5 comments about My Brother's Voice: How a Young Hungarian Boy Survived the Holocaust: A True Story.

1. Stephen Nasser recently came to my company to speak about his account during the Holocaust and I have just finished reading his book. I have to admit that I wasn't exactly motivated in the beginning to read the book as I like to stay away from depressing subjects such as the Holocaust, but once I got started it was hard to put down. Reading much like a diary - which is what his writings are based on - it's very light and easy reading. As with any book about the Holocaust, it's filled with many descriptions of unimaginable cruelty and viciousness, some of it very graphic. Yet despite what the author went through on a day to day basis, not knowing if and when his living hell would ever come to an end, the fact that never gave up hope was inspiring to say the least. Most of us thankfully will probably never face the level of hardship that Stephen Nasser experienced. It makes you think that if a barely teenage child can have everything taken away from him and still live for the next day, why can't we?



2. I found the book, My Brother's Voice, to be extremely powerful, moving, challenging and awakening. I was unable to put it down once I started it and would recommend it to anyone who feels they may have challenges in their life. Mr. Nasser shares that it is the power of your mind that triumphs over all. It was a truly moving and thought provoking read. I give it my highest recommendation.



3. I just finished listening to Mr. Nasser speak with 3 classrooms of fifth graders and admit I was moved to tears. Even though few "gory" details were given (naturally to fifth graders) the essence and horror of what he endured could be felt in the room. How courageous a man to keep alive and share those horror-filled times; not to mention the sadness of losing your entire family. Thank you mr. Nasser for your honesty and courage and for not allowing us to ever forget. "Never again."



4. I just purchased this book right from Mr. Nasser. I attended a talk that he gave to some students this afternoon. Before even reading this book, I can tell you that it will touch our hearts, and more importantly, will change the future. Hearing about how he put together his diary to make sure the truth was finally told makes me think that I will start and finish this book tonight. G-d bless you, Mr. Nasser.



5. Before I begin..because this comment is long if you want a heartfelt personal account of the Holocaust READ THIS BOOK!!
   On a recent trip to Poland I was fortunate (or unfortunate enough) to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp. The visit heigthened my interest in the Holocaust that we have all heard of, read books and saw pictures of. However, the impact of actually being there in the buildings that housed those that survived the gas chambers by being "strong" enough to work. The gas chambers and crematorium where hundreds of thousands of the weak, the sick, the old, most women and children too young to work, met a horrific end to their precious lives! This very camp is where 13 year old Steven "Pista" and his 16 year old brother Ardis, along with their family members, began their journey after being rounded up by the Nazis.
   
   After visiting Auschwitz and returning home to Las Vegas, I became thirsty for knowledge to understand how such a horrific event could have occured right under our noses as WWII was in full bloom! I began reading and watching everything I could get my hands on, beginning with Schindler's List. I had seen the movie when it first came out, but it was far more impactful after actually visiting the factory, which is also being turned into a memorial much like Auschwitz. As I read book after book and watched movie after movie I still could not get my arms around the event. One morning I was reading our local paper, The Review Journal I came across an Ad about My Brothers Voice. I hurried to the nearest bookstore and bought the book. I began reading the book and could not put it down. I would read before I went to work.....worry about Pista and Ardis all day, hurrying to return home at the end of my day so I could read more, and to make sure they were OK. I read the book in 2 days!
   
   Of all the books I had read, including the Diary of Anne Frank..all paled in comparison to the extremely well written account of Dear Pista and Ardis' horrific journey. As I read the book I felt like I was there with them, could see what they saw, and feel what they felt! At this point, I will add that I am an American Catholic with an unexplained ignorance of what really happened from 1939-1945....that ignorance no longer exists! After reading this book I felt I knew Pista and Ardis, that is how well written this book is. It also helped me to put some closure to my recent obsession...the Holocaust.
   
   About one month after reading this wonderfully written book, I had the pleasure of meeting Pista, who it turns out lives right here in Las Vegas! I saw another Ad in the paper advertising his book and a phone number to call if interested in having him speak at schools, churches, and other organizations. I work for MGM Mirage which is a huge advocate of Diversity Training. I thought how wonderful if we could have him speak at some of our many Diversity Classes! I called the number and to my surprise it was PISTA that answered the phone. I was speechless, for a couple of seconds!!!! After a lengthy conversation with this wonderful man it turned out that he was having a book signing that very night. After work I rushed home to get my daughter and went to listen and learn more from Pista! He is such a sweet and passionate man, now fortunately much older than the 13 year old boy that endured what no child or adult should have to. He is not bitter, he is not predudiced, he has forgiven, but not forgotten what we must all learn more about. Not just to be better Americans and appreciate how lucky we are to be born in the US, but to be better human beings!! To love our families and our friends, to be grateful that we have good food and plenty of it to eat. We have a warm comfortable bed to sleep in and we work hard to have these things, not work because we are forced and beaten falling into "bed" starving, having eaten only a small piece of sawdust bread after a hard days work. Unimagenable...you bet, but TRUE! It would be impossible to write a book like My Brother's Voice without having lived through Pista's misfortune of being born to a family of Hungarian Jews! Same as my opening comment, my closing comment is the same.....READ THIS BOOK!!! I promise you, you will see the world through different eyes!
   
