Reviews (17)

Great literature and historic fiction - a must for anyone interested in Jewish history
In 1959 The Last of the Just won the Prix Goncourt, the top literary award of France (the French Booker). A sweeping epic of a thousand years of Jewish life in Europe, the novel traces the fortunes and tragedies of one family with a special heritage. A member of each generation of the family is one of the 36 just men that Jewish tradition claims feel the suffering and pain of all the living, and without whom the world could not go on. Since the Jewish word for 36 is lamed vov, these men are often called Lamed Vovniks.
In a class of its own
This book was recommended to me by a well-read teaching colleague as being "the best book he has ever read".That is an understatement, to say the least.This profoundly sensitive rendering of an incomprehensible human tragedy belongs way up there on the same shelf as the Bible.

Jewish history as a story of suffering
The legend of the Thirty- Six Just Men , the Lamed Vov whose righteousness sustains the world is at the heart of this work. It traces a family of such Just Men through generations of suffering, and climaxes with Ernie Levy, the Last of the Just whose sufferings in the Shoah( Holocaust) bring the story to a climax and an end. The powerful and painfully poetic conclusion of this story is one of the most moving in Literature. In one sense it might be said that the work presents a one- sided view ofJewish history. But it does tell the story of Jewish suffering through the generations and in the Shoah with incredible compassion and feeling. And it arouses in the reader too a deep identification and sympathy with that history, and with the story and ongoing life of the Jewish people. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Religious    3. Historical - General    4. Holocaust    5. Religious - Historical    6. Schwarz-Bart, Andre - Prose & Criticism    7. Europe    8. European history: Second World War    9. Fiction / Historical    10. French    11. Historical fiction    12. Modern fiction    13. The Holocaust   

Reviews (2)

Like nothing I have ever read before
I had the honor of hearing Mr. Salsitz speak recently.I was amazed by his story and I wanted to know more so I bought this book.He has a keen memory, and he paints a clear picture of life during his childhood in the backwards town of Kolbuszowa.The book is always interesting and the story it tells is fascinating.I encourage everyone to read this first-hand account of this little slice of life as it existed before the Holocaust.

Loved it.
I really enjoyed this book!It is an intriguing story and vivid depiction of a place that no longer exists except in memory.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Ethnic Cultures - General    4. Historical - General    5. History Of Jews    6. Judaism - General    7. Religion   

Editorial Review

Along with millions of lives, the Holocaust stripped away the official recordsand family mementos that anchor personal histories. In 1989, after both the opening ofCzechoslovakia to the outside world and the death of her mother Frances, a concentration-camp survivor, journalist Helen Epstein made her first tentative efforts to uncover herown history. Armed only with a 12-page letter written by her mother, she retraced familyfootsteps from the provincial town of Brtnice to Vienna, where her great-grandmotherJosephine had killed herself in despair. In Prague, her spirited grandmother Pepi, who hadbeen orphaned at age 8 and left in poverty, rose from those ashes to run a fashionabledressmaking salon. Pepi married a man who repudiated Judaism so completely that theirdaughter Frances learned of her background only as the Nazis rose to power. Epstein'smeticulous research beautifully conjures the drama of their lives and times, carving outthe surrounding culture until these three women stand against it in stark relief. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

We should ALL know where we came from so well...
In WHERE SHE CAME FROM, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based award-winning author Helen Epstein has penned a meticulously-researched memoir to the four generations of Czech and former Czechoslovak women in her extensive family, from her mother's side of the brood.
A Wonderful Book for College Classes
Beautifully written, WHERE SHE CAME FROM is also the product of very serious and exhaustive research. It is a magical and haunting book. It brings alive a period of Jewish women's history that is only now being written about in English. Travelling through pre-Holocaust Central Europe with Epstein is an amazing experience: the reader follows both the process of investigation of family history and the emotions this opens up for the writer.
A Wonderful Read
This is a fascinating chronicle of three generations of the author's female ancestors. It is probably the only book in English that tells the story of Jewish women in Prague in the the first half of the twentieth century. Helen Epstein has a special talent for recreating social history and bringing it alive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Children of Holocaust survivors    6. Czech Republic    7. Genealogy    8. Historical - General    9. Holocaust    10. Jews    11. Judaism - History    12. New York    13. New York (State)    14. Prague    15. Religious    16. Women    17. American English    18. Europe    19. Family history    20. Modern fiction   

