5 comments about The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America.

1. 
   This is one of only a few books which, after having read it, I wish I had written it. Of course, I am wholly unqualified to undertake such a task. However, I would have thoroughly enjoyed completing the research required and taken full advantage of every opportunity to interview, personally, as many of the Jewish comedians as possible. Also, as many as possible of the (non-performing) Jewish writers of comedy such as Larry David, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon. In a brilliant Introduction, Epstein observes: "The story of Jewish comedians in America is one of triumph and success. But their stage smile is tinged with sadness. It is haunted by the Jewish past, by the deep stains in American Jewish life -- the desire to be accepted and the concern for a culture disappearing -- by the centuries of Jewish life too frequently interrupted by hate, and by the knowledge that too often for Jewish audiences, a laugh masked a shudder. The comedians' story in America includes bitter encounters with anti-Semitism and the lures of an attractive culture along the way. The jokes these comedians told, their gags, and their nervous patter need to be set alongside the obstacles they overcame."
   
   In this volume, Epstein combines the skills of a disciplined historian and cultural anthropologist with a writing style which has Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Obviously, he also delights in the comic art of so many who "exemplified two great themes of American Jewish life: assimilation and the search for an American Jewish identity....Also, they made Jews proud" while entertaining them as well as ever-increasing numbers of others who also went to the movies, turned on radios and then television sets, sat in nightclubs of various sizes, and bought albums. I am so grateful to Epstein for providing throughout the book an abundance of comic material from scripts, films, published interviews, recordings, and other primary sources. He covers a period from 1890 until the present, organizing his material within four sections:
   
   The Golden Door and the Velvet Curtain (1890-1930)
   
   NOTE: Epstein creates a context frame-of-reference within which to begin to examine "the two great themes" as countless immigrants arrived in "the land of hope and tears." He then shifts his attention to The Age of Vaudeville.
   
   The Years of Fear (1930-1950)
   
   NOTE: This was a period during which there were many fears (e.g. poverty, world war, nuclear weapons, Communism) shared by most Americans. Epstein examines what he calls radio's "finest hour" as well as films which had their audiences "laughing in the dark." He then shifts his attention to the rise of the Borscht Belt.
   
   The Years of Acceptance (1950-1965)
   
   NOTE: Epstein examines the American Television Revolution and then the emergence of stand-up comedy, devoting special attention to Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, and Jack Benny as well as to Lenny Bruce, Myron Cohen, Jack E. Leonard, Buddy Hackett, Alan King, Jackie Mason, Shelley Berman, and Woody Allen.
   
   The Years of Triumph (1965-Present)
   
   NOTE: In this final section, Epstein traces the further development and refinement of "the two great themes" of American Jewish life (i.e. assimilation and the search for an American Jewish identity) and I enjoyed reading this section more than any of its three predecessors. In it, Epstein takes a close look at the films of Woody Allen and Mel Brooks (among several discussed) and then shifts his attention to Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, Andy Kaufman, Howard Stern, various Jewish comediennes, Jerry Seinferld, and (in the final chapter) an emerging generation of young Jewish comedians.
   
   In the Appendix, "Schlemiels and Nudnicks," Epstein shares his final thoughts which help the reader to re-establish an overall perspective on material which covers a period of more than 100 years. (It could reasonably be claimed that Epstein has examined certain themes and forces which have been active within Jewish culture for several thousand years.) He concludes that "the comics who emerged from this Jewish background were not aware of psychological or sociological theories. As George Burns noted, they were not hungry for recognition, "they were hungry for food. They did not question their humor but rather just recognized and used it. Nevertheless, the roles comedians played and most particularly the contributions of Eastern European Jewish culture shaped the personalities of these comedians and lay, either hidden or not, in their minds."
   
   For me, a Gentile, it is impossible to determine to what extent Jewish comedy became assimilated within American society, and, to what extent Jewish comedy helped American society became assimilated with Jewish values. Let's all call it a tie and consider ourselves that much the better for it.



2. This book is full of history, anecdotes, personal stories, samples from comedians' stand-up material and movie dialog, and immigrant sociology and circumstances. He even gives details tying Yiddish language to Jewish American humor. He tells of vaudeville artists adapting to radio, then tv. So many details provided! At first I was not going to buy it (I am a frugal African American who buys paperbacks), but I am glad I did. Also, at first, I thought it was going to be too scholarly and dry, but once I got INTO IT -- I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!! BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT! And share it with your friends.



