No comments about Then and Now.

No comments about Thin-Line-Without Love.

No comments about Hell and High Water on Hinkle Creek.

4 comments about Saint Hedwig and Me.

1. Very easy reading. An interesting story about life in an orphanage where the children were taught morals, values, obedience, discipline, and the work ethnic. But where was the love that all children so desperately need during their formative years? The author was able to overcome this obstacle and become a worthwhile, productive member of society. This is a attribute to the values taught at the orphanage. This book gives one an opportunity to compare his/her childhood with those who were reared in an orphanage setting. A thought provoking and interesting reflection of the author's childhood.



2. A TRULY GREAT, INSPIRING BOOK SUCH AS THIS HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE 1939! THIS WAS THE YEAR THE AUTHOR, MICHAEL KRECIOCH WAS BORN. THE NOVEL WAS "BLACK NARCISSUS" BY RUMER GODDEN'S. THE REASON FOR THE COMPARISON, NOT SINCE "BLACK NARCISSUS" HAS THE TRUTH BEEN TOLD ABOUT CATHOLIC NUNS. WHAT MR. KRECIOCH HAS DONE IS CAPTURE IN A HUMANIZING WAY THE TRUE ESSENSE OF "BLACK NARCISSUS" EVEN THOUGH IT IS OBVIOUS THE AUTHOR PROBABLY HAS NEVER READ THIS BOOK NOR HAS SEEN THE 1947 BRITISH CLASSIC. AFTER READING ST. HEDWIG AND ME IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN MEMORY THAT NUNS WERE PORTRAYED FOR WHAT THEY WERE. HUMAN. WITH ALL OF THE FRAILITIES THAT GO WITH IT. ALTHOUGH MR. KRECIOCH WAS NOT AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME, IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THEIR IS DIVINE INTERVENTION AT PLAY AND ULTIMATELY MR. KRECIOCH HAS GOTTEN OUT THE STORY OF SISTER MARY (MARCIA) MARCY BALDYS. MR. KRECIOCH WRITES "I HAVE KNOWN AND ASSOCIATED WITH MANY OTHER NUNS DURING MY LONGER THAN EIGHT YEAR STAY AT THE ORPHANAGE. MY INVOLVEMENT WITH SISTER MARCY WAS BRIEF. NEVERTHELESS, THE LONE YEAR THAT WE INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER MADE ME THE MAN I AM TODAY." "SHE TAUGHT ME WHAT REALLY HARD WORK WAS, BUT SHE HELPED ME REALIZE THE RESULTS OF MY HARD WORK AND HOW REWARDING IT COULD BE. FAIRNESS WAS ANOTHER OF THE SPECIAL QUALITIES THAT SHE INSTILLED IN ME. IT REALLY HELPED ME IN MY LENGTHY CAREER ON THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. MARCY WAS NOT A WOMAN'S LIBBER, BUT SHE TAUGHT ME TO RESPECT WOMEN, ALL WOMEN. SHE SAID I COULD NEVER GO WRONG IF I TREATED A WOMAN AS MY EQUAL." "AT A GATHERING OF THE ST. HEDWIG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN OCTOBER 1996 I FINALLY GOT TO PUBLICLY THANK SISTER MARCY FOR GUIDING ME THROUGH SOME PRETTY HORRENDOUS TIMES. SHE WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. SHE TURNED TWO OF THE BIGGEST TROUBLE MAKERS INTO TWO VERY PRODUCTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS OF OUR SOCIETY. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME WHILE I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF THE FINEST TEACHERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. MARY BALDYS WAS BORN TO GENEVIEVE AND PHILIP BALDYS IN WEST HAMMOND, ILLINOIS, ON MARCH 23, 1915. SHE WAS BABTIZED INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BY THE REVEREND B. NAWAKOWSKI AT ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE CHURCH IN CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS, ON APRIL 4, 1915. ON AUGUST 23, 1935, SISTER MARY MARCY MADE HER FIRST PROFESSION OF ANNUAL VOWS UNTIL SHE PRONOUNCED HER FINAL VOWS ON AUGUST 23, 1941. ONE OF HER FIRST TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS CAME IN 1933 AT ST. JOHN OF GOD PARISH IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. SHE TAUGHT THE FIFTH GRADE FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. IN 1935, SHE TRANSFERRED TO ST. JOSEPH PARISH IN CHICAGO AS A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR FIVE YERS. IN 1940 SISTER MARCY WAS SENT TO BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TEACHING AFRICAN AMERICANS AT THE HOLY FAMILY MISSION SCHOOL IN ENSLEY. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR APPROX. SIX YEARS. HER FIRST STINT AT ST. HEDWIG ORPHANAGE, ALSO KNOWN AS ST. HEDWIG INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CAME IN 1946 AS A SEVENTH GRADE TEACHER. AFTER APPROX. THREE YEARS, SHE LEFT FOR AN ASSIGNMENT AT ST. BRUNO'S PARISH, IN CHICAGO, TEACHING THE EIGHTH GRADE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO ST. HYACINTH PARISH IN LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, TEACHING THE EIGHTH GRADE. SHE REMAINED AT ST. HYACINTH FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS. FROM THERE SHE WENT TO HOLY ROSARY PARISH IN NORTH CHICAGO, FOR A TWO YEAR TOUR OF DUTY. SISTER MARCY'S DEVOTION TO HER FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT HER ENTIRE LIFE, SELFLESSLY SERVING OTHERS. SHE CROSSED OVER FROM THIS WORLD TO THE NEXT ON NOVEMBER 22, 1999, SHE HAD ALLOWED US TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH HER FOR 84 YEARS OF LIFE. I KNOW THAT SHE IS IN A BETTER PLACE AND IN A POSITION OF INFLUENCE. I HOPE AND PRAY THT SISTER MARCY WILL PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR ME IF SHE THINKS THAT I DESERVE IT. MAY SHE REST IN PEACE. SHE CERTAINLY DESERVES HER PLACE IN HEAVEN. I GIVE HER ALL THE CREDIT FOR KEEPING ME OUT OF JOLIET STATE PENITENTIARY. YOU TAUGHT ME WELL, SISTER." I HEAR TODAY THAT THE CATHOLIC NUNS ARE BECOMING LESS AND LESS, AFTER READING THE BOOK I STRONGLY BELIEVE MR. KRECIOCH'S LIFE WAS CHANGED BY SOME OF THESE VERY NUNS. ALTHOUGH SOME NUNS WERE NOT AS GOOD AS OTHERS, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY TRIED TO MAKE A SAFE AND SECURE HOME FOR THE ORPHANS IN THEIR CARE. FROM THE BITTERNESS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK, TO A CHANGED MAN AT THE END, MR. KRECIOCH IN HIS FIRST ATTEMPT AT WRITING A BOOK, HAS BECOME A CRUSADER WITHOUT KNOWING IT FOR THE STORY OF SISTER MARCY AND THE MANY MORE NUNS LIKE HER WHO SELFLESSY GIVE THEIR LIVES TO GOD AND HELPING THEIR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. SISTER MARCY SHOULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION FOR SAINTHOOD FROM WHAT I READ IN THE BOOK. MR. KRECIOCH SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR NEVER GIVING UP ON HIS DREAM TO WRITE THE STORY OF HIS "INCARCERATION" IN A CATHOLIC ORPHANAGE. PLEASE BUY AND SUPPORT THIS BOOK SO THAT MR. KRECIOCH CAN SOMEDAY TELL THE FULL STORY OF SISTER MARCY. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.



