Editorial Review

Pillage is one of the traditionalperks of warfare. But it took Adolf Hitler to systematize the decimation anddespoiling of cultures, and it took Hector Feliciano seven years to track fivefamous art collections stolen by the Nazis. He uncovered not only Nazi schemesbut also a well-oiled machine of collaborators, informants, moving companies,and neighbors, all with their fingers in the pie. Read more

Reviews (8)

A fascinating story poorly told
Those of you who read Lynn Nicholas' astonishing The Rape of Europa will be disappointed by this book, which is in many ways a necessary supplement to Nicholas' spine-tingling work.The record of greed, fear, coercion andbarbarism visible behind the glittering surface of the Parisian art worldin the 1940's is a truly moving human story.The photographs, all ofnow-vanished works of modern art, provide a valuable record for thehistorian, as many of the lost works have never been published. Unfortunately, the book is nearly ruined by a flat and pedestrian writingstyle.The author may have taken years to write this book, and conductedhundreds of interviews, but one would never know that.Feliciano writes asif he were a USA Today reporter - utterly superficial treatments of seriousissues and no sign whatsoever of any personal investment in the story.Theart and personalities of the period deserved a better historian than Mr.Feliciano, I am sorry to say.Useful for the documentary information only.

German arrogance and art dealer greed in WWII.
A repititious summary of art work confiscations by the Nazis, particularly from Jewish galleries, during World War II. Plentiful accusations of greed by cooperating art dealers, including some famous names, during and after the war.The French government to this day has performed questionably in returning works by famous artists to their pre-war owners.The Swiss government, in harmony with its management of Jewish refugee bank deposits, has performed even worse.Over-all, a depressing litany of evil deeds in a poorly structured account of art world activity during the German occupation of France.

German arrogance and art dealer greed in WWII.
A repititious summary of art work confiscations by the Nazis, particularly from Jewish galleries, during World War II. Plentiful accusations of greed by cooperating art dealers, including some famous names, during and after the war.The French government to this day has performed questionably in returning works by famous artists to their pre-war owners.The Swiss government, in harmony with its management of Jewish refugee bank deposits, has performed even worse.Over-all, a depressing litany of evil deeds in a poorly structured account of art world activity during the German occupation of France. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Art    3. Art and the war    4. Art thefts    5. Europe - Germany    6. European    7. Fine Arts    8. France    9. History    10. History - General History    11. Holocaust    12. Jewish - General    13. Pillage    14. World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (21)

An Emotional Journey
What can I add that hasn't already been said on this page? Except that I hope you will read this book if you haven't already and that you will share it with any young people you know. Mona Golabek has written a sincere, heartfelt memoir of her mother during World War II, enriched by both musical and family values. Ms. Golabek's memoir clearly shows how great music has the ability to sustain and nourish the soul in desperate circumstances. The spirit of Willesden Lane, of the young people who survived the war, and of their parents who sacrificed all, live on in this poignant, beautifully told story.

Truly Inspirational
The Children of Willesden Lane is a compelling story about a Jewish girl growing up in a country overtaken by Hitler during World War Two. The Jura family, being allowed to send only one child to England on the Kindertransport, sent Lisa knowing that her musical talent would ensure her survival. When all is going wrong, and it seems as though she has nothing left to hold on to, Lisa lets all her feelings go through her music and holds on to her abilities. Inspiring
In The Children Of Willesden Lane, Mona Golabek writes an inspiring story about her mother's experiences through the rough times of the Holocaust. She tells a beautiful story about her mother's love for music. Ever since she was a little girl, growing up in Vienna, she has always had a passion for music. She has always dreamed of playing in concerts. At thirteen, Lisa Jura is put on a train to a camp separated from her family. With a numbered tag around her neck, Lisa can only think of the difficult times ahead of her. After a long journey, Lisa finally gets settled in one place, 243 Willesden Lane. There are many children that she is introduced to. Lisa tries to forget about the war and the separation of her and her family. Instead she enjoys precious moments with many of her friends and a guy she has started a relationship and loves very much. At this house, Lisa is able to do what she loves the most, plaing the piano. She has not forgotten about her music and the promise she made to her mother.Lisa plays and practices her music everyday bringing joy and happiness to the children on Willesden Lane. Her music truly lifts the spirits of everyone. Soon Lisa is given an exceptional musical opportunity. She soon begins to realize she is doing what her mother had always wished for her. She knew she was making her mother very proud because after eveything she has gone through she keeps her music. This book is extemley inspiring and well-written. It is moving and teaches important lessons in life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Composers & Musicians - General    6. Emigration And Immigration    7. England    8. Historical - Holocaust    9. History Of Jews    10. Holocaust    11. Jewish - General    12. Jews, Austrian    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Refugees, Jewish    15. Biography & Autobiography / Composers & Musicians    16. Biography: historical    17. Europe    18. European history: Second World War    19. Social history    20. The Holocaust   

Reviews (114)

Should be rated 10 - it's over the top!
Several years ago the author came to visit our school. Our 5th-6th graders were totally silent and amazed as she spoke of her life and survival during WWII Poland. She lived and experienced more by the time she was 16 than 5 people combined. The story will rip your heart out and create a new understanding of what it took to survive the camps and countryside of Poland. Watching her family killed, helping other children to survive in the countryside, and leading others to freedom. If you thought The Diary of Anne Frank was great, you will be changed by this one.

