Reviews (9)

Simply one of the most incredible history books I've read!
I cannot praise the author, his research, his explanations and his writing enough for this singular tome. Like other reviewers have said, the reader goes into this book, whether Jewish or not, with their mouth open at the incredibility of this occurence. It's easy enough in hindsight to make judgement calls about what the the leaders of the Jewish community world-wide should have done about Hitler's rise to power. However, given the economic situation of the time and the Reich's strategems to place all blame for Germany's economic hardships on the Jews throughout Europe, it's hard to determine that even had the massive boycotts been organized and on schedule, would they have work? And even more important, if Hitler was ousted due to the economic stranglehold on Germany,who or what would have taken his place? And would that have been any less devastating for the Jews in Europe. Devasting; THE most jaw-dropping book I've ever read
Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling!

Devasting; THE most jaw-dropping book I've ever read
Readers of this book must be going out of their way to avoid its nightmarish implications; even the author sidesteps them. Indeed, the book is mis-titled. It should properly have been called 'The Great Boycott and its Tragic Abandonment.' The transfer agreement was simply the rationale for the staggering historic blunder whereby Jewish organizations in the diaspora allowed themselves to be persuaded by Zionist forces to puncture the spontaneous and swelling worldwide Jewish boycott of German goods taking place in 1933, a movement with enormous and growing non-Jewish support as well, which, had it been supported rather than undercut by major Jewish organizations, could very well have toppled Hitler from power by the spring of 1934. Not only would this have spared 5-6 million Jewish lives, it would have spared another 45 million or so non-Jewish lives lost in the Nazi holocaust. I once believed like many that the Holocaust led to the fulfillment of Zionism; this book shows rather that it was the fulfillment of Zionism which led to the Holocaust. And it was all for nought. Israel would still have come into being and moreover would have had several million extra potential immigrants to draw from. This book is all about a simply horrific wordwide catastrophe that resulted from an incredibly BAD choice based on ethnic nationalism, and it is made instead to appear as merely a somewhat sordid chapter re. a road to nationhood that featured a few nasty bumps along the way. Mind-boggling! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1933-1945    2. Europe - Germany    3. General    4. Germany    5. Haavara    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Middle East - Israel    12. Zionism    13. Europe    14. European history: Second World War    15. Jewish studies   

Subjects:  1. 1437-1508    2. Abravanel, Isaac,    3. Doctrines    4. General    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - Theology    7. Philosophy    8. Philosophy, Jewish    9. Philosophy, Medieval    10. Religion    11. Abravanel, Isaac    12. Dialoghi d'amore    13. Jewish studies    14. León    15. Oriental & Indian philosophy    16. Philosophy of religion    17. Religion / Judaism / History   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Colonies    3. Europe - Germany    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. Germany    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History - Military / War    9. History: World    10. Holocaust    11. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    12. Military - World War II    13. Ukraine    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. ZìHytomyrs§ka oblast§    16. History / Holocaust    17. Second World War, 1939-1945    18. The Holocaust    19. holocaust; Nazism; colonialism; World War II; Hitler; Himmler; empire; imperialism; genocide; Jews; slave labor; Third Reich; Germany; Soviet Union; nationalism; Eastern Europe; occupation; Vinnytsia; Zhytomyr; Berdychiv   

Reviews (23)

Unsourced Assertions are not proof
Critique of Neumann: The Case Against Israel
Counterpunch is Counterproductive
Anytime I read an article or a book by Michale Neumann, I know it is biased towards his views of being anti Semitic, anti Israel, and anti Capitalism. While he spews out his love for fellow man, he destroys any hope for dialogue in the future with his radical Marxist theories. This book is filled with lies, false facts, and is great to support the ememy. Don't buy it , as Mr. Neumann will profit, something he abhors.