3. Learn who's Jewish and who's not, who pretended not to be Jewish and who led with Jewishness. Learn who had it really, really tough and who had it relatively easy. Discover who could work together and who couldn't. Get the skinny on some really poor, skinny comedians. Rodney Dangerfield's true story seemed stranger than fiction. Find out who whacked Sinatra with a pie and got away with it. Find out how Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis really got together. Be privy to literally dozens of stories about famous people and get the history of radio, movies and television as a bonus.
   
   I ended up liking some people I didn't know well enough to like. Some overt dishonesty shocked me. All the stories were at least interesting, many exciting and a few really disgusting.
   
   What more could you possibly ask of one book?



4. On the back of I believe the first paperback edition of Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' it is written, "It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. And you will never forget it." So I feel about that remarkable list of American Jewish comedians who gave so much pleasure so much joy to millions of people. From the time of vaudeville, the Marx brothers, Gallagher and Shean, Ed Wynn up to the golden age of Television, its real beginning with Uncle Milty and Sid Caesar's 'Show of Shows' with that amazing gang of writers Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Neil Simon. And then down to more recent times with Gary Shandling and Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman and the late Gila Radner. -these wonderful people made America happy.
   In this richly informative work Lawrence J. Epstein tells the stories of many of the true greats, Jack Benny, George Burns, the Marx brothers. He too provides some explanation of why the Jews became America's principal comic entertainers.
   In an interview about the book Epstein says "The Jewish immigrant's child came from a family that had to confront hatred, persecution and attack. This made the Jews anxious and fearful," Epstein explains. "They needed a way to cope. This way had to be portable because the Jews kept being kicked out of places and had to be rooted in language because Jews so prized words over physical activity. Humor could be taken from place to place and was based on language. The humor also was useful in dealing with anti-Semites. If Jews could deflect hatred with laughter, people wouldn't hurt them."
   This to my mind makes some sense but is certainly not the whole story. True a good share of Jewish humor is self- reflexive and self- critical, but there is also the explosively abusive humor of a Lenny Bruce or a Don Rickles, humor in which the language becomes a weapon to injure and win laughs.
   Yet to tell the truth the great gift of this book is in the particular stories and anecdotes it gives, and less in the 'theory'.
   The truth is each of these comics is a great 'character'. And I believe the real strength of these comics as a whole , is that each one of them is so much of an individual, so much of a 'character'. And each has a particular humor and style all his own.
   This is a wonderful book, and I recommend it highly. I cannot really capture its spirit in this review, and certainly cannot capture the spirit of each of the great comedians it is about.
   But I am thinking of one most famous radio humor story. It is the one in which for the first time in the history of commercial radio there is a period of silence of several minutes. It is when the robber comes to the skinflint of all skinflints , Jack Benny and says, 'Your money, or your life". There is silence and then more silence. And then after several minutes, comes the plaintive voice of Jack Benny, " I 'm thinking, I'm thinking."
   We love you guys . You were the greatest.



5. I just finished reading "The Haunted Smile" and I loved it! I thought it was a perfect combination of history, story telling and wonderfully applicable joke excerpts. Not only did I laugh but I learned a great deal about the history of Jewish comedians in America and about the Jews who immigrated here as well. As a 30-year-old Jew living in America, I've never experienced the same issues which my great grandmother experienced upon immigrating to the United States. I remember her speaking Yiddish but I never could fully appreciate her sacrifices. This made me understand her background a little better and made me proud to be part of a people who took adversity and turned it into laughs. What a beautiful weapon!

No comments about The Last Eyewitnesses, Volume 2: The Children of the Holocaust Speak (Jewish Lives).

No comments about Tales of Nehama: Impressions of the Life and Teaching of Nehama Leibowitz.

5 comments about Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography (Lives and Legacies.).

1. The appearance of a new biography of Maimonides is always important, if only because it happens infrequently.

   What we need, and do not yet have in English, is an excellent and scholarly biography of Maimonides, like Netanyahu's biography of Abarbanel.

   Ilil Arbel's new biography, entitled Maimonides, A Spiritual Biography, does not fill that bill. However, for those who are already reading Maimonides, it will fill in the historical gaps reasonably well. The book is based on secondary and tertiary sources, with the exception of the more historically significant items of Maimonides' correspondence and some of the shorter works, which the author shows familiarity with. The author is fluent in Hebrew, and may be an Israeli, it is not clear from the jacket material. That material indicates that she is a "Writer and editor, and has a Ph.D. in the field of mythology and folklore, and is a regular contributor of Judaic myths to Encyclopedia Mythica, her next book is A biography of Hillel, she resides in New York City".

