5 comments about Edith Stein: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

1. Maria Scaperlanda's book on Edith Stein provides those unfamilar with this fascinating, modern Saint with a great introduction to her life and thought. The reader will be able to follow Edith Stein on her passionate life journey, sustained by her desire to find truth, first pursued in philosophy and finally completed in her embrace of Catholicism and life as a contemplative, Carmelite religious. Although there are various books about Edith Stein on the market, Maria Scaperlanda's work is the best work to provide the reader with an introduction to Edith Stein and guide the reader on to further works on the Saint with an excellent bibliography. Edith Stein's life and work should be studied by all those who seek meaning and truth (not only Catholics), especially in our current post-modern, relativistic culture that so vehemently denies absolute truth. This book is also an excellent choice as spiritual reading for Christians desiring to study the life of a contemporary Saint.



2. I really like how this author has woven a story out of the several strands - of Edith's own writings - of others who have written about her - of the history of the Jews in Germany - and of the life and times of Adolf Hitler as it affected Edith's life and that of millions of Jews and Christians. The author has braided together some wonderful connections that set Edith's life in the context of her times and of our times. I found special joy in these connections because I have read almost all of the sources - primary and secondary - separately - and it is good to see them woven together with spiritual meanings. This book now holds a place of prominece on my Edith Stein shelf of books.



3. This is story of a simple and devoted Carmelite nun. It is a wonderful story that not only gives biographical information it also incorporates a lot of Edith Stein's (Saint Teresa Benedicta a Cruce (Latin)personal philosophy and her feelings on femininism in society. It also shares her exceptional faith and devotion to God, even in the face of death. The book tells of her life, her entry into the Carmelite cloister and then her death in the Nazi camp, Auschwitz, Poland. It is a truly inspiraional and beautifully written book of one woman's courage and devotion.



4. This book is a wonderful introduction to the life of Catholic and Jewish martyr, philosopher, professor, nun, feminist, and saint who died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Scaperlanda does a great job of introducing the reader to her philosophy, personality, background, and amazing faith. If you enjoy this book, I reccomend "Knowledge and Faith" and "Life in a Jewish Family", both by Edith Stein.



5. This is an easy to read beginners biography on Edith Stein: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. It tells her life story and how she freely offered herself for the conversion of others. She grew up Jewish and became Catholic after searching for the truth, and then finally coming across the truth, when she read St. Teresa of Avila's Autobiography. You will truly come to know Edith Stein and feel close to her after reading this book.

5 comments about The Brigade: An Epic Story of Vengeance, Salvation, and WWII.

1. I met Howard Blum at a book signing at the JCC in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He was there for his book "The Eve of Destruction". He is an amazing story teller and has a powerful story to tell. This story is told thru the eye's of three men and a woman, Israel Carmi, Johanan Peltz, and Arie Pinchuk, Leah Pinchuk. The British in almost a regretfully way allow a Jewish Brigade to be raised from voluteer's from Palestine. A brigade of 5000 troops who fought the Nazi's in the Italian campaign. These brave men then take on another mission. Their most important mission in their lifes, rescueing Jewish orphan children. These troops stationed in Europe after the conflict were privately hunting down war crinimal's when almost by accident they rescued a ophan Jewish girl. Darkness had almost consumed these men in the never ending spiral of death when God stepped in and handed them the orphan girl.
   "The more he killed in cold blood, the more he ensured that the horror the Nazis had let loose would continue to triumph. His only hope was to make a movement away from this ruinous faith. And now he knew what he had to do. For the first time he started to envision the beginnings of a plan, an active strategy, that brought with it the possibility of a world beyond all the evil."
   Now you would think this would not be such a difficult problem, however the British were determined not to allow any more Jewish refugee's into Palestine!
   A thrilling true story that will keep you in suspense till then end! This was a little known unit that contributed so much to humanity.



2. Howard Blum has written a compelling true narrative of a small group of Jewish soldiers who fought the Nazis along side the British Army in WWII. This little known slice of history is conveyed persuasively in The Brigade.
   
   Blum discovered this small piece of history by accident when visiting the US Holocaust Museum. After he pulled together scores of interviews, he chose to tell the story through the eyes of three soldiers and one survivor, the sister of one of the soldiers. This telling is what gives this book its potency.
   
