5 comments about Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944.

1. It was a very interesting and informing book. It was easy to feel for the characters. I highly recommend it for people who are interested in the lives of young holocaust victims.



2. This was the first book I read about the Shoah in Hungary, and it was so fascinating that it got me interested in all things Hungarian. It's different from many books about the Shoah in that the majority of it takes place before the Nazi invasion of Hungary on 19 March 1944, when the remaining members of the Davidowitz family are shipped off to a ghetto. Though life is growing increasingly hard for them because of the anti-Jewish regulations and the strain of living during a war in general, and Piri had to stay in the Ukraine with her grandmother and older sister Rozsi longer than she expected to because of a border war, the Davidowitzes still have a pretty normal and decent life before they have to leave for the ghetto. During this time the family also does their part to help other Jewish families and people in need, even with hiding them in safe houses or helping to smuggle them across borders, and Iboya, the next-youngest of Mrs. Davidowitz's children by her first marriage, is very involved in Zionism. And even in the ghetto, Piri's family and her best friend Judi's little family live the best they can, trying to keep their spirits up and to be happy. Piri and Judi both have their first romances in the ghetto, in fact. It's not one of those books that starts out happily and then quickly moves to the ghetto and then the camps. In fact, the book ends as they're leaving the ghetto in the cattlecar, and only a short postscript tells us what happened after that.
   
   The book is also interesting because not all of Piri's siblings are at home, unlike many other Shoah books where all of the family are in the same house. Because her mother didn't want her grandmother to be lonely after she was widowed, she began farming out her five daughters to stay with her to keep her company, but Lilli, the oldest, wasn't her companion very long because she got married at only 16 years old and soon had a baby. Now Rozsi is living with the grandmother, and loves farm life very much, while the other older sister, Etu, is away at university in Budapest. Even after Lilli and her young daugher Manci move back in, there are still only Piri and her sister Iboya left at home along with their halfsiblings Sandor and Joli, and when Lilli's husband Lajos is arrested and Lilli insists on joining him along with Manci, there are still only the youngest four still at home. It makes it interesting because the family are in all different places instead of all suffering the same fates or suffering all together. The only complaint I have about the book is one I acquired in hindsight; it would have been helpful to have told the reader something about the pronunciation of the Hungarian names and that some of the names used, like Ica and Manci, are nicknames and not full given names.



3. I like history and the subject of World War II and Nazi Germany, that is why I was surprised how much I did not like this book. I found it boring and uninteresting. I wish the book had more action. I guess it was hard for me to identify with a nine year old girl and what she went through. I also do not like endings that leave you hanging. I wish we knew what happened to them after they got on the train. It was almost like I wish the book started where it ended. This book is probably better for someone younger or for someone who wants to avoid the violence and terror of World War II.



4. Upon the Head of a Goat is a very good book. It gives a lot of back round pre-holocaust. The fact that it is a true story is even better. It teaches and touches upon the home of a Jewish family torn from each other. It describes the obstacles they had to go through to live their everyday life. They had their food, conformability, morals, thoughts, believes, and one another taken from them.
   I liked this book, and I recommend it. There are parts in the book that you will question yourself on the answers that you would provide in certain situations. The ending of the book was a little disappointing because it didn't really touch upon what happened. They led up to all these thoughts and stopped.



5. I think that you should read this book because it is clear and it gives a good description of what it was like for the Jews as the Holocaust began. The author described how they lived, specifically, how they dressed, slept, and ate. This gives the reader a clear understanding. It is interesting to learn about an actual family that lived during these hard times, especially for the children Piri, Etu, Joli, and Sandor. Piri's family had to make hard decisions in order to survive. The book gives a good description of the Ghetto and how they had to live for those few weeks. For example, the bathroom was smelly and gross with not much privacy. The ground was cold and hard, "What if it rains during the night?" she asked. "We'll all get soaked." They were not allowed to make fires either. They don't even know how long they are going to be there so they don't know what to expect. They build somewhat of a shelter for just their family with a tent inside it for privacy and to help keep the rain out. The author, Aranka Siegal, doesn't just give an overview of what it was like in the Ghetto; she describes every detail about it. Overall, it is a good book and I recommend it to ages 13 an up.

