5 comments about Exile.

1. Exile
   I found it hard to wait until bedtime which is the only point in the day when I relax with a good novel (and I am good at picking good ones). I particularly like courtroom dramas and, at 79, I've read a lot of them. EXILE is about the best of them that I remember. It combined the complications (often fascinating)of the legal points offered and rebutted--- with believable perspectives on both sides as well as with interesting and informative insights into the Israeli/Palestinian issues.
   I actually felt sad to finish it and no longer have it available.
   Monty Berman Ithaca, NY



2. A simple question: Who's to blame for the last 60 years of violence in the Middle East?
   
   The next time you hear someone say: "It's all Israel's fault!" or "Blame the Palestinians!," give them a copy of Richard North Patterson's novel, "Exile." Unlike many partisan writers, Patterson clearly sees both sides of this terrible conflict, using his fictional characters to expose the deep roots of the ongoing violence that affects us all.
   
   Here's a quick PLOT SUMMARY: David Wolfe is a successful Jewish attorney in San Francisco with political aspirations and a bright future. Although he's engaged to a nice Jewish woman, we also learn that he had a secret affair with a Palestinian beauty named Hana Arif while at Harvard Law School 13 years ago.
   
   Out of the blue, the prime minister of Israel -- a peace loving man modeled after Yitzhak Rabin -- is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco. Guess whom the government accuses of masterminding the crime? You got it! David Wolfe's old girlfriend, Hana. Now guess who gets to defend her in court?
   
   The next 500 pages of the novel chronicle David's painful search for truth as he travels to Israel, the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon. In graphic detail, we experience the horrific suffering on both sides of the conflict. It's a good example of how fiction can teach us things we can't necessarily learn from history books, such as the immense emotional toll of violence on children and families. Best of all, the author doesn't force us to take sides -- we are compelled to think for ourselves. (What a great concept in this age of pre-packaged ideological "solutions.")
   
   "Exile" includes several interesting subplots about Hamas, Fatah and the fundamentalist Israeli settlers, all of whom have contributed to the current mess -- not to mention international players like Iran, America and Syria. In the end, we see the terrible price of vengeance -- across nations, across generations and across cultures. As Gandhi said: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
   
   While I truly enjoyed this novel, my main criticisms are as follows:
   
   -- It's about 30% too long. A strong editor could have cut at least 200 pages from the book's length without losing much of the storyline.
   
   -- The romantic sections are not particularly believable, particularly when he's describing Hana's passion.
   
   -- The opposing attorney, a female prosecutor named Sharpe, is a bit of a cartoon cut-out instead of a real person.
   
   On the plus side, the end pages of this novel include maps of the Middle East, the West Bank and the old city of Jerusalem. Very helpful stuff.
   
   Overall, I give Patterson four stars. If you can get past the first 150 pages or so, you'll be well rewarded. Shalom and Assalamu alaikum.



3. I was disappointed in this purchase for two reasons: It took a long time to arrive and the book was not in good condition as it was described. The cover was bent and it was clearly very used, not in good condition as advertised.



4. The Exile lures you into its story slowly but surely and then explodes you forward into a sun storm of character and drama. The best novels are those which keep you turning page after page while thinking, "... what would I do?...". You find yourself shutting the book and just thinking for awhile and then not being able to walk away, opening it back up and plunging in again. This is that type of novel. Here a decent man with an old secret love finds himself sinking toward giving up all he holds dear to save that person who may be a terrorist. A new love must fall into question. A career must fall away. All is sacrificed upon the altar of truth. It's a great book and will capture your mind and heart. Be prepared to be held captive while you almost become "the exile".



5. As an avid fan of Patterson's novels, I think this may be his best effort. An action-packed page-turner with well-developed, likable characters, it also provides an interesting background on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that leads (or at least led me to) further study and interest. Not only could I not put this book down, but I almost immediately began studying the conflict afterward, and feel quite educated as a result. Patterson does an excellent job of exploring the conflict from a neutral point of view, and encouraging the reader to seek out additional resources for further education - all the while providing an entertaining storyline that keeps you turning the pages late in to the hight.

4 comments about Small Miracles of the Holocaust: Extraordinary Coincidences of Faith, Hope, and Survival.

1. What an extraordinary book. There were times when I could not hold back my tears - I was so moved. It's been a long wait for a new "Small Miracles" book and fans of the series will not be disappointed. It is also an important addition to the numerous books about the Holocaust. It adds a perspective, (Small Miracles) which has not been readily written about! Truly a treasure!



2. I read the book in one sitting. The stories pour forth. They have the feel that they happened not sixty years ago, but more like yesterday afternoon. Putting us in touch with these first-person accounts of the Holocaust puts us in touch with life and history itself. It's unputdownable.



3. The book is fascinating and written so well that it can be read to almost anyone and be used as an educational tool in any classroom when learning about the Holocaust.
   
   Amazon's quick and dependable service enabled me to receive the book in time for an important day for which it was needed.
   
   Small Miracles of the Holocaust: Extraordinary Coincidences of Faith, Hope, and Survival



4. This book, written by highly acclaimed writers Yitta Halberstam and Judith Levinthal has got to be one of the best books ever written on the Holocaust. So well written. I was totally absorbed with all the true to life miracle stories. Some of the endings were shocking and so surprising.
   