Reviews (5)

Great book, but watch out -- it's got two titles!
FYI, for those of you who have been to the Anne Frank House:
WOW THIS BOOK ON ANNE FRANK WAS SO GOOD
Look at the subject it says it all. Basically its about the history beyond her, hiding place, diary. The text and photos wre good. Basically knew everything about her, but the main reason bought book is the photos that I haven't seen it yet. Thank you.
An Illustrated Journey
I have long been interested in the story of Anne Frank.Over the years I have read many books about her and I continue to reread the diary every year.Recently, this book came to my attention and I gave it a read.There is much about it that impresses.
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Subjects:  1. Amsterdam    2. Documentary Photo Collections    3. General    4. Hidden children (Holocaust)    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jewish Holocaust    11. Jews    12. Netherlands    13. Persecutions    14. Pictorial work    15. Pictorial works    16. Western Europe - Benelux    17. History / Jewish   

Reviews (3)

Alright for its time , far from adequate today
This is an outline history concisely and clearly written. But it does not truly cover the last fifty years of Jewish history. The changes have been so great, including all those connected with the Shoah and the rise and development of the state of Israel that what is contained here certainly is inadequate to conveying where the Jewish people are today.

Well balanced account of Jewish History.
Although I found Paul Johnson's "A History of the Jews" much more indepth surrounding the early history of the Jew Mr. Roth does blend the long history of anti-semitism with Jewish History.Although the former writer speaks of George Washington and the Civil war, which was not in the "Middle Ages" or "Dark Ages" but of rather recent times.During the rise of Catholocism, Lutheranism and Orthodox Christian sects there was little more then persecution of this small minority of individuals not accepting of their diverse Messianic beliefs.As a matter of fact Mr. Roth tends to leave out many further examples of discrimination, "gettoization" and instituted pogrom.This book is worth the money and written from a very liberal position.Mr. Roth tends to use "Palestine" with referance to Israel/Judea/Sumaria a millenia prior to the existance of the renaming Israel to "Philistina": Palestine.There are better books on Jewish History but this work is worth the read for a well presentation of the the history of the Jew.As a matter of fact, due to the present political situation, it would be good if Jews would take the time to learn their own history instead of helping those whom wish to distroy them.A good account of Jewish History, I'd suggest "From Time Immemorial" - Joan Peters, "The Dhimmi" - Bat Yaor and anything by Barnard Lewis is very creditable. Enjoy.

There's More to the History of the Jews
Though Roth's book has been around for a number of years, I still come across it on the bookshelves of various bookstores. I can not offer much of an endorsement for his book. For the times surrounding the turn of the era, Roth depends upon the traditional sources and usually interprets them uncritically. However what concerns me is that for other time periods, specifically the Middle Ages, Roth writes little more than about Jewish persecutions.A history of George Washington or the Civil War or whatever should paint more than one side of the story. Yes, there were persecutions, but there is more to the history of the Jews than that.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History: World    4. Jewish - General    5. Jews    6. Sociology    7. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    8. Jewish studies    9. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (6)

Fanstastic , Touching Book!
I was extremely impressed with this book. The author decribes in detail her life before anti-semitism and how it started to change. Her story is emotional and touching. Wow
How Cecelia (aka Lucille) survived is beyond imagination. What determination.

