2 comments about Dakota Diaspora: Memoirs of a Jewish Homesteader.

1. Dakota Diaspora is a lovely book which tells of the author's experiences as a child growing up Jewish on the prairie. From Russia to "Nordakota" Ms. Trupin attempts to understand her parents and their motivations for leaving the "known" for such a great "unknown." She draws mostly upon her own childhood memories, rather than gathering first-hand accounts from her parents. I found the ending somewhat disappointing because we don't find out if the author was able to maintain her Yiddishkeit, which her mother was so concerned that the children would lose without a strong Jewish community. A great book for those looking for a good biography. As a Torah-seeking Kansan, I appreciated reading about a turn-of-the-century Jewish family who departed from the well trodden paths to New York and Chicago in order to live on the land AND maintain a Torah lifestyle.



2. Having spent 15 years in North Dakota, I was looking forward to some insights into the lives of Jewish migrants to a difficult world. This book describes some aspects of their experience, mainly fascinating domestic incidents well worth preserving. Unfortunately, the book lacks a scene-setting introduction or epilogue to place her story in Eastern European and Midwestern history. What happeened to Sopie and her family after these events? Who are the others mentioned in the acknowledgements? The Rachel Calof memoir, which closely parallels this one, is a model of its kind and can be highly recommended.

5 comments about Michelangelo in Ravensbruck: One Woman's War Against the Nazis.

1. Let's clear the air first.
   
   It is a shame that Amazon has decided to highlight Susie Lindfield's rather unfortunate review of "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck" from the Washington Post's Book World. While Ms Lindfield's credentials would appear suitable to the task, her product (the review) certainly leaves one wondering by what tortured lens she viewed Karolina Lanckoronska's book.
   
   If you have read the Lindfield review, consider then this passage from the second paragraph of the book's prologue: "My memoir is meant to be a report -- and only a report -- of what I witnessed during the Second World War. I know that others have lived through a great deal more than myself. I was never in Auschwitz or Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, I also know that every first-hand account contributes fresh detail to the picture of those years."
   
   If only Lindfield demonstrated an understanding of those few words.
   
   Those are the words of an historian -- because that is what Lanckoronska was. This book clearly demonstrates the historian's perspective, and the understanding that individual narrative has great value to researchers, those passionate about history and learning, and perhaps even the merely curious.
   
   The puzzling thing about the Lindfield review is that it seems she would be more satisfied if this was a work of fiction that she could complain about for not fitting into her concept of history. The problem is that the events in this "story" happened -- and to the storyteller, not Ms Lindfield. To that extent, Ms Lindfield shows herself to be in a mild state of denial. Additionally, her review shows me no understanding of the importance of teasing out individualized threads of experienced history, and then placing them in context within that complex fabric of history -- not macerated into a homogenized "pour" of history.
   
   I strongly recommend that you read John Carey's review from the Sunday Times (of London), published 12 FEB 06, or on the web at:
   
   [...]
   
   (If that link doesn't work, go to the Timesonline site and search for "Lanckoronska".) Carey's review has the advantage of actually telling you more about the book than about the reviewer.
   
   The book itself? You certainly won't find flowery passages and gripping drama. But not so fast. Lanckoronska is a historian -- an art historian by education who later turned her talents to Polish art and culture. So perhaps her prose is a little dry. You can almost imagine a woman, speaking aloud from notes, going through this part of her life for you step by step. But as you become accustomed to her style, events emerge that surprise. Something as innocuous as a car breakdown is delivered in the same tone as a later scene were she realizes that she is witnessing fellow Poles being herded into lorries and heading for the execution grounds in the woods. More than once I had to stop reading just to let those scenes sink in.
   
   This book is valuable because it snatches our attention away from the homogenized pour of World War Two and Nazi history that we have been spoon fed all these years. It understands the enormity and incomprehensibility of the Holocaust, while taking you into the places that Western European and North American histories are only just beginning to touch -- over 60 years after the fall of Hitler's Berlin.
   