3. I AM THE AUTHOR'S SON AND RIGHT NOW YOU MAY THINK MY OPINION IS BIASED. BUT IT'S NOT BIASED IN THE WAY YOU WOULD THINK. READ ON AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND HOW EVEN I HAVE GONE FROM BITTERNESS TO FORGIVENESS. A TRULY GREAT, INSPIRING BOOK SUCH AS THIS HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE 1939! THIS WAS THE YEAR THE AUTHOR, MICHAEL KRECIOCH WAS BORN. THE NOVEL WAS "BLACK NARCISSUS" BY RUMER GODDEN. THE REASON FOR THE COMPARISON, NOT SINCE "BLACK NARCISSUS" HAS THE TRUTH BEEN TOLD ABOUT CATHOLIC NUNS. WHAT MY DAD HAS DONE IS CAPTURE IN A HUMANIZING WAY THE TRUE ESSENSE OF "BLACK NARCISSUS" EVEN THOUGH MY DAD CAN HARDLY REMEMBER THE NOVEL, LET ALONE THE CLASSIC BRITISH MOVIE FROM 1947. AFTER READING "ST. HEDWIG AND ME" IT WAS APPARENT THAT THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN MEMORY THAT NUNS WERE PORTRAYED FOR WHAT THEY ARE. HUMAN! WITH ALL OF THE FRAILITIES THAT GO WITH IT. ALTHOUGH MY DAD WAS NOT AWARE OF IT AT THE TIME, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEIR IS DIVINE INTERVENTION AT PLAY AND ULTIMATELY MY DAD HAS GOTTEN OUT THE STORY OF SISTER MARY (MARCIA) MARCY BALDYS. MY DAD WRITES "I HAVE KNOWN AND ASSOCIATED WITH MANY OTHER NUNS DURING MY LONGER THAT EIGHT YEAR STAY AT THE ORPHANAGE. MY INVOLVEMENT WITH SISTER MARCY WAS BRIEF. NEVERTHELESS, THE LONE YEAR THAT WE INTERACTED WITH EACH OTHER MADE ME THE MAN I AM TODAY. SHE TAUGHT ME WHAT REALLY HARD WORK WAS, BUT SHE HELPED ME REALIZE THE RESULTS OF MY HARD WORK AND HOW REWARDING IT COULD BE. FAIRNESS WAS ANOTHER OF THE SPECIAL QUALITIES THAT SHE INSTILLED IN ME. IT REALLY HELPED ME IN MY LENGTHY CAREER IN THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT. MARCY WAS NOT A WOMAN'S LIBBER, BUT SHE TAUGHT ME TO RESPECT WOMEN, ALL WOMEN. SHE SAID I COULD NEVER GO WRONG IF I TREATED A WOMAN AS MY EQUAL. AT A GATHERING OF THE ST. HEDWIG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN OCTOBER 1996 I FINALLY GOT TO PUBLICLY THANK SISTER MARCY FOR GUIDING ME THROUGH SOME PRETTY HORRENDOUS TIMES. SHE WAS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. SHE TURNED TWO OF THE BIGGEST TROUBLE MAKERS INTO TWO VERY PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS OF OUR SOCIETY. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME WHILE I TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF THE FINEST TEACHERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. MARY BALDYS WAS BORN TO GENEVIEVE AND PHILIP BALDYS IN WEST HAMMOND, ILLINOIS, ON MARCH 23, 1915. SHE WAS BAPTIZED INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BY THE REVEREND B. NAWAKOWSKI AT ST. ANDREW THE APSOTLE CHURCH IN CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS, ON APRIL 4, 1915. ON AUGUST 23, 1935, SISTER MARY MARCY MADE HER FIRST PROFESSION OF ANNUAL VOWS UNTIL SHE PRONOUNCED HER FINAL VOWS ON AUGUST 23, 1941. ONE OF HER FIRST TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS CAME IN 1933 AT ST. JOHN OF GOD PARISH IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. SHE TAUGHT THE FIFTH GRADE FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. IN 1935, SHE TRANSFERRED TO ST. JOSEPH PARISH IN CHICAGO AS A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR FIVE YEARS. IN 1940 SISTER MARCY WAS SENT TO BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TEACHING AFRICAN AMERICANS AT THE HOLY FAMILY MISSION SCHOOL IN ENSLEY. SHE REMAINED IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR APPROX. SIX YEARS. HER FIRST STINT AT ST. HEDWIG ORPHANAGE, ALSO KNOWN AS ST. HEDWIG INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CAME IN 1946 AS A SEVENTH GRADE TEACHER. AFTER APPROX THREE YEARS, SHE LEFT FOR AN ASSIGNMENT AT ST. BRUNO'S PARISH, IN CHICAGO, TEACHING THE EIGHTH GRADE. THE FOLLOWING YEAR SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO ST. HYACINTH PARISH IN LA SALLE, ILLINOIS, TEACHING THE EIGHTH GRADE. SHE REMAINED AT ST. HYACINTH FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS. FROM THERE SHE WENT TO HOLY ROSARY PARISH IN NORTH CHICAGO, FOR A TWO YEAR TOUR OF DUTY." SISTER MARCY'S DEVOTION TO HER FELLOW HUMAN BINGS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT HER ENTIRE LIFE, SELFLESSLY SERVING OTHERS. SHE CROSSED OVER FROM THIS WORLD TO THE NEXT ON NOVEMBER 22, 1999. "SHE HAD ALLOWED US TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH HER FOR 84 YEARS OF LIFE. I KNOW THAT SHE IS IN A BETER PLACE AND IN A POSITION OF INFLUENCE. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT SISTER MARCY WILL PUT IN A GOOD WORD FOR ME IF SHE THINKS THAT I DESERVE IT. MAY SHE REST IN PEACE. SHE CERTAINLY DESERVES HER PLACE IN HEAVEN. I GIVE HER ALL THE CREDIT FOR KEEPING ME OUT OF JOLIET STATE PENITENTIARY. YOU TAUGHT ME WELL, SISTER." I hear today that Catholic nuns average 68 years of age approx. Not enough young women are heeding the call of our Lord today. We need many more Sister's like Sister Marcy in this world today, not less. It is books such as this that can make a difference in the world. If nothing else, let this be a wake up call! We need to spread the word about nuns such as Sister Marcy who have helped countless souls strive toward Salvation. I was shocked when I finished reading my Dad's book and my life has been changed forever. I also strongly believe now that my Dad's life was changed by some of these very nuns. Although some nuns were not as good as other nuns, the bottom line is that they tried to make a safe and secure home for the orphans in their care. From the bitterness at the beginning of the book, to a changed man at the end, my Dad in his first attempt at writing a book, has become a crusader without knowing it for the story of Sister Marcy and the many more nuns like her who selflessly give their lives to God and helping their fellow human beings. Sister Marcy should have serious consideration for Sainthood from what I read in the book. My Dad should be commended for never giving up on his dream to write the story of his "incarceration" in a Catholic Orphanage. Please buy and support this book so that my Dad can someday tell the full story of Sister Marcy. Tell your friends and God Bless You All!