No comments about Inquisitorial Inquiries: Brief Lives of Secret Jews and Other Heretics (Heroes and Villains Series).

3 comments about Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin.

1. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was an artist of the Bauhaus who was also a Jew, sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and eventually executed at Auschwitz. The story, set against this bleak and oppressive history, is one of love and hope: she teaches children art and helps with "art therapy" in the camp. The importance of her choice in relentlessly pursuing a beautiful and healing expression of the spirit is revealed by the testament of a few who survived. There are numerous examples of the children's art, some of Dicker-Brandeis' art, and photographs that bring the story to life. Interesting, informative, and moving. This is a book to read to children (ages six to nine) or to allow older children to read on their own, and of course it raises questions that will explore the very meaning of humanity.



2. This book is wonderful, It is a must read, Freidl Bicker-Brandeis is a heroine, and her story is amazing. One look at this book and you will be glad you bought it. Rubin did a great job choosing pictures for this book, and bringing a hard issue of WWII concentration camps to a child level. Very good at illustrating the importance of Art Therapy.



3. I first heard about Friedl Dicker-Brandeis at a 2007 exhibition in Vienna titled "Austrian Art Between the Wars" - where she was honored for her remarkable ability to run art classes for children in the concentration camp at Theresienstadt (Terezin). "Fireflies" offers a glimpse of Friedl's ability to bring joy and light into the unbelievable horror of children's lives during the Holocaust.

4 comments about Coming Home: A Woman's Story Of Conversion To Judaism.

1. I have read many individual conversion stories to Judaism. The majority are remarkable and beautiful as they highlight the personal transformation of an individual's path to conversion. That said, I found this book to be very tedious. The textual analysis did not flow well and it did not keep my attention.



2. Some books make you think and this is one of them. She engages with the traditions in different ways than most. It challenged me to think about Jewish life and Torah freshly. I found the beginning and the last section about going to Germany most moving.



3. I agree with the reviewer who felt that Ms. Shires's textual analysis didn't flow well. I found the majority of this book to be rather dull, tedious, slow-going, and uninvolving. It was an original idea to tell the story of her conversion by relating issues she had difficulty with or areas she found inspiration in to certain passages of Torah and the similar writings of others, but it just didn't seem executed well. If this is supposed to be a conversion memoir, why does so little of the book actually concern her conversion or even her herself? The sections when Ms. Shires is writing about herself, such as in the beginning section, the ending chapter about her visit to her husband's native Germany, and the middle chapter about the mikvah, are quite good and interesting, because they're actually related to her life and to her conversion and not just tediously rambling on about certain Torah passages.
   
   From reading this, it seems as though she were the classic child who does not know enough to ask. She says she did a lot of reading prior to her conversion because she really wanted to know the religion and to approach it from a variety of disciplines, but in many sections she admits that she didn't know about some pretty important things or issues till after she converted. For example, she says that she hadn't had a lot of education about the mikveh and had been too embarrassed to ask her converting rabbi, and therefore went into her conversion day feeling she had to immerse herself because she was thought to be "contaminated" and "dirty" as a non-Jew and had to cleanse herself before being admitted to the tribe. How could anyone in any denomination, particularly if she's had such a long process of education and learning as Ms. Shires evidentally had, reach conversion day thinking such a thing and not having learnt more about the custom of mikveh? (I was also annoyed that her chapter on the mikveh used the dated and inaccurate translations "contaminated" and "unclean" for the Hebrew words "tumah" and "tamei." That continues to give the completely false impression that menstruating women are thought to be dirty and unclean, when in actual fact the words surrounding this state of being are translated more like "ritually impure," and the impurity refers to a spiritual, not a physical, state of being.)
   