   At the back of the book are endnotes for each chapter (which, in future editions, I wish they would convert to footnotes) by the author or the editors. Fascinating too are the appendices which include the names of the Lwow professors that were murdered, and short biographies of major characters in this book. Just within those short biographies is a chilling reminder of the overt criminality of the Nazi regime, and all those that chose to follow it.
   
   For students of recent Polish history, this is a must-have volume. And for anyone who would like another perspective on what happened in Poland, the Ukraine, and Germany between 1939 and 1945 -- especially to provide richer context for understanding the depths to which humanity seemed to plunge during that period -- I highly recommend "Michelangelo in Ravensbruck".
   
   And let's make this very clear: A better understanding of this period of time from Karolina Lanckoronska's perspective in no way (at least for a moderately intelligent reader) diminishes the totality of those horrible years.



2. This well written book is a cliff-hanger, a tear jerker and the most frightening lesson in the behaviour of supposedly civilized races.
   It should be mandatory reading for all schools and universities in the free world. The bestial atrocities detailed in its pages need to be shown in the light of day so that public conscience ensures that they never be repeated.
   The author's incredible faith and determination shine through, as does the spirit of the Polish people.
   This might be the most comprehensive and detailed report ever written by a survivor.



3. Having read numerous accounts of the Holocaust, primarily from the Jewish point of view, I felt this book was a valuable addition to World War Two & even Holocaust literature, even though it is from a Gentile's point of view. It details the wartime [World War Two] experiences of a Polish aristocrat, Karolina Lanckoronska who was actively involved in resistance activities against the Nazis. Quite a bit of the book is devoted to detailing her resistance activities. These eventually get her labelled an undesirable and she gets sent off to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her indefatigable spirit is evident in her lively outlook despite the horrors and bleakness around her. Her account of life in Ravensbruck is immensely valuable to enhancing our understanding of Nazi atrocities...female prisoners being subjected to horrific medical experiments, the infamous selections that make day to day living unberable for no one knew when death would come knocking, the rampant diseases that besieged the camp, all these horrors are vividly described in Countess Lanckoronska's account. Despite the worst living conditions imaginable, she was able to bring some measure of hope and light by teaching art etc. Her courage in standing up to the Nazis is inspiring and her account is a valuable addition to anyone interested in World War Two history & Nazi atrocities.



4. In 1939 the author was a wealthy landowner and professor of art history, and also witness to the Soviet army's march into Poland as the Nazis staged their invasion from the west. She joined the resistance and was captured and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp - there to teach art history to other women who believed they would soon die. Her account discusses the mass murder of Poles and the ability to survive the most inhumane conditions, and should serve as an inspiring, outstanding addition to Holocaust literature for any collection seeking expanded views from eyewitness survivors.



5. This is a missing link in WW2 history taught in the US.WW2 wasn't just about Jews. They suffered a lot and everybody knows it but nobody have any idea that during that war 25% of Polish nation was killed by Germans, Russians and Ukrainians.

5 comments about The Night Trilogy: Night / Dawn / The Accident.

1. I thought this was a well written memoir and as hard as it was to read it is something that should be read by every living person. We need to step up and not allow this to happen in any country and it is so sad to see it happening everywhere. When will we learn our lessons?



2. This was one of the most moving book(s) I have ever read. Everyone should read this at some point in their lives



3. I was given the first two stories of the trilogy to read in my Nazi Germany and the Holocaust class this year and found them to be excellently written and very meaningful. With the help of an excellent teacher who posed all the right questions I was allowed to see the full meaning of these two stories.
   
   I wasn't able to read the Accident, as my teacher chose for us to read the Sunflower by Simon Weinsenthal instead, although I do hope to someday.
   
   Night and Dawn are two great stories which should be read by all.



4. Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, for his tireless work in addressing the Holocaust, wrestling with its almost incomprehensible moral questions, and most importantly working to ensure that it never happens again. NIGHT, his memoir of his own experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, was perhaps the earliest first-hand account to be widely published. Totally authentic, written in blood and tears, it quite defies criticism. To assign four, five, or even ten stars to it would be an obscenity.
   
   And yet Wiesel followed NIGHT by two very short fictional works, novellas rather than novels, called DAWN and DAY. Clearly he wanted to explore issues that could not be addressed in a factual memoir. And these two later books are fascinating in showing Wiesel's first steps as a novelist, rapidly gaining confidence and skill. In this respect alone, I feel that criticism is indeed germane.
   
   We all know the advice to writers: show, don't tell. You can see Wiesel encountering the issue even in NIGHT, which is a mixture of simply reported facts and personal reflection. When he is simply telling his own story, the facts stand by themselves, and even at this date reveal aspects of the Holocaust that I did not understand: for example, why the Jewish communities did not move more proactively to resist their fate, and details of the social interactions among the camp inmates themselves. Occasionally the personal reflections get in the way of relating events, and yet how else is the author to tackle his loss of faith and feelings of guilt which seem to have been a heavier burden than any physical indignities? Wiesel's answer was to turn to fiction.
   
   In his preface to DAWN, Wiesel makes it clear that the protagonist, Elisha, is not the author himself, although he admits that it easily might have been, had he been sent to Palestine rather than France after his liberation from Buchenwald. The fictional Elisha is recruited by freedom fighters trying to oust the British and form the state of Israel. After taking part in several guerilla actions, he is ordered to execute a hostage, a British army captain, in reprisal for the hanging of a Jew. The whole of this slim volume takes place in the night before the execution, and poses the question of whether a man who has escaped the hands of killers can ever be justified in becoming a killer himself. The theme is clearly important, and once more topical, but I cannot say that it works as a novel. The fictional background is sketchy and seems constructed with the sole purpose of presenting this dilemma. A large section of the book is devoted to Elisha's dialogue with ghosts from this past, which further diminishes reality. After a few pages, Wiesel stops showing Elisha through his deeds and social interactions, and concentrates instead on the moral dilemma in his soul; in novelistic terms, the result is to reduce rather than enhance the character's humanity. The book thus comes over less as a novel than as a parable.
   
   DAY (originally published in English as THE ACCIDENT), Wiesel's second attempt at writing a fictional sequel to NIGHT is altogether more successful. This is partly because its theme is less absolute and more subtle: the difficulty of returning to a full loving life for somebody who has lived so long in the realm of death. His quasi-autobiographical protagonist (Eliezer, but the name is mentioned only once) is a rounded character with much depth. The book follows him as he recovers in a New York hospital from a near-fatal encounter with a taxicab. Although we still hear his inner thoughts, his situation is shown primarily in terms of his very real relationships with others, particularly his lover Kathleen. He has clearly led a varied and somewhat successful life in the dozen years since his liberation, but, though no longer a loner in practical matters, he still retains a huge void in his heart. Wiesel introduces quite a lot of psychological suspense, and has the wisdom not to make the ending too facile; if there is healing to come, it will still be a long process.
   
   I have not (yet) read any of Elie Wiesel's later novels. Judging by the speed with which he ascends the learning-curve as a fiction writer here, I would expect them to be increasingly filled out in human terms -- perhaps even to the point where his Nobel Prize might have awarded as much for Literature as for Peace?



5. This was one bound volume of Wiesel's first three books, which concern the Holocaust, survival, and humanity. Night is Wiesel's personal memoir, which relates his personal story before and during World War II, as he and his father are separated from his mother and sister and interned in a series of concentration camps. Dawn is the story of a member of the movement to free Palestine from British occupation and Day concerns how one could move from a past that consumes one's every thought (or even if one should).
   
   Quote: "Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."
   