   Denise Fillmore
   Las Vegas, Nevada

5 comments about The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood.

1. This book is a revelation in its unflinching look at the awful life of an Amerasian boy left behind by his American father after the fall of Saigon. Kien Nguyen is one of two "half-breed" sons his mother bore, and feels the stigma and lives the horror of that awful stigma for the first 17-plus years of his life under the repressive Communist regime that takes power after the American's ignominious pullout from that war-torn country. Shamed, beaten, starved and tortured, his life is a literal hell on earth, but he is ultimately saved by the steadfast love of his grandparents and a mother who gradually matures into a more mature and selfless person from her own ordeal. Nguyen continued doggedly to go to school despite his poverty and the terrible predjudice he encountered, and because of this, he finally managed to obtain emigration papers to the U.S. for himself and his family. I couldn't help but think of another Vietnamese refugee memoir, Quang X. Pham's A Sense of Duty. Although the stories are quite distinctly different, they would make interesting companion pieces to be taught in a course on refugee/emigrant literature. In a word, this book is excellent. - Tim Bazzett, author of Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA



2. To learn about the hell (which is an understatement!) Kien Nguyen and his family had to live through after the fall of Saigon was stomach turning, heartbreaking and at times beyond my comprehension. While reading this book, I learned the true meaning of sacrifice, loyalty, promise, and hope.
   Kien Nguyen did a terrific job of capturing my attention from cover to cover. This is definitely a 5-star book; what courage it took for the author to share this story with the world!



3. I realize there are people out there who will disagree or won't get it, but of all the memoirs I have ever read the TONE and FLOW of this book is perfection. If you want to read something that has a great story, but in my opinion is a masterpiece, pick it up. This book is the reason why most of us read, to cry, to laugh, to get angry and to know joy.



4. I've been interested in this book for two years, and it didn't disappoint me. I started reading it a four o'clock P.M., and I finished it by eleven o'clock P.M. There are many stories about Vietnam from the perspective of the military members who served there, but there aren't many stories from the Vietnamese perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.



5. This book is fantastic! kien is setting a great path for other Amerasian who want to write about this topic. It's also a very touching topic for Vietnamese because we can't face this painful past.
   
   His writing is simple. It's easy to read without all the fancy words and ideologies. It's a difficult task but he did it! For Amerasian, not only you have to proof yourself of worthy in words play but also you gotta have an education to back you up. Kien is one of those "lucky" people. Not only he can write, but he also earned a graduate degree. For most Vietnamese, they wouldn't give you a second look, nor read your book unless you're a college material.
   
   It's sad but true that most Vietnamese still have a very negative view on Amerasian. They often think that all the mothers of these children are prostitute. The true is that most of these women, like Kien's mother, are true heroes. They survived a great deal of racism, especially among the Vietnamese. They endured such hardship due to circumstance beyond their control. The mother is my favorite character in this book. Not only did she accept the pain of being labled as "traitor" but she also endured the hardship of raising her own Amerasian children. Most of the women like her would give the child to the orphanage or to other family members to raise. Abandonment is often the case in this situation. As a result, these children grow up with a double rejection, one from their flesh and blood, the other from society. Kien's mother didn't abandon him instead she endured a great deal of pain physically and mentally to protect her kids. That's a rare quality for mothers who walked in her shoes.
   
   There are so many different topics in this book that Kien was able to craft into one story. I think he is talented. It's so easy for other people to point out all the negative writing aspect of his story. I think there is a fundamental sense here that pain is universal and how one came out of it. Also, he's a dentist for Godsake!
   
   If you want to learn about the Amerasian experience, this is a great book. Kien portrayed such a vivid story of a robbed childhood due to war, racism, and just plain human experience. Suffering is universal but there are hope and triumph, kien writes it clearly in his story.
   
   This Amerasian subject is so underlook. Most people don't know how it fells like to stop your car at an intersection and seeing a man holding a sign saying: "Vietnam Vet. please help". For an Amerasian, we often drove away with the thought 'could he be my dad?'

5 comments about Wayne: An Abused Child's Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope.

1. Wayne was one of twelve children. He is now married with four daughters and is a successful contractor in New Hampshire. It sounds like he is living the American dream; however, a phone call from one of his younger brothers triggers Wayne to seek answers from his past.
   
   Wayne, his brothers, and his sisters were abused throughout their childhood. There were hospital visits and questions from teachers and social workers, but the abuse continued. Wayne digs back into these painful memories and the information he finds shocks and surprises him.
   
   He has to confront his parents, and does so on a national talk show.
   
   This is a true story of a brave man whose spirit could not be broken. His past continued to haunt him throughout his life. He needed to find out the truth, not just for himself, but for his family, as well.
   
   This is a novel of terrible times and times of hope. While sometimes painful to read, the message of WAYNE comes through loud and clear to the reader that strength can prevail.
   