   This is not just a book about miracle stories of individuals. The authors so eloquently also documented historical facts of the Holocaust. For those who are educators who want to educate students about the Holocaust, this book is the best book to begin with. For those who want to learn about the Holocaust but find it too difficult to read in depth coverage, this book is for you too. For people who already know about the Holocaust but want to read a great book - this is it! I am not a book reader, but found this book as well as all the other books in the "Small Miracles" series, very interesting, fascinating and amazing stories of Divine Providence.
   
   Besides this being an historical book, the miracles documented by Holocaust survivors and stories of the atrocities that they went through and survived, should make us all appreciate life so much more. So what, if things don't always go our way? And so what if we can't afford to eat in a restaurant or go on a vacation! At least most of us have our family, a roof over our head, no one attacking us physically, etc. After reading a book like this, it's hard to complain about anything! That's one of the reasons why it is so important to read this book!
   
   A lesson we need to learn as well from reading this book too, is how important it is to be kind to everyone. Yes, even people we don't particularly care for. Even if it is someone who doesn't have the same beliefs as we do. Or if the other person is not the same color of our skin. Why? In this book, in many stories, you read about people who were saved by others who did not share their beliefs or agree with them on every day issues. There is a story in this book about a particular Rabbi who always greeted Jews and non-jews alike including a Polish peasant who was a known rabid anti-semite. The Rabbi would always say good morning to this peasant even though the peasant would always ignore him and would never return the greeting. In the end this peasant ended up saving this Rabbi's life, probably as a result of the Rabbi always greeting him
   
   And this great book also has stories about Jewish people who before the war, assisted their non-Jewish neighbors in many ways including one who actually saved a non-Jewish acquaintance's life, which resulted in their life being saved by this same non-Jewish person. These Righteous Gentiles literally risked their lives by hiding them in their homes, sheds, in haylofts, etc. This book is also a great tribute to these beautiful souls. One of the amazing stories of these Righteous Gentiles, is about a non-Jewish woman who took a job as a cleaning lady to steer people away from entering an area where they were sure to be doomed.
   
   This extraordinary book also talks about loved ones who perished and came to people in their dreams giving them direction, which ended up saving their lives!
   
   This amazing book also talks about how someone's poor eyesight, saved his life. And also, how people, despite the great risks, celebrated Jewish holidays, even under the watchful eye of Nazis, and were threatened to be killed, but in the end, it was these acts of faith that actually saved their lives!
   
   There is even a great story in this book about a son of a former Nazi who converted to Judaism. The author's made note of the approximately 300 such converts now living in Israel among them, Hitler's nephews grandson. For a more in depth story about these converts - there is a great story I once read in Jewish Action magazine, put out by the organization OU - [...] - Summer 2006 issue,, entitled "Choosing Judaism." Yitta Halberstam wrote this fantastic article as well.
   
   Getting back to the book, what more can I say? So many great stories I didn't get to mention about. Reading this book, I felt like I was there. Thank G-d I wasn't. A lot to be thankful to G-d for!
   
   All in all, this book is a masterpiece and will be talked about for eternity.
   
   * * * * *
   
   There was a nice story written in the New York Daily News, Brooklyn section on September 23, 2008 about the book with pictures of the authors and a Holocaust survivor who was interviewed for the book. To read this article, go to the NYdailynews.com website and search for the title of the article, "New Book Highlights Holocaust Miracles" written by Joyce Shelby, Daily News Staff Writer.
   
   P.S. For more information on the Holocaust, there is a website that may interest you. Go to Aish.com and click on the left on the "Holocaust Studies" tab.

5 comments about A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East.

1. Fromkin's seminal work is now almost 20 years old, and it is still the essential history book on the bungled making of the modern Middle East. Like another reviewer, I would gladly have given this a 6-star rating if it were possible. So much today remains the very same, save for the change from one imperial power to another. Consider from the Introduction: "The European powers at that time believed they could change Moslem Asia in the very fundamentals of its political existence, and in their attempt to do so introduced an artificial state system into the Middle East that has made it into a region of countries that have not become nations even today." On page 451 Fromkin quotes the caution of an American missionary to the woman who, by in large, created Iraq, Gertrude Bell: "You are flying in the face of four millenniums of history if you try to draw a line around Iraq and call it a political entity..... they have no conception of nationhood yet."
   
   From the perspective of a century, in some ways it is difficult to believe that all this was a sideshow, to use William Shawcross's phrase for Cambodia. The "real drama" was the Western Front, a subsidiary drama the Eastern Front, and the rise of Communism, and this very distant front was much like Burma during the Second War World, few players with meager resources.
   
   Fromkin lays much of the blame for the misunderstandings between the West and the Middle East on Kitchener. In a description true of individuals today, he said of Kitchener: "The peculiarities of his character, the deficiencies of his understanding of the Moslem world, the misinformation regularly supplied to him by his lieutenants...... and his choice of Arab politicians...."
   
   His chapter on the Balfour Declaration is strong; balancing the forces and players at work, and making the oft-forgotten point that the vast majority of the world's Jew's were not Zionists. The book is replete with other ironies, such as a footnoted exchange:"... on the Arab question, shows Lord Kitchener asking, "Wahabism, does that still exist?" and Sykes answering, "I think it is a dying fire." So much of the West's impression of Saudi Arabia was initially formed by TE Lawrence, in his half-fictional work "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" so Fromkin's confirmation that Lawrence himself cautioned his biographer, Graves, that his work is "...full of half-truth here." is a valuable reminder to examine the prism and motives of individuals who write about the Middle East.
   