   I read Night in high school, and always think of it as being a particularly long book, which it is not. Wiesel manages to pack more than I would think possible into a little over a hundred pages, which relates the story of himself and his family during the Holocaust. It is a beautifully written work that relates a terrible story. I found the story of Wiesel's loss of faith and the relationship he had with his father particularly memorable. If you somehow missed this in high school, pick it up, if you didn't, find it again. It's worth it. Dawn and Day are not as catching as the first work, but are still interesting in their own way.

4 comments about Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans (Personalities of the New Testament).

1. Herod has long suffered from the taint of infanticide and his associations with the birth of Christ, as portrayed in the Bible. Peter Richardson's book dispells the myths that have grown up around Herod, and make him a living, breath ing, interesting character in the period of Roman rule of Palestine, and the int ertestamental period of religious history. Herod the builder, Herod the supporte r of the Jewish diaspora and the Olympian games, Herod the master politician - e ach of these aspects of his character are brought vividly to life, and make clea r his very important position in the pre-Christian life of Palestine. This book provides important insights into the life of Herod, his skills as architect and administrator, and uncanny ability to read the political situation and shift all egiance in order to remain in power. An excellent book well worth the effort to read.



2. The introduction and the first two chapters captured my attention, the book begins with Herod's death and comments on the internal (tragic) family matters. The author displays his impressive knowledge of archeology, ancient and biblical history to present to us a believable portrait of Herod.



3. In Peter Richardson's new book, 'Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans', we are given a much fuller account of the king who has graduated to being an archtype, almost mythical character who is the embodiment of evil.
   
   'Herod the Great, as he is usually called, was much like Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, of Peter the Great: talented, vigourous, lusty, skillful, charismatic, attractive, decisive, influential--but a disaster in his personal life. Like them, Herod changed his nation's history.'
   
   In a biographical study an author need not like the subject, but it helps if there is something to admire. Herod's personality is not attractive; had I been a contemporary I should not have wanted to spend much time with him.
   
   This having been said, Richardson does find much of interest and intrigue in the character and the deeds of Herod the Great.
   
   Herod was king of the Jews by virtue of his assistance to the Romans who were, during the 50-year period preceding the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the common/Christian era, consolidating power throughout much of the eastern Mediterranean lands. Herod married many times for increasing political and social purposes (a trend that would continue in the Herodian line -- John the Baptist was beheaded primarily for pointing out the marriage difficulties with a later Herod).
   
   Herod the Great, founder of the line that would last and be an influence in Roman and Christian development for some two hundred years, died in 4 BCE, in Jericho, not long after the events that would have created the first Christian martyrs -- the slaying of the newborns of Bethlehem. The timing of his death in Jericho makes it appear to be divine justice, but independent verification of the Biblical story has never been found.
   
   Richardson approaches the historical subject in a somewhat backwards fashion, examining the details of the death of Herod and the aftermath his will and the will of Rome in shaping his legacy to their ends. Using close sources such as Josephus, Richardson then proceeds to examine earlier, less well-documented periods in Herod's life, including his early service to Rome and his attempts at consolidation of power at different points. Shortly before key events that would bring him the favour of the Romans, Herod himself was on trial in Jerusalem for his possible usurpation of power that was not rightfully his -- this bravado, however, found favour with the Romans who followed his career with interest ever after.
   
   Richardson also explores Herod's influence in the building up of Jerusalem into a great city as well as outside projects (major fortresses, palaces, religious and cultural buildings, commercial construction and infrastructure), as well as his support of and rivalry with various religious factions in Jerusalem and surrounding Judea. Herod's relationship with the Temple and priestly elite had ramifications throughout the religious fabric of Judaism of the time, which in various factions held differing beliefs about the appropriate constitution of the priestly officials and the practices these should perform. Herod incurred the disfavour of Sadducees, Pharisees, Esssenes, Herodians, Brigands, and others at different points in turn.
   