   I was also left wondering why she converted under the auspices of the Conservative Movement when she so clearly feels ill at ease with many of their official positions, or at least the positions her own community seems to take. She really seems like she'd feel more at home in a Reform, Reconstructionist, or Renewal community. I'm also baffled as to why she frequently says that the Conservative Movement hasn't done enough for the inclusion of gays and women, unless her community isn't as liberal as many other Conservative communities are. Or are the changes of the past few decades not radical and sweeping enough for her? I also share her belief that women, gays, the disabled, and other groups that traditionally haven't always been included fully in Jewish life need to be completely integrated and granted full equality and participation in the community, but at times her call for this reads more like a political polemic and speaking from personal experience as opposed to really representing the great strides the Conservative Movement has made in these areas in the past few decades. I'm not doubting her personal experiences with people she's known and what she's dealt with in her own community, but it just seems baffling if she's trying to say the entire Conservative Movement takes those positions as well.
   
   A couple of interesting chapters do not a very recommendable book make. Most of this was just very slow going for me, and the divrei Torah weren't that novel or insightful either. I've heard most of these interpretations and analyses before, only not in such dull language. I'm actually disappointed I bought this book, though at least I got a cheap used copy. I'd looked forward to reading a conversion memoir, but instead got a tedious exercise in boredom that had almost nothing to do with the author's life, either before, during, or after her conversion.



4. I've been thinking about converting for two years. I read Kukoff's book and Embracing the Convenant for the same reasons but was looking for a single person's journey in depth rather than a bunch of quotes or a series of stories by others. Shires doesn't speak just for herself, though, but for many who are wondering about taking such a huge step. Judaism is a different world view. Even making a meal involves questions and decisions. She talks about moments like that. This is not a how-to book but it treats the steps that someone takes who has to go slow towards life change. Courses, rituals at home, going to synagogue, coming to terms with family and the past. The parts on Torah didn't bother me. I read them as another aspect of Jewish life that a convert deals with. There is a section early in the book where she stands up for Judaism before she knows she will convert that I found convincing as part of the process of deciding. Plus she's not afraid of being wrong or appearing stupid. Shires even laughs at herself now and then which is good in a book like this. Two of the interesting women she met on the journey were the artist Helene Aylon and the author Blu Greenberg. I believe the chapter on women and Judaism brought together well a lot of ideas that I've read about here and there but hadn't put together before. I found the book helpful and will go back to it.

1 comments about Remember Us: From My Shtetl Through the Holocaust.

1. This is a magnificent account of the horrors of the Holocaust as lived by Martin Small. Author Vic Shayne has been able to give the reader the feeling of presence during these horrific events. Mr. Small's recollection is vivid and tragic at the same time. Having lost 34 members of his family to the murderous Nazi's and their collaborators he has dedicated his life to memorialize these unspeakable events in his art and poetry. Now his book 'Remember Us: From My Shtetl Through the Holocaust' brings his message to new heights with the chant of 'Never Again' and 'We Shall Never Forget'. This Herculean effort should be obligatory reading for everyone so that the horrors of the Holocaust as told by survivor Martin Small to Vic Shayne are understood and remembered forever.

No comments about Lectures on the Religion of the Semites.

5 comments about Love In A World Of Sorrow: A Teenage Girl's Holocaust Memoirs.

1. "Love in a World of Sorrow" is Fanya Heller's true story of pain, suffering, death and love set during the hellish days of the Holocaust as her family struggled to survive against Nazi and Ukranian oppression.
   
   The opening line, "They're coming!" like a death sentence announces the onslaught of the Gestapo and Ukranian militia in l942 as they move to stalk, persecute and ultimately annihilate an already desperate and starving family. And so begins Ms. Heller's narrative of the deepening descent into darkness and horror that had already begun. But an unexpected saviour appears to keep the family from certain death. "Be nice to Jan," her father says, "Be nice to him," never imagining the outcome. The forbidden affair between Jan, a member of the Ukranian militia and Fanya a beautiful Jewish seventeen year old girl proves to be the instrument of their survival as the persecutor and the persecuted are drawn inextricably to eachother and to the constant efforts to save her family.
   
   The graphic images of torture, betrayal, rape, inhumanity and suffering are heart wrenching as the family seeks to survive in lice filled hovels and hidings. With the help of Jan and a good man existing in the midst of evil, Fanya struggles to stay alive with unwavering spirit to "live" regardless of the price.
   