   On page 468, again with an easy substitution, plus ca change.... "In fact there was an outside force linked to every one of the outbreaks of violence in the Middle East, but it was the one force whose presence remained invisible to British officialdom. It was Britain herself. In a region of the globe whose inhabitants were known especially to dislike foreigners, and in a predominantly Moslem world which could abide being ruled by almost anybody except non-Moslems, a foreign Christian country ought to have expected to encounter hostility when it attempted to impose its own rule."
   
   I agree with some of the criticism of this book: that it is a "big man's" version of history, and neglects describing broader social forces that motivate the "little man" and that it is weak on describing the thinking and motivation of the non-European regional players.
   
   We can only hope that additional parallels with the present situation will occur, from page 561: "By the time that the war came to an end (WW I), British society was generally inclined to reject the idealistic case for imperialism (that it would extend the benefits of advanced civilization to a backward region) as quixotic, and the practical case for it (that it would be a benefit to Britain to expand her empire) as untrue. Viewing imperialism as a costly drain on a society that needed to invest all of its remaining resources in rebuilding itself...."
   
   This book should be mandatory reading for the next American administration.



2. Well-researched and it reads like a novel. 565 pages flew by before I noticed I was making progress. And timely as all get-out. What more could you posssibly want for the price of five gallons of Middle Eastern gas?



3. 
   World War One brought about the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern Middle East. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine (including a somewhat conditional Jewish Homeland), and the Transjordan were carved out mainly by the British. Turkey established itself as a separate entity including both European (East Thrace) and Asian parts. David Fromkin leads the reader through the changes that occurred between 1914 and 1922 in meticulous detail. Indeed, this reader found the book's main shortcoming to be the welter of specific facts that sometimes obscured the larger picture.
   
   Fromkin's book was published in 1989 so that it has an interesting historical perspective. The Iranians had thrown out the Americans and the so-called Afghan Arabs had played their (exaggerated) role in pushing the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan, but 9-11 remained over a decade in the future. Nonetheless, Fromkin detected the strength of Islam as the most important force in the region.
   
   Fromkin notes that the Middle East was the final area of the world to fall to Western (mostly British) imperialism. He also observes that this extension of Western power had long been anticipated with the main question being which country would get how much. In the end the British obtained more paper power than they could reasonable have hoped for, but then they found that by 1922 they had neither the will nor the wherewithal to exert that power. The Great War drained them of both. The British, and to a lesser degree the French and Americans, created weak countries and left major issues such as the fate of Kurds, Jews, and Palestinian Arabs unresolved.
   
   An even more fundamental challenge remained and remains. In every other area of the globe subjected to Western dominance, Western forms and principles prevailed, but Fromkin notes that "at least one of those assumptions, the modern belief in secular civil government, is an alien creed in a region most of whose inhabitants...have avowed faith in a Holy Law that governs all life, including government and politics." Fromkin puts his finger right on the problem that the West has in understanding much of the region.
   
   Even more daunting, Fromkin argues that the Middle East still has not sorted itself out after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He notes discouragingly that it took Western Europe about more than a millennium to "resolve its post-Roman crisis of social and political identity". The region's politics lack any "sense of legitimacy" or "agreement on the rules of the game - and no belief, universally shared in the region...that the entities that call themselves countries or the men who claim to be rulers are entitled to recognition as such." The last such rulers were the Ottoman sultans.
   
   With regard to the current troubles in Iraq, one fervently wishes that someone in Washington had appreciated the penetrating analysis by the British civil commissioner Arnold Wilson in 1920 about the area just then being called Iraq. While he was called upon to administer the provinces of Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul, he did not believe they "formed a coherent entity". As he saw it the Kurds of Mosul would never accept an Arab leader, while the Shi'ite Moslems would never accept domination by the minority Sunnis, but, to directly quote Wilson, "no form of Government has yet been envisaged, which does not involve Sunni domination." And on and on it goes.
   
   The book features a number of familiar figures, Winston Churchill most prominent among them. Fromkin's favorable treatment of Churchill strongly suggests that Winston was repeatedly ill-served by subordinates, bad luck, and bad press. By 1922, Churchill was finished as a British politician (or so it seemed). Other major figures include Lord Kitchener, David Lloyd George, T.E. Lawrence (about whom many questions are raised). A plethora of lesser known British and French military and civil leaders abound in the pages of Fromkin's lengthy tome, not to mention the odd Russia and German. Turkish leaders, such as Enver Pasha and Mustapha Kemal often bewilder their Western counterparts.
   
   Perhaps the oddest historical artifact reproduced by Fromkin was the belief, generally accepted among British intelligence and high-ranking civil and military leaders, in a conspiracy between Prussian generals and Jewish financiers manipulating Russian Bolsheviks and Turkish nationalists to the detriment of British interests! Moreover, in this conspiratorial view, Islam was controlled by Jewry. At this point, the reader is tempted to quietly murmur that the British should go home where they might understand something of what they are about. (The dangers of drawing too direct lessons from history are great and while the US leadership did not harbor any notions quite this crackpot, it bears notice that the US seem not to have understand Iraq, its history, or its people before sending in troops.)
   