   In the final chapters, Richardson turns to examine the role of Herod and his descendants in Christianity. He examines in detail the likelihood of Herod ordering the death of the newborns (or even knowing of the birth of a potential rival king). He examines also the role of Herod Antipas in the death of John and Jesus. Josephus confirms John the Baptist's death at the hands of Antipas, though recounts somewhat differently from gospel accounts. The gospels relate two independent traditions regarding the relationship of Jesus and Herod Antipas.
   
   In all, this is a fascinating history that brings up great detail and context with which to read the gospel stories, the Roman history in the Middle East, and the Dead Sea Scrolls in a new context.



4. Any scholarship dealing with the Herods has to begin with a proper understanding of the genealogy, otherwise, the historical record in this text cannot account for subsequent history. This book is inaccurate as to why and how the united kingdom of Palestine subsequently got divided into tetrarchies (tetra, of course, meaning four). From the get go, there is an inaccurate, incomplete time line which dates the birth of only three of Herod the Great's sons which includes the eldest, Antipater, and the youngest, Philip. Archelaus (5th in the line of succession) is also included. While there is mention of Alexander, Aristobulus, and Herod Antipas (2nd, 3rd & 6th) their birth dates are not given. However, Herod Philip, the 4th eldest, has no mention at all in the text while the vast majority of modern scholars on the subject of the Herods includes him in the genealogy & history of Herod the Great. To understand how and why the country was divided after Herod the Great's death, one has to understand there were four and not three surviving sons in the line of succession. Herod's first will had designated his eldest son, Antipater, as heir of a united Palestine. But when he died, Herod's second will (submitted long before Herod's death) called for the kingdom to be broken up between his remaining four surviving sons, i.e. Herod Philip, Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. The younger Philip is often confused with his older brother because the latter never served as a ruler having abdicated upon the death of his father. Thus, the second will, was never implemented as designed. The Romans compensated by consolidating Herod Philip's intended tetrarchy into his brother Archelaus' tetrarchy thus making Archelaus an "ethnarch" over the combined territories. Subsequent history shows that Herod Philip was the divorced first husband of Herodias (daughter of his brother Aristobulus, & subsequent wife of his brother Antipas) and father of the notorious Salome of the John the Baptist story. Eventually, Salome, like her mother, married a paternal uncle (legal under Herodian rule), i.e. Philip the Tetrarch. But if Herod Philip and Philip the Tetrarch had been the same person, the marriage would have ended up being a completely incestuous, illegal, marriage between father and daughter; which would be the result of this text having failed to accurately account for the family history of Herod the Great.

5 comments about Sing a Song of Tuna Fish.

1. This book made me Laugh so hard I liked her first book Sahara Special but this is even better. The teacher used thhe book to help us journal and I thought it would be boring but I could not wait for her to read these funny stories out loud and then write my own stories about things like school and grandparents. This author writes about the city in a way that is FOR REAL and not boring and now I write in my journal every day because I want to be a writter. My only comnplaint is this book is not rewally about tuna fish but I dont even like tuna fish so who cares.



2. This book made me Laugh so hard I liked her first book Sahara Special but this is even better. The teacher used thhe book to help us journal and I thought it would be boring but I could not wait for her to read these funny stories out loud and then write my own stories about things like school and grandparents. This author writes about the city in a way that is FOR REAL and not boring and now I write in my journal every day because I want to be a writter. My only comnplaint is this book is not rewally about tuna fish but I dont even like tuna fish so who cares.



3. As an antidote to a wicked case of bronchitis, I've managed to read my way through a stack of books on my nightstand and found a winner: Sing a Song of Tuna Fish, Hard to Swallow Stories From Fifth Grade by Esme Raji Codell, the author of Educating Esme and other books.
   
