Subjects:  1. Collections Of Photographs    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    5. Jewish - General    6. Jewish Holocaust    7. Jews    8. Military - World War II    9. Persecutions    10. Photo Essays    11. Pictorial works    12. Poland    13. Warsaw    14. Jewish studies    15. Photographs: collections    16. Photography / History    17. The Holocaust    18. World history: Second World War   

Reviews (1)

Highly recommended
Harry Haft: Survivor Of Auschwitz, Challenger Of Rocky Marciano is the unique biography of a Jewish man who survived the Nazi concentration camps while being forced by brutal German officers to fight his fellow prisoners -- to lose was to die. Haft was only sixteen when he was sent to the concentration camps; four years later, he barely escaped with his life, and killed German civilians while struggling to survive. Prone to fits of violent temper, made worse by the permanent scars of the unspeakably inhuman treatment he endured, Harry Haft decided to take his talent for fisticuffs into the professional boxing ring. But in an era when boxing was heavily infiltrated by organized crime, gangsters threatened Haft with execution unless he lost his fight with heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Written by Harry Haft's son, Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano gives a complete picture of a flawed yet courageous human being, a survivor beyond measure, and is highly recommended for biography and holocaust studies shelves. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Be±chatâow    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Boxing    7. Historical - General    8. Historical - Holocaust    9. Holocaust    10. Holocaust survivors    11. Jewish boxers    12. Jews    13. Poland    14. Sports - General    15. United States    16. Biography: general    17. Biography: sport    18. Europe    19. The Holocaust   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (42)

Very well-written, but a rushed ending
Not an easy book to get through because it goes into great detail about the gory insanity of the einsatzgruppen operations, Rhodes is a great writer and the narrative flows very easily and freely. The book includes many unforgettable, indelible images and takes an interesting tack in taking a stab at psychological analysis to explain the unexplainable. I like the discussions on psychology/psychiatry- they are long enough to be substantive, but not too unfathomable. The main problem with the book is that it seems to come to a very sudden end. Its as if all of the filth & evil which the author had to spew out on the pages as part of his work drove him to the point where he could just not write any further. Also, thanks for the epilogue, where we see how many of these guys actually got away with what they did.

Good, but not Rhodes' best work
I bought this because of the subject covered (especially after reading Browning's Ordinary Men and his other works on the final solution, as well as Goldhagen's controversial Hitler's Willing Executioners and a good few others on the topic) but mostly because of Rhodes' two stellar previous books on the development of atomic and hydrogen bombs.
Important
A sober account that investigates why and how `normal' men were willing to carry out orders that included the widespread and routine slaughter of innocents. How could they live with themselves?
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Subjects:  1. Germany    2. Historiography    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Holocaust    7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    8. Jewish Holocaust    9. Nationalsozialistische Deutsch    10. Poland    11. Schutzstaffel    12. Secret service    13. Soviet Union    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. History / Holocaust   

Reviews (2)

Hundreds of interviews with Polish Jews.
According to Mr. Elie Wiesel: Rabbi Moshe Weiss'journey to post-Auschwitz, Poland is a stirring personal document. Read it and you will learn about Jewish dreams, hopes and prayers that turned into ashes inOswiecim, Majdanek and Treblinka. You will hear unknown stories abautHasidic miracles and Jewish faith, as well as some shocking acounts of aJew who worked with Himmler. Above all, you will accompany to author on hispilgrimage, looking for Jews but finding antisemites. Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz,Lublin,Przemysl: What remained of a community of three and a half millionJews? Some cemeteries, a handful of survivors, many memories and infinitesadness."Elie Wiesel

Hundreds of interviews with Polish Jews.
According to Mr. Elie Wiesel: Rabbi Moshe Weiss'journey to post-Auschwitz, Poland is a stirring personal document. Read it and you will learn about Jewish dreams, hopes and prayers that turned into ashes inOswiecim, Majdanek and Treblinka. You will hear unknown stories abautHasidic miracles and Jewish faith, as well as some shocking acounts of aJew who worked with Himmler. Above all, you will accompany to author on hispilgrimage, looking for Jews but finding antisemites. Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz,Lublin,Przemysl: What remained of a community of three and a half millionJews? Some cemeteries, a handful of survivors, many memories and infinitesadness."Elie Wiesel ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Holocaust   

Reviews (2)