Revenge through good deeds
As a child in Hamburg, Germany, Celia Landau led a cultured and privileged life. Her father Benjamin had a study full of books and frequently entertained renowned visitors, including philosopher Martin Buber and Rabbi Paul Holzer. This began to unravel when the Nazis came to power. In the summer of 1934, the family traveled to a German spa in Bad Schwartau. As their visit ended, the spa's owner gleefully announced that Hitler would deal with the Jews. The next fall, nine-year-old Celia's grades began to falter as former school friends labeled her "Drechtjude." In 1937, the family were forced out of their condominium at Hohe Weide 25. In October, 1938, her father was carted to prison, then deported to Dachau. In February 1941, a Gestapo agent deliver his "ashes" in a cigar box. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1925-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Eichengreen, Lucille,    6. General    7. Historical - Holocaust    8. Holocaust    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1933-1945)    10. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    11. Jewish Holocaust Personal Narratives    12. Personal narratives    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / General    15. Eichengreen, Lucille   

Reviews (2)

Fantastic
This book is a perfect introduction to Yiddish film. Very little has actually been written about Yiddish film. Hoberman compiles the extant scholarship and couples it with astute and original analysis of the films. He brings Yiddish film away from being a novelty; he contextualizes Yiddishfilm in such a way as to show its general importance in mainstream film andAmerican and European life. Yiddish movies portrayed the experience of Jewsin the world; but more interesting is the effect Yiddish film had in theAmericanization of Yiddish-speaking immigrants. For scholars interested inYiddish film, this is a good first stop. For non-scholars, it is the onlybook you could want on the subject: entertaining, wonderful pictures andanecdotes, and interesting to browse through.

Fantastic
This book is a perfect introduction to Yiddish film. Very little has actually been written about Yiddish film. Hoberman compiles the extant scholarship and couples it with astute and original analysis of the films. He brings Yiddish film away from being a novelty; he contextualizes Yiddishfilm in such a way as to show its general importance in mainstream film andAmerican and European life. Yiddish movies portrayed the experience of Jewsin the world; but more interesting is the effect Yiddish film had in theAmericanization of Yiddish-speaking immigrants. For scholars interested inYiddish film, this is a good first stop. For non-scholars, it is the onlybook you could want on the subject: entertaining, wonderful pictures andanecdotes, and interesting to browse through. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Film & Video - History & Criticism    3. History    4. Motion pictures, Yiddish    5. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    6. Films, cinema    7. Jewish studies    8. Social history   

Editorial Review

Debates concerning the historical and moral significance of Adolf Hitler have gone on since the beginning of his rise to power in Germany. In the decades after his bunker suicide, those debates elevated to arguments over the very nature and existence of evil. An integral part of the arguments has been the ongoing attempt to understand the Read more

Reviews (88)

Great Information, Egghead Writing
The information in this book is excellent. That being said, the prose is at times absolutely outlandish. The introduction gives you a cue of what's to come as the author gives you a "Dennis Milleresque" outline of the facts. After he used the term "Heathcliffian" I knew I may be in over my head. I ended up keeping my Franklin electronic dictionary next to the book to define the plethora of odd synonyms used.
One of the most in-depth and thought-provoking historiographies of Hitler
Written about the history of Hitler studies, Rosenbaum gives a well-written and thoughtful insight into Hitler historians (be they primarily focused on Hitler or some other aspect of the Third Reich/Holocaust - the figure of Hitler always seems to rear his head).Direct interviews with historians gives Rosenbaum insight into who these historians are, and attempts to explain not only what we believe about Hitler but WHY we believe it.Very interesting, and the bible of Hitler historiographies.

The Single Bullet Theory of the Holocaust of WW-II
In this elegantly written, passionate, but (in my view) misdirected and somewhat metaphysical research of Hitler's personal eccentricities, more of the author's deeper psychological needs are explained, than Hitler's.The author seems to forget that since Freud, there are no more secrets. The selective and restrictive vector he uses to probe into Hitler's mind is bi-directional, unerringly and unavoidably, pointing back into the mind of the one doing the probing.
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Subjects:  1. 1889-1945    2. Europe - Germany    3. Family    4. Germany    5. Heads of state    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Hitler, Adolf,    10. Psychology    11. Psychopathology - General    12. Social Psychology    13. Genocide    14. History / Germany    15. The Holocaust   

Reviews (35)

An amazing book, an amazing person
This is the most moving book I have read in my life, hands-down.Seren Tuvel's story is heart-breaking, yet courageous.This book is an absolute must-read for everyone.