   The book comes with a full index and a short bibliography. There are a very few notes, more would have been desirable. I would like to know where she got some of her material. There is a Chronology which she confesses is based on the usual consensus opinions but not based on any research of her own.

   I do not think the book will do anyone any harm. She pointedly stays away from giving comment or analysis of the Guide or the Mishneh Torah, and for that reason, I do not understand why she calls this a spiritual biography. The excitement that I get from the works of Maimonides themselves is not well communicated by the author.

   What she does do that helps make this book of contemporary significance is the integration of Geniza material from the Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, about which I recently wrote on in connection with the Spertus College of Judaica exhibit. She does know this material, and has spent some time with the writings of S.D. Goitein, the acknowledged expert in that field. She also has listed in her bibliography several contemporary Israeli books on Maimonides. All of these sources help to provide depth and context in Maimonides' story.

   Among these positive attributes I would randomly site her extended treatment of the unending controversies between Maimonides and the Gaon of Baghdad, Shmuel Ben Ali, who was the leader of the Babylonian Academy and saw himself as the universal Jewish authority. She also fills in the personalities of Maimonides son Abraham, and his student Joseph Ibn Aknin, for whom the Guide of the Perplexed was dedicated.

   On the controversial issue of Maimonides' feigned conversion to Islam, she fails to explain the meaning of such conversions, and leaves her readers confused. At one point she states flatly we can rest assured that he never converted to Islam, and at other times she indicates just as flatly that he feigned observance of Islam. She should have explained that Islam does not need conversion at all as Islam views people as having an Islamic nature which only needs to be realized. Such realization takes place when the individual acknowledges the formula of the divinity of Allah and the prophecy of Mohammed in a mosque. Maimonides himself writes that since this is all that is required, together with occasional attendance at Mosque prayers, a Jew need not question his own faith if he has to do these acts for the sake of survival.

   Admittedly our determination that Maimonides feigned such conversion is based on circumstantial evidence, but it is exceptionally good circumstantial evidence. Apart from his own words in his epistle on the subject, we know for a fact that no Jew, and particularly no Jew of public prominence like Maimonides and his father, could have survived long in Fez, Morocco under the Almohads without feigning Islam. Then there is the well known case, discussed by Arbel, of the prosecution brought by Abul Arab ibn Moisha in Cairo. Moisha had known Maimonides in Fez, as an apparent Muslim, and was shocked to find him as the head of the Jewish community in Cairo. He brought a prosecution against Maimonides for the capital heresy of converting from Islam. Maimonides' protector, El Fadil, Saladin's vizier, was the judge in the case. Arbel states that Fadil's ruling was to declare Maimonides never really adopted the fate or converted but only kept up a fabulous disguise and therefore could not have had a relapse from Islam. What really happened, according to Dr. Joel Kraemer, was that the court ruled coerced conversions were not effective conversions in Islam, citing Quran, and Maimonides could not be held guilty for feigning conversion under coercion.

   Like all books nowadays, the editors don't really do any editing, and there are many obvious typographical errors in the text. One howler is the author's apparent inability to distinguish pray from prey (twice!) as in
   ". . . It prayed on his mind."

   The book is neither long nor difficult to read, and the author has a moderately engaging prose style. She seems to be genuinely interested in the details of Maimonides life, and for those reasons the book should be read.




2. As a librarian, I was alerted to this excellent biography by Booklist and by The Library Journal, which both gave it excellent reviews. I don't read every book I order, but since I am particularly interseted in Maimonides, I did read it, and with great pleasure. I have studied much of Maimonides' work, and many books that analyzed his work, but Arbel's book is the only one fulfilling the need for a lively biography that really tells about Maimonides, his character and his relationships.

   The book is extremely well-written, easy to understand, and will be entirely comprehesible to the secular reader. You don't have to be a Maimonides expert, a philosophy student, or a religious scholar to enjoy it. Yet any scholar will appreciate Arbel's historical research and grasp of the era he discusses.