A Great Book to Learn the Basics of Poltava
This is a great book to learn all of the basic facts regarding the Battle of Poltava, and the results of the state of Europe afterward. An excellent, well written book
Poltava 1709Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Poland    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - General    5. Military History - Modern    6. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    7. History / Military / General    8. Land forces & warfare    9. Russia    10. War & defence operations    11. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (1)

Good source- Great Intro
Thietmar was a bishop of Merseburg which is in what is now Germany. His chronicle covers the reigns of Henry I, Otto I, II & III, and Henry II. This is a valuable source finally available in English.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. General    3. Germany    4. Government - Comparative    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Merseburg (Germany)    9. Monarchy    10. Saxon House, 919-1024    11. Sources    12. European history: c 500 to c 1500    13. Poland    14. Social history   

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Poland    2. Economic Conditions    3. Geopolitics    4. History - General History    5. International Relations - General    6. Poland    7. Political Science    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Social conditions   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Antisemitism    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Eastern Europe - General    5. Eastern Europe - Poland    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Jewish - General    10. Jewish Studies    11. Jews    12. Nationalism    13. Persecutions    14. Poland    15. Eastern Europe    16. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    17. European studies   

Reviews (12)

A good start
Recent scholarship on Poland's suffering during the war has opened eyes on the Warsaw Uprising of 1944(not the earlier Ghetto uprising of 1943) and has illuminated the destruction of Poland brought on by the Nazis.The Nazi racial theory applied to Slavs led them to be used as slaves and treated as meat by the German conquerors.Poland was treated a cow for milking, as hundreds of thousands of Germans entered Poland to administer and colonize it, it being the first nation to be 'liberated' for German 'labenstraum'.Here we get a story of the 'holocaust' of the non-Jewish Poles and perhaps this is where the helpful aspect of this book collides with the its other bizarre appeal.Many Holocaust deniers cite this book in order to prove that The Holocaust is being used to only show Jewish suffering while the 'real' holocaust of other non-Jews is covered up in histiography.Hence the name 'Forgotten Holocaust".However logically if the suffering of the Poles needs to be brough out of the dustbin of history and brought out alongside the Holocaust then why compare it to the Holocaust.The suffering of the Poles is not a 'fogotten Holocaust' rather it is another massive war crime that should be addressed in history and presented alongside the holocaust to show that the Nazis target other groups for destruction, if not extermination.
Rebuts anti-Polish Chauvinism
We all heard of the 5-6 million Jews murdered by the Germans, but almost no one has heard of the 2-3 million Poles also murdered by the Germans. Lukas shows that this included nearly one half of all educated Poles. Overall, Lukas goes into considerable detail about the Polish tragedy. Attempts to equate the German treatment of Poles with the earlier prewar Polish treatment of Jews, Germans, and Ukrainians are dastardly lies. To begin with, Poland's minorities were hardly victims. They often provoked Polish counteraction through their sabotage of the Polish state. NEVER, under any circumstances, were large numbers of Poland's minorities killed by Poles. The living conditions of Poland's minorities in prewar Poland were a paradise compared with the living conditions of the Poles under the German occupation. Far from being an incipient Polish crime, the proposed mass population transfer of Jews also enjoyed the support of Zionists such as Vladimir Jabotynsky. Finally, there is no comparison whatsoever with the proposed or actual transfer of an unwanted population with the mass genocide of the same.

A Fine Book
This 200+ page book is certainly worth reading and having it in one's own personal library for future reference. There are not enough books written about the WWII experience of Gentile Poles under German occupation. The Polish nation was targeted for annihilation. Much is written about the Jewish people's sufferingRead more

Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Eastern Europe - Poland    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Holocaust    7. Military - World War II    8. Poland    9. Prisoners and prisons, German    10. World War, 1939-1945    11. European history: Second World War    12. Germany    13. Second World War, 1939-1945    14. The Holocaust   

Reviews (1)

Must read for historians and activists alike
This book is a rare historical work which combines readability and depth of insight.While I have read others that also achieve this mark, OIL EMPIRE is one of the few that does so and still maintains the specificity of an academic work.At times I found the author violated Orwell's dictum to use the simplest vocabulary to convey an idea, but this did not distract from the pleasure of reading this book.I tend to focus more on classical histories, and new nothing about the history of Galicia before I started, but I found the the author was able to situate her research so that this was not a problem.When I finished the book I was reminded of the old saying that to understand a large problem we must first understand a small problem.After the events of 9/11 it is no longer just the leftists who assert that control of the oil economy is at the heart of our foreign policy.This book provides a case study of how the same ambitions that we have today were played out on a smaller scale at the turn of the last century.I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for her next work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Economic History    2. Economic conditions    3. Europe - Austria & Hungary    4. Galicia (Poland and Ukraine)    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Industries - Energy Industries    9. Petroleum industry and trade    10. Social conditions    11. Austria    12. European history: from c 1900 -    13. History / Austria & Hungary    14. History of specific subjects    15. Petroleum & oil industries    16. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (1)