   Fromkin produced a fine book, not an easy read, with a wealth of information and an excellent closing summary. It suffered, at times from the size of the subject - the transformation of an entire region during a worldwide war - and the maze of characters and details. A book that bears a second reading and a subject (subjects, really) for further study. Highly recommended.



4. I am an enthusiastic amateur family historian and I have puzzled a while over an important (to my wife and I) family question: how come my wife's great uncle, Captain Thomas John Catchpole (1888 - 1917), of Lidgate, Suffolk, and of the 5th Battalion, the Suffolk Regiment, was killed by the Turks at Gaza?
   
   Subsidiary questions have also been in my mind: why were the Turks/Ottomans our enemies in the so-called 'Great War'?; what determined the demise of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire, under which many races, including Jews, Arabs and Turks, had lived relatively peaceably?; and how did the present-day 'Middle East' become such a problem area?
   
   I am also a member of the 'what if' school of history: this book is one of those that inspire endless speculation. If decisions had been made differently and events had taken a different course, maybe my wife's great uncle's descendants could still be living at Lidgate.
   
   For example, what if the British Cabinet had acted on Winston Churchill's urging in 1911 to make an alliance with the Turks/Ottomans?
   
   And if the 'Great War' had gone on for two years only (the German General Ludendorff believed the entry of the Turks/Ottomans into the war allowed the outnumbered Central powers to fight on for two years longer than they would have been able on their own), my wife's great uncle would not have been killed at Gaza in 1917.
   
   And if Winston Churchill's Dardanelles plans had prevailed over those of Lord Kitchener in March, 1915, Constantinople would have fallen, and my wife's great uncle would not have been killed at Gaza in 1917.
   
   As it was, it appears that numerous attempts were made to subvert, to attack, and to conquer the Turks/Ottomans, the defeat of whom could - and, maybe, should - have been accomplished in 1915, and my wife's great uncle would not have been killed at Gaza in 1917.
   
   This brilliant book - an historical thriller through and through - has provided me with much information and most of the answers and I am so grateful to David Fromkin for researching and writing it and to Amazon for selling it to me.
   
   It is quite clear to me now that the alliance between Germany and the Turks/Ottomans was at best an unintended mistake and at worst the secret design of a very few of the Turkish leaders. It could have been done very differently, with Turkey and the Ottoman Empire continuing to maintain their neutrality, to the benefit of the British and of the world.
   
   And it also appears from Fromkin's account that the successive collapses of the British, French and Russian Governments were directly attributable to the Dardanelles disaster. In the case of Russia, of course, this meant a fatal finale for the Czar and his family and the rise of Lenin and Bolshevism.
   
   There came on the scene in 1917 one Woodrow Wilson, as ignorant regarding Britain, France, Russia and the Turkish/Ottoman Empire as many Americans, but as determined, nevertheless, to do down the British as his later successor, Franklin Roosevelt. Despite having some high-flown thoughts, Mr Wilson helped little.
   
   All in all, it is once again amazing to me that two great British statesmen, Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George, should have been so full of foresight and wisdom. It's all too obvious that the others, including Wilson, were political pygmies.
   
   I suppose now and with hindsight that I would probably have preferred for the Ottoman Empire to have been maintained, as Churchill often wanted, or, failing that, for the British Empire to have been vastly extended - for good!
   
   I spotted one error (on page 299, in a section on the role of Louis D. Brandeis, later the first Jewish member of the United States Supreme Court): 'Only one Jew [Oscar Strauss] had ever been a member of the president's cabinet.' Not true: Judah Philip Benjamin played prominent roles in the cabinet of President Jefferson Davis.
   
   (An extremely interesting piece of information gleaned from the book is that Baghdad and Jerusalem, before the War, were home to the largest populations of Jews in the Middle East. 'Jews in large numbers had lived in the Mesopotamian provinces since the time of the Babylonian captivity - about 600 BC - and thus were settled in the country a thousand years before the coming of the Arabs in AD 634.').
   
   There has been some criticism that this book is too much about Great Britain and its leaders and people. To answer the criticism I quote the following (from page 385): 'The Prime Minister (Lloyd George) claimed that Britain was entitled to play the dominant role in the Middle East, recalling that at one time or another two and a half million British troops had been sent there, and that a quarter of a million had been killed or wounded; while the French, Gallipoli apart, had suffered practically no casualties in the Middle East, and the Americans had not been there at all.'
   
   Thoroughly recommended: I couldn't put it down!
   
   A personal post-script:
   
   In the Autumn of 1917, following two earlier failed attempts by General Murray in the first half of that year, General Allenby invaded (from Egypt, which was under British protection) Palestine, and my wife's great uncle, Captain Thomas John Catchpole, was killed, during the third battle of Gaza, on the 3rd of November (reportedly fatally injured by a Turk soldier and then shot by a fellow British officer, in the presence of his own younger brother, to put him out of his misery, there being no chance that he would live), and lies buried at the Deir El Belah War Cemetery. And the Middle East is still a problem.