A Very Balanced and Unbiased Review of the Israeli-Zionist Movement and its Impact on the Palestinians
This book has exceeded all expectations of fairness and holds an unbiased view of the impact that Zionism (specifically the European Zionist origins) has had on the Middle East, paying particular attention to Zionism itself as the root cause of violence in the region.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Jewish - General    5. Middle East - Israel    6. United States - 20th Century    7. History / General    8. Middle East    9. Political oppression & persecution    10. Political science & theory   

Reviews (3)

3rd Grade Reading Level and Biased
After reading 100 pages in about ten minutes, I wondered if Josephus really wrote as if he were a child.ie: Jack was a man.He lived in a house.He had a wife.He did something.Then, Jack died.Now replace Jack with Adam, Noah, Moses, Isaac, etc.The translator/editor takes far too much liberty with his abridgement and translation.I bought the unabridge version afterward.The writing in the full version is still easy to read and follow, but it gives a much more detailed and fuller story telling.I realize that the original is very long, and editing was necessary for this book.But, the sentence and paragraph structure was dumbed down too much.Also, the current editor adds too much correlation to Jesus.He may be unaware of this, but not all readers are Christian.I bought the book for Josephus' telling of Jewish history (as the title of Josephus' major works would indicate).Not Paul Maier's idea of what is important in Josephus' landmark undertaking.
Best translation ever of Josephus for normal people
The works of Josephus are the most important writings we have to understand the background and history of the Bible. Yet, trying to read Josephus' wordy prose is one of the most excruciating experiences I ever encountered. Excellent Translation
This is a good introduction to the works of Josephus that are really quite crucial to understanding Second Temple Judaism, the Qumran sect, and the fate of the Jews in the War with Rome. Scholars of both history andreligion alike will benefit from this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Bible    3. Bible.    4. Early works to 1800    5. History    6. History Of Jews    7. History of Biblical events    8. Jews    9. Judaism - General    10. O.T    11. O.T.    12. Rebellion, 66-73    13. Reference    14. Religion    15. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    16. To 70 A.D    17. Religion / Judaism / General   

Editorial Review

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Victor Klemperer (1881-1960), honored as a frontline veteran of World War I, was a distinguished professor at the University of Dresden. A scant few months later he was merely a Jew, protected from deportation to a death camp only by his marriage to an Aryan. He suffered every other indignity to which German Jews were subjected, from losing his job to having his driver's license revoked to being denied permission to own a pet, and all are recorded with bitter clarity in his diary entries, which cover the years 1933 to 1941. (A second volume continuing through 1945 will be published in English in 1999.) The German edition of this book caused a sensation when it was published in 1995, and it's easy to see why: the relentless, quotidian nature of Nazi racism comes through forcefully in Klemperer's litany of daily humiliations and insults, a painful chronicle of situations in which readers can readily imagine themselves. Like Anne Frank, but with a more adult understanding of political fanaticism and human weakness, he makes the abstract horror of genocidal persecution very intimate, very personal, and very real. Read more

Reviews (39)

A powerful and uplifting account of life under the Nazis
I have read many books on the history of Europe and World War 2, but for the most part they cover the big picture - the major events and key participants.Victor Klemperer's diaries ("I Will Bear Witness") describe how people like himself were tossed about by the arbitrary power of the Nazis. This record of his personal experiences from 1933 to 1945 makes the history come vividly alive in all its horror and sadness.
As it really was!
The two volumes should be required reading in EVERY course on Western history - could easily form a unit credit in themselves. But all is human; after the American declaration of war, friendly gentiles remarked to him that he must be happier, and that indeed they had noticed there were more of his kind to be seen recently on the streets - only for him to point out that his kind had recently been banned from riding on the trams!
a REAL must read
Few books have effected me like this book did.I can really think of nothing to say other than I truly believe the world would be a better place if everyone read this book and the follow up volume.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Diaries    3. French teachers    4. Germany    5. Historical - Holocaust    6. History    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Philologists    11. Teachers    12. Biography: general    13. European history: Second World War    14. Fascism & Nazism    15. History / Holocaust    16. Second World War, 1939-1945    17. The Holocaust   