An intense, personal, and moving story of evading the German troops and camps during World War II
Christians In The Warsaw Ghetto: An Epitaph For The Unremembered by Peter F. Dembowski (Distinguished Service Professor (Emeritus) in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago) is an intense, personal, and moving story of evading the German troops and camps during World War II. Readers follow Dembowsi through the gripping and remarkable tale of two imprisonments of the Nazi troops, an induction into the Polish Home Army and all of the happenings that enabled his survival in Christians In The Warsaw Ghetto, highly recommended for its informative and gripping content to all non-specialist general readers, particularly students of World War II.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Christianity - History - General    5. Church history    6. Eastern Europe - General    7. Holocaust    8. Jewish Christians    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Poland    11. Religion - Church History    12. Warsaw    13. Warsaw (Poland)    14. Christianity    15. Second World War, 1939-1945    16. The Holocaust   

Reviews (20)

EVERY person on earth should read this book!
I met M. Kornblit, received his book, and read it in two days! It caused me to be thankful for every minute I live in a peaceful country, every morsel of food I partake, every single material thing I have...It is truly the most unforgettable book I'll ever read.

A Story of Real, Enduring Love
I had the the privilege of meeting Mr. Michael Korneblit during a recent book signing at the Holocaust Museum in DC. He personally shared what the book is about, then apologized for "making me cry". I could not wait to read the book! Let me admit that I am an audible learner and not an avid reader, but this book is a turning point. It is easy to read and definitely holds one's interest. The authors wisely chose, in this case, to focus on the love story more than the atrocities of the holocaust -- yet certainly get the point across. This is a lovely story about commitment and integrity tested to the limits. God bless these families and all survivors or relatives of those lost. Thank you for this book.

Surviving Through Love
"Until We Meet Again" by Michael Korenblit and Kathleen Janger, is by far one of the best Holocaust stories I have ever read (which is really saying something because I am Jewish and have heard/read many stories).This nonfiction novel is about the love and survival of Manya Nagelsztajn and Meyer Korenblit in the Holocaust.The story begins at the beginning of the Holocaust where Manya and Meyer lived in Hrubiezow, Poland.The story later develops and takes Manya and Meyer into different concentration camps in Poland.As Manya parted from her parents forever Manya's mother said, "`Maybe one of us will survive'...Well, that was just what happened.Manya was the lone survivor.She resolved that although her family was dead, their faces and her memories of them would live forever inside her heart" (Page 294-295).This novel describes the themes about kindness, equality, racism, determination, survival, hope, and love.In this novel it explains how love can be that tiny piece of hope that makes each day worth living (or trying to live) for.An example is when Meyer said to himself, "There was only one thing he must do: stay alive, so that he could be with her again" (page 216).
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Ethnic relations    4. Historical - Holocaust    5. History: World    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Hrubieszâow    8. Hrubieszâow (Poland)    9. Jewish Holocaust Personal Narratives    10. Jews    11. Persecutions    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Poland    14. Korenblit, Manya    15. Korenblit, Meyer    16. Nagelsztajn, Chaim   

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive study of Napoleon's campaign in Poland
"Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806-1807" by F. Loraine Petre was first published in 1901.This edition is the complete and unabridged reprint of the 1907 edition.Furthermore, it includes a new introduction by Dr. David G. Chandler. Another Excellent Military Campaign Study
This book, following on from his engaging account of Napoleon's victory over Prussia in 1806, is Loraine Petre's second book in his series of five accounts covering Napoleon and his campaigns. This time the author offers the reader an in-depth military study of Napoleon's campaign in Poland. In this account we find Napoleon manoeuvring into Poland to meet the advancing Russian armies moving to assist the meagre Prussian forces left over after being defeated in detail by Napoleon and his Marshals.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1769-1821    2. Campaigns    3. Emperor of the French,    4. Europe - France    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. History: World    8. Military - General    9. Military - Napoleonic Wars    10. Military leadership    11. Napoleon    12. Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815    13. Poland    14. Battles & campaigns    15. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    16. History / General    17. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. Europe, Eastern    2. Foreign relations    3. History    4. International Relations - General    5. Nationalism    6. Political Process - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics and government    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Eastern Europe    12. International relations    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. 20th century    3. General    4. History    5. NSZZ "Solidarnoâsâc" (Labor organization)    6. NSZZ 'Solidarnosc' (Labor or    7. Poland    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics and government    10. Socialism    11. Sociology    12. Central government policies    13. Demonstrations & protest movements    14. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Marxism & Communism    16. Trade unions   