A wonderfully written memoir of the Holocaust
Even though the Holocaust is a very painful part of humanity's history, Alicia manages to tell her story in a very realistic, yet beautiful way. It is very painful for the reader to learn how every single member of Alicia's family was murdered, and the way she describes every different occasion made me immerse myself more and more into the story, making it very hard to put down. Alicia shows how a great young leader was able to save hundreds of lives risking her own. It was very interesting for me to read a Holocaust memoir that did not take place in a concentration camp, which also shows how the people who were in hiding were in a similar situation of hardship as those who were confined to a forced labor camp.
THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE
Alicia is such a gifted writer, she stamps unforgettable word pictures in your mind. Reading this book is as close to living through the holocaust as we can get. It is an amazing story of survival and courage as well as desparation and ignorance. Undeniably the best book I have ever read. I couldn't put it down and read and re-read it several times--sometimes picking up certain sections over and over again. You feel the sweat. You feel the chill. You hear the babies crying and guns firing to silence them. It is beautiful that there are survivors of such horror. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Buchach    4. Historical - Holocaust    5. Holocaust    6. Holocaust survivors    7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    8. Jews    9. Persecutions    10. Personal narratives    11. Ukraine    12. Women    13. History / Holocaust   

Reviews (1)

The Litvaks...Vibrancy to Demise
The Litvaks, A Short History of the Jews in Lithuania, is a book, of not only history, but one of insight into the vibrancy and the demise of the Jews and of their geographics and culture, religion and fight for survival, within the ever-changing demographics of the country.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Holocaust    4. Military - World War II    5. Europe    6. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    7. Religion & Beliefs    8. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (41)

Contains numerous factual errors
Unfortunately, there are numerous falsehoods in this book according to the most definitive book to date on gas chamber operation "Auschwitz: Technique and Operation of the Gas Chambers" by Jean-Claude Pressac.
An eyewitness to the horror
This is a brief but powerful description of the horror of Auschwitz.Dr. Nyiszli was witness to the efficiency of the Nazi killing machinery, and is one of a very few such witnesses to survive.His account is an important reminder of the magnitude of the barbarity that man is capable of inflicting on his fellows.Dr. Nyiszli was also required to work with Dr. Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death," helping him collect evidence to support his pseudo-scientific beliefs in Aryan superiority.While this first-hand description of Dr. Mengele fails to shed any light on his motivations or behavior, it does show the level of attention he payed to every aspect of the horror that was Auschwitz.Taken together with other eyewitness accounts, this book helps paint a more complete picture of the enormity of the Nozi crimes and the horror they inflicted.

a different perspective
Till date I have probably read well over a hundred books about holocaust. These survivors have been able to tell their story vividly but sometimes there is guilt in their voice - it is like the guilt of survival. It is not different here but just from a different perspective. Most of the other books I have read are from Levi, Weisel etc, but this is from somebody who was not in the direct line of fire. So Dr. Nyiszli could give a different perspective which is not available in the other books. He gave us a small detour from the camp to the heart of Dr Mengele and the Nazi pseudoscience. The strange fact is that even some Nobel Prize winners took part in analyzing the results of these experiments conducted by Dr. Mengele.
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Subjects:  1. Atrocities    2. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    3. General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Holocaust    8. Human experimentation in medicine    9. Jewish Holocaust Personal Narratives    10. Nyiszli, Miklos    11. Personal narratives, Hungarian    12. World War, 1939-1945    13. History / General    14. Jewish studies    15. Mengele, Josef    16. Nyiszli, Miklós    17. Oral history    18. Poland    19. The Holocaust   

Reviews (5)

Yes of course, ""Reflection on the Holocaust""!!!
Those who do not believe that there was, and still is, a legend in the name of 'Holocaust' are kindly invited to visit Ghaza and Lebanon (North and notably South) to look and see how such a word is actually pronounced.
Powerful, Haunting
Dare to stick you head and heart into the cruelity of mankind and you come away from this powerful book enlightened--and looking over your shoulder at today's racism. An equally moving book is Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Jerry Ellis.