   The strength of The Brigade is that it reads as a novel, and the reader cannot turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next. Blum's accurate portrayal and attention to details is what keeps us focused on the reality of this amazing story of courage and perserverance. He reminds us through his excellent storytelling that this did happen.
   
   The book is not another war novel that expounds on the accounts of military victories. It shows the sacrifices and the souls of these men who risked their lives to save their people. It reveals their struggles and their doubts as well as their triumphant spirits.
   
   The Brigade is a must read. It is uplifting and demonstrates the human spirit at its best.



3. It is excellently written. A true story. You do not want to let go.



4. How this book went under the radar is beyond me! Steven Spielberg should make a movie out of this, and it could be better than "Saving Private Ryan"! This is a true story, of the first official Jewish military fighting unit. It was formed, when the British government, agreed to send 5,000 Jewish volunteers to fight in Europe, during World War II. Let your heart, mind and soul, be put in the place of a Jewish soldier: Millions of Jews being exterminated in the concentration camps, and you aren't allowed to fight back, as a recognized official unit or brigade. Now your chance comes! This book, first delves into the different types of men in this group. The feeling of helplessness, even after being approved and organized, because they're kept away from the main fighting. I was deeply impacted, as I was told, that no one, had ever worn the Star Of David, on a military uniform before. What a wonderful contrast, to the Star Of David being put on all the Holocaust victims sleeves, as a means of humiliation. When the war ends, this Jewish Brigade, decides not to stop! They continue to go after Nazi officers in hiding, and people who stole Jewish citizen's artwork and valuables. Two individual scenes, brought pride to my chest, and tears to my eyes. One was when, two of the Brigade, finally tracked down one of the Germans, who had performed various atrocities against the Jews, and one member of the Brigade, said to the war criminal: "In the name of the Jewish people, I sentence you to death!" The other scene, was when members of the Brigade, came to the gates of a concentration camp, and the skeletal survivor's in pajamas, stood looking at them, and did not speak. One soldier said, "Don't be afraid" in Yiddish. "The survivors still did not speak" "The soldier felt guilty-of his health, his strength, his good fortune, to have been spared." "He tried again, "We're Jews," he said. "Confused, a man pointed to the Star Of David on the soldier's sleeve, and asked hesitantly, "You're Jewish angels?" I could not put this book down, and have tried to think of a million different reasons, why no one has made this into a movie. I bought the book for my son, who, with starting a new family, and a new job, doesn't have time to read. But after starting this book, he read it every morning before work, and at lunch, and finished it in a week. I bought a copy and sent it to my brother, who is the busiest guy I know. He never has time to read. He read it in a week, and then passed it on to an older gentleman where he works. I sent a copy to one of my best friends; he finished it in a week. We all still discuss, and quote this book today, and I read it over three years ago!



5. This is a history of the Jewish Brigade Group of the British Army, formed on 19 September 1944. They saw action in Italy in the spring of 1945 but did not have the opportunity to enter Germany until after the war was over, possibly because of the reaction some of them have to a group of German POWs - they attacked the POWs and the Jewish officers had to stand between the Jewish soldiers and the POWs. After the surrender of Germany, Sergeant Israel Carmi and Captain Johanan Peltz visit the survivors at Mauthausen and return to camp with revenge on their minds. Carmi requests a transfer to military intelligence and begins gathering information on the commanders of the SS - and forms an execution squad made of Jewish soldiers. Throughout the summer of 1945, they execute by their estimate 300 Gestapo. Then in July 1945, Peltz and Carmi go into Poland to execute a Gestapo agent hiding as a Catholic priest. As they enter the church, they discover the priest is conducting a class of teenage girls. One of the girls makes her way to them, sees the Star of David on the shoulder patch of their uniforms, and declares her wish to return to her own people - her parents had hidden her in a Catholic orphanage. They forget their original mission and take the girl back to a Displaced Person camp near their camp. This launches the Jewish Brigade Group into a new mission - rescuing Displaced Persons and smuggling them into Palestine. I recommend this book on how history can be changed by a small decision.

3 comments about The Cat With The Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin.