   The book is a unique contribution to Holocaust literature.
   It is a compellling rendering of the crushing effect of Nazi infamy, of painful choices, of unending sorrow, but it is also a strangely uplifting story of the power of the triumphant spirit during a time when a piece of the world had gone mad.
   
   Every year my college students choose this book as their favorite piece of work and Ms. Heller's annual visits to my class as the "most memorable experience" of their academic life.
   Everything about this book marks it as a stunning choice for academic or personal readings. Ms. Heller has written an inspiring and illuminating account about a time and place in history that cannot be forgotten.
   -Dr. Sondra Melzer, Professor, Sacred Heart University,
   Adjunct Professor, University of Connecticut Stamford



2. "Love in a World of Sorrow" is the best account of the Holocaust I have ever read and, I am sure, will ever read. Its real distinctiveness is the candor, the honesty, the openness, and the reaching out to the reader in sharing thoughts and feelings that are rarely (never?) shared. I felt that I lived a little of the experience with Fanya, albeit in the security of my living room. Her many months behind the chicken coop, her lying down on the pine needles in the forest during the mass killings, and her many intimate conversations with her parents and her rescuers brought a textual reality that is part of the fabric of my own memory forever.
   
   Indeed, I had trouble sleeping last night as I relived Fanya Heller's words. Her memory of those horrific times - which is now a part of me as well - will always be unsettling. "Love in a World of Sorrow" is a rare volume, a story of the day-to-day emotions and feelings of survival, and a gift from an exceptionally talented, loving, and beautiful woman.



3. When I first started reading this book it was a little discouraging, so I only gave it 4 stars. It starts off with an introduction of every member of her extended family (I'm talking aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's cousins and numerous friends), which were hard to keep straight because I wasn't sure how to pronounce the names in the first place. It would have been better if she introduced them as they entered her story. She also used a lot of german words and only defined them once, but continued to use them throught. After the first couple chapters though, this book was a gripping tale and the author made you feel as though you were right there along side her going through her experiences. The part I really loved is that it didn't end quite as you'd expect. If you're interested in stories of Holocaust survivors, I would definitely reccomend this one.



4. I have read many memoirs on the holocaust and this is one of the best I have read. It is well written and very moving in it's telling. It portrays the emotions and agonies that this young girl went through in the years of trying to survive the holocaust and the war years. It is a story of the triumph of the human will to survive and to move forward with her life. I don't think I will forget it for a long time, if ever. I highly recommend it.



5. In my opinion this is a poorly titled book. A much better title would be "Using Someone In A World of Sorrow" The story itself is fine. We all need to hear what happened and how it happened. Personally after reading her story. There wasn't much true love that I read into it though.
   
   I can't say I cared for the author too much as a person. I've read many books on the holocaust. She suffered less than most. Basically she would be dead if it weren't for a man named Jan. A man who risked his very life and took more than one beating for her...for years, for her and her families survival. He made sure she didn't suffer as much as the other Jews at that time. He loved her. Maybe the title of the book is in reference to Jan and not the author.
   
   *MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD* Don't read further unless you know what happens PLEASE.
   
   The way she repays this man, is to run away and marry one of her own kind after liberation. You see the man was a Ukrainian , what the Jews referred to as a Goy. No doubt the shame she would experience staying with Jan was worse than anything she had been through. So she let him nail her all those years he hid her, and then left the area after liberation to get away from him. She also blamed him for killing her father shortly after liberation. So the 80% of the population in that area who still hated the Jews didn't touch her father even though he was wanting revenge and talking openly about it. No sir, their savoir, a man who made sure they stayed alive and risked his life for her AND her family...killed her dad. It sounded more like she was a racist and an ungrateful one at that and was looking for excuses to blame her decision on. In the end Jan wound up hanging himself, while she writes a book about her terrible ordeal. Nice hu?
   
   Honestly I don't know what to say. If I saw this lady I'd probably have a few harsh words to say to her. I'd tell her it was terrible what the Germans did to her, but she was terrible in her own way. The book was honest, and the story well told so I'd give it 5 stars and recommend it. The author, as a person, I give 1 star.

5 comments about The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World.