Reviews (3)

Revolution from abroad, and inside too
Jan Gross does a commendable job in expanding the studies of World War II Central European History beyond the dominant themes:Poland, and the Holocaust. excellent
According to the Polish national anthem, "Poland is not dead whilst we live. What others took by force, with the sword will be taken back." Both Nazi and Soviet occupiers must have taken these words to heart as they set out thoroughly to crush the Polish population between September 1939 and June 1941. In Revolution from Abroad: the Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorusssia, Jan T. Gross (New York University) draws on documents from Polish, German, Israeli, and U.S. archives to show with camera-like precision how ordinary Polish citizens at the grassroots level experienced the Soviet occupation of Poland and the mechanisms Soviet authorities used to induce their participation. U.S. citizens who have never known the horrors of foreign occupation will find this study especially sobering. Polish citizens never knew when a few Soviet soldiers might enter their houses and apartments, live there for several days or weeks, eat their food, and steal their possessions. If they resisted, they faced arrest, torture, and/or execution, often in full view of loved ones. As Soviet soldiers explained to the newly adopted Soviet citizens, "There are three categories of people in the Soviet Union: those who were in jail, those who are in jail, and those who will be in jail." (p. 230). Gross points out that, in sheer numbers, more Polish citizens suffered under Soviet occupation in the first two years of World World II (i.e. before the Nazis' mass annihilation of Jews began) than under German occupation. Whereas the Germans killed approximately 120,000 Poles, the Soviet security police (NKVD) nearly "matched that figure in just two episodes of mass execution" (viz., the mass murder of Polish prisoners of war in the spring of 1940, and the evacuation of prisons in the Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia during June and July 1941). (p. 228). However, despite the Soviets' greater victimization of Polish citizens in terms of loss of life, suffering inflicted by forced resettlement, and material losses through confiscation, Gross argues that, to the Polish and Jewish citizens, the Soviet occupiers seemed less "oppressive." They lacked the "discriminatory contempt" and "�bermensch airs" that the Nazis evinced so imperiously (p. 230). The author explains that perhaps one reason why the Soviet army seemed less oppressive at first is that it claimed to "liberate" Poland. Generally, the population was confused about Soviet intentions, and indeed, "nobody had warned the local community and the authorities that a Bolshevik invasion was possible and what to do in case it occurred" (p. 22). The deceptive slogans of national liberation soothed millions of wishful thinking Polish citizens-Jews, Ukrainians, Belorussians-who "could meet fellow ethnics" in the Red Army or the Soviet administration (p. 230). The stark contrast between soldiers in the Wehrmacht and those in the Red Army - the latter in coats of assorted lengths, with rags wrapped around their shoeless feet -- also made the Soviet occupiers seem less intimidating. Still another reason for the Red Army's cloddish image is the febrile rapaciousness with which the soldiers bought and consumed Polish goods. Expecting to hear discussions of lofty communist ideals, Poles instead saw "in the marketplace how these Soviet people ate eggs, shell and all, horseradish, beets, and other produce. Country women rolled with laughter" (p. 46). In a restaurant "a Red Army soldier might order several courses or a dozen pastries and eat them all on the spot" (p. 46). In comparison to Nazi Germany, then, the Soviet Union struck the Poles as a petty and materialistic "spoiler state." Brilliant analysis of an ignored event of World War II
The main primary source of this book is a collection of thousands of handwritten statements collected by the Polish government in exile when they interviewed the surviving Polish citizens released after the 1942"amnesty" of those detained by the Soviets after 1939.By carefulresearch, crosschecking and comparison with other resources Professor Grosshas been able to produce a work of exceptional clarity and importance inunderstanding the workings of Stalinism in particular and totalitarianismin general.Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Eastern Europe - Poland    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Occupation, 1939-1945    7. Personal narratives, Polish    8. Poland    9. Soviet occupation, 1939-1941    10. Ukraine, Western    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Belarus (Belorussia)    13. European History    14. European history: Second World War    15. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    16. History / Europe / Eastern    17. Political oppression & persecution    18. Second World War, 1939-1945    19. Ukraine   