Reviews (36)

Insightful
I found this book useful in balancing the media's portrayal of the Vatican as a hideout for Nazis during WWII.
A complete and total waste of words.
This book tries to defend the defenseless, and misses the entire culpable behavior of Pope Pius XII.Diaries, letters, reports, and books that attempt to excuse Pope Pius XII are guilty of condoning the very actions that this title attempts to hide in "The Myth Of Hitler's Pope".The book fails to point to the one thing the Pope could do, that was totally within the Pope's power, and what the Pope should have been expected to do: "Expel the wicked man from among you."1 Corinthians 5:13.
The sad truth is that liberal histories lied
John Cornwell and others have systematically lied and deceived the world about the role of the Church and specifically Pope Pius the XII in the Holocaust.Instead of assisting Hitler, the Pope and the Church did all it could reasonably be expected to do (and so much more) to stem the tide of death. As a Catholic, it is nice to see a Jewish Rabbi to set the record straight.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Catholic Church    3. Christianity - History - Catholic    4. Christianity and antisemitism    5. General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. Holocaust    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Judaism    11. Political Science    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Relations    14. Sociology - General    15. Biography: general    16. Europe    17. European history: Second World War    18. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Reviews (7)

How The Germans Accepted Nazism And Hitler
Robert Gellately's "Backing Hitler" may be the most thought provoking, extensive study as to how and why the German people ultimately embraced both Nazism and Adolf Hitler during the course of the Great Depression and World War II. Gellately makes the startling claim that most Germans were aware of Nazi atrocities - though not necessarily the worst - and yet found them tolerable as a means to combat crime. Indeed, he notes how Germans embraced Nazism as a succesful antidote to the financial and cultural corruption they'd seen in the 1920's and early 1930's during the Weimar Republic. With the notable exception of the Holocaust, Nazi goverment officials and agencies such as the Gestapo and the SS did not hide the existence of concentration camps and torture from the general public, but instead, allowed them to be published both in Nazi popular journals and daily newspapers (And the Holocaust itself was not hidden, except for its most virulent, deadly phases, in which Jews were dealt with via "special handling", the Nazi euphemism for genocide.). Only towards the end, during the final months and weeks of the war, did the German public see the most brutal aspects of the Nazi regime. Yet surprisingly, many Germans continued to support the regime until the very end. Gellately's premise may seem unoriginal in light of Daniel Goldhagen's popular book indicting the entire German nation for the Holocaust, yet unlike Goldhagen, Gellately offers substantially more persuasive evidence to demonstrate how a social consensus was reached within German society in support of the Nazi regime. Gellately's book may be the seminal work looking at how the Nazis successfully used the media in disseminating their philosophy to Germany.

Interesting and Thought Provoking
Backing Hitler: Consent and Coercion in Nazi Germany by Robert Gellately is a interesting and thought provoking study of what the German people knew and when they know it.Gellately does a fine job delving through the historical achieves, especially old newspapers, to give the reader an insight into what information was available to the German public. Interesting Mess
I looked forward to reading this volume with great anticipation.Unfortunately, I was disappointed.While the subject matter is certainly interesting, the editing (or lack thereof) is so unacceptable as to make several lengthy passages almost completely unintelligible.For my money, "Hitler's Willing Executioners", which covers the same topic, is much more well-constructed, if a bit dry at times. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1933-1945    2. Concentration camps    3. Europe - Germany    4. Germany    5. Germany - History - Third Reich (1933-1945)    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: World    9. Holocaust    10. Jewish Holocaust    11. Military - World War II    12. National socialism    13. Psychological aspects    14. Race relations    15. European history: Second World War    16. History / Germany    17. History, World | European | Germany    18. Hitler, Adolf    19. Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship    20. The Holocaust    21. World history: Second World War   

Reviews (6)

drivel
The book is full of self-important drivel.As a result, it lacks clarity and coherence.