   My only criticism was that I wished the book were longer and continued into the second generation (Maimonides' son, Abraham, was a fascinating character). However, I realized that the book is a part of a series of biographies, the well-received Lives and Legacies (all called "A Spiritual Biography") from Crossroad Publishing, so Arbel probably followed certain guidelines as to length. I am very much looking forward to the publication of Arbel's biography of Rabbi Hillel, which apparently he is writing now.




3. I am twelve years old, and I got this book for my bat-mitzva. I loved it and learned a lot and I would recommend it to both adults and children. I particularly liked the way Maimonides helped women during those hard times.



4. The kind of book only alert minds and lovers of history and culture will read. Rich in style, knowledge and historical information. No doubt, this is one of the best books written about Maimonides! Outstanding!!!



5. A concise biography of Moses Maimonides, great philosopher, physician to Saladin, writer on astronomy, logic, law and mathematics, which concentrates on his spiritual legacy. Moses Maimonides is considered the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages, his work inspiring not only his contemporaries of all faiths but also later thinkers such as Leibniz and Spinoza.
   A rich biography exploring the historical, philosophical and social aspect of a great philosopher to be treasured. Arbel is a splendid writer.
   Born into a distinguished family in medieval Cordoba, Spain, the young Moses Maimonides was quickly recognized by his teachers for his outstanding intellectual abilities and extraordinary versatility. At the age of 13, when his peaceful world was shattered by war and persecution, and his family was forced into exile, fleeing and wandering from one place to another for many years, his religious and secular studies continued. Moses was, above all, a writer, and he wrote extensively until the end of his life." "After completing the Mishneh Torah in 1180, Maimonides was recognized internationally as the chief religious and legal authority of the entire Jewish world. A large part of his writing comes from his responses. Letters came from rabbis, judges, scholars, students, teachers and head of schools; even private citizens sent their letters and expected an official responsum. The question of whether Maimonides meant for the Mishneh Torah to replace the Talmud remains one of the most controversial parts of his legacy, and Arbel addresses the troubling argument with a lucid and tenacious intelligence." Maimonides' views were curiously modern and his medical writings constitute a significant chapter in the history of modern medical science. He approached his work as a sacred duty and with a sense of mission, and acquired the reputation of a doctor who treated the soul as well as the body.
   
   The work of Arbel is a treasure by all means.

5 comments about Love Carried Me Home: Women Surviving Auschwitz.

1. As a person who loves words and frequently employs them to express my feelings, thoughts and emotions, I was deeply moved by the "voices" of these women. To say that this book is powerful is not strong enough. This book does more than record the testimonies of these 16 women regarding their experiences in concerntration camps---it serves as insight into the very nature of being a woman. This is the first time I have ever read about the Holocaust from a woman's perspective. Joy Miller was right in writing this book and in giving women a chance to be heard. To say that I "enjoyed" reading this books sounds flippant, but it is not the experiences of these women I enjoyed reading about (they were difficult to take)---but the women themselves---their courage, their strenghth and their creativity. Miller should be very proud of this contribution in keeping the message alive and in such a unique form. It is truly a work of art and a must read for anyone wishing to view a glimpse into the emotional strenghths of women.



2. A tender, loving tribute to 16 women who survived Auschwitz! It shows the coping methods used by these wonderful ladies who survived and had the courage to share their stories with the world. We must remember what they say....so that nothing like this will ever, ever happen again! Even the picture on the cover is a moving statement with the colors and barbed wires which carries through at the beginning of each chapter. Dr. Miller has written a book that is a "must read" for all who have trouble coping.....what a lesson they can learn from this book!



3. What a masterful work by Dr. Miller! This book chronicles the incredible strength and perseverence of 16 women for whom the worst imaginable atrocities occurred. I recall Holocaust studies in college, and the stories of women were largely ignored. I applaud this effort to let their stories be heard and their message of strength to be passed on.



4. I was looking forward to reading this book which I expected to add new insights into some different ways that women survived Auschwitz. From some of the excerpts I had read, I felt that this book might offer a deeper more emotional introspection of the women survivors that were interviewed. Unfortunately, this book was superficial, the personal stories were outlined with little detail, and included little emotional material. Coping methods of survivors were indicated, but it was difficult to understand how the author's conclusions were reached. Don't waste your money.



5. Love Carried Me home by: Joy Miller was a good book to read if you want to learn about the Holocaust. The stories of sixteen women that survived the concentration camp Aschuwitz. This book described the stories of the women in women to show people how their lives and other people's lives were during the Holocaust. All of the stories in to book are explained very well and I think it was a good idea to write a book about the women in the Holocaust because not many books tell about women's lives. The lives of the women in this book are sad but also happy because of them surviving. I liked this book and I am glad I chose to read it.