Editorial Review

This book, published months after Italian writer Primo Levi's suicide in 1987, is a small but powerful look at Auschwitz, the hell where Levi was imprisoned during World War II. The book was his third on the subject, following Read more

Reviews (15)

A must for students of ethics
This is a book that causes the reader to reconsider, reflect critically one's own views, marvel at the level of depravity to which humans can steep, and is one which I imagine should be a standard text in ethics courses.
Thoughtful, intelligent, meaningful, and universal.
"The Drowned and the Saved" is the final book of Primo Levi (1919-1987), a Jewish-Italian chemist who survived the death camp of Auschwitz, and turned to authorship in his later years. This book is a group of a half-dozen related essays, each exploring a specific aspect of Levi's view of the Holocaust's causes and effects. Encourages introspection
Primo Levi suggests that perceiving the experiences of others is extremely difficult and grows more so as the distance in time, space, and quality increases. "We are prone to assimilate them to 'related' ones, as if the hunger in Auschwitz were the same as that of someone who has skipped a meal, or as if escape from Treblinka were similar to an esacpe from an ordinary jail."Read more

Subjects:  1. History: World    2. Biography: general    3. European history: Second World War    4. Germany    5. Italian    6. Poland    7. The Holocaust   

Features

• Bargain Price

Reviews (48)

A riveting summation of Libeskind's philosophies.
I purchased this book after attending a lecture of Daniel Libeskind's at my University.Daniel is one of the most sought after architects of the twenty-first century, for good reason.I found his writing style to be intelligent and concise, with moments of sheer brilliance.This book is a quick read for those familiar with Libeskind's work and the famous architects of today.There seems to be a distinct polarity in the reviews of whether one "gets" Libeskind's work or does not.His literal translations of idea and emotion into space are at times discomforting.The projects he has chosen often revolve around tragedy and loss, and much of the substance of his design process is esoteric and abstract to those not familiar with his background.Music, harmony, space and art seem to flow together in his composition with a certain logical order and reason.I recommend this book to any architect or student interested in the intangible qualitiesof design.

An Architect's Unmanly Behavior

Complete Rubbish
I came across a pile of these books remaindered for 10 cents and figured - "Well, you can't go wrong for a dime, Right?" -WRONG!!What a load of rubbish this book is.Pomposity and egotism on every page.Libeskind's love affair with himself is not worth the paper it is written on ... not even at 10 cents a copy!This one goes straight into the recycle bin. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. History - General    4. Art / Drawing    5. Bargain   

Reviews (10)

Misleading title. No Blitzkrieg, only Ideology and Atrocity.
I was looking for a book about the polish campaign, in particular from the military point of view. I knew that talking about it means talking about Einsatzgruppen, SS and Wehrmacht atrocity against Jews and Polish 'Intelligentsia'.
Understanding atrocities
This is a serious history book but easy to read.I read this book to better understand how people can come to do such evil things.I have a personal interest in this as I am of Polish descent and my wife is partially of German descent.The book mentions atrocities committed by both Germans and Poles prior to the Nazi invasion of 1939.In fact a relative (German) of my wife was murdered by members of the Polish Army (or at least wearing the uniform of the Polish Army).
Graphic Account of Poland Invasion
This book goes into great detail of how Germany invaded Poland by employing its "blitzkrieg" tactics and the atrocities that accompanied the invasion.Some of the horrors inflicted on the Polish, particularly Polish Jews, are unthinkable.I really liked how Rossini describes the various factions within the SS and the major players involved throughout the entire process to create "Lebensraum" (living space) for the German peoples. I also find it quite ironic that the Polish are described by many of the SS barbarians as "violent."My only complaint was that the author could have described the military tactics from the Polish perspective a bit more.In other words, why was the German army able to steamroll the Polish military so easily.A few accounts from Polish officers would have helped, though we did get quite a few accounts from Polish civilians. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - Strategy    6. Military - World War II    7. European history: Second World War    8. Poland    9. Second World War, 1939-1945    10. The Holocaust   

Reviews (9)

The indifference, the failures and the horror

Not A Unique Story
Looking into history is one of the areas that we can almost always fell we have found an absolute truth.Even if some of the facts remain hid