot about the Jewish religion, this book is an easy and interesting way to become acquainted with our customs surrounding holidays, family, life and death. If you have been brought up in the faith, then this book will touch your heart, because it will remind you of your childhood, your grandparents, and perhaps your life now.
   
   Even though it is not a cookbook, all of the recipes are authentic, easy to make, and delicious. I have made all of them, many times over.
   
   I loved this book so much that when I returned to America I brought it with me. Because I was afraid that my editor's paper fronted copy would wear out, since I had used it so much, I bought two additional copies. The first copy I keep with my cookbooks and refer to it often - the second I gave to my mother, who treasures this book as much as I do.
   
   This is a wonderful, affirming story of life. It is a must read.

No comments about Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower (Gender and American Culture).

5 comments about Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress.

1. Debra Ginsburg's book is nothing less than an updated version of Melville's Moby Dick: an ode to the humanity of the ordinary working man and woman. The restaurant staffs (many throughout her life-long career waiting) are Ginsburg's shipmates. The great whale was for Melville a mirror by which we can look into the souls of ordinary working people, and this is what the working men and woman of her restaurants are for Ginsburg's great work of Genius. Ginsburg plays on the word "waiting" in a way that would have made Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot) proud (although Ginsburg is never heavy-handed with the pun), as True Confessions of a Waitress is also about people who are waiting for salvation from the miserable existence where they are forced to eke out a humble living while their dreams lie just out of reach. I read the book as part of a writers' seminar and fell in love with the book and with its author.



2. This is a wonderful, fast-paced read that will take you into the life of Debra Ginsberg, a woman who worked as a waitress for twenty years.
   
   If you've ever worked with the public in any capacity, this book is for you! And, if you patronize restaurants, you'd best read this book so you can see yourself as a customer through the eyes of those invisible people who serve you.
   
   Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg is a hilarious eye-opener. You'll never see waiters in the same way again.



3. I love this book and am currently enjoying it again after first reading it several years ago. Not only does Waiting deliver a strong sense of what it is like to be a waitress, it's also a strong story about what it is like to be Debra Ginsberg and to some degree what it was like to be in Portland, Oregon in the 70's and 80's.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. Oddly enough, I recieved a copy of this book, as a gift, three years ago. After rushing my education, recieving a Master's degree at 21, I found myself still employed as a server. Needless to say, I related to the story, which some may argue, is why I rated it a five. Most people take for granted, how many educated servers there are and how annoyed we get when you treat us like a "dumb server." If I have any hopes for this book, it's that some non-service industry types read it and get a better understanding of "the other side."
   I found this book to be a quick and easy read, but very enjoyable. She reiterates that common curtiousy goes a long way, whether you are a server or being served. Definately a must read for anyone that has waited tables and a should read for anyone that has or will ever eat out.



5. Anyone who has ever worked in any part of the restaurant industry, be they a server, bartender, cook or dishwasher will appreciate the years Debra Ginsberg spent in the trenches. Many of her tales from work will leave you nodding in agreement, and remembering stories of your own. Some of her stories will make you realize that you really don't have it as bad as it could be. This book reads like a soldier's-eye view of life on the food service battlefield, and from the first page you will not be able to put it down.

5 comments about A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam.

1. I read this every once in a while to gain perspective and to make sure I hear the stories of these women. To make sure I'm aware of, and to acknowledge their sacrifices. They touched so many lives then, and are still making a difference in other ways now. I think this should be required reading for every woman.



2. "A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam," by Keith Walker, is a powerful addition to the large body of writings about the Vietnam War. Walker's technique for compiling this book was to interview the featured women and turn the transcripts of the interviews into chapters. One chapter is drawn from a dual interview of two of the women, and another chapter consists of a letter written by a woman whom Walker did not get to interview. The book is full of black-and-white photographs that further document the women's service in Vietnam. Also noteworthy is the stirring foreword by entertainer Martha Raye, who briefly discusses her own experiences in Vietnam.
   
   Most of the women featured were Army nurses, but the book also includes women who served as WACs, Red Cross personnel, a civilian flight attendant, a USO worker, and more. There are some significant recurring themes that connect a number of chapters: the experience of being under hostile fire; men, women, sex, and dating in the war zone; encounters with the Vietnamese people; fun and recreation in Vietnam; challenges the women faced in doing their jobs in a war zone; and personal and psychological problems some of the women faced after returning home from Vietnam. Also, two of the women discuss possible Agent Orange-connected health problems faced by children they had after serving.
   
   There are some extremely graphic and disturbing accounts by some of the nurses as they recall the horrific injuries suffered by their patients, as well as their own struggles to deliver compassionate care in the combat zone environment. There are many other noteworthy memories, some heartbreaking, some funny. Army nurse Pat Johnson describes painting the barracks "red-and-white striped with pink polka dots." Entertainer Bobbi Jo Pettit recalls touring Vietnam as part of an all-girl band called "The Pretty Kittens." Navy nurse Maureen Walsh delivers a vivid account of an enemy rocket attack at Da Nang.
   