2 comments about Mark Twain's Jews.

1. Mark Twain's Jews by Dan Vogel (Professor of English at Yeshiva University and Dean of Stern College for Women) is a seminal and informative study investigating the anti-Semitism of the famous and influential American author and public speaker Mark Twain (1835-1910). Carrying readers through an in-depth analysis concerning the anti-Semitic content of Twain's personal letters, newspaper articles, essays, lectures and sketches reflecting the Jewish religion collectively, Mark Twain's Jews knowledgeably reveals a logical justification of Twain's intentions and beliefs as reflected in his particular writings. An impressive work of original scholarship, Mark Twain's Jews is very strongly recommended reading for students of the life and thought of Mark Twain, as well as a supplemental addition to American History reference collections with respect to anti-Semitism of the 19th and 20th centuries.



2. How self-absorbed, arrogant and censorious do a people have to be to justify a book of this nature? What kind of man would spend his time combing through every word an author had written to discover every last tiny example of when he wasn't properly worshipful of the Jews? Before World War II, the vast majority of Western man held some fairly common beliefs about Jews and, unlike today, had no fear of social extermination if he expressed them. Mark Twain was raised with those ideas, and some very minor examples may have found their way into his works, but he turned out to be pretty much a liberal philo-semite very early on. Mr. Vogel turns over and parses every single reference to Jews in Mark Twain's work, to the ridiculous extreme of criticizing Twain for giving a Jewish character the stereotypical and "coldly, depersonalized" name of Isaac. Someone should warn Jewish parents who are thinking of naming their sons Isaac that Mr. Vogel may accuse them of anti-Semitism! Maybe they should choose "Leroy" or "Patrick" instead!
   
   Who really cares if Mark Twain (or Shakespeare or Wagner or Dickens) had a negative Jewish character in an early work or didn't completely toe the party line of the modern-day ADL? He was a writer whose works are of great artistic value and humane sentiment. This book is a silly waste of time for ethnic narcissists whose view of humanity doesn't extend beyond their noses.

No comments about Just a Very Pretty Girl From the Country.

No comments about Teaching Holocaust Literature and Film (Teaching the New English).

5 comments about Jerzy Kosinski: A Biography.

1. I think Sloan's work is helpful but shouldn't be taken as final word. It's been awhile since I've read it but my impressions were that it was fair. I was disappointed to hear of all the controversy over Kosinki's use of translators. I've read all but his last, "The hermit of 69th street," before I'd heard of Sloan's book. The real question is why did he keep the use of translators a secret? In the end, it's still Kosinki's work and nobody can take that away from him, which is noted in Sloan's book. One other piece of criticism that bothered me was the questioning of fact versus fiction. And so I ask, what difference does it make? His seven novels were released as fiction, that is what a novel is. As far as I'm concerned, Kosinski covered his tracks with the word "novel." It sounds like petty jealousy to nitpick over something like that. Kosinski told brilliant stories and "Being There" was the most brilliant of ideas.



2. I grew up in Poland in the 70s and 80s and was unaware of Kosinski of that time. I was, however, aware of how the population felt towards the "collaborators", for example students who went on exchange programs to the Soviet Union.
   I personally was punished for refusing the obligatory field trips to the USSR throughout high school.

   While some people may see something good in collaborating with the enemy or doing anything to get ahead in life, I see 1 major flaw in this book: misspelling of Polish names, newspaper titles, names of towns. This may not bother Americans, but is annoying to a Polish speaker. This book should have been proof-read by a native Pole.

   I paid ... for the hardcover, and I consider it was a decent investment.