   Reviewed by: hoopsielv



2. What a suvivor. Wayne Theodore I appreciate this book. There are so many adults suffering today because of childhood abuse.People don't even know about most of the cases. Some parents and family have truely been mean to chidren and ruined lives. And do you know what, the abusers are crazy enough to wonder why those that they have abused have problems in life. Carl Theodore could have given his family a better life. His son mentioned him having money in his pockets.But he chose not to be a good provider. What would make a person want to inflict pain on his own children? What and why? I hope Wayne's brothers and sisters come to realize how wonderful Wayne is. I hope they have grown closer and supportive of each other. Can you just imagine how many sick people are taking advantage of children? There are a lot of sick parents in this world. Their children are sometimes the product of their wickness.



3. It takes a lot of courage to face your fear, and in this book Wayne faces and confronts his hideous past. Bringing to light his repressed memories of his upbringing. I think the way he rises above everything to be the person he is today, is a lesson to us all. This book is a good read, i could not put it down. I read the whole book all in one sitting.



4. i just read this book it was really good, i could'nt put it down,it told really good stories about what he had went throgh as a child.



5. I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's important for adult survivors of child abuse to get our message out. Thank you, Wayne!

5 comments about Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered (The Helen Rose Scheuer Jewish Women's Series).

1. I found this book extremely tedious, poorly edited, full of boring speculations and philosophical self centerdness. Am shocked at myself being able to say this about any survivor, but there you have it. I kept thinking, "OK, now when are you going to get on with the actual story", before realizing that it just droned on in this way. A much better book that I just read is 'A Jump for Life', a far more moving account and likeable woman.



2. There are many excellent memoirs describing the Nazi death camps, but this one touched me in a way that no other book has.
   
   My fiancé died in the World Trade Center, and this is really the only book that resonates with the deep, bitter grief I felt in that disaster's aftermath. I don't mean to compare 9/11 to the Shoah at all, but Kluger articulates many of the contradictory feelings and beliefs I myself have struggled with, including my frustration at being shaped by something that everyone knows about, but almost no one understands. I felt a shock of recognition when she complained about people visiting Auschwitz as a sentimental gesture, because I feel that same (totally irrational) discomfort about people visiting "Ground Zero". Though I have lived my life as an intellectual, Kluger spoke to the savage in me that still rails and howls at my loss.
   
   This is oftentimes an angry, bitter book, but she mentions in passing that she has grandchildren, so I believe she found some measure of joy in her life after her internment. After my tragedy, I was forced to ask myself how someone who doesn't believe in life after death can go on in the face of the gruesome injustice of existence. I never really found an answer, but I kept on living, and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. I heard a lot of my journey in Kluger's voice as well, and I am exceedingly grateful that she wrote this book.



3. Ruth Kluger gives a remarkably lucid and thoughtful account of her experiences as WWII Austria, and eventually the concentration and forced labor camps of Germany. Even though English is not her first language, Kluger writes remarkably succinct and cogent English prose, and she confronts the moral and emotional complexity of the holocaust in her memory. "Still Alive" is loosely structured, as Kluger prefers to record the events as she recalls them as opposed to adhering to strict chronology, but the result is very interesting, she superimposes her thoughts and secrets as the horrible events unfold. She paints a vivid and, at times unusual portrait of the Nazi holocaust, often ruminating on the pain and humiliation (she wonders if her father trampled children when sentenced to the gas chamber), but also the sheer enormity of the camps as an historical event, she recalls that when she received her tattoo she felt glee because she realized that she was a part of something that was much larger than herself, something "worth witnessing." A third of the memoir is post-holocaust, Kluger recounts her experiences in New York after the war as she and her mother struggle to regain control of their lives, and look for possible meaning and redemption in their past-suffering.



4. The author doesn't simply recount fact and opinion, she has truly analyzed her childhood growing up in Vienna and then through the Holocaust and concentration camp. What a treasure we have in this book to document one girl's life, living through a horrific time in history. It is a bonus that the author is such an outstanding writer. Kluger allows the reader to relate to her life through their own life experiences. She is certainly someone I'd like to know better. Highly recommend.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was written in a way that went through Ruth's life during the Holocaust years. It starts at the very beginning and just talks about her whole experience. I like how Ruth mixed in experiences and comments from the future. This showed how the Holocaust still impacts her life and what she thinks about her surroundings. No one will ever be able to understand what Ruth had to suffer while in the concentration camps. But I feel that by reading her life story it makes it seem more of a reality and brings to life aspects of how the Jews were treated during this time period in American history. All the hardship and discrimination that Ruth had to endure shows the power and willingness she had to live. I liked how she never said it was strength that le ther live rather it was mostly luck. I thought that reading this book made me feel greatful for everything that I have. I would recommend reading this book if you want to realize what life during the Holocaust was like.

5 comments about Paper Daughter: A Memoir.

1. I loved this book and found it immensely readable. The writing carried you along without you wanting to stop. I have met many Asian immigrants and read many Asian immigrants books, but this is the most stark and informative in it's revelations of what it can be like for such children and their families encountering a different and sometimes unwelcoming USA culture. I do hope this author continues to write as she is a superb and unforgettable storyteller.



2. Although much of the focus of Elaine Mar's memoir could be written by anyone who experienced childhood teasing, discrimination, loneliness, poverty, low self-esteem; it is important to find the core of her plight, a battle with parents resisting a change into their new country. But even that story can be retold by many.
   