1. Many different types of people could relate to this book in various ways, whether you like photography, science, writing, films or even just reading. If you have gone through something difficult in your life and you felt that there was nothing left, this book might be able to provide you with the light you need in order to remember that anything is possible. Not only did Kati Marton do an amazing job with this book but she also did a great job in speaking out to her audience. The Great Escape is great for people who have faced a difficult moment in their lives.



2. When I first read the title of the book, The Great Escape, I thought this was going to be another book regarding the hardships and struggles of Jewish people while Hitler was in power. However, shortly after reading the first few pages I could already notice that Kati Marton was about to prove me wrong, but in a good way. One of the reasons why I liked this book was because of Kati Marton's writing style. I found her writing style to be a bit confusing with all the jumping around between the nine characters and not being able to predict who she was going to write about next. For that reason, it was quite a challenge for me to try and keep up with each character and his story. This was a feat because their stories were written in fragments and would intertwine with the stories of other characters. However, I found this writing style interesting and intriguing because it did not follow the linear path of most books. Marton's writing style reminds me of how our minds work, jumping from one thought to the next. Therefore, I think Marton did an excellent job in writing about these nine characters in a unique manner, which is challenging, but imitates our everyday thought process.
   Once I got used to Marton's writing style, I was able to enjoy the individual stories better and really appreciate the boldness and strength of each character. I especially admire each of the characters for leaving his home country and starting new in a foreign place with nothing but experience. I also admire how they did not let these struggles hold them back in any way, but rather incorporated them into their works. Therefore, by including such inspirational and personal experiences, those who witness their works are greatly impacted. Moreover, Michael Curtiz, the film director, is the character that I find most intriguing and motivational. I admire how his passion and drive for film was so great that he would do anything to better his ability in this art. It amazes me how his fervor was so intense that he left his home and pretended to be a deaf-mute in order to learn more about the industry. Aside from his boldness, the thing that stands out to me the most about Curtiz is his approach to film making. I like how he not only incorporated his experiences into his movies, but also how he was spontaneous with the script. This spontaneity gives his movies a more real and life-like quality since he would adjust it as the cameras were rolling. Although his concept of filming might be unusual and at times stressful for everyone involved, I believe it reflects Curtiz's life and that of everyone else in having to adjust in the moment. One example of this technique is given by Marton with Curtiz's classic film, Casablanca. This film resembles Curtiz's life before fleeing Budapest and was reworked as it was being filmed, thus incorporating personal experience as well as spontaneity. Therefore, he appeals to me the most because he gives the impression that he lives in the moment, which inspires me to seize the day. Even though Curtiz is the person I enjoyed reading about the most, I found the other characters interesting as well along with Marton's unique writing style.



3. I haven't read a book in about 6 months. It was a refreshing comeback with Kati Marton's The Great Escape. Her use of vivid imagery and lively characters paved the way for an interesting and enjoyable read.
   My favorite characters in the book reached the hearts of millions of people through art. Capa and Curtiz had me captivated from the moment my eyes caught their names. Before this book, I hadn't heard of either of them. Now, after reading it, I find myself intrigued enough to perform research on their works. I am partial to art over science, and so the invention of the h-bomb, though a breakthrough in science, didn't spark my interest as much as that of Capa's photographs and Curtiz's films.
   Marton had a way of enticing me to play a video in my head every time I turned a page. The idea of Budapest as this spectacular city and the New York Café as the center of the Universe probably caught my attention more that anything in the book. I am fully aware that the anti-semitism should promote a feeling of sympathy or anger in me. It should have touched my heart in some way. Yet, I was distracted by this amazing city in its thriving era. Every time I read about it, images of old-time café's and gentlemen dressed in tan-colored suits relaxing, watching one of Curtiz's films on a pull down screen or a blank wall seemed to dominate my though process.
   I envisioned Hollywood in its radiance. The huge studio complex of Warner Brothers, people rolling away sceneries, famous actors being chased by hair and make-up, directors shouting commands. As my eyes crossed every word, the more vivid the picture became. The stronger the smell of cigar smoke and freshly painted sets.
   The portrayal of Capa's adventures in photography were fascinating. The Normandy invasion, in its detailed clarity had me feeling the breeze of the ocean as the soldiers hit sand.
   Alexander Korda living above his means left a picture in my head of a man impeccably dressed even to sleep. A man seen holding his chin high, a scarf around his neck, a cigar in his had and the world in his palm.
   I found myself diving into every syllable of this book. It gave the effect of not only words on a page, but traveling through time, seeing history made through scientific discoveries and the foundation of today's artistic culture.