1. Susan Goldman Rubin's work does much to broaden young readers' understanding of the Holocaust. Again she succeeds with this sensitive and passionate non-fiction book on a little known Holocaust era figure. While Rubin was researching for her award-winning book, Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin, she attended a performance of Brundibar, the children's opera staged at Terezin. In the elevator, she recognized Ela Weissberger as a woman who as a child had played the cat in the Terezin production. From that chance meeting, after years of communication and collaboration, this book evolved.
   Using photographs, along with full-color drawings by the children of Terezin, Rubin presents a poignant, matter-of-fact account of what it was like for Ela to be a Jewish child living with fear, yet able to escape for hours at a time through the power of friendship, music, art and learning. Rubin, who also wrote The Children of Terezin (2000) for older readers, never glosses over the daily threat of transports and the fact that some of the prisoners did not survive. But she also documents that, even in that traumatic time, devoted adults and determined children could forge close bonds, using art and music to help them endure and even grow. Includes numerous interviews with Weissberger and others, detailed source notes, print and non-print resources, and an index. Ages 9-12. Reviewed by Rita Berman Frischer



2. A couple of years ago, Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner collaborated together to bring the world a picture book by the name of "Brundibar". Based on the opera that the Jewish children of the Terezin concentration camp had to sing, the book was filled to brimming with good intentions and sadly lacking in any and all factual information. It was more a labor of love than a book meant to enlighten children as to the significance of its content. When "Brundibar" came out, it felt as if it was reliant on a book that had not yet come to exist. Where oh where was the children's work of non-fiction that would tell younger kids what Terezin was, why "Brundibar" was important, and what it all meant? Three years later, Holiday House publishes Ms. Susan Goldman Rubin's, "The Cat With the Yellow Star" and a gap in children's collections everywhere is filled. And quite frankly, no other book could have felt quite as satisfying as this.
   
   The story of young Ela Stein begins on Kristallnacht in Sudetenland, after it was annexed to Germany. Ela was eight when that terrible night occurred, and she and her family soon ran away to Czechoslovakia. Then, in 1942, Ela was sent with her mother to Terezin from their home. A converted fortress, the camp was a place where Ela and the other children who lived with her in Room 28 would secretly study, learn art, and cast themselves in the opera Brundibar. In the show, Ela was cast as The Cat and the Nazi leaders of the ghetto decided that they would use the children's show as an example to the Red Cross of how well they treated their Jewish prisoners. Of course, of the 10,632 children sent to Terezin, only 4,096 survived. Ela was one of those survivors and the book shows how she grew up, met her friends from that time period years later, and has participated in Brundibar productions ever since. The end of the book shows a magnificent series of shows performed by children and Ela's presence at them over the years.
   
   The title is a rare creation: A children's book memoir under fifty pages. As with her other 2006 publication, "Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter", Ms. Rubin is particularly good at writing factual biographies for younger readers. She knows that you can pen a book without growing overly reliant on chapters of fifty pages or more. As such, a lot has been left out of "The Cat With the Yellow Star". The book makes the assumption that kids reading this will already be familiar with Hitler, the Holocaust, and The Final Solution. "The Cat" concentrates primarily on Ela's tale, and explanations will not be forthcoming for those kids that don't already have some of the basics of this story down. A person could learn so much from this book too. The fact that in 1945, "the Nazis turned Terezin over to the International Red Cross" as a way of liberating the prisoners amazed me. Ela's mother even stayed on when her daughters left because she had been hired by a female Russian officer as a maid. Rubin carefully culls all the information she has been given, then keeps the book moving seamlessly from page to page. You may not be able to remember all the names of the girls as Ela befriended them, but you care for them just the same.
   
