No comments about Little Alfred, Another Lost Child: A Memoir.

No comments about Story of a Girl: My Life in Hitler's Germany 1925-1945.

5 comments about Ghosts of Makara.

1. This book is easy to read and full of color. I have been to Makara and this vivid description of the Makara of yesteryear reads like a movie. I enjoyed it and felt that as I read, I could taste the nostalgic loss of a reality that in some ways was a paradise and in others must have been hell. Although the story takes place in a far away land this could have been anywhere in the world. I recommend this very personal family account, as the story could easily be yours or mine.



2. "I just finished The Ghosts of Makara. I think it should be required reading in every history class in New Zealand. It is an interesting account of time past; it is remarkable that you remembers your childhood so clearly. I enjoyed your aside about "Treasonably my Haitian-born wife suggested years later that New Zealanders didn't know how to season lamb and used mint sauce to hide the strong taste!" The pages about "the sudden sense of cold realism, the realization that life was not a game" really hits one with their own memories. And your feeling about the Pamir, "The magic of this windjammer, sails billowing in the trade winds still evokes that thrill more than 50 years later." Beautiful writing.



3. "I just finished The Ghosts of Makara. I think it should be required reading in every history class in New Zealand. It is an interesting account of time past; it is remarkable that you remembers your childhood so clearly. I enjoyed your aside about "Treasonably my Haitian-born wife suggested years later that New Zealanders didn't know how to season lamb and used mint sauce to hide the strong taste!" The pages about "the sudden sense of cold realism, the realization that life was not a game" really hits one with their own memories. And your feeling about the Pamir, "The magic of this windjammer, sails billowing in the trade winds still evokes that thrill more than 50 years later." Beautiful writing.



4. "I just finished The Ghosts of Makara. I think it should be required reading in every history class in New Zealand. It is an interesting account of time past; it is remarkable that you remembers your childhood so clearly. I enjoyed your aside about "Treasonably my Haitian-born wife suggested years later that New Zealanders didn't know how to season lamb and used mint sauce to hide the strong taste!" The pages about "the sudden sense of cold realism, the realization that life was not a game" really hits one with their own memories. And your feeling about the Pamir, "The magic of this windjammer, sails billowing in the trade winds still evokes that thrill more than 50 years later." Beautiful writing.



5. "I just finished The Ghosts of Makara. I think it should be required reading in every history class in New Zealand. It is an interesting account of time past; it is remarkable that you remembers your childhood so clearly. I enjoyed your aside about "Treasonably my Haitian-born wife suggested years later that New Zealanders didn't know how to season lamb and used mint sauce to hide the strong taste!" The pages about "the sudden sense of cold realism, the realization that life was not a game" really hits one with their own memories. And your feeling about the Pamir, "The magic of this windjammer, sails billowing in the trade winds still evokes that thrill more than 50 years later." Beautiful writing.

   Dr. Geraldine Bohning, former Prof, Barry University.
   Davie, Florida.

2 comments about The Traveling Sketchbook: An American Kid Discovers Japan.

1. A charming story of the daughter of an American Army officer living in post WWII Japan. For children it offers the classic tales of adjusting to a new home, pets, problems at school with teachers and bullies, and one attempt at playing hooky. On an adult level it reveals the complex differences between Japanese and American traditions, along with the universal undercurrent of curiosity and love among fellow human beings regardless of culture. If you a planning a trip to Japan or moving your family to any foreign country, The Traveling Sketch Book is a must read.



2. As someone else who has had to move several times due to the father's job I can relate on many levels with this book, my moves were every three years within the USA and not as diverse as the author's moves to other countries nor as dramatic as the military plane ride. ALAS, my family only travelled by station wagon. Fran Kramer's family had a 'you have to read this book' experience in post war Japan. The beauty of Japan and the Japanese people are stunning in the words of Fran Kramer.

3 comments about Northern Passages: Feisty Tales of 'Growing Up North (Northern Mania!).