Very Interesting to Read
This book was well written in that it is a first hand account of what happened to real people in the Holocaust. It held my attention from beginning to end, and that is saying a lot for a book for me, so I do recommend it as a good read on this subject.

Unique compelling account
This is the first book about the Shoah I've read that takes place in Romania (apart from the excerpt from Miriam Korber's diary in the anthology 'Salvaged Pages').All of the other books and memoirs are from places like Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, Holland, anywhere but Romania, which also suffered mighty losses during the Shoah, though not always in the same way as in those other conquered nations.Seren was the third-last child of a huge family, composed of both full siblings and half-siblings, and despite having a strict father and living in a nation with rampant anti-Semitism, even among small children who were taught to hate, a land where Jews were not granted civil rights and civil liberties until 1923, and then only very reluctantly, she always stood apart from others.She was willing to fight back and to be her own person, to leave home at 13 to attend the gymnasium in Bucharest, to strike out on her own after throwing a bottle of ink at an anti-Semitic priest teacher and never going back to the gymnasium.Seren loved being a dressmaker, even designing gowns for members of Romania's Royal Family, though she didn't tell her family for some time what she was really doing and that she'd left gymnasium.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Fiction    5. Historical - General    6. Historical - Holocaust    7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    8. Jews    9. Personal narratives    10. Ravensbruck (Concentration camp)    11. Religious    12. Romania    13. Biography: general    14. Fiction / Historical    15. Modern fiction    16. The Holocaust   

Editorial Review

Out of seemingly small events are sometimes born great historical moments. The case of young Edgardo Mortara is one. In 1858 the 6-year-old Jewish boy was taken from his parents' home in Bologna, Italy, by agents of the Papal inquisition. The year before, seriously ill, Edgardo had been secretly baptized, by the Mortaras' Catholic servant (or so she claimed); it was against the law for baptized Christians to be raised by Jews, and so, in the eyes of the Church, the kidnapping was only just. Secular Italians did not agree, and thus was set in motion a series of reforms that ended the Church's temporal power in Italy and forged the creation of a liberal, near-democratic state. For his part, young Edgardo became a priest and lived in a Belgian abbey until 1940--just before the invading Germans began to deport and execute all those tainted with Jewish blood. David Kertzer has shaped a remarkable narrative from almost forgotten events. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

An Astounding Story and Well-Written
I can't help but think that millions who do not know that they are interested in the history of the Italian Risorgimento would suddenly find themselves incapable of putting this book down.David Kertzer kept my attention while helping to answer my questions regarding how a country that is predominately Roman Catholic can name streets, buildings, and piazzas after the heroes of the Risorgimento who took by force most of the lands ruled by the Pope while Pope Pius IX called upon all the faithful to oppose them.I am now closer to seeing how statues and monuments honoring Garibaldi, Mazzini, Cavour, and King Victor Emmanuel can share the beautiful Italian landscape with cathedrals and the Vatican.
Fascinating read!
This story is well-researched and beautifully written. While history isn't always fair in how it plays out, Edgardo's story kept me engrossed through the end. It's ironic to think that had he lived a little longer he would have probably died as a Jew with his brethren in a Nazi death camp.