   It was published in 2004 but I hadn't seen it until last week on the shelf of the Atlantic County Bookmobile. What a treasure! I've been searching for good mentor texts to use with our fifth and sixth grade classes, something that would make the kids and their teachers really "get" the need to focus writing workshop around memoirs--and boy this is it! Esme takes you right into her life as a fifth grader. I think that both kids and adults will be inspired to explore their own childhood experiences after reading this book.



4. This is a great book for all ages -- I read along with my 10 year old who did a report on this book ....terrific, funny....very true to life....



5. I enjoyed "Sing A Song of Tuna Fish" immensely, not only because of the fantastic description and detail, but also how Esme Raji Codell created an incredibly entertaining story of her childhood. I think she did a very good job of making something that in real life might not have been that entertaining, into a very good story. I think that even a 40 year old would enjoy this book!!!!

5 comments about Generation J.

1. I have read reviews on this book and people say they are disappointed because they expected to read a deeper book about Judaism in the generation she is describing. However, she says she is keeping field notes on *her* personal journey. Right away this gave me a heads up that this book is not intended to be a deep study of Judaism at a particular generation or moment in time so I would not give the book a poor recommendation for not delivering expectations it never was intended to do. The author is raised by atheists, married a Christian and is a "non practicing" Jewish woman wanting to discover her own Jewish heritage. Her path might be very different from those who had a Jewish education, (she did not have this benefit), fell away from Judaism and are seeking to return. That being said I will review the book as it is written. The author seems concerned about the small Jewish population in the United States and the rate of intermarriage. This is good information for people to know. Yet she herself chose to intermarry yet does not want to be assimilated and erase Judaism from her life. I think it is brave and honest to admit some ambivilance about growing up Jewish in a predominantly Christian culture. Why? Because of anti-semetism. I myself was called "Christ killer" while growing up and this was in a sophisticated metropolitan area so I can understand this Some of her actions on her path to discover Judaism are bizarre but she is writing about her experiences, not mine. One doesn't judge a book on the author's actions, but the merit of its writing. Therefore it is a pretty good read. I am happy that she became proud of being Jewish, however following through with Jewish studies, finding a rabbi to guide her would have made me happier.



2. While I admire the author for undertaking a journey to find her spiritual roots, and publishing an account of that journey, I find her methods utterly laughable. She goes to everyone but Jews to validate her Judaism. When a person tries to learn about something and their place in it, its best to go to the source of that thing. She generally ignores the idea of talking to and interacting with other Jews, is very uncomfortable with her own heritage, and regards any steps which she makes as little prizes to be shown off and complimented on. It's also a very misleading cover- the book does not talk about our generation and our attempts to examine our Judaism, only hers. The book is readable, but just barely.



3. This text follow's Lisa's search for what it actually means to be "a Jew." Great for Jews and non-Jews alike, it shows what being Jewish means to different people from different generations. Told in narrative style, it is an easy and interesting read.



4. A great narrative following Lisa's quest for what it means to be jewish in a modern generation.



5. This book is by no means an answer. But it is a question. The "Who am I?" question that is burning all those of us thirtysomethings who haven't found yet who they are. No matter how far or how close our families may be from Judaism, we have to answer this question - in person and when the time is right.

   Lisa Schiffman is a very courageous woman for writing and publishing this book and exposing herself to the understanding and totally misunderstanding world. It is her own spiritual journey. The recipes that worked for her will not necessarily work for others; the version of Judaism that she found in herself is not necessarily what others will accept for themselves; but if she found a way to her Jewish identity, so can we.

1 comments about Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities: Anthologized from the Talmud, Midrash and Rabbinic Writing S.

1. excellent resource for finding behind the scenes information on biblical personalities. fascinating and informative.

1 comments about Heinrich Muller: Gestapo Chief (Holocaust Biography).

1. This is the first secondary source of which I am aware that takes as established the survival of SS-Grueppenfuehrer Heinrich Mueller after World War II (see the volumes by Gregory Douglas on Mueller published by R. James Bender, San Jose, CA).
   