   The level of documentation in terms of pictures, photographs, records, and images in this book is also astounding. Paintings created by the children of Room 28 are reproduced here and are sometimes able to shock because of what they leave you to figure out on your own. For example, there is a watercolor created by Ela's friend Helga called, "Arrival In Terezin" that shows families walking past a guard into the camp. Look closely at the picture and you'll see that everyone in the picture is smiling pleasantly, as if this were just a Sunday stroll in the park. Why would Helga present the people in this picture this way? Was it because she worried that the guards might see it and hurt her if they thought it was anti-Nazi propaganda? Was she just automatically making the smiles without thinking about it? Pictures of this sort raise all kinds of interesting questions suitable for debate amongst child readers. Of course, it would have been nice to be able to get a little more information from some of them. There's a photography of the "special ghetto money" printed specifically in Terezin that shows an old man with a beard holding two stone tablets with Hebrew writing on them. The bills themselves even have small stars of David on them. Why would the Germans have taken this level of care in creating money for people they were just intending to kill anyway? Was this a part of the Nazi effort to fool the Red Cross into thinking that people were being taken care of? Maybe just a little more info here and there wouldn't have been out of place.
   
   Not that Ms. Rubin ever skimps on the quality source material. The Acknowledgments alone are worth the price of admission. Ms. Rubin's Source Notes are of equal interest, to say nothing of the excellent list of Publications, Articles, Videos/DVDs, Sound Recordings, Interviews, and Internet Sites all clearly presented and beautifully aligned. If I'm going to get picky I might suggest that Ms. Rubin could have placed her four sentence Author's Note at the beginning of the book (where it would have put everything to follow in context) rather than at the end, but that's neither here nor there.
   
   All in all, this is a truly impressive piece of work. It pairs rather nicely with Kushner and Sendak's, "Brundibar" (which only makes sense in conjunction WITH this book, to be frank) as well as the recent Jennifer Roy title, "Yellow Star". "The Cat With the Yellow Star" really makes an effort, though, to show how life in a concentration camp wasn't the be all and end all in Ela's life. She made friends, left, created a life of her own, and is still speaking about what happened to this very day. This book is a testament to her strength, and it tells an important story to an audience that might otherwise never hear it. Certainly worth eyeing, at the very least.



3. Author Susan Rubin presents the true story of survivor Ela Weissberger, born Ela Stein, whose family's Holocaust journey ends in Terezin, the Nazi camp famous for the art and music that was sustained there by the inmates and that was used by the Nazis to fool the Red Cross into believing they had given a model town to the Jews. Beginning at age 11, Ela survives physically by working in a garden, emotionally by bonding with the other girls in Room 28, and artistically by performing in the children's opera, Brundibar, a story of triumph over a bullying organ-grinder. Ela plays the role of the cat. Later, as an adult, she attends performances of the play around the world, telling her story and explaining how "music, art, good teachers, and friends" were her resistance against the Nazis. She also keeps in touch with the surviving girls from Room 28. Although a story about a child, the book does not shy away from describing the round-ups, deportations, transports, disappearances, disease, and starvation witnessed by Ela. Because of these harsh but accurate details, the book is not for younger readers. The abundant photos, color reproductions, and exhaustive source notes and references (a source is given for each and every quotation) make this book an outstanding resource for students of Terezin and the now-famous Brundibar. This book is a good companion to Brundibar by Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner as well as Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin. REVIEWED BY SUSAN BERSON (DENVER, CO)

1 comments about Dora Bruder.

1. Apparently "Dora Bruder" is the only novel by Patick Modiano available on your site. It's too bad because it's not, by far, his best book. If you haven't tried this author before you won't be too disappointed. Otherwise you'll probably have the feelind of reading something you've read before ! Anyway Modiano is a very good French writer. He's furthermore very easy to read in French. If you are interested, I would recommend "Rue des boutiques obscures" or the very poetic "Dimanches d'Aout" (sorry I don't know the their title in English).

5 comments about Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story.

1. Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania in 1940. As the Germans invaded Poland, thousands of refugees flooded into Lithuania begging for visas that would allow them to travel to safety. Despite repeated orders from his government, Sugihara signed travel visas around the clock and saved thousands of Jewish lives. He followed his conscience knowing full well the social and professional consequences that would follow. The drama of the events and the courage of Sugihara and his family make this true story unforgettable. Dom Lee's sepia tone illustrations complement the story and convey the desperation and fear of the refugees and the bravery of the Sugihara family.



2. I used this book as an introduction to the Holocaust for my 7-year-old. Rather than starting him off on the atrocities, I used this well-written and beautiful book to start him off with learning that we Jews were once in grave danger, and there were some people who took care of us when they could, even though it was a difficult choice.
   