5. My unit read this book for professional development. I found it slow a firs, because it is a long read, but the chapters were interesting. I'm just a slow reader. The book offers countless lessons learned from the past that apply directly and indirectly to current US foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anyone interested in learning from past events of the Great Game and large wars should read this book. One will learn a tremendous amount of background information about the Middle East: why it is the way it is today, why the region is geographically divided as it is, and other useful information. Whether the interested reader plans to visit the region for business or personal reasons or he plans to study for various reasons, this book will be valuable. I also recommend for group reading and discussion.

5 comments about Not Me: A Novel.

1. I started off loving this book, but it weighed down a bit in the middle. In the end, it was a satisfying read; a book to recommend, but not so compelling that I'm going to give it as gifts to friends/family. The story turned out to be more about the fight to establish Israel as an independent country than about Nazi Germany--perhaps this was where my interest waned a bit, as it started off as a story about a Nazi officer who posed as concentration camp survivor when the Germans were defeated.



2. Can a man's later life and good deeds redeem him from the terrible things that he did in a prior life? Are bean counters during the Holocaust as guilty as murderers? This story of a supposedly community-minded Jewish Holocaust survivor who gives him son journals that tell of his life-long disguise when he passed himself off as Jewish but was really a Nazi will keep you interested and questioning.



3. A wonderful debut. Even though the structure gets a little strained at times, this moving story tells two tales, of a father and son. Other reviewers have outlined all the plot that should be revealed before reading the book, so I'll only add that this is a real page turner with heart. Not an easy task for a new writer.



4. What a wonderful, enriching and though-provoking novel! I can't imagine a more clever premise, or a better choice for a book club this year. While I read it on my own, I am so thankful I have passed it along to others who have since read and loved it, because there is so much to talk about and share!
   
   While the main focus of the story centers around the narrator's father's candid diaries of his transformation (for lack of a better word) from SS officer to devoted Jew, the thematic focus was less on how the reader would feel about this and more on how his son deals with these revelations. One of the most prevalent themes in this novel, which any reader can relate to, is the idea of having a secret and whether those around you know, avoid/deny knowing, or have "clues" about the secret or even the fact one exists. Indeed, the most interesting part of the modern-day storyline was the chapter in which the narrator examines whether he "knew" all along. He clearly didn't suspect as a child that his father was a former Nazi, but rather, whether he suspected growing up that things weren't always what they seemed.
   
   I would have preferred the story to have had more of the father's diaries and his storyline and much less of the narrator's modern-day storyline, although it worked well and was a fast, compelling read nonetheless.
   
   I HIGHLY recommend this novel to everyone who has ever had a secret, learned of a secret, or told a secret (which bascially includes everyone). I look forward to reading more from such a talented writer.
   I also highly recommend "The Book Thief" and think the two books really compliement each other.



5. This novel was compelling and powerful. I could not put it down. Many weeks after having finished reading it, I am still haunted and disturbed by the book. The story is about atonement, forgiveness and redemption, themes that I am struggling with, and especially appropriate for this time of year, the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement.
   
   I strongly recommend this book.

5 comments about Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews.

1. Great book, some recipes are not very original, but over all it contributes to the legendary Aleppian cuisine that I wish to see more materials about it to share with the world of sophisticated cuisines.



2. What a lovely compilation of recipes, pictures and history! It brought back a lot of memories of food I enjoyed in my younger years but had forgotten existed. There is not a large Jewish community where I now live. It's certainly leading me back to food I love and now that I know how to prepare it, it will certainly be a part of my daily fare! It's also my new coffee table book.
   
   Belana



3. I am not from Aleppo, nor am I Jewish, so this book was a really great read for me and a learning opportunity! Very informative about the culture, I really enjoyed the history lessons provided for each recipe. The photos are stunning and the recipes simple and easy to follow. I also appreciate that the author provides substitutes for items that cannot be easily obtained in the US(such as Aleppo pepper).
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to make simple, healthful meals, as well as anyone who would like to know the history of Aleppian cooking and traditions.



4. This book amazingly has all my family recipes. We found it in a book store while walking around San Francisco. We have bought one for all our children and nearly all our relatives have bought one too! It has everything in it and it's beautiful. The measurements on my 3x5 cards say a glass of this, a pinch of that and a taste of the other. Now I have actual measurements. It's great.



5. This is an amazing cook book. It is a trip to the past. When I make some of the recipes I feel I am home again at my grandmothers house. I love it and cannot stop recommending the cookbook to my friends. Just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water. I can taste it reading the ingredient list.

5 comments about My Grandfathers Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging.

1. What a wonderful thing it would be if we all had a grandfather like Rachel Naomi Remen had. Since we don't, the next best thing might be to learn the lessons and experience the blessings by having her share her stories about him with us. She does so in a beautiful, almost under stated way that is never intrusive and leaves us with a feeling of deep appreciation. These are very human and moving parable like stories that enrich our connection to each other in almost imperceptible ways. Although this is definitely not a how to book, the stories may effect how we live our lives. Thank you to Dr. Remen.



2. I happened upon this book by chance, and it is quite possibly the best book I've ever read. If you are looking for a book to inspire you and give you a positive outlook on life, this is it. It is incredibly refreshing and easy to read. Rather than one long story, it is a bunch of short stories, which makes it great for reading a little bit at a time. It has really helped me remember what is important in life. After reading this book, I can't wait to read other books by this author.



3. This is one of the best inspirational books I've read in a long time. I love it so much I'm buying it for friends! It is so full of wisdom...rich, rich, rich.