   The voices of these women strike many tones: feisty, introspective, proud, caring. I was especially moved by the memories of post-war reunions and experiences at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I consider this book to be an absolutely essential complement to the many fine works, both fiction and nonfiction, written by male Vietnam veterans. Recommended as a companion text: Wallace Terry's "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans," which is similar in both format and impact to this book.



3. Written in 1985 when many of the wounds of Vietnam still bled fresh, Keith Walker interviewed 26 women who served in country in a variety of capacities. The result of this ambitious and courageous project is a heartbreaking, captivating and ultimately transcendent oral history.
   
   The stories here filled with an evolution that mirrors the changes of perception that accompanied the war. This is not only a history of women in Vietnam (a history all too frequently too overlooked)but also a history of America as well. Each woman, in her own way experiences the journey from ambition to horror to disillusionment to healing. Many of the women interviewed (as of 1985)are still works very much in progress- as our Nation is as well.
   
   This oral history depicts not only depicts the immediate horrors and consequences of combat but most importantly the post combat experience as well along with the living conditions and political environment as seen in the first person.
   
   Later adapted (by Shirley Lauro) into a powerful dramatic event, A PIECE OF MY HEART makes for a must read for anyone interested in either Vietnam history specifically or American history in general.
   
   A classic.



4. ... for all of the women who served in Vietnam. Read this book, plus the late Lynda Van Devanter's Home Before Morning and you'll see why.

   While Lynda's book is a hauntingly graphic record of the triumphs and tragedies that the ANC nurses and Army surgeons experienced in Nam, A Piece Of My Heart gives the reader a very broad perspective of the contributions of women in many other areas.

   The foreword to the book was written by the wonderful Martha Raye, whose unflinching commitment to the men and women who served in Nam led to her being a two-time Purple Heart recipient. That even an entertainer could be wounded twice in the line of duty speaks volumes about the risk level In Country.

   Equally, Civilian Flight Attendant Micki Voisard almost met her end when her airliner almost collided with a B-52 that was maintaining radio silence during an airstrike.

   Yet even though the Red Cross Donut Dollies, such as Penni Evans and "Sam" Bokina Christie and WACs such as Doris Allen all have compelling stories to relate, it is the experiences of the nurses that really stay with you, long after you have put the book down.

   For most of her post-Nam life, former ANC nurse and author Lynda Van Devanter (Home Before Morning - available through Amazon.com) was haunted by the memory of a young soldier who had no face, and who eventually had to be left to die because of the extent of his injuries.

   When you read the piece by Anne Simon Auger (91st Evac. - Chu Lai) you realize that injuries of that magnitude were not as uncommon as you might hope and pray. Anne also described a young soldier whose face had been shot away, leaving him blind and in her words, "a vegetable".

   While my own view is that people in such terrible physical condition should be given enough morphine to shut down their breathing, or in the absence of that, on the battlefield, a mercy round from an M-16, I fully accept that however you have to deal with such shocking injuries, it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

   Let us not forget that while the cowardly Stalinist flag burners were calling the returning troops "baby killers", thousands of true blue American women were risking their own lives to support the largely teenaged US soldiers in a war that increasingly made no sense to the people who were being asked to fight it.

   These women were Vets. These women were heroes. These women were angels.

   We must constantly seek ways to honour them. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten.




5. These stories are so heart-wrenching I had to take a break while reading simply to keep from falling to pieces. These women are so amazing and strong - they're inspiring. I Loved this book and GREATLY recommend the play with the same title by Shirely Lauro that was based off of these stories. It's so unbelievable and so real it makes you feel for those 6 women more than you'd ever imagine!

5 comments about The Language of Baklava: A Memoir.

1. A delightful book, filled with interesting stories about a larger-than-life bunch of characters and enhanced by recipes for the foods they eat. Meet a family pulled between Jordan and America, experience their tumuluous activities and sample (at least in imagination) the wonderful foods they are always eating.



2. Viscerally satisfying, moving, poetic...I can't get it out of my head...I wish it could have gone on and on and on....I want more....I want to cook with Ghasan...be fed rice from his hand...I want to hear more about how her Arab family loved Diana, and about her grown up love hinted at near the end of the book...how her sister's perceived the same world...I want to eat and sleep with Bedouin's in the desert by firelight...Please feed me more...



3. This is a miserable book. A few minutes in, it has a description of meat running with blood, then shortly later a detailed description of a botched, brutal slaughter of a baby lamb. That's when I tossed the book into the rubbish pile. I'd give it negative stars if that were possible, it certainly doesn't deserve even one star.



4. I loved Diana's humor and writing style. She made me very hungry but most importantly, she made me want to visit Jordan and be with Bedouins! She was very candid in criticizing what is wrong with the Arabic culture. I thought she did a great job and I recommend this book to all Americans but you'd better have an Arabic restaurant near you!