   3/4 of the way through reading the book out loud to my son, I started to cry a little. The story is poignant, of course, but more than that, the writing captures the meaning in such a simple and straight-forward way.
   
   I would recommend this book to anybody, Jewish or not Jewish. It is an excellent introduction to the concept that life can be dangerous, along with the idea that good people exist, AND that any one of us can choose to be a person who makes a difference.
   
   The writing makes it clear that Sugihara was risking his and his family's lives to do the right thing. And, the writing makes it clear that being the child of someone who is willing to do the right thing can be difficult, but well worth it.
   
   A beautiful book.



3. When reading this booki was amazed that so few would do so much for so many,Ive never heard of a story like it. What suprised me even more was that the man who saved all those Jews was a Japanese, if i remember correctly where an axis power during WW2 and allied with the Germans. This man must have really followed his heart if he was to defy his own country, and for that i really admire him



4. When reading this booki was amazed that so few would do so much for so many,Ive never heard of a story like it. What suprised me even more was that the man who saved all those Jews was a Japanese, if i remember correctly where an axis power during WW2 and allied with the Germans. This man must have really followed his heart if he was to defy his own country, and for that i really admire him



5. I have heard of the story and what he did in the past, but not in this detail written for children. I am very proud to be Japanese, and hope my sons, for whom I purchsed it, will feel the same way because they are half Japanese and half American. This book could be an asset to anybody with Japanese blood.

5 comments about Jews Who Rock.

1. This book has short profiles of Jews in rock n roll. One reviewer accurately set forth many serious omissions including two great Jays, Jay Segal of the Tokens and Jay Black of Jay and the Americans. I also noticed that the great producer for Atlantic Records, Jerry Wexler was not listed. This book includes very short profiles with little substance. Therefore, this book is not much more than a list.

   I found a profile of Carny Wilson interesting in which the author stated she is Jewish on her father's side. Really? Since when is Brian Wilson of the Beachboys Jewish?? Also, people who have some Jewish blood from their father's side but never lived as Jews are included so, the definition of a Jew is stretched. The book was a good idea but, it just doesn't cut it.




2. I have not read the book. I leafed through it in a book store. What can I add that others haven't already said. The one page bios are superficial and there are many mistakes and omissions.

   I response to the reviewer who said that Iggy is Jewish. Well he isn't. I read his autobiography about 12 years ago. I think he said his father was an orphan who had been adopted by a non-practicing Jewish family. But he wasn't brought up Jewish. Iggy isn't Jewish by decent, upbringing or in any other way except in name (James Newell OSTERBERG) You can hear various anti-Semitic remarks in live and `unofficial' recordings of the Stooges.




3. After having received this book as a gift, one wonders how much griping is allowable. Nonetheless, after having skimmed through the book and after having read the entry on Bob Dylan, it gave me good pause. Since there were multiple errors on Dylan's one page, it naturally made me ask the question, "How many other errors might abound?" I am not proposing that the book should be error-free (no book is), but after having read some of the reviews, it's clear that someone should take the responsibility (Guy Oseary? or maybe his editor or researcher? or maybe the publisher?) for the many errors that fill its pages.

   I'll simply point out the errors on the Dylan page. The singer did not graduate from the University of Minnesota in 1959 (nor any other university). He graduated from his high school, Hibbing High, in 1959, and then merely attended the Univ. of Minn. for a few semesters. And Dylan's second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" didn't come out in 1962 (it was 1963). Additionally, to say Dylan's songs "extolled the use of certain drugs" and to use "Rainy Day Women #12&35" as an example ("everybody must get stoned"), oversimplifies things; the lyrics to this song are actually quite rich (despite them being made almost cliche because of radio overplay and overplay in concert) but Dylan has denied--on more than one occasion--writing "drug songs." In one interview he mentioned it was hard enough to write songs without making it harder [through drugs].

   After referencing the 1966 era, we're then told that Dylan "toured and recorded tirelessly" for the next 30 years. Really? Most fans will vividly recall when Dylan did not embark on a single tour from 1967-1973; he also abstained from touring in 1977, 1982-1983 and 1985.