   Two countries in one household.
   Elaine was very young upon arriving from Hong Kong with her mother to join her father. The parents didn't accommodate to the U.S. well. They didn't learn English or customary ways. Her mother was mentally and physically abusive and spoke to her daughter in a degrading manner, and often repeated to the daughter that it was a waste of their time raising her.
   
   I didn't feel what she had to say was any different that what many people experience as children. But then, I understood the conflict being raised as an American, but challenged by Hong Kong parents with their strong ties to that culture and beliefs.
   
   Money vs no money.
   That she could not buy the right clothes to fit in was moreso, poverty vs. money rather than a cultural aspect. And many Americans are forced to work in the family business their entire youth; it is not just a Hong Kong thing.
   
   Unanswered Questions
   I was left with questions unanswered. Her parents worked in a restaurant with relatives, and a feud caused them to leave the home (basement) and the father to be out of work. She never elaborates on what caused this feud that forced them to make changes and how did the feud end, since there was a reunion.
   
   Also, aside from some typographical errors, toward the end, there is a chapter titled "When Father Lived in Wichita", but it has nothing to do with the content. The father lived there before she came to the U.S. Another chapter regarding college life is titled TASPS, but nowhere do we get an explanation what this stands for.
   
   Graphic Detail - the sexual experience.
   We learn of her sexual experience with a white boy from the restaurant, and I do say; we learn this through graphic detail for several pages.....several. A page would have done for me.
   
   Well-written, holding my interest, living in Denver, and, my fascination with a different look at how two cultures collided.
   
   One has to admire her tenacity to get where she did! ......MzRizz



3. Some people who've posted reviews here feel this book is not significant but I think we can all relate to being teased at school and trying to get by as a child. I loved this memoir and recommend it to anyone else who also loves memoirs or autobiographies.



4. I read somewhere that the events in a person's life are only interesting to that person. So true in this case. Yeah, yeah, Asian girl picked on my American classmates. Asian girl must learn proper American table manners. blah blah blah. The flowery, overly-detailed descriptions were lame and contrived. It could have been a good story if it wasn't so full of self-pity and a narcissistic attitude. Poor child, auntie won't hug her. Poor dear, she can't date outside her ethnic background. It seems more like the diary of a confused and angry adolescent. Now, Amy Tan, that's an interesting writer!



5. The book opens with a sensuous description of a Hong Kong child eating chicken bones, crushing them between her teeth to release the clotted marrow within. The author later contrasts this earthy and primal experience with the manner in which Americans eat fried chicken, delicately nibbling away from the bone, oblivious to the rich marrow within. I found this broad metaphor thought-provoking, contrasting the sterility of American suburban life with the riotous, crowded Hong Kong environs where the author lived her earliest years.

   I was very impressed with the sensual detail in the book, the descriptions of textures and scents hinting of mystery, such as the jars of dried mushrooms and spices that her mother stored in the tiny room that was the author's first home.

   The criticism that many reviewers have expressed is that the memoir fails to be reflective. I did not find that to be the case. I prefer to have the author use metaphor and selectiveness of memory to present her view, as she deftly does, than to read pages of exposition detailing why she felt her mother treated her coldly. I believe the author is trusting to the intelligence of the reader to puzzle out the motivations of each character. It would be less than artful to be as obvious as some readers apparently wish.

   That said, I did not always sympathize with the author, especially as she grew into adolescence and became increasingly disrespectful of her parents. However, it took courage for the author to sometimes portray herself in a less than attractive manner. One was left to wonder if her adolescent angst would have been similar if she had never left Hong Kong.

   I felt the memoir's legitimate focus was her childhood and formative years. Some have expressed the wish that the author would have continued, describing her college years in greater detail. I disagree, as that would have moved the story away from the focus on family. Family is used to define the author throughout the memoir; as she seperates from her family, the story ends. Therefore, I found the break logical.

   My one criticism would be that it is slightly facile to believe that a Harvard education somehow has elevated the author beyond her family. The first severing was one of language. Education was secondary. I disliked the implication that the education she strove for somehow delivered her from an intolerable life. The author seemed to be overly impressed with herself for being accepted into Harvard, as if this were the grandest achievement attainable. She also failed to criticize, or if she did, it was too subtle for my tastes, the adolescent mentalities and delusions of genius, which were apparently common amongst the students at the Cornell summer program she attended. Nor could I tell if she felt the psychiatrist who interviewed her for the program was rather pompous and shallow, as I did. My assumption, though, is that the author has chosen to leave this unsaid and that this scene was yet another instance of her trying to fit into one sub-group or another, posing as an intellectual rather than as a typical American teenager.

   The author progresses from dutiful Chinese daughter, to bewildered immigrant, to essential interlocutor for her family, to sullen teenager, to burgeoning "intellectual". I felt that most of these transitions were beautifully described and that the varying experiences and motivations of the different family members contributed greatly to the richness of the story. I was a little off-put by her eventual move to Cambridge and Harvard, because I felt that the author's motivations were more about belonging to an "elite" group and progressing socially than any educational goals. However, my opinion is belied by the elegant and moving memoir that she later wrote, which implies that her maturity has progressed greatly beyond the last stage described in the book, that of a self-centered teenager eager to break from her family.

   Overall, I found this memoir to be very worthwhile reading.