5. I just finished "The Language of Baklava" and loved the style, the honesty, the capture of nuances and details, and sense of humor. Having read many excellent food, travel, immigrant or multiethnic memoirists, this surpasses them all.
   As an Arab immigrant, I laughed out loud at the precise and non judgmental accounts contrasting Arab and American ways. I will strongly recommend this book to my American wife who is incessantly befuddled by my family's behavior when they visit or we visit them.
   This book is beyond food memories, it should be a classic of growing up as an immigrant's offspring. Diana Abu Jaber has a wonderful gift of making us feel with her and for her; of making us laugh and cry with her.

5 comments about Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival, and Strength.

1. A moving account of how many lives are touched by a single moments mistake.



2. I didn't experience suicide of a loved one, but did experience the murder of my mother by a psychotic patient who came for treatment where she worked as a social worker, over 40 years ago when I was 9. There are many differences, but also commonalities in suicide, murder, and all sudden, violent death where there is no opportunity to say goodbye. And the major truth is this: you never "get over it." You can go on, and even laugh again and love again and experience great joy again, but part of your heart is permanently ripped out, and you feel it forever, and you never "get over it." The challenge, for survivors, is to try to create a loving, full life in spite of it. This is a key message of Ms. Collins' book.



3. Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival, and Strength
   by Judy Collins
   Reviewed by Suzanne M. Retzinger, Ph.D.
   
   "The streets of London have their map; but our passions are uncharted." (Virginia Woolf).
   
   I was given a copy of Sanity and Grace by a remarkable man - Al Lowman - and was not sure at the time what I was meant to see. I read it to find out. I found a rare combination of expression of feeling and intelligent use of the work that has been done on suicide - woven together into a story. What I saw in Judy Collins's book was a roadmap of the passions. I read the story of a journey from the stigma and shame of a family secret - her son's death by suicide - into the open where healing begins to take place.
   
   Breaking down the ancient walls of a taboo, Judy chose to build bridges, rather than remain behind the wall. She questions why a person would be defined by a moment in time when someone takes his or her life - why this moment would weigh more than all others. A mix of journal entries and prose shows the road from pain to light - and there is light.
   
   Like many who suffer from the death of a loved one, Judy was told to stop talking about it, "get on with your life", "you're bringing others down". I hear this again and again from people who come to the bereavement groups I facilitate. Silence prevents healing - suicide is whispered she says, and "never quite shouted, as it should be, to the rooftops." She refused to stay silent, or to accept shame that would have been isolating. Instead she chose to express her pain. Talking is healing, and grief is the acceptance of that loss.
   
   Judy gives a clear message: there is only one way to heal - right through the pain. She found sobriety, and refused medication for her grief - grief is not a disease, "I wanted to feel everything, the pain and the depression, the hurt, even the rage." And she allowed herself to feel, "let it role over me and around me, let it boil up and claim me, let it wrench the tears out of my eyes and let it roll into rage." Her complex emotions find voice and grace through words.
   
   Going through mourning can feel insane, and no one needs to do it alone. There's "power in the intimacy that comes with sharing secrets", and is in itself healing. A network of caring people and support groups helped her move through. There are support groups - there are caring people to travel with us. Hospice is a starting place to find such a group. By speaking her suffering, and courage to be vulnerable, Judy Collins charts a path for others to follow. A god has given us a voice to speak our pain - let us use it.
   
   I sing my highest praise.



4. Just this week in Joyce, Washington, a 12-year old boy--popular and happy by all accounts--took a rifle into his classroom and shot himself in the chest in front of his teacher and 18 classmates. Last month, a 12-year old in Seattle tossed herself off a freeway overpass. Judy Collins is a singer, songwriter, author, and actress, with many years of recovery from alcoholism. Depression, the "dog on the leash" often attached to alcoholism and addiction, plagued her since childhood. Her first husband's father killed himself. Nobody talked about it. Years later, at 33, Ms. Collin's son, after a period of sobriety, relapsed and then killed himself, narrating his own death on audiotape. Suicide is like child abuse, cancer, domestic violence, addiction: the attitude of many is "it's time to move on. Get over it." What Ms. Collins knows and tells eloquently in this book, which also features an excellent reference list of other books on suicide,is that those left behind never get over it. She postulates, instead, that suicide must be talked about. The writing in the book is a combination of songs, poems, journal entries, interviews with other writers on suicide, and anecdotes about Ms. Collin's own life. The writing is sometimes uneven, with breathtaking imagery juxtaposed with cliche or platitude, though I of course enjoy platitudes that come from 12-Step programs because I know what life-savers they are--and this is how Ms. Collins uses them. I "grew up" to the sound of Judy Collins'songs; when she appeared nearby in a concert nearly a decade ago, she never mentioned that her tour was part of her own therapy for her terrible sense of loss and hopelessness from her son's suicide. This singing and her writing lend hope.



5. As a physician who cares for suicidal patients and survivors of suicide, this book brought me enlightenment. As a parent who has lost a child, it brought me tears. Now I understand the pain behind the beautiful music of one of my favorite singers, Judy Collins. As she says in her book, "we are all looking for the light".