4. The Great Escape is a magnificent tale about finding one's self. It is a story about the trials and tribulations that immigrants must go through. America, the land of opportunities, is home to an array of many different cultures. It is the story of nine Jews who changed the world. The book, which is excellently written, focuses on the struggles that these nine Jews faced in achieving greatness. The 20th century underwent radical changes in almost every area of human endeavors. Nine men, however, were responsible for most of the advancements and everlasting recollections of it.
   The book is the story of nine men who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by Hitler and his fascist party, fled to the West, particularly to the United States, and ultimately changed the world as we know it. These men were film directors, photographers, writers, physicists, and a computer pioneer that completely revolutionized the fields of science and art. But what can a scientist and an artist have in common? Well, besides changing the world, these men were outsiders in every aspect. As Arthur Koestler said, "Hungarians are the loneliest people on this continent." This was exceptionally true of these nine men, natives of a small, linguistically incomprehensible, landlocked country. They were also Jews living in a time of great anti-Semitism. Above all, what unites these nine men is a small, dynamic café by the name of New York. The New York, right in the heart of Budapest, was a refuge from the outside world for these men and the catalyst that sparked their creativity and mastermind thoughts.
   Kati Marton writes of the astounding lives of 4 scientists, Edward Teller, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and John von Neuman, who helped pilot the nuclear age and the advancement of the computer. Marton also tells of the legendary photographers Andre Kertesz and Robert Capa, film directors Michael Curtis and Alex Korda, and writer Arthur Koestler. Their contributions are everlasting. Teller, Szilard, and Wigner's atomic bomb was one, if not the greatest, scientific advancement of the 20th century. Robert Capa's D-day photographs earned him his reputation as the best wartime photographer of all times. Curtis is accredited for one of best, most romantic movies of all times: Casablanca.
   Although The Great Escape is an account of the Hungarian diaspora of the 1920's and 1930's, it is an inspirational tale of hard work, perseverance, and the struggles of isolated, solitary refugees. The novel serves as an encouragement to all, especially immigrants. Given that the United States is primarily made up of immigrants, the novel serves to tell of the importance of such people. Immigrants are generally regarded as unworthy, serving no useful purpose. However, in The Great Escape we see that sometimes the outsiders are the ones that change the world.



5. The Great Escape by Kati Marton. The book is about the lives of amazing Jewish Hungarians who fled Hitler and impacted the world. The character that I enjoyed reading about was Leo Szilard because he was one of the scientists that help create the atom bomb. The book also references the dramatic poem The Tragedy of Man by Imre Madach and showed that Leo Szilard could recite the poem word for word which I thought was Ironic because of the fact that Leo Szilard created a bomb designed to help stop Hitler and save many lives but instead caused enormous destruction.
   Leo Szilard had much compassion for mankind which is ironic because he creates a bomb capable of destroying lives. Although the creation of the atomic bomb was designed to aid the United States in gaining the upper hand in the war, it was used to kill many people. I believe there is a relationship between the bomb and the meaning behind the dramatic poem by Imre Madach. The bomb is the tragedy because although Leo Szilard created it to save mankind it was used to destroy it.
   Knowing this, Leo Szilard tries in the years later to save mankind. "His mission since reading The Tragedy of Man was to save humanity from self destruction." (Kati Marton, pg. 65)
   To save humanity from self destruction, Leo Szilard tries to get the brightest minds to concentrate on some sort of arms control. He had American and Soviet scientist meet face to face, an enormous accomplishment. He started the Council for a Livable World. This shows his compassion for humanity and life itself and shows how he wants to stop the tragedy of man he fears so much.
   Leo Szilards sincerity is what made Kati Marton's book a wondrous read. His sympathy for humanity since his read of the dramatic poem was inspiring. His honesty and the way he tried to do everything he could to stop the use of the atom bomb showed how compassionate Leo Szilard was. Kati Marton's book and the life of Leo Szilard was influential.