5 comments about Lazy B (Modern Library).

1. I am convinced that Sandra Day O'Connor did not write this book herself as its observations are devoid of any depth and is written on a grade-school level. While the book offers a much appreciated glimpse into the Arizona of days gone by, it reads as a series of disconnected events without any personal reflection on the part of the author. I expected much more from a former Supreme Court justice.



2. I liked it.
   
   Sandra Day O'Connor's family was a strong, practical and loving one that raised cattle across a huge expanse of the arid Southwest through virtually the entire 20th century. That family was an extended one--by choice and necessity--and included the cowboys who made the ranch work. Ultimately though, family dynamics, the government and technology overtook that way of life; the ranch that Justice O'Connor knew is no more. This book tells that story.
   
   The writing is clear and descriptive, but almost too simple. Sentences are often choppy and the dialogue feels stilted--perfect grammar, no contractions, etc. I also found it awkward when the dialogue of all the characters was kept in the same paragraph. The book is credited to Sandra Day O'Connor and her brother Alan Day, but I had trouble with the voice. It is written in the third person, but it feels that it is primarily Justice O'Connor's voice. That feeling was occasionally rattled when an "Alan" story was told with details that she wouldn't have known. It is a frustrating arrangement. Too, the pacing and timing jump about a bit more than is necessary.
   
   Still, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and felt real empathy for the family. I found the descriptions of ranch life interesting, colorful and informative, and now enjoy a much broader knowledge of cattle raising and horse riding than I did before. I also enjoyed the solid, honest and commonsensical feel of the family and the cowboys.
   
   I guess the mark of a good book is that it leaves the reader wanting more. In this instance I wanted more details. I'm guessing that the editor wrestled with the authors to get the book arranged and the gaps filled in a manner that yielded a book that was coherent and comprehensive enough to pass muster. That the effort was successful, and left me wanting to know more, is a good thing.
   
   I'm very glad I read it.



3. This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I thoroughly enjoyed Sandra Day O'Connor's vivid depiction of her youth living on a ranch in the southwest. Particularly impressive were the connections made between lessons learned on the ranch and her philosophy on life, which ultimately shaped her career. I couldn't put the book down. I have purchased several copies to give to friends and family who have connections to ranching and/or the southwestern U.S. I highly recommend this book, even to those who do not have connections to ranching. As the majority of the population moves further away from agrarian life, this book is a refreshing reminder of the importance of agriculture and those who labor to provide for our basic existence.



4. LAZY B by Sandra Day O'Connor gives the reader a picture through words and photographs of life on a ranch in the arid southwest. But it also presents the development of independence, the value of a job well done not for praise or monetary considerations but because you believe in yourself.
   The way of life is fading into myth and legends, but an aspect of the value of children to the economic unit of the family needs to be examined and studied to give us greater insight into our educational processes. Productive work is the hallmark of a human being, it shines through the dust for this family and their employees.



5. A wonderful and genuine book that provides great imagery and a window into the real and raw Southwest. The book is less about Justice O'Connor and more about our magnificant Southwest. Environmental issues, farming, education, and family relationships are all discussed in an authentic and beautifully descriptive way. It's not a page turner but it's a lovely book if you want a picture about growing up in the Southwest when cowboys roamed and cattle were plentiful.

5 comments about An Hour Before Daylight : Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood.

1. This is a truly remarkable memoir describing the depression-era South. A must read, even if you are not a fan of Jimmy Carter.



2. This is a very enjoyable book. I love to read about the true
   South. Jimmy Carter is a man to be admired. He grew up learning
   to work for what he wanted. He shows great respect for others.
   A very good read.



3. AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT by Jimmy Carter
   October 29, 2007
   
   
   Rating: 4/5 Stars
   
   I've now read several books written by President Jimmy Carter and I've enjoyed them all. What I love about his books is his personal touch he lends to them. AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT however is the first full memoir that I've read by Jimmy Carter (the other books were books on Faith), and seeing the world of his childhood, depression era Georgia, has been insightful. This childhood he had is what shaped him into the giving person he is today.
   
   Living in the South during this time meant that blacks were separate from whites, and whites were superior to blacks. And while some of these attitudes may have prevailed even in the Carter household, he was also taught to treat blacks with respect, and most of his childhood friends were the black children of the hired hands they had on their farm. The Carters, compared to many of their neighbors at the time, did well in farming and were very resourceful in all they endeavored. Hard work was the ethic they lived by, but Jimmy Carter also had stories to tell about childhood antics and enjoying life on the farm. Carter also talks about his siblings, mostly referring to his sisters Ruth and Gloria (Billy came along much later, but he is mentioned in the book, in particular in regards to his tragic early death). He looked up to his father, and greatly admired his mother, a woman who did so much in her later years and became famous in her own right (some of the stories Jimmy relates are quite humorous, including her love of the Brooklyn Dodgers, later the LA dodgers and her friendship with the team).
   
   AN HOUR BEFORE DAYLIGHT is not the perfect book. I found a lot of it to be rather dry reading, but I still enjoyed the anecdotes and stories that Jimmy Carter wrote about his growing up years. He's seen a lot in his life and has used what he learned to enrich others and help those who need it. I am slowly going through Carter's library of books and look forward to the next one.