3. Sloan, while not the most gripping writer, provides a digestible account of Kosinski's life and works. Much of the mythos accorded to Kosinski is addressed, if not fully explained. The largest benefit this book can bring to the reader is a refutation of the oftentimes confused early history of the author. Kosinski allowed and encouraged the public's belief that The Painted Bird was mostly autobiographical in a literal sense. This belief gained popularity to the extent that it has appeared as fact in "about the author" blurbs and websites devoted to Kosinski. Sloan disabuses the reader of this notion and places a much closer version of the reality in the reader's vision. However, he makes many mistakes. As noted by another review, "Sloan Should Have Proof-Read The Manuscripts," he makes several factual errors. He dispells some myths but clings to others despite facts to the contrary. Sloan interviewed Kiki (Kosinski's widow), as well as many others. Kiki told him that the story of Kosinski's arrival, in Poland, at his publisher's buisness in a limo with American flags was not true. In reality, Kosinski had come downstairs from a meeting. No car was involved, yet Sloan kept the myth. Such disregard for his sources and perpetration of myth makes me wonder what else Sloan did not accurately explain.
   For the reader casually interested in Kosinski, I encourage reading Sloan's work as it does explore Kosinski's life quite in depth. For the scholar of Kosinski, it's a useful addition to the library, but not the first one to be turned to for understanding.



4. Most academics can't write--and this proves it. Charles Bukowski was right. These guys are usually out there "teaching" others how to write, not unlike Kosinski himself. Basically the man, "Kosinski," was illiterate--and yet, for a while there, he was teaching at a coupleof first rate universities. You figure it out. The whole thing is a scam, bogus--with the literary, East Coast set. In the beginning he was published because he hung out with the "elite," and he was a great B.S. artist. In the final analysis, this was Kosinski's greatest talent: lies and ... The man couldn't even write a decent letter...this explains why, years ago, when I attempted to read a couple of his novels I simply could not get through them...and I could not pinpoint exactly what it was that these books were lacking. Of course, now we know: too many chefs had had a hand in Jerzy's stew.

   As far as this Sloan guy goes: he tried, but this isn't the definitive book on Kosinski (a worthwhile subject for a biography by someone who can write, even if his books are unreadable).




5. This is a gripping and very well written book. The fact that Kosinski was disliked by some Poles is irrelevant. A remarkable biography.

2 comments about We Are Still Here: Memoirs of a Child of Survivors.

1. This book is a superbly written family story about survival. The story is written with sensitivity, clarity and courage. The author is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a highly gifted author. She presents her childhood memories while growing up in Austria and shares some of her life story at different intervals in the book. Austria is where her parents settled after World War II. She weaves her story in a nonlinear fashion back to their family tree roots in Romania, the region called Transylvania, which prior to World War I was Hungarian territory. The author beautifully ties together the life stories of those who are living along with those who are no longer alive. She asked questions of her father and other relatives to piece together their history and how the devastating effects of the Holocaust affected her family. She sheds light on how important it is to keep alive memories of loved ones who have passed away.
   
   Her book is a blessing to those who read it. On many levels it is everyone's story ... because we all share in the experience and process called "life". Although at times, the events described are painful and tragic, she connects the circle of life from the past into the present. With hope, she looks to the future optimistically, telling us success stories, such as when her son graduated college and about his marriage. While the book is only 183 pages, the contents makes the book seem much bigger. The story unfolds naturally. The writing style makes reading this book easy because it is like a friend sharing her family's history. However, once the book is finished, it leaves an indelible imprint and the reader is a better person for having read it.
   
   The author tells us about her happy childhood growing up in Austria. Her mother cheerfully made beautiful and imaginative costumes for a Carnival on Ice parade which included a contest for the best outfit. When she was young, the author won this event numerous times and received many prizes. It is one of her joyful childhood memories. However, a more painful recollection was being taunted by children at school for having a 'hooked nose' - this criticism was one of the milder reminders of the tragic events remaining from World War II. As a child, she always enjoyed family gatherings for holidays and religious celebrations. Children were encouraged to ask questions. One Passover evening she and her brothers were asking questions, when their father drew up his sleeve and showed them blue numbers tatooed on his arm ... It must have been very difficult for him share this experience but he chose to tell his story when the time was right.
   
   The author links her father's story of life in various concentration camps with those of other relatives, some of whom survived and others who never returned. She recalls many of their life stories via the memories of surviving relatives. Over a thirteen year period, the author "listened, internalized, and composed" their memories into stories until she could write this book. There are too many poignant and memorable events described in this book to give examples of what stands out the most. Suffice to say, some brought tears to my eyes - especially the promise made by Mr. Liebermann to Gyula bacsi when he knew he would die in the next half hour. I appreciate how the author includes family photos which helped me better relate to the vibrant and dynamic people about whom she writes. As the author reminds us, it is never too late to derive true meaning by delving into one's family roots. This is a most highly recommended book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]



2. I'm not sure why, but I've got to say that this is the best book I have ever read.