1. Northern Passages is the third book in Jerry Harju's chronicles of growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is chock full of adventures of his boyhood. Even if you grew up in the city, when reading this book you can experience growing up in rural America. Northern Passages is filled with humor, nostalgia, and sometimes sadness. Every child's first day of school is a memorable one, but in Jerry's life it was even more than that. Imagine a five-year-old explaining to his mother why he was kept after school. This book also commemorates piano recitals, the annual Fourth of July bonfire, the poignancy of changing schools in the middle of the year, Jerry's introduction to and coping with segregation, the rigors of catechism class, home economics without the girls, and finally his night out with the boys, visiting a wide open Wisconsin border town at the ripe old age of sixteen. From beginning to end, each page of Northern Passages will bring a smile and a chuckle.



2. this is only the 3rd book in a series of five and i can already guaruntee that no matter where you'e from, you'll love this book! living near Flint, Michigan most of my life and going to the UP a few times makes it even easier to identify with this book. i've been through the town where the writer grew up(in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and its a lot like my hometown. especially in the first story, the Kindergarten Chronicles, i can really agree with the writer. it felt like you were the dumbest kid in class on the first day of kindergarten, but it also felt like you were already tons smarter than everybody else and you were the only sane one there! at one point in the story, when the writer's class' assingnment was to draw a ball and color it, they could only choose from red, yellow or black. the writer uses a turquoise(sophisticated!)crayon that he brought from home and a tinkertoy can to make a perfectly round circle while the teacher isn't looking. since the kid next to him was having trouble, he thought he would help him out and tell him his secret. when he finished explaining, it said,"He gave me a blank stare." AMEN! this same thing happened to me a lot, and still does. another example of feeling like you're the only smart one there. and when their teacher tells them she'll pick the best one and the artist will be the winner. when she "judges", she says "they're all so good i can't decide! so you're all winners!" AMEN! again! i hated this when it happened to me! the writer then writes, "It was clear the school system didn't appreciate independent thinkers." this is how i always felt. then the same kid he tries to help does something that i was much too chicken to do as a little kid for fear of getting into deep trouble (that i shouldn't mention directly because i'd be spoiling it for you) to the fat kid who takes over all the toys, the writer gets blamed for it. so when the teacher keeps him after school, the kid who did it says it was him, not the narrator. after he(the narrator) is let off, the teacher tells him that his ball was actually the best, and she just didn't want to hurt the other kids' feelings. i can identify with this, too. i couldn't stand the suspense. gee,i hope i didn't spoil too much for you, but it was necessary to help get my point across of why i love this book. besides, this was only part of the first story in a book of 9 short stories. again, if you want a grab-it and read a great, quick, funny, book(with modestly clean humor), this is the book for you! do not pass this one up!!



3. Being a Michigander, there is a certain nastalgia about our Upper Penninsula. That shared nastalgia and love/enjoyment of life comes out it all of these books. You'll laugh so hard that your wife will think you've gone crazy.

No comments about From Milano to New York By Way of Hell: Fascism and the Odyssey of a Young Italian Jew.

No comments about Gyuszika: Promises Kept: A Story of Survival Set in War-Torn Hungary.

No comments about Memories.

5 comments about I Don't Want to Die All Alone.

1. The author has a unique way of making his story vivid to the readers...from the very beginning I was hynotized by the unique way the words leaped off the page and came into existence as I read the book word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, and chapter by chapter! This books warms the soul and touches the heart. I can sympathize with the author as he fought hard to find himself in life, and became an example to all that if one has the will to make it on the streets, one can. This book is evidence that no one has to die all alone if one is determined to have life and have it more abundantly.



2. Henderson's book offers a personal insight to the harse world of child abuse and survival on the streets of the 'hood'. To see him survive this cruel environment and become a model citizen is an inspiration to people everywhere.

   I highly recommend this book, especially to teenagers and young adults.




3. This book is about overcoming many obstacles that get your way. He told about a lot of things people would have block out of their minds. By telling of his experiences, it will reach out to someone who has gone though the same things. I encourage you to read this book to see how someone can grow up to be sucessful after overcoming the odds.



4. I feel that this book is a good learning tool for young kids today. Many of our youths don't know how hard was back in the day to get what you wanted and needed. The book tells about a strugle a young man went through and I feel that all teenagers and young adults should definately pick this one!



5. For those that have not read I DON'T WANT TO DIE ALL ALONE it is definitely that you should add to your bookshelf. The book shares not only the journey that the author has been on to change himself but his mission to help change others as well. The encouragement he gives to all of us is inspiring and shows what can be achieved if we work towards good.

No comments about Snakes, Grapevine Swings and Slingshots.