4. I've been wanting to read one or more of President Carter's books for a long time and decided to begin with this one. While I agree that it is well-executed in the main, it doesn't score higher with me on a few grounds.
   
   One: I felt there was a need for more fastidious editing. The book was by no means too long, but there was repetition and disordered content.
   
   Two: Way too much detail in some of the more mundane and unpleasant sections, in particular discussions of minutiae of small-town agribusiness dealings as well as graphic detail of livestock issues including slaughtering and castrating. TMI.
   
   Three: This is a half-hearted complaint, for I realize this isn't the book where these matters would likely be discussed considering the author has several other memoirs addressing other periods of his life (doesn't he?) In any case, I felt like the President did not discuss enough how his upbringing resulted in his being the man he is today as far as race relations are concerned. Lots of discussion about the relatively tolerant household in which he was raised, but lots of apology at the same time about how racism was ubiquitous at the time and not really perceived by his family or by others as a wrong to be righted. I don't know, I guess I'm rambling here, but I would have liked to have read content along the lines of "and these boyhood experiences shaped my perceptions in such a way that I wanted to make a difference in my public service career" and also I woulda liked to have read about how he connects his religious beliefs with his liberal leanings. Flesh out that relationship a bit more.
   
   Just my 2 cents.
   
   In any event, the book was a quick read and I am very glad I got around to reading it.



5. After reading this book it is easy to understand why Jimmy Carter was denigrated as a weak Leader who let America's enemies walk all over him. As he looks back with affection & describes his childhood in a strict, hardworking, but loving family on a farm in back country Depression-Era Georgia, Mr Carter comes across as a genuinely kind and good man who respects his fellow-men & women - regardless of color or creed; who is tolerant of - though not entirely blind to -- the shortcomings & foibles of others, and truly incapable of seeing evil in anyone. In short, he is the Ideal Christian. This also goes a long way to explain why subsequently he became so widely respected on the International stage in his second career as Humanitarian & Fixer of the World's Problems.
   
   Mr Carter paints a colourful word-picture of his boyhood home, the close-knit community, the Carter farm, the livestock, the hunting dogs, his family, and his neighbours, the black tenant farmers and their children with whom he worked and played. There is nostalgia for a time and way of life that largely disappeared from this continent half a century ago, when children worked harder & shouldered more responsibility than today's young people can even imagine, but which was the making of them as responsible adults. Yet his writing style is innocent & light-hearted, and occasionally down-right laughable as, for example, when he gives us some examples of his rural childhood diction. It is hard to imagine the urbane, educated Mr Carter uttering the words "We et a bait of plums" or, having travelled 30 miles to see the flooding Flint River, "Wheh de ribber, Daddy? Is it down in dat creek?"
   
   This book touched me on a more personal level as well. I was not far into it before I realised it reminded me so much of the spell-binding stories my mother used to tell us children around the dinner table, stories of her life growing up on a 240 acre Clay Belt farm as one of 15 children of Ukrainian immigrants. The climate, the geography and the neighbours' ethnicity may have been worlds away from the Carters, but her life and her experiences could just as well have happened down the dusty road from Plains, Georgia.
   
   Attention Jimmy Carter: If you read this - I asked my mother about the sound made by the metal clicker on the handle of the milk separator. She is an expert: one of her chores was to operate the milk separator; and afterward to disassemble, clean & reassemble all its the component parts, which she could perform as rapidly as a soldier does with his rifle.
   Mother says you have to turn the handle faster & faster until it reaches the speed necessary for the cream to separate from the milk inside the machine. The change in the tone of the "clicker" is determined by the speed of the turning handle & occurs when the required speed has been reached for the separation to occur.
   
   Mr Carter is one of only a handful of public figures with whom I would care to be acquainted. Such an interesting Life; such an interesting man!

5 comments about Stolen Innocence: Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken by Abuse: A Memoir.

1. This story is really sad and it could have been a good book. but the writer is a terrible one. There was so many mistakes and the way she writes is boring. I understand she is trying to make it look like a 6th grader wrote it (she did a great job at that!) but lets get real, does anyone want to read 248 pages of a 6th grader repeating herself over and over again?
   i was excited to get this book from reading all of the good reviews but i would only recommend this to a 6th grader going through the recovery of incest that she was.
   I hope nobody over the age of 13 wastes their money on this book.



2. A riveting and very sober account of the harrowing experience of child abuse as told by the victim. In the end this memoir ia an uplifting account of how perseverance overcame the fear of telling the truth. An amazing book.



3. Giving voice to unspeakable abuse is what prevents it from propagating. Only when it remains in the dark is its sinister purpose accomplished. This young woman was able to finally put aside her own fears and come out of the shadows to illuminate the disconsolate corners of her life that had been concealed from her parents and even her own sister.
   I read the book cover to cover in one sitting and had to choke back tears of recognition in several places. The book resonated deeply within me as we had a somewhat similar situation in our own family. Often, the revelation is as traumatic as the original abuse with the survivor suffering much more than the perpetrator even in the punishment phase.
   Nonetheless, Erin has sparked a flame that now needs to be passed among survivors and their supporters to shed light on a subject that is too often veiled by silence.
   Together we can bring light to the suffering. As survivors we need to continue to speak out, to support one another, and educate the public to prevent the growing scourge of sexual assault and child molestation. Thank you Erin for lighting the candle.