BUY IT NOW
Rarely have i read a book that moved me as much as this one. Kertzer's account of the kidnapping of a jewish child from his family by the church is told with an eloquence and sensitivity that is truly extraordinary.This is a sad story. What could be worse than having your child stolen from you and there being absolutely nothing you can do about it. I felt a real anger that only progressed as the book went on. Kertzer brings forth the pain of Edgardo's father as he tries in vain to save his son. There is no excuse for what happened to Edgardo, but his was not a solitary or isolated story. It is important for people to know that this happened, jews, catholics, everyone. I highly reccomend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Bologna    6. Bologna (Italy)    7. Christian converts from Judaism    8. Christianity - History - Catholic    9. Conversion to Christianity    10. Europe - Italy    11. Historical - General    12. History    13. History - General History    14. Italy    15. Jewish - General    16. Jews    17. Mortara, Pio,    18. Western Europe - General    19. d. 1940    20. History / Europe / Western    21. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church    22. Social history    23. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (3)

concise, low key, devastating..
There are many larger and more detailed (and perhaps, more emotional and horrifying) books about Auschwitz, but as a short, factual and accurate rendering of that gigantic horror story, this book is excellent. Sybille Steinbacher covers a surprising amount of detail in a very short space. These days, when current political events have created entire nations of holocaust deniers, this should be a required text.

A Short History of Auschwitz
In this short book, Sybille Steinbacher, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Modern and Contemporary History at Ruhr University, gives a compelling account of Auschwitz.Professor Steinbacher, and her able translator, Shaun Whiteside, writes in a concise, stark, understated, and eloquent way.She avoids the tendency to sensationalize and overdramatize and allows her material to speak for itself.The stylistic, nonsensationalistic excellence of this book adds greatly to its impact.
Concise and straightforward telling of the monstrous realities that built the camps and what happened in them
The name Auschwitz is so loaded with associations of almost universal evil that it barely occurs to people that there is a reality to be known. Using the name as a shortcut for the Holocaust, for genocide, mass murder, poison gas, crematoria, Nazi SS terror troops, and more actually cheats us. This rather small book takes on the big task of telling in a very straightforward way how Auschwitz came to be, what happened there during the Second World War, and its aftermath.
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Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Europe - Germany    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History Of Individual Cities    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jewish - General    11. Jewish Holocaust    12. Poland    13. Prisoners and prisons, German    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. History / General   

Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Concentration camp inmates    3. Health and hygiene    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Holocaust    8. Monowitz (Concentration camp)    9. Oâswiñecim    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Poland    12. Sanitation    13. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    14. Genocide    15. Germany    16. Second World War, 1939-1945    17. The Holocaust   

Reviews (16)

TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE...

A remembrance of things past
Imre Kertesz, a concentration camp survivor and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature often asks in his work: is there life after Auschwitz?Can one live with the ineffable guilt that accompanies survival against all odds?For Borowski the answer appears to be no.On July 1, 1951, at age 29, Tadeusz Borowski opened a gas valve, put his head in an oven and took his life.There is no small amount of irony in the fact that after escaping the gas of Auschwitz and Dachau Borowski would end his life in this manner.
A lesson to learn
Will you enjoy reading this book? The answer is no. But if you were to ask me if you should read this book then I would have to say absolutely. Borowski wrote with an honesty that I found amazing. He gave me a small window to look through and see what my grandparents might have gone through. This book while often shocking and always disturbing allows a little understanding into what life was like inside the death camps. Not for enjoyment but education. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1922-1951    2. Borowski, Tadeusz,    3. Classics    4. Concentration camps    5. Fiction    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Short Stories (single author)    8. Slavic Literature    9. Translations into English    10. War stories, Polish    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Biography: general    13. Borowski, Tadeusz    14. European history: Second World War    15. Fiction / Classics    16. Poland    17. Political oppression & persecution    18. Second World War, 1939-1945    19. The Holocaust   

Reviews (2)

A Heeb-tastic, extremely entertaining history
From his thunderbolt of an introduction, talented writer Beeber launches into a terrific history of New York's punk rock movement and its roots in postwar American Judaism.Beeber not only reveals the links between the Jews who played major roles in developing the new sound and sensibility--Lou Reed, Chris Stein, half of the Ramones, CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, Genya Ravan, and plenty of others--but going below the surface, he makes a persuasive argument about how alienation can give rise to irony--after all, one of the factors that made punk so popular was its dark sense of humor.It's a thesis that Beeber teases out very delicately, without bashing the reader's head in with academic hooey.And it allows him to survey the less pleasant aspects of the movement, such as its frequent fascination--even among Jewish punks--with Nazi paraphernalia. An eye-opening, dangerous, and way-the-hell fun book--I can't recommend it enough.