4. The author shares some inspirational stories of the lessons her grandfather, a Rabbi taught her as a child that served as building blocks for the rest of her life, as a Dr. and then a counselor. Whether you read this from cover to cover, because it is delightful and insightful, or take it story at a time over a period of time, it is a wonderful book. There are important life lessons for us all. Some will make you laugh, others cry, and others to say, "Oh wow!"



5. Real life wisdom for living life in balance and with heart.
   Rachel tells her stories openly, with compassion and great warmth.
   I have given this book to friends and family and carry its lessons in my own life. A lovely read, not at all preachy. Each chapter is worth savoring.

5 comments about The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood.

1. In the United States most of the time when one reads World War II history it tends to focus on the Normandy Landings and lightning dash to Berlin the Pacific theater is generally ignored and so is the Italian campaign. The Soviets also had to do a large amount of the fighting they were both defenders of their homeland and agents of a tyrannical regime.
   
   Then there were those people who were caught in the middle of it all like one Jewish Latvian survivor who was only 5 years old. Plucked from a firing line by a sympathetic sergeant and warned never to be seen naked this little boy resolves to survive in any way he can. He survived the war and had a family but he was racked by guilt at the manner in which he was saved for many years.
   
   While there are some funny accounts over the course of the novel it is by no means meant to be humorous the two stories that stick with me the most is the account of the time Alex Kurzem (the mascot) went to the train station and was assigned to pass out chocolates to an unruly crowd to claim them; later he reasoned that all or most of those people were killed in an extermination camp. Then there was the time that the soliders he was traveling with used him as bait to attract village women with unpleasant results for the little mascot and the women.
   
   One also admire the author Mark Kurzem who tracked down all of these loose ends partially out of a sense of curiosity and to give his family a sense of closure about the whole issue. It is a truly remarkable effort especially when you consider the unlikelihood that there would be enough people alive to put the sometimes spotty recollections of the father into any context.
   
   Overall-A truly remarkable account and evidence of tremendous courage on the part of the father both as a child to survive all of that and to level with his family years later about what he had gone through.



2. 
   There are many stories to come out of World War II, both told and untold, this is surely one of the most remarkable. It is a tale of survival but not without cost.
   
   As a five-year-old boy Alex Kurzem saw his mother and father as well as neighbors shot by the Nazis. For some inexplicable reason his life was spared and he ran to hide in a dense Russian forest. Amazingly he did not freeze to death during the unrelenting cold but existed by searching for food and taking the clothes of dead soldiers.
   
   When he is found by a group of Latvian SS soldiers they never imagine he is Jewish but believe he is Russian and more or less adopt him, making him a little corporal in the SS with his own uniform. Young Alex fears for his life, of course, and does as he is told, even to repeatedly watching repetitions of the same fate that befell his parents and starring in a Nazi propaganda film.
   
   What price survival? What he has done will haunt Alex for the rest of his days. He is so troubled by his past that he does not even tell his wife and only later reveals his entire story to his son, the author of this memoir, Mark Kurzem.
   
   The Mascot is not only a reminder of one of history's darkest times but testimony to the dramatic effects it may have on those who are not killed but sorely injured in their hearts and souls.
   
   - Gail Cooke



3. This book is very interesting. I rate it a must read; however, it is very slow at the beginning.
   
   I couldn't help but think while reading of what Alex witnessed and then the ensuing childhood being raised by Nazis, the story of Moses, a Hebrew who falls into the hands of the Pharoah's daughter. He too was raised by people who slaughtered and enslaved his people. Too bad Alex has not yet connected with his Old Testament roots. Moses became a great leader and great man by God leading the Jews out of Eqypt.
   
   There are parallels than can be drawn.



4. Without reciting all of the details, this is a must read for people interested in understanding the Holocaust.



5. This is an exceptionally well-written book that tells an amazing story. Since other reviewers have given the details of the story, I will not rehash them. Suffice to say that Alex Kurzem's story is a good example of the terrible suffering innocent individuals have had to endure (a suffering that may even be worse than death itself) as a result of Nazi cruelty.
   
   Some reviewers have said this book is unfair to the Latvian people and tarnishes the entire nation with the same brush. I beg to differ. I believe the author went out of his way to distinguish between those Latvians (police and troops) who committed war crimes and those Latvians who did not (such as the family that took in his father). Even with regard to Commander Lobe, whose soldiers did commit atrocities, the author is careful to indicate he can not say for certain that the commander participated in those war crimes although he may have.
   
   It would have helped to set the stage for his story if the author had included a brief introductory chapter on the history of Latvia during World War II. Nazi Germany and the USSR divided Poland between themselves in 1939. Then, in the spring of 1940, with no pretext or justification, Stalin swallowed up the three Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Naturally, the Latvians were outraged at this groundless conquest of their country and communization of their economy. Most Latvian Jews, however, were more willing to accommodate themselves to life under Soviet rule, even if it meant giving up personal property, because they felt they were now safe from the Nazis. In June 1941, however, Hitler broke his alliance with Stalin and turned on Russia. When the Nazis conquered Latvia, most Latvians saw them as liberators from the hated Russians, especially since they restored the Latvians' private property (that is, other than the Latvian Jews' property). One thing the Nazis did not restore, however, was Latvia's independence. The more thoughtful Latvians realized this. To them the Nazis may have been the lesser of the two evils, but they were still evil. Other Latvians, however, saw the Nazis as their friends, protectors and allies. This was unfortunate, and both the Latvians and the Latvian Jews ended up paying a terrible price. Close to 90 percent of all Latvian Jews were killed by the Nazis and those Latvians who made common cause with them. In addition, some Latvians even went into other countries (including Alex Kurzen's village in what is now Belarus) to help the Nazis commit their evil atrocities. Toward the end of the war, the USSR took over Latvia and annexed it. For the next 45 years the Latvians knew no freedom and the Soviets settled many Russians in their country, who live there to this day.
   