4. I found Erin Merryn's book by chance in the bookstore. I'm glad I did. I started reading the book and finished it in one night. Erin tells her story by using diary entries that she made at the time the abuse was taking place. She doesn't hold back. The result is a book that gives the reader the true horror of sexual abuse and its devastating effects on young girls. Stolen Innocence is a book that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. The story is heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time. What I liked about the book was how Erin educates the reader on the harsh realities of sexual abuse in this society by citing statistics. From there, she takes the reader on the horrifying journey of living with sexual abuse day in, day out. You feel the fear and pain with every word she writes. Sexual abuse is a topic that many tend to "push under the carpet." I applaud Erin for the courage she displays, for her ability to convey her story, and for being a survivor of sexual abuse. The communication between Erin and her abuser is a great addition to the book. Erin allows the reader to witness her raw emotions as she confronts her abuser in a series of emails. This book would be helpful to survivors of sexual abuse and to those who desire to help a loved one who has been abused. A great read!



5. Anyone that has ever lived through the horrifying experience of being raped, just as I have, needs to read this enlightening and healing memoir of hope. Erin Merryn unashamedly bares all in her narrative, recounting the mental, emotional, physical and sexual abuse that she so courageously overcame by breaking the silence of this most heinous of violations. From writing this book, she has given voice to those of us who were afraid to venture out with our own stories due to the stigma and the shame associated with this crime. This book overcame for me what years of counseling could not do. By her candor and her kind and gentle spirit you will be guided to a new self-awareness. You will most definitely come away from reading "Stolen Innocence" a much stronger, more assertive and hope-filled person. No longer will you consider yourself a victim, but rather, a Survivor!!

5 comments about The Coalwood Way.

1. The Coalwood Way is by far the best book I have read this year. The story and the writing style grab you back to the couch to read another chapter every time. The only bad part is that the story was not longer, but that's why this is a trilogy. I am now rushing to order Hickman's next novel in the series!



2. Another excellent book by Homer Hickam, If you don't read the trilogy you're missing a true West Virginia experience



3. Dr. Werner von Braun once said, "Matters of faith are not really accessible to our rational thinking. I find it best not to ask any questions, but to just believe..." These words are truly conveyed throughout the second of Homer Hickam Jr.'s memoirs, The Coalwood Way, originally published in 2000. Although following his acclaimed, Rocket Boys, this compelling story does not continue where the last left off. Portions of the memoir take place during the same time period as the last, however, this tome portrays the life of Homer "Sonny" Hickam in a different light. This particular memoir focuses on Sonny's senior year in high school and the hardships he must go through when growing up. In addition to working diligently on creating improved rockets, Sonny must focus on achieving A's in school. Most importantly, he must focus on his family. In 1959 Coalwood, West Virginia is a ticking bomb and as it becomes more and more difficult to keep the mines running, the bomb seems to always be the verge of exploding leaving the people out of jobs, homes and, even worse, their town. Sonny must now try to keep his family together while the town falls apart and yet keep alive the dream of leaving in order to join his role model, Dr. Werner von Braun, at Cape Canaveral.
   Sonny Hickam is on his way to fulfilling his dreams as the book begins. However there a few obstacles on the way. Troubles in his family prevent Sonny from leading an easy, carefree life. His mother, Elsie, is growing increasingly impatient with Sonny's father. Sonny's father, Homer, is the mine superintendent and with the opening of a dangerous new mine, 11 East; ultimately, he is home even less often than usual. The strain on the marriage becomes too much for Sonny's mother and she insists on leaving Coalwood to escape to Myrtle Beach in order to sell real estate. In addition to his domestic hardships, Sonny is having troubles with himself. Every so often, although only lasting a few minutes, Sonny will find himself engulfed in an unexplainable grief. This mystery baffles Sonny day after day. As he searches for the origin of this mystery grief, he learns more than he ever imagined. Sonny's emotions and adventures are vividly depicted through a truly sentimental story, splashed with humor in all the right places. The writing style of Homer Hickam in this memoir is once again captivating and absolutely unforgettable.
   Although one may think memoirs aren't written well due to the lack of an experienced writer, The Coalwood Way reads like an old time fable. It is written in such a way that you are taken from your own world and thrown into the small town in West Virginia. Hickam depicts Coalwood in such a way that the image of every part of the quaint town is etched into your mind. His method of writing will bring you to tears when tragedy strikes and laughter when Sonny finds himself in a humorous predicament.
   This memoir is all about finding yourself and realizing that whenever life trips you up, someone will always be there to catch you when you fall. Throughout this lucid story, Sonny tries to find himself, and while looking down on his beloved town, he finally realizes the answer to what he's being puzzling all along. He understands his feelings, thinking: "My parents, and all the people of Coalwood, had given me the only true gifts they could ever give, that of their wisdom, and of their dreams, and of their love. All fear, sadness, and anger inside me had vanished. I knew who I was and where I came from and who my people were. I was ready to leave because I could never leave." Once Sonny realizes he can let go of the past, he is able to finally leave his hometown with the closure he needs to succeed.