   And the "Never-Ending Tour" is listed as "1988-1996" which is odd. Dylan's touring didn't stop in 1996 (this book was published in 2001), it has continued to this day, i.e., "1988-2002."

   As for the book's statement that "Bob took his adopted name from poet Dylan Thomas," this too isn't factual. Dylan has denied this on a number of occasions and others close to Dylan have corroborated his denial although the exact origins of the name are not entirely clear (typical Dylan).

   We are also informed that Dylan was involved with the Lubavitch movement in Jerusalem in 1984. But this is the wrong location, and year. He studied with the Lubavitchers in Brooklyn in 1983.

   And then there's the matter-of-fact statement that Dylan "explored various religions outside of Judaism, to which he ultimately returned." In 1979-1981, Dylan did more than "explore" Jesus (and he still sings about Jesus, for whatever reason, to this day). He also has never announced his departure from or return to Judaism. In typical contrarion fashion, Dylan quoted a biblical passage from the Hebrew Scriptures on his 1980 album, "Saved." And then in 1984, the year after he studied with the Lubavitchers, Dylan was asked if he thought the Old and New Testaments were equally valid. He replied, "To me." (Rolling Stone interview with Kurt Loder). Dylan has participated in the Lubavitchers' Chabad telethons (1986, 1989 & 1991) but has also continued to sing songs from the "Slow Train/Saved."

   Even with all the religion hububb aside, it seems that for all I've pointed out it could've been a case of my having scoured through a full-length book...but it was, again, only a one-page entry on Dylan! And there were many errors, so buyer beware.

   Maybe one day we'll have an updated, mostly corrected edition and some quotes from the artists on the significance of their rich cultural heritage.




4. Thanks to Maroon 5's Adam Levine and superstars Evan & Jaron...isn't about time this book gets updated? HAPPY HANUKKAH!



5. finally found a great B'nai mitzvah book that all kids like. This little book is really packed with info on famous musicians who happen to be Jewish. Our whole family enjoyed it!

5 comments about The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things.

1. This book is deceptively easy to consume. The chapters are relatively short, and dosed with just enough humor, perfect for reading in bed, no matter how tired you are -- or for reading aloud at the dinner table. However, there is more depth and complexity to Leder's writing than it may at first appear; I found myself thinking about and then re-reading many of the pieces. Among my favorites: his "Eleven Suggestions for Becoming A Mensch", and the calculations of how many diapers his mother changed and how many plates of food she served while raising him and his siblings (27,375 and 183,960). Rabbi Leder does not merely show us how extraordinary ordinary life is; he draws us a practical and inspiring map for our own journey.



2. Rabbi Leder has written a wonderful book that reminds us all that there is beauty and greatness in the everydayness of life. It is an uplifting and insightfull read. This book shows the reader that there is more to life and it is right in front of you. I can't recommend this book highly enough.



3. Steven Leder's book, The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things, is undoubtedly the best book I've ever read. He is realistic, optimistic and has a keen insight on how real life is. A must read for anyone of any age, Jew or non-Jew!



4. My 9 year old grandson raised with little Judaism, and 70 year old Orthodox brother enjoyed these stories, which they read together, in equal measure. It provided thought provoking insights into the extraordinary nature of everyday life in stories short enough for children raised on TV segments, and seniors with little time and patience for labored phliosophy.



5. A great book. Give it to someone special! They WILL thank you.

5 comments about What Becomes You (American Lives).

1. At first I was little reticent, fearing a lot of gay/anguished person trapped in the wrong body kind of stuff. Instead, I found the author's viewpoint startlingly original, and very much angst and dogma free. Aaron writes with a clear voice, and the little asides, and various characters he meets, and situations he ends up in...are seen from a wry and humorous point of view. Which is not to say there are not depths. Indeed, this book will definetly set you mind spinning as to just how we perceive ourselves, and how we let the world shape us. While the book is very good, I would love to see the author use this writing style to take on other projects. I think he has great potential. If you have any friends who are going thru big changes, this is a book I think they will like. I will definetly be buying it for some friends of mine. I rarely write reviews, but I think this is a very worthy book, and applaud the author's, honesty, and style.