   The Latvians should have at least tried to follow the example of the nearby Finns. The Russians also wanted to conquer Finland and as a result Finland allied itself with Nazi Germany. But the Finns fought only to regain the land Russia had taken from them and refused to participate in the Nazi invasion of Russia itself nor did they send troops to help the Nazis anywhere else. The Finns refused to harm their country's Jewish citizens nor would they turn them over to the Nazis, though Germany requested they do so many times.
   
   As a result, the Russians grudgingly respected the Finns and did not see them as Nazi puppets or stooges. Finland therefore managed to maintain its freedom and democracy in the aftermath of World War II, though they had to remain neutral in the Cold War, so as not to offend their Russian neighbor.
   
   The moral of the story: If a nation puts its trust in another nation to the extent that it willingly relinquishes its independence and willingly ceases to take responsibility for its actions, there will be a price to pay.

5 comments about Man's Search For Meaning.

1. I bought this book because I was searching for yet another book on workplace bullying and another book came up in my search based on Frankl's book. I read the customer reviews on that book and one reviewer said something to the effect of, "If you want to read a book based on Viktor Frankl's opinion of how to get along at a bad work environment (like a Nazi death camp), why don't you just read Frankl's book?" So, that's where I started. I read it. Twice. Then I got out my computer and typed in passages that had meaning to me so I could re-read them during difficult times. I compressed the entire book down to about 10 pages, single spaced. I must admit that I consider myself a negative, often depressed sort of person, mostly because my work situation is so demoralizing. I was amazed by Frankl's coping mechanisms on how to get along in a difficult situation; every day meant multiple incidents of having to choose the correct path to avoid death or worse, making the choice to give up on your own life (suicide). He went through 5 years of that and lived to tell about it. It is a must read for everyone, particularly when you are having the hardest time of your life. I could tell that if I had read it as a college student, it wouldn't have the same meaning as now, when I am 50 and have had many ups and downs. I see everything at such a deeper level and appreciated this book so much more than I would have if I were younger. Briefly, the lessons in the book written 50 years ago still apply today. Here they are: Let luck be your guide. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Network with the equivalent of a one-step-up lateral (not your own) middle manager and they will help you when they can. Schmooze. Be kind to others. Don't complain, it doesn't help. You can't fix, deal with or appeal to a sadist, so don't try. Avoid sadists at all costs. Keep your mouth shut unless asked for your opinion and then be short and to the point. Praise, even when praise isn't deserved. Keep criticisms to yourself. Be inconspicuous. Work hard for the sake of doing a good job. Fantasize for escape. Everything can be taken away from you except for your past, so relish in it. When something good happens to you, write it down (keep a gratitude journal). Don't do anything that compromises your own values so you won't have regrets. Be careful who you abuse today because tomorrow they may be your master. You are not your job, your title or your position. You are a unique person loved by others. The only thing in life that really matters is the people you love and the people who love and need you. Love shared is eternal. Treat everyone with respect. The meaning of life is not what life can do for you, but what life expects of you; how you make the world a better place with your presence. The purpose of life is not happiness. The purpose of life is discovering what you can contribute to it. Save a slice of bread (or whatever is the only material thing that matters to you when there is nothing left) for later when you are really depressed and it's the only thing left that can get you through that difficult moment. (For me it's chocolate and a dark beer at the same time.) Apathy is the signaling of the beginning of the end of one's life. Everyone that you respect and look up to has human failings. Even tough guys cry. Suffering without purpose is meaningless. The larger the suffering, the bigger the lesson. There's lots more in the book for you to discover and it's an easy read.



2. This is a wonderful book to read merely because of it's main message. Read it and find out the meaning of the title.



3. I first read this book in college many years ago as I was working on my degree in psychology. An excerpt from it is in John McCain's autobiographical book, Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir. I was glad to be reminded of this book which I had not read in years. I found my old copy on the shelf but I am also glad to learn it is still available.
   
   The comparison between Frankl and McCain as prisoners is striking. Both of them emphasize the basic human need for meaning and purpose. Both share incredible horrors of prison camp as well as the human ability to look beyond present circumstances, to keep the horrid memories from continuing as sources of torture years after the actual experiences.
   We can apply this ability to many of the unfortunate experiences in our lives. It is not only an attitude of forgive and forget, it is the need to keep the horrors or smaller angers from continuing to torment us.
   
   It is more than a little frightening that there are people who deny that the Holocaust even happened. I hope you read Frankl's book. Fully grasp the reality of his day and apply it to today's needs and problems.



4. Just in case, if one wants to ascertain the level of endurance human beings possess, he needs to go no further than read through the experiences at concentration camps as recalled by a survivor - Viktor Frankl - in this book.
   