Brilliant analysis of a musical movement's cultural roots
Steven Beeber's book manages to be highly entertaining as well as intellectually stimulating, which is no easy feat. He examines the relationship between Judaism (both secular and religious) and punk rock and argues that punkwas a logical outgrowth of the post-Holocaust generation in this country. I'm a native New Yorker and I came of age in the mid-70s, so I was fortunate enough to have seen many of the bands that are profiled in this book. However, until I read it, I never made the connection between Jews & punk, though it makes perfect sense to me now. Beeber is a terrific interviewer and a fine social historian (and his investigative skills are quite impressive: who knew that Alan Vega and Tommy Erdelyi are both Jewish? And there's lots more where that came from). This is a great read and I suspect I'll be buying a few more copies to give as gifts. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Punk    2. History & Criticism - General    3. History and criticism    4. Jewish Studies    5. Jews    6. Music    7. Music/Songbooks    8. New York    9. New York (State)    10. Punk rock music    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Punk    14. Social Science / Jewish Studies   

Reviews (17)

Why I Didn't Like This Book
For some people, this book might have been great, but I found it rather boring.I just felt that I really didn't connect with the book like I do with so many others.Hey, I'm not trying to make it sound bad, it's just that this book might not be too exciting (especially when you have to write about it!)

An emotional fantastic history lesson
I never saw another butterfly is an incredible collection drawings and poems written by children and adolescents in the Terezin concentration camp. The first hand emotional reactions to the torture and horror of the Holocaust is expressed in this book. This is a fantastic history lesson for young readers as well as adults to the horrifying Holocaust experience. The story of the children's teacher Friedl Dicer-Brandeis is incredible, as they define her as a gentle and kind woman, who ironically studied art in Germany. I highly recommend this book for any library and it is a must have for Language Arts and History teachers.

Mind-blowing!
This book of poetry and images is powerful yet simple.Having had prior experience with the play of the same name, I thought I was prepared, but I wasn't.The poetry and images those children of the Holocaust created are truly amazing.We've read Anne Frank and Elie Weisel, but these peopms of life in Terezin from a child's eyes is extremely powerful.Elia grew up too soon, and his books are of an adult's perspective...what the children saw and felt is much more powerfully represented in this book.It is a true must for poetry, WWII, or literature buffs alike! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Art    3. Children's art    4. Children's writings    5. Concentration camps    6. Czech Republic    7. Holocaust    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Techniques - Drawing    10. Theresienstadt (Concentration    11. Europe    12. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    13. History / Holocaust    14. The Holocaust    15. World history: Second World War   

Reviews (2)

A First Rate Look at the II SS Panzer Corps
As with his previous books, Michael Reynolds grabs the reader's attention and presents a wealth of detailed information of the operations of the II SS Panzer Corps. This corps distinguished itself in Normandy, Arnhem, the Ardennes and finally in the East against the Soviet tide.
Honest, Accurate, Impecable Detail
Having read 2 of Mr. Reynold's previous books 'Men of Steel' (History of 1st SS Panzer Corp) and Steel Inferno (1st SS PC in Normandy), I was eagerly anticipating this book on the exploits of the 9TH SS - Hohenstaufen and 10th SS - Frundsberg Divisions. True to form, this book is an incredibly insightful and detailed account of the savage defensive battles these divisions fought from Normandy, to Arnhem and the fighting on the Eastern Front and Vienna before the war's end. There is no question that Mr. Reynolds (a retired British Army Officer) is the pre-eminent expert on the Waffen SS and I thoroughly recommend that anyone with an interest in the German Army in WWII read this book as he will help dispell some of the myths that are all too common about these elite divisions. If you want to learn about the fighting elan of these soldiers, the tactics they employed against a numerically superior enemy and the motivation for continuing to fight again