2. I remember meeting Sarah many years ago.
   
   Aaron has given me insights that will hopefully allow me to be a better friend to several folks who share her experiences, I plan to recommend the book, not just to these friends, but to their friends and famlies.
   
   As a grandmother and great-grandmother, I share with Aaron the love of a wonderful person, his friend - my son. I thank him for the introduction, not only to Sarah, but now Aaron and the world he lives within. His book has furthered the limited education of this rural midwesterner, and I thank him so much for that.
   
   And remember, Aaron, when you dig in the sand, fingers and flippers often bear a striking resemblance! But that doesn't mean a crime has been committed. Keep exploring, and keep writing.



3. "What Becomes You" is fascinating, moving, educational and revealing. In this book Aaron and his mother examine their lives within the context of their experiences and expectations of gender, what it is and what it isn't, what it means and what it doesn't mean. This book avoids sentimentality and sensationalism---instead it is gentle, intelligent and intimate. Reading Aaron's section, I felt as if I were sitting beside him as he told me the story of his life, his emotions as a child growing up feeling always out of place in a female role, and his struggles as an adult who chose to change not simply his body but his relationship to the world. Reading his mother's section I experienced the roller-coaster of emotions that she felt during the years of Aaron's self-discovery and gender change and, along the way, undergoing her own trials with breast cancer. Throughout the book the authors' love and respect for one another's lives is palpable. This book is not just a "trans" story. It is the story of family, longing, love, loss, society, work, literature, healing and much more.



4. Raised a woman, Aaron Raz Link became a man - a gay man - at the age of 29. At least, he initiated the hormonal and surgical processes to alter his appearance toward a form closer to the person he had always felt he was inside. Because Link was trained as a scientist - specifically, taxonomy, the science of naming things - he is uniquely fit to analyze his unusual experience. It doesn't hurt that he's a beautiful writer as well as a thoughtful and witty one.
   
   The book is nonfiction, he explains, and a memoir, but not autobiography: "It is a book about pieces that didn't fit the picture. As a result, the most confusing and difficult pieces play the largest roles." Strictly speaking, he writes, there is no such thing as a "sex change operation"; there are rather lots of little surgeries that were developed for other reasons, such as for badly mutilated soldiers, and infants and grownups whose bodies took an odd turn due to misbehaving hormones or cancer.
   
   Link's analysis of his youthful fascination with movie monsters (they "were obviously the good guys"), of the Catch-22 of having to get himself diagnosed as mentally ill in order to qualify for the surgeries (legally speaking, "a mentally healthy person wouldn't want what I wanted"), and the absurdities of psychiatry and people's assumptions about gender roles, are all fascinating and well handled. There's even a kind of punch line: After an early lifetime of hating to be laughed at, following his sex reassignment, Link went to clown school.
   
   Though a professor of English and women's studies who has been writing and publishing much longer than her son, Hilda Raz's less-than-a-third of the book is diffuse and less compelling - which probably reflects her passive and somewhat unwilling role in her son's transformation.
   
   What Becomes You makes a terrific companion to Self-Made Man, lesbian journalist Norah Vincent's 2006 account of her three months dressing and living as a man. They're great food for any reader's thought.



5. This book tells the much needed minority story of what it means to be transgendered. The author did not necessarily experience his difference as one of gender in early childhood. Instead, he just felt different than the other children. He came to see gender as part of his problem as he got older. Even then, he doesn't identify with the feeling of being a "man trapped in a woman's body". Literature usually tells the stories of transgendered people who have always known they are the wrong gender, and who easily fit stereotyped notions of what transgendered people are. It is nice to see someone who doesn't fit the mold and to hear a story told from a different perspective.
   
   While this does add some diversity to the literature on transgendered people, it is not a good introductory book. The author takes an unusual and highly dangerous approach to obtaining medical care, so this book is not a good way to learn about the process of transitioning. Also, there is very little factual information in this book about what is involved in a transition. Since that is not it's primary purpose, though, it still makes a great narrative.

5 comments about I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: A Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor.

1. One day I had nothing to read and I decided to get this book because I heard was great. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book! I finished in less than two days and have read it five more times since.