4. A very fast and interesting read of a street smart 8 year old in a Catholic orphanage, and his maturation into a decent young man over the next 8 years. His recollections are amazing, as is the nostalgia he feels. I enjoyed it very much!

No comments about Struggle Through the Twentieth Century.

No comments about Falling Leaves from the Family Tree.

3 comments about Buffalo Nickel: A Memoir.

1. Floyd Salas, author of the classic Tattoo The Wicked Cross (a novel that was originally written as a short story about a rape in a juvenile detention center)delivers with a memoir about the love and respect he had for his family, his life, and particularly his older brother, a man who would have a tremendous affect on him. Honest, tough, funny, and sometimes so sad it's hard to read, Buffalo Nickel is written in the same stark realist fashion as Fred Exley's A Fan's Notes and throws the same righty-cross Charles Bukowski hit us with in Ham On Rye



2. Buffalo Nickel by Floyd Salas is a poignant and moving tale of a man and his older brother. The strife and hardship experienced by the characters within their complex relationships allow the reader to experience a true-to-life story about the effects of drug abuse and suicide. The metaphor presented early in the novel of the buffalo nickel can be applied to the relationship of the brothers Floyd and Al Salas. In the first chapter, Al presents his little brother Floyd with a buffalo nickel. Floyd had just been in his first fight. Al later asks for the nickel back; Floyd returns the nickel. It is this metaphor, the giving of something desired and the subsequent demand for its return, that runs throughout the relationship between Floyd and his big brother. The physical action of Al giving and retrieving the nickel in the first chapter can actually be found through the entire novel. The promises that Al didn't keep becomes the focus of thier hardship. It is a tale of the anguish involved in loving an addict, the trouble that that gets Floyd into, and the eventual reality of letting go. From the beginning of the book, Floyd loves and admires his brother. After the buffalo nickel incident Floyd remarks, "he'd do that a lot to me before it was over." (p. 15) Al teaches Floyd to box. Boxing would, throughout Floyd's life, be a mixed blessing. Due to his brother's aggression Floyd finds himself in many bar fights that he would otherwise have not been involved in. When Al acts as Floyd's coach he is supportive when Floyd is winning, and extremely abusive when he feels Floyd could have done better. It became a bond between the two boys when they were young and remained to be one their entire lives. Boxing would later be extremely important and lucrative to Floyd, as it would earn Floyd a scholarship to college at University of California. Al taught Floyd how to box. He helped him earn this athletic talent. Eventually Al would waste his talent, and desert it for drugs and alcohol. Many of Al's fights were illegal and unfair, and he often got Floyd involved. He gave Floyd something valuable, the drive and ability to box; but he often used his own and Floyd's abilities for the wrong reasons. Floyd completely trusted his brother when it came to boxing, from the very beginning. When Al puts Floyd in the ring with a gypsy-kid a lot taller than him Floyd is fearless. "My brother had put me in there, though I was scared, I wasn't afraid." (P.22) Due to his drug addiction Al had an extreme tendency to steal and be involved in illegal and unfair business. This ultimately would harm the whole family; and early on it harmed Floyd. The second chapter foreshadows Al's future. Al plays with Floyd by pretending to steal his saved money. When Floyd is caught stealing from a store with another child, Al ironically reprimands him, "...don't let anybody lead you into anything like that again." He says to Floyd, "You don't want to end up in reform school like me." (P. 29) Al had saved Floyd this time. Later, Al promises to help Floyd buy a bicycle, because he doesn't want him "...hanging around the streets..."(P. 32) to sell magazines. It seemed as if Al was going to really let his little brother down (again) when he offered a pair of Levi's instead. Then their father stepped in. If he hadn't it would have been the buffalo nickel all over again - promises unkempt. Floyd often feels optimistic about his brother and their relationship during his childhood. As the two of them rode home on the brand-new bike he remarked, "He'd come through again. My brother." (p. 36) Al often warned Floyd against the evils of drugs and crime. During the time that the two were training together Al would say, "Never lie, never cheat, never drink or smoke... and don't take many from people... always be loyal to your buddies..." (p. 64) The extreme irony in these statements become evident as the story progresses and Al proceeds to do all of these things. Worse than that, he encourages Floyd to participate in them. Despite his apparent efforts to steer Floyd away from this kind of life Al's influence gets Floyd into trouble time, and time again. Floyd and Al would end up swindling people for their money as a collaborative effort. This is something that Floyd had watched his big brother do for years. When Al quit training and began drinking and using drugs heavily, this was how he used his time and made his money; he would then blow his money on booze or smack. Floyd is eventually able to use his intellect and his talent to help him overcome the heart breaking disillusionment that Al's unreliability as a brother caused. Through establishing his own separate life and through his poetry and writing Floyd is able to free himself from the invalid personality of his brother Al Salas. When Floyd notices he is being followed by the police he realizes that Al ratted him out. "...The one thing I knew: I could never trust my brother Al again." (P. 276). Ultimately, Floyd is able to release his pain caused by his brother, his addiction, and his unreliability through his writing. A boxing match helps Floyd get out his aggressions as well. During the match Floyd hits Al for some of the many wrongs Al has done him: "...that's for forty years of bullshit!" (P. 341) Floyd is even able to tell Al, "You've cheated everybody you've know and manipulated every situation to your own benefit! To this very day!" (P. 344)