   It is well written, at a junior-high to high school level, and although the first of the "Holocaust Biographies" series for juvenile readers I have seen, if it is representative of their quality, it is a harbinger of an excellent group of books. This book also provides good explanations of Fascist/Nazi motivations, their actions, and the Holocaust. It also discusses the complex motivations of such a man as Mueller himself, who rose from obscurity to one of the highest and most important positions in the Reich.
   
   Regarding Mueller, it is mostly definitive, and will introduce the young reader to the perplexing vicissitudes of foe-becomes-friend as loyalties shift in our modern world.

2 comments about Will to Live.

1. I justy read this book and it was very informative and interesting. Such hardships by all but informative as well. I just recently visited Dauchau Concentration Camp in Germany and it makes me appreciate what they went through so much more. Everyone should read some of the books on the Holocaust.



2. This is a remarkable book. It is different from many books on the Holcaust because the main characters do not end up in a concentration camp or death camp. Instead, they remain in Poland and try to survive by maintaining Christian identities. Without giving anything away, the method that the parents select for their baby daughter to escape the ghetto is not to be believed. The book also provides a stunning first-hand account of the conquest of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union.

5 comments about Who She Was: My Search for My Mother's Life.

1. I could not put this book down....it's fantastic! The author, whose mother died when he was a college student, pieces together her pre-motherhood life to create a wonderful story of a complex young woman...a woman who, to paraphrase his words, peaked at a young age and spent the rest of her life trying to capture that success. I appreciate the emotional and literary efforts Mr Freedman put into this book...it was a joy to read and gave me lots of food for thought. Highly recommend!



2. I found Freedman's account of his mother to be melacholy and moving. All our parents remain a mystery to us when they live, more so when they die. Freedman's rejection of his mother in life and embrace is death is deeply touching.



3. My mother grew up in the Bronx not all that far (in time and place) from Freedman's mother Eleanor, so I found this book both nostalgic and deeply touching. Even if I didn't know first-hand about shopping at Alexander's, going to Loew's Paradise, and commuting to City College, I would find this book engrossing.
   
   By tracing his mother's teenage and early adult years and the shifting relationships with family and friends, he shows how her decisions and attitudes influenced who she became--and why she kept her earlier life a mystery from those closest to her. Insightful, with a powerful yet very personal ending. Highly recommended.



4. Sam's insight to the era of the Bronx shows the underlying warmth and respect he has for his family. I could not put the book down; reading well into the night; hours passing quickly. We can all relate, Jewish or non- Jew. They were tough times, not necessarily blessed with opportunities; and especially so for a bright woman with what could have been an even brighter future had she been born in more contemporary times. Thank you for sharing your Mom's life with us. You did it in a beautiful and literary way.
   I gained insight into Fannie's family; folks I have known, loved, respected and whose friendship I have cherished for almost 50 years.
   Thank you, Sam. Great job.



5. This is a moving tribute. The author makes the effort to know and understand his mother after she has died, in part because he senses he has been unfair to her while she lived. Freedman writes with understanding and sympathy of a woman who according to her son reached the peak of her emotional life at seventeen in a love forbidden her by her mother. Freedman tells of how his mother had to sacrifice her own wellbeing and desire for an education in order to help support her very poor family. He blames his grandmother for some of the dissatisfaction in his mother's life. At the same time he praises his grandmother for being the strong and ethical member of the family who cared about what was happening to her relatives in Europe during the Holocaust.
   Freedman blames himself for his behavior as college student and teacher in refusing to acknowledge his mother's presence in the class. He does however indicate that there were many times in their life when he tried to do his best for her. For instance he tells of a story where he bought his mother a special kind of plant , and how disheartened he was when after a few weeks it wilted. His mother comforted him in this.
   It would be nice to think that she knows of his devotion to him and looking down from Heaven is filled with pride and happiness for her son's devotion to her in telling her story.