3 comments about Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters.

1. Hassidism, its tales, legends, and masters, has always been a source of mystery and confusion. "Souls on Fire" is a journey through Hassidism. Traveling from the source and further development of this unique Jewish religious manifestation is a joy when led by the mind and sould of Elie Wiesel. His personal and emotional input, the tales and legends included throughout the book, and his non-academic but rather humane approach (a typical Hassid) is the most sincere attempt in trying to understand and "speak of the unspeakable," sparkling light into a religious fervor born out of anguish and despair. The purpose is not to agree or understand, but rather to believe.



2. It's amazing how everything Wiesel touches turns to gold, and here, he's done it again.

   The Chassidic masters Wiesel portrays were passionate about Judaism in a way any modern reader can relate to. Wiesel deftly brings that message home time and time again, evoking not only the syrupy nostalgia of most volumes of "Rebbe stories", but also a very immediate committment to Jewish life.

   A masterpiece, this would also make an excellent gift for anyone interested in Jewish spirituality.




3. I was disappointed with this work. It is more about Elie Weisel then about chassidic stories. Many of the stories are familiar to me, and in all cases they appear distorted and many times the point of the story is missing. To summarize, as one of the stories said, He didn't hear what was said, and didn't write what he heard.

5 comments about The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century.

1. This is a very interesting and informative book that I heartily recommend. I was inspired to buy it after reading a review of it in Nature magazine where the reviewer ended on the following helpful note: "This is an important story that needs to be told, and Hargittai tells it well", an assessment with which I concur.
   
   The book is about the lives of five Hungarian Jewish scientists whose work changed the world, not just the world of science, but the world of politics as well due to the circumstances and period in which they lived and thrived.
   
   The author does a very thorough job tracing the history of these important men. We are shown the uniqueness and diversity of the five Martians (Theodore von Karman, John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner) in addition to considering what bound them together. It is interesting to follow their parallel lives throughout exciting periods of the 20th century. Hargittai conveys the flavor of turn-of-the-century Budapest that yielded not only important scientists but also famous and important contributors to other realms of life (e.g. composers such as Bartok).
   
   The author does a very good job of communicating how circumstances and situations evolved. For example, we see a change from the peaceful coexistence and cooperation of Jews and the rest of Hungary's population to a horribly anti-Semitic society. We are also told about transitions such as how the Martians turned from dedicated students into top players in world science; how the initially Ivory-tower scientists became the most practical contributors to the American military might; how esoteric physics became a source of lethal weaponry within a mere few years; and how quiet immigrants became esteemed citizens with a strong political voice.
   
   In addition to telling us about events that happened, an intriguing feature of the book is that Hargittai tries to imagine what might have become of the Martians had they stayed in Hungary or had they lived in the Soviet Union rather than in the United States.
   
   Overall, this is an extremely engaging and informative read. I agree with the Nature reviewer's assessment that this book needed to be written and Hargittai did an excellent job doing so. You will both enjoy this reading and learn a lot from it.



2. What a great gem for those of us interested in 20th century history and the history of science.
   
   The Jewish-Hungarian Martians represented a well-defined group from turn-of-the-century Budapest who became top scientists in Germany of the 1920s, and made decisive contributions to the defense of the Free World from the menace of totalitarian powers during World War II and the Cold War. The book succeeds admirably in presenting their complex characters and their single-minded determination to achieve their stated goals on the background of the turbulent twentieth century.
   
   This is a book that was hard to put down. I have also returned to it from time to time.



3. As the daughter of the book's author, I bring an unusual perspective to this piece, one that will give you some background on how this book came about and why you will be in for a treat when reading it.
   