   And considering that a will to survive does not manifest only in situations where life is at stake, physically, but at various stages in life, where even smallest of problems can seem mammoth and wreck havoc in making life miserable at psychological level, the lessons contained in this book have vast practical applications, when it comes to understanding our survival instinct.
   
   The basic principle which differentiates a survivor from a loser is well highlighted by the following quote, which is often cited by the author in the book - 'The one who has a why to live can bear almost any how.'
   
   I would highly recommend this book and would suggest re-reading it a few times because it would better enable on to grasp and internalize the importance of the subject addressed in this book and appreciate the viewpoint of the author.



5. A stunning story of a man who survived the horrors of concentration camps. He is a psychiatrist and developed his own theories and method of therapy called logotherapy. The book covers his experience in a concentration camp and the second half of the book explains his philosophy of logotherapy. Frankl says that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living; life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death. He encourages his patients and readers to live a full life by looking to the future rather than reliving the past.
   
   Quotation: "Self-transcendence of human existence: Being human always points, and is directed, to something, or someone, other than oneself - be it a meaning to fulfil or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself..."
   
   Excellent read. Highly Recommended.

5 comments about The Feasts Of The Lord God's Prophetic Calendar From Calvary To The Kingdom.

1. This book is foundational to the Christian faith and really should be soomething every pastor should be teaching on. It gives clear and Biblical descriptions of the feasts of the Lord, which is God's calendar, and why he set up the calendar and chose these particular feasts to be celebrated. It also explains awesome little details of Jewish customs at the time of Christ that make things like the Passover so interesting. You get to see how all the pieces of the puzzle come together. The best part is how it describes Jesus as the fulfillment of thress of the feasts and that those feasts that are yet unfulfilled will be completed in the future......very cool!



2. This book is one of my favorites, as far as learning more about customs of the people in the Old Testament. When you are done reading this book you will have more understanding of the people and of scripture. If you are a pastor or sunday school teacher or a homechurch, get this book.This is one book you will go back to a hundred times.



3. This book is one of my absolute favorites! Not only is the information within EXTREMELY well written, there are many photographs and the artwork is among the best I've ever seen.
   
   There are overviews of the Spring Feasts and the Fall Feasts and an explanation of Jewish Time, broken down into the Jewish Day,Week and Month. There are chapters on The Feasts Of Leviticus 23 (the 7 feasts) as well as Additional Observances.
   
   Each of the Feasts are covered in DETAIL, with wonderful illustrations, charts and artwork.
   
   Even if you never read a word of this book (which would be a shame, because it is so very informative) you will be blown away by the artwork and the photography. There is a two page spread on The Passover Table which shows each item with an explanation, which is worth the price of the book alone!
   
   Each Feast is covered with THE BIBLICAL OBSERVANCE and also the MODERN OBSERVANCE, and each ceremony is explained in interesting, never boring detail. The illustrations and photographs draw you in and you really start to "get it."
   
   I am so thankful I purchased this book. It is one of my favorites and one which I refer to often. It is well worth the price and you won't regret your purchase.



4. This book was recommended by Beth Moore in several of her Women's Bible
   studies. It gives detailed information about Jewish celebrations which
   lend a rich perspective to one's understanding of the Bible.



5. It is an amazing look at the cohesiveness of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Well-written, and scholarly, yet easy to read.

5 comments about Man's Search for Meaning.

1. The following summarizes the true meanings the author wants us to absorb.
   There are three avenues to arrive at the meaning of life. 1) Creating a work or or doing a deed 2) Experiencing or encountering something added to your life i.e. finding love 3) facing a fate one cannot change. You then rise above oneself, rising above what is expected. One grows from the experience, and experiences positive change.
   Experiencing and surviving suffering is something to be proud of... not something to be ashamed of. We all learn and grow from our experiences.



2. I read this book regularly for inspiration. Frankl found a way to confront the greatest evil of the last century, which for him was very personal, and survive. In the midst of it he discovered that we most long for meaning in our lives, and so he developed a therapy that helps people search for it.
   
   The beginning part of the book about life in the camps simply cannot be forgotten. And then, when he tries to make sense of it, ordinary readers realize that whatever they have suffered there is a way forward. Frankl used tragedy to help others. A person can't be more noble than that.
   
   Lawrence J. Epstein, author of "At the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish Immigrants on New York's Lower East Side."



3. What can a person expect of life in a concentration camp? Is there a chance you can find meaning in living that torture? This is a truly inspirational book that reminds you that not everything is lost, that you can find light in the most terrible conditions. It's not new age, it's a story of survival and hope.
   The second part of the book is about logotherapy. Victor Frankl was the creator of this discipline and it basically addresses the question of meaning in people's lives.



4. From the perspective of a member in a culture consumed in the "existential vacuum", Frankl's experiences and logotheraphy discussion offers a call to action for those prepared to live a meaningful life. This book will change you.



5. This book was suggested as recommended reading in Daniel Pink's book "Whole new mind". I found it so inspiring that I had to purchase 3 copies; one for myself and two for friends. It gives perspective to life and why we are here.
   It's incredible to read the insight of a man who lived through the horrors of Auschwitz and Dachau and is able to write about it with such clarity and wisdom. In particular his perspective as a psychologist living through this time is extremely insightful. I have suggested this book to a few people now; a definite for those needing stories of resilience.