Worth it
Perhaps a little academic, but an extremely interesting, modern take on Jewish culture.

I'm a Jewish person with a culture, too
Even though this book didn't mention me by name, the book helped me to understand my place in the world as a young Jewish person living in my parent's basement. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jewish civilization    8. Jews    9. Judaism    10. History / Jewish    11. History of specific subjects   

Reviews (1)

Will the Jews last?
Futurizing the Jews: Alternative Futures for Meaningful Jewish Existence in the 21st Century Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. Forecasting    3. Forecasts    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Israel    8. Jewish - General    9. Jews    10. Judaism    11. Twenty-first century    12. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Groups In Literature    2. Fiction    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. Jewish authors    5. Jews    6. Judaism - General    7. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Short Story    11. Short stories, American    12. Short stories, Jewish    13. Social life and customs    14. American English    15. Jewish studies    16. Modern fiction    17. Religion / Judaism / General    18. Short stories   

Reviews (5)

Easy Read. Very Informative.
I had to read this book for a US History class and I was very impressed by the book. At no time was I bored with the book. It's actually very captivating and informative. If you really want a short book that is full of information and does not get boring read this book.

The terrible scope of the horror
Most of the previous accounts of Auschwitz that I've read have been personal accounts, most recently Rudolph Vrba's Escape from Auschwitz.While these personal accounts are quite powerful and serve to put a human face on a tragedy of almost inconceivable scope, they are only slivers of the big picture.This book provides a broad overview of the history of Auschwitz, compiled from eyewitness accounts, transcripts of war crimes trials, and the memoirs of Rudolf Hoess and other Nazi's involved in the camp.While it lacks the emotional impact of a more personal account, this book helps shed some light on the scope of the horrors of Auschwitz and Birkeneau and the holocaust in general.By itself, it is an important overview, but if read together with the stories of individual survivors, it provides context for understanding the personal accounts.

Nice and Easy
This is a good little book about Auschwitz.It is extremely thin and easy to read (128 pages).If you just want to know a little bit about Auschwitz and are not inclined to read one of the heavy books on the subject then this may be a good alternative.I found it easy to read and did not lack any of the intensity found in the bigger volumes on the subject.It is very detailed.It is also a great book to introduce yourself on the operations of the death camps.This book may spark your interest and you may want to read further on the subject.I finished it in only a few hours.Nice and easy reading. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Auschwitz (Poland: Concentrati    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Holocaust    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Jewish - General    8. Jewish Holocaust    9. Jewish holocaust (1933-1945)    10. Military - World War II    11. Personal narratives    12. Poland    13. History / Holocaust   

Reviews (5)

Not a Difficult Read, and Filled With Many Interesting Details.
It is the Jewish year 5766. It is a long time for one group of people to stay together following their religion through one era after another and still survive as a group - even without a homeland until recently in 1948 when Israel was founded as a formal Jewish state and democracy. So Jews are a fascinating group of people and frankly have made contributions to the arts and sciences well in excess as one might expect to their small numbers relative to other groups.
A good set of Academic studies
This is a scholarly history of the Jewish people edited by H.H. Sasson. There are six sections, the first dealing with the Origins and Formation of the People is by A.Malmat. The second section deals with the first Temple Period and is by H.Tadmor.The third dealing with theSecond Temple Period is by Menachem Stern. The fourth concerned withthe Mishnaic and Talmudic Period is by S.Safrai. The Medieval Period is by the General Editor H. H. Sasson. And the distinguished sociologist Shmuel Ettinger covers the modern period.
From biblical times through the formation of modern Israel in a thousand pages
This is a big and interesting book.It begins with not only the traditional telling of the origins of Biblical Israel, it does not shy away with the intellectual problematics of that story.However, it is not as dismissive of the ancient stories as are most modern critics.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jews    8. World - General    9. History / General   