   My father knew two of the five Martians discussed in this volume (Wigner and Teller) and had expressed a great interest in the work and lives of all five (Szilard, von Neumann, von Karman in addition to the above two) throughout his life. Curiously, however, despite having written numerous books about scientists, he never intended to write a book about these five until Oxford University Press approached him about it. When he finally took up this project, he threw himself into it with zest. When the book was near completion, he met with almost all of the surviving children of the Martians, not to change anything but to get an additional impression of their personalities. A byproduct of the book was a play he wrote about Teller, which surprised even me despite being used to his occasional unusual ideas.
   
   Looking back, the Martians were always on my father's mind, and he cherished his long-lasting personal acquaintance with Eugene P. Wigner. (Even as a child, I remember seeing the picture of the two of them taken upon their encounter at the University of Texas at Austin in 1969.) The family legend had it that we might be distant relatives, but there was never any hard evidence for that. My father started correspondence with Wigner when he was still a student, well before I was born. Actually, Wigner wrote him first after my father had published an article in a Hungarian literary magazine soon after Wigner's Nobel Prize. My father's acquaintance with Teller came much later, when he and my mother visited the Tellers in their home in Stanford in 1996.
   
   Having read The Martians of Science, I feel as if I had become personally acquainted with all five of the people discussed in the volume. It is fascinating to see that such incredible people emerge from just one country to contribute so much to science and to the defense of the United States. It is sad that they were forced out of Hungary, where even today - while their achievements are being recognized - the reasons of their departures are often covered up. This book puts these things into proper perspective.
   
   For an engaging, detailed, and passionate account of the lives of five incredibly important figures (regarding both science and history), I highly recommend this book.



4. The above for me was the trust of the book with the historical perspective of early 1900 thru early 1980. As we start, we see what a great education can do as the five (5) did receive early intensive training in their outstanding "gymnasiums" of Hungary. Even though the education was so very good and produced many great students, these five still stood out to the point as if they were from Mars as the title depicts. As their academic reputations started to grow and the difficulties of the 1st war, they all had some experience of working or immigrating away from Hungary. As the 2nd war approached, all could see the writing on the wall and it was easier to immigrate a second time of which the US was the lucky recipient.
   
   Upon arrival to the US, it did not take too long as they started to display their political influence since they saw or knew what was going on in Europe and that war was coming and felt that the US needed to wake up and be prepared. This persistance took time but paid off as all were involved in some way with the development of the 1st atomic bomb both technically and politically. This continued on for some time for all of their collective careers, as after WWII, the cold war commenced and new problems were present with the atomic age upon us.
   
   The interactions between each of the Martians and between the people they met makes for some interesting side points which makes for some very good historical and political persectives if your interested in any of the above.



5. "The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century", by Istavan Hargittai, Oxford Univ. Press, NY 2006. ISBN 13 978-0-19-517845-6. HC 314/240 pages includes Preface, Contents, Intro., Appendix 12 pgs., Notes 36 pgs., Biblio. 6 pgs., Chronologies 7 pgs., & Index 12 pgs. 9.5" x 6.5"
   
   A cleverly devised treatise details five of the Worlds' most notable theoretical physicists - all began as Jewish Hungarian citizens of Budapest who, in time, migrated to the U.S., toiled collectively and separately to develop strategic defense systems including the atomic & hydrogen bombs, computers, modernized Airforce, and establishing or working at the AEC, NASA, JPL, Manhattan Project, Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, etc.
   
   Convenient attribute of this writing is its apportionment into six chapters to reveal their progressive transition from early childhood into figures of greatness and thence onto their waning years. It reflects their family influences, societal environs, politico-economic conditions, scholastic opportunities, and acceptance into American cultural institutions as Princeton, Harvard, Berkeley, Caltech and the U.S. military.
   
   The plethora of B & W photographs contributes enormously to the book's value as does appendix of "Sampler of Quotable Martians". Perhaps most importantly are descriptors of personal interactions amongst the Martians themselves. This book embraces exciting history, racism, psychological ploys of embattled nations & bureaucracies, and the search for peace amidst glorious and sometimes inglorious purlieus. That the author is an acclaimed writer, recognized scientist, Professor of chemistry, authored several dozen books and is personally acquainted with and interviewed several of the 'Martians' is a plus. Its a good read and the price is right.