2. This book is great! I have always been interested in this subject and i don't normaly read books! I'm a junior in high school and i enjoyed this book ALOT!!! Great character plot and great ending!! I don't want to return it to the library!! Also i share the same last name!



3. This is the first-person account of Hannelore Wolff, a survivor of Nazi death camps and a Jew on Schindler's List. The story chronicles Hannelore's time when she leaves safety to accompany her mother and brothers to first a Jewish ghetto and then to a concentration camp in an effort to keep the family together. Hannelore then spends the next three years living day to day as she survives the disease, death, and horrors of the Holocaust. Her story is by turns one of luck, faith, and perseverance as she ultimately finds herself on Oskar Schindler's famous list and thus brought to the relative safety of his factory. Along the way Hannelore meets and falls in love with her future husband, Dick. Mrs. Hillman gives us a chilling account of a desperate time and helps us all to remember those who should not be forgotten. A tremendous story that will touch you deeply. Highly recommended.



4. This is one of the best books I've ever read on any subject. It was compelling reading--I, too, couldn't put it down.
   I love its honesty. Nothing was left out of this book. And yet it is not sensational or graphic. It's an honest, humane, and brave book about a terrifying time.
   I'm so grateful to the author for writing it.



5. The book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman is an excellent book. I would most likely recommend it to girls though. I would recommend it to girls because the book talks about Hannelore getting sexually assaulted and other things like her falling in love with Bernard (Dick) Hillman. I would also recommend this book because it talks about true fact that happened during the Holocaust. This book has been the best book I've ever read. One reason it is would be because she expresses her feelings about the people she loved and lost, but also how she hated what was happening to the Jewish religion. All in all if you're looking for a good read I think you should read the book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree.

2 comments about The Autobiography of a Seventeenth-Century Venetian Rabbi.

1. The Autobiography Of A Seventeenth Century Venetian Rabbi is a unique and interesting book. It is unique in that it is one of the only autobiographies ever written by a rabbi of such stature. The book is very interesting due to the inside view it gives the reader into Jewish life in the Italian ghetto at that period in history. Not often do we find such a marvelous first hand account of history.

   Aside from the holistic historic perspective it gives, the personal life of Leon De Modena is an amazing story of survival. His tragic life is reminiscent of the life of Job. The book also gives us a clue of Leon Modena's genius and talents as an author, scholar, playwright and poet.

   The book contains two parts; one, the autobiography itself (which I highly recommend). The other part consists on various essays on the autobiography, the author and the historic outlook. In the essays Leon de Modena was portrayed as a typical product of the renaissance period. Leon de Modena was by no means "typical". Another flaw is the manner in which the essays portrayed his autobiography as a characterless perspective, when in fact the book is full of personal feelings and emotions. The lame attempt to define and describe Leon Modena's character which is found in the essays is an understatement of the largest scale, bordering the term 'insult'. Leon Modena's life was so colorful that no artist can paint the colors, no writer can read his limits, and no book can define his character.

   
   For comments, contact: Eli Bernstein 6B Kobelke st. Dianella 6059 WA Australia




2. The Autobiography Of A Seventeenth Century Venetian Rabbi is a unique and interesting book. It is unique in that it is one of the only autobiographies ever written by a rabbi of such stature. The book is very interesting due to the inside view it gives the reader into Jewish life in the Italian ghetto at that period in history. Not often do we find such a marvelous first hand account of history.

   Aside from the holistic historic perspective it gives, the personal life of Leon De Modena is an amazing story of survival. His tragic life is reminiscent of the life of Job. The book also gives us a clue of Leon Modena's genius and talents as an author, scholar, playwright and poet.

   The book contains two parts; one, the autobiography itself (highly recommended). The other part consists of various essays on the autobiography, the author and the historic outlook.

   In the essays Leon de Modena was portrayed as a typical product of the renaissance period. Leon de Modena was by no means "typical".

   The essays also describe his autobiography as a characterless, objective perspective. In fact the book is full of personal feelings and emotions.

   The lame attempt in the essays to define and describe Leon Modena's character is an understatement of the largest scale, bordering the term 'insult'. Leon Modena's life was so colorful that no artist can paint the colors, no writer can read his limits, and no book can define his character.