3. Floyd Salas' autobiography, told through a series of vignettes, reads like a novel and yet captures the feel of life as it is lived.
   
   Buffalo Nickel follows Salas' relationship with his brother Al, a James Dean-like figure who has the misfortune of growing older, spending much of his life in and out of prison. Trapped in a bad marriage and unable to hold down a job, Al makes the transition from theif to husler, later becoming hooked on heroin. He becomes a tragic figure, unable to take responsibility for his own life.
   
   Buffalo Nickel begins innocently as an entertaining coming of age story but ends as a frightening tale of an entire family addicted to drugs. As finely crafted as any novel, this autobiography is powerful and disturbing, creating a stunning portrait of the darker landscapes of contemporary life.

No comments about When I Was a Little Boy.

2 comments about Crazy Ray: A Story of Manic Depression with Suicidal and Homicial Tendencies.

1. The story is compelling enough. Grammar problems and repetition make for a bit of a problem at times. The editor must have been on vacation. The author also makes a generalizing mistake in the end, yes, her father is mentally ill and violent, but not all mentally ill are violent...There definitly is a problem when someone like her father gets released time and again with no help, but that doesn't mean we should throw away the key with all mentally ill people.



2. Hartl's story of her "crazy" father is as frightening as it is original. I agree with the previous comment that the book could use a good editing, but also must say that this story should be read by manic-depressives everywhere. --chris palmer, author of VOICES BEYOND THE STREAM

4 comments about Through a Boy's Eyes: The Turbulent Years 1926-1945.

1. I realy enjoyed this book. It was delightful to see how the indomitable human spirit can survive. This book is a true inspiration.



2. I have listened to the author give lectures so I was interested in the book version where he adds details and am very pleased with the result. The content is neither depressive nor heroic. It has a balance as seen from the perspective of an adolescent, alone and hunted by the Gestapo, who has courage and will to survive Auschwitz for two years. I highly recommend it for high school libraries.



3. Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Mr. Poser speak. For over an hour I was held spellbound by his enthusiasm, knowledge and ability to encapsulate a period of time in our history that was so devastating to so many people. He has accomplished the same with his book. Writing about his own personal experiences and weaving in historical facts adds a dimension and flavor to that period of time that you can genuinely feel. History and non-history buffs alike will find this book enlightening and thought provoking.



4. I had the priveledge of hearing Louis Posner speak last year. Not only was he incredibly inspirational, but he was full of life. It was an honor to meet him. Listening to his story changed my life. If anybody is thinking about buying this book, don't hesitate. It's worth every penny, plus more. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.