4. "The Coalwood Way" is the part 2 contiuation of the "Rocket Boys", AKA:"October Sky". I just really like the way Mr. Hickam tells his story in his books. I find them to be "Americana" like- a success story from a humble start. I think the series could be a must read for middle and high school students as a way to see their potential in their own future and not just the here and now. A great book (and series) to read!



5. I'm not sure where the below reviewers are coming from. The Coalwood Way, although including the Rocket Boys, is very much different from the first memoir. And it is not a bunch of disconnected stories, not at all! The Coalwood Way opens with Sonny Hickam in a strange depression a year after the death of his grandfather who had lost his legs in the coal mine. It is a depression he struggles with throughout the book and is the core thread. How he determines what is causing that depression really fills out a part of the original memoir that was left out and provides us with insight as to how he ultimately succeeds. Hickam reveals how that last winter in Coalwood so much is happening to him and his friends. His rockets are starting to work, but nothing else does. He even lets Chipper, his mom's beloved squirrel, escape into the winter cold and snow. He also meets Dreama, a young woman also struggling, and wanting Sonny to be her friend. Dreama is considered something like white trash, and is living with one of the most detestable men in town. Sonny also falls for Ginger who dreams of being a professional singer and provides an interesting counterpoint to the coal miners' sons of Coalwood with their dreams of spaceflight. "Dad," or Homer, Sr. is also struggling, trying to open a part of the mine that has defeated previous mine superintendents but upon which the future of Coalwood depends. "Mom," or Elsie, struggles with her failure to win the annual Veteran's Day parade (Coalwood's float has always won before), as well as her continuing attempts to get Homer, Sr. to quit the mine before black lung kills him. Elsie also identifies very much with Dreama and wants to help her but is held back by the "Coalwood way". The story is told with Hickam's tradmark humor and there are as many laugh out loud moments as tears. The dramatic arc of these threads to the story all join in a night of murder and mayhem when Coalwood is also buried in a huge snowstorm and cut off from the rest of the world. This is followed by another night of hope and amazing redemption on Christmas Eve that will cause even the hardest heart to melt. In many ways, this is Hickam's Coalwood Christmas story and it's a great one. You will love it.

5 comments about The Little Prisoner: A Memoir.

1. I dont think many of us know what this means and it was a difficult choice for me to choose to read these kind of books. It is still a taboo subject; but I was glad I read it as it opened my eyes that it is quite difficult to detect abuse behind other disturbing factors like the physical violence and verbal abuse that this lady and her family went through with just one crazy person in the family.
   
   As I read the book and relating to all this kidnap stories of kid disappearing then discovered years later, that they had all the opportunities to tell on their abuser; but they dont. The shear fear and the powerlessness must be so over powering, which the book does not get that across (which is why, for me, I am glad I did not have to experience it with the author).
   
   It is so true that behind close doors you do not know. I am thankful for the author to recount so many painful experiences as I will now keep my eyes open for any tell tale signs and not be one of these people who look the other way.
   
   I recommend this book for someone who dont want all the gorey details, but enough to have one eyes opened to what abuse means.



2. Another good book up there with "A Child Called It". I just stumbled upon this book at the library and decided to give it a chance. Once I started reading it, I could hardly put the book down. I had to get to the end to see what happened to her abuser. I'm amazed by what other humans are made to suffer through, especially at the hands of their own family members. I give credit to the author for finally standing up for herself and making a case. She put herself and others at risk to do so. Very good read but some parts are a little tough to read through from the abuse standpoint.



3. The story is harrowing and brutal. By the time I got to chapter three, I afraid the entire book was just going to be a litany of atrocities. I was looking for some insight, introspection, and triumph but the book ended abruptly and left me wondering if the participants in the author's last assault were prosecuted or simply got away with it, which is what the author seemed to imply. This family is seemingly "untouchable" no matter how much harrassment they inflicted--and they seemed to be threatening dozens of different people on a regular basis. Maybe I just don't understand how things criminal justice works in England.
   
   Technically, this book was not all that well written. I was irritated at how many times the editor let the weak construction "There was" stand. Seemingly every paragraph had one. The professional co-writer on the project should have known better. It gave the story the feel of a "just the facts" trial transcipt.
   
   Finally this book contains multiple graphic descriptions of horrific sexual abuse. Children do not be reading it or reviewing it.



4. i have only read 2 other books that shoked and moved me like this a child called it and the lost boy. Wonderfuly written i couldnt put the book down bought it read it that day and read it again. the strenght that jane has nd had is tremedous
   having to endure all that from a man hu was ment to protect her and love her as a daughter and be neglected by her mother and then shuned by her family becase she escaped made me cry so much i loved the book.i recomend it to old and teen but it is not 4 young children . thunbs up i admire jane eliot so much 4 breakin away from it all !!!!!!!!!!



5. 
   Only two books have ever made me feel so emotional, "THE LITTLE PRISONER" and "NIGHTMARES ECHO". Both tell of child abuse-sexual abuse and both are hard to put down until you have read every page. You will feel for the authors, urging them on...wishing you could make the tough decisions for them and realizing...oh my gawd the courage they have.