Subjects:  1. 70-1789    2. Civilization    3. Directories    4. Encyclopedias    5. General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History Of Jews    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Judaism    12. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    13. Medieval and early modern period, 425-1789    14. Reference    15. Jewish studies    16. Medieval & Scholastic philosophy    17. Reference / Encyclopedias    18. Reference works    19. World history: c 500 to C 1500    20. c 1000 CE to c 1500    21. c 500 CE to c 1000 CE   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Field work    5. General    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. Other prose: from c 1900 -    10. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural    11. The Holocaust   

Reviews (16)

The enabling preconditions, actual events and aftermath of the Holocaust.
Three books in one: A detailed 1) history, 2)timeline and 3)personal vignettes that create a rich hologram-like view of the enabling preconditions, actual events and aftermath of the Genocide of the Jews of Europe at the hands of the Nazis.
A Crying Shame...And A Constant Reminder!

Nothing short of extraordinary.
This book is massive! It is far larger than any of my college texts. Yet, every one of the nearly 800 pages is poignant and necessary. This easy-to-read chronicle of one of the most incomprehensible tragedies in all of history is extremely well-written in prose that is eloquent and yet still quite succinct. Nearly each page contains photographs that display different perspectives on the Holocaust, each one helping to comprise the complete picture of the atrocities which took place. On many pages there are more photographs than words, and each one truly tells its own story. In reading this chronicle and studying the photographs you will experience a range of emotions you never would have believed you were capable of experiencing. It is true that we can never feel how the concentration camp prisoners felt; we can never know the starvation, the death, the oppression that they and others affected by the Holocaust knew all too well--but the Holocaust chronicle brings us perhaps one step closer than we've ever been to understanding this world of unthinkable brutality and suffering. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Chronology    3. Europe    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Holocaust    8. Holocaust, 1933-1945    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jews    11. Persecutions    12. SALE BOOKS   

Reviews (17)

A fascinating perspective
The authors have tapped into a vastly unknown arena, by seeking out survivors of the century's first genocide.It is a riveting read of testimonies, interwoven with sociological and psychological theory, to explain how the survivors have made it through and coped with the memories, losses and experiences.It is probably the largest collection of testimonies in one publication, and for students of psychology or sociology, it is a must-read.
"Adam" cut-n-pastes his review again..check it out!!!
...so he has posted the same review 7+ times on ANY book about the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish attrocities between 1890 and 1922.He HAS NOT READ any of these books so his reviews are as good as dirt.Please disregard his bogus immature approach.Check out the "All my Reviews" tab and you will see that "Adam" and many others were just sent here to Amazon to flood the gates with bogus reviews of perfectly good works of art.They are pushing Turkish propaganda on a site where literary ctitiscism is needed, not pushing agendas...

Keeps up the memory of the armenian genocide
Personal reports are the best way to silence those who are not ashamed to deny a genocide, even though it is a proven fact.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. ASIA    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. European history: from c 1900 -    9. First World War, 1914-1918    10. History / General    11. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    12. Oral history    13. The Holocaust    14. Turkey   

Reviews (10)

Did Jews Settle New Mexico and Do They Remain
Thesis:Many of the Spanish settlers of New Mexico were either secretely practising Jews or recent converts.Through the ensuing centuries, some kept up tradition and practice of their Hebrew faith, in all or part. A good history of crypto Jews in New Mexico
A couple of years ago I went to a lecture that Dr. Stanley Hordes presented to the New Mexico Genealogy Society. He discussed his then upcoming book about crypto-Jews in New Mexico titled "To the End of the Earth." What intrigued me about Dr. Hordes lecture was that he found proof that the colony of Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Espana ( present day Mexico) probably was populated with crypto-Jews. This same colony en masse tried to illegally colonize New Mexico in 1591, and a few of these people were also part of the official New Mexico colony in 1598. Dr. Hordes' makes a very good argument that there were crypto-Jews in New Mexico during the first years of colonization and that their descendants continued practicing Judaism up until the present day.