Excellent Book
This is the third book I read by Elie Wiesel, first I read "Night" which is my favorite, second I read "The Forgotten" which I thought was very good too. Now this one, is much shorter but the tetimonials by other Holocaust victims and the photographs makes it an excellent book. The generation of WWII survivors are dying and we need books like these to keep reminding us and future generations of the horrors of the war, so we don't repeat it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Holocaust    5. Holocaust, 1933-1945    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Jewish Holocaust    8. Wiesel, Elie - Prose & Criticism    9. Europe    10. European history: Second World War    11. History / Holocaust    12. The Holocaust   

Reviews (61)

Interesting first person account
This memoir is pretty well written and as such is a very quick read. I won't go into the details of the story, as the book is inexpensive and you really should just pick it up to read yourself, since nothing a reviewer could tell you will match up with the actual memoir. Suffice to say that her story is as heartbreaking in some regards as you would expect a narrative like this to be. My only complaint is that it is perhaps lacking a little depth in some areas, specifically in regards to what happened to her after the war, how she reintegrated herself into a post-WWII Europe. I also would have liked more on what she learned about the experiences of people she knew and loved, as well as how her views of events have changed over the years since they occurred. Still, like every survivor's story, this is a valuable addition in my journey to understand the holocaust and its effects on individuals, families, and communities.

A MUST read for people of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs
If this fascinating tale weren't true, I don't think I wouldbelieve it!
Non-fiction that reads like a novel
Normally I am not a fan of non-fiction, in fact I normally avoid it completely, but a friend of mine suggested this book and I am very glad I gave in and read it.This book is wonderful and provides an interesting view into the sociology and psycology of Germany before and during WWII.It is hard to believe that this amazing story is about a real person and not a fictional one.I highly recommend this book to not only people who love history, but also those who are interested in stories about life changing events and triumph over adversity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Historical - Holocaust    3. History    4. History: World    5. Holocaust    6. Jewish - General    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / General    9. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Dith Pran, the Cambodian photojournalist portrayed by Haing S. Ngor in Read more

Reviews (11)

How did the world let this happen?
This is one of the most powerful books I have read. The writing may not be the greatest. After all it is not a novel; it is a composition of the stories of Cambodians that have survived horrendous atrocities. Before we blame the U.S. we must realize thatThe U.N. and the rest of the world failed to take action as well. Would the public have supported sending troops into a situation similar to Vietnam? Is Burma the next killing field? We still ignore similar circumstances that are occurring as I type this review.

Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors
This book of memoirs is deeply moving with one eulogy to a mother which I will never forget.It brought me to tears and crying out loud.Books such as these should be read by our youth before they enlist in the armed services.Naive Americans such as Jessica Lynch might not be so swept up by the manipulative promises of military recruiters if they became more informed before they enlist.

Excellent
This is a good introduction for anyone who wants to learn about life under the Khmer Rouge.The stories may be different, but they all provide a vivid detail of children struggling to survive Pol Pot's regime. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Historical - General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Asian / Middle Eastern history    7. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    8. Biography: general    9. Cambodia    10. The Holocaust   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. General    4. Historical - Holocaust    5. History    6. History: World    7. Holocaust    8. Holocaust survivors    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jews    11. Mukacheve    12. Personal narratives    13. Ukraine    14. United States    15. Biography: general    16. Europe    17. The Holocaust    18. USA   

Reviews (17)

Haunting
The story of Auschwitz is often taught in today's schools as that of a concentration camp erected during the Second World War that witnessed one of the world's worst genocides - the slaughter of one million innocent Jewish souls.
Harrowing and powerful
This book is a fascinating, enlightening, and moving history of one of the most infamous of the Nazi concentration camps. Rees doesn't just explain the history of the camp itself, he frequently ties it into the "big picture," the things happening elsewhere in the world and how they affected the camp, and sometimes vice versa. This big picture focus really makes the book, showing how everything in interrelated and how even the distant Allied nations affected Auschwitz's development throughout the war.
Easily accessible and reader-friendly
This was my first attempt to learn about Auschwitz and I was very pleased with the book. The author explains the entire history of the camp without getting bogged down in any single aspect of the story. If you are a casual history buff like me, this book is a winner. The first-hand accounts of survivors and the SS men who worked at Auschwitz are amazing. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Auschwitz (Concentration camp)    2. Germany    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Holocaust    7. Holocaust survivors    8. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    9. International    10. Interviews    11. Jewish Holocaust    12. Poland    13. War Crimes And Criminals    14. War criminals    15. Europe    16. European history: Second World War    17. The Holocaust    18. World history   

Reviews (1)

When 'Jewish Studies' was nefarious
Many colleges and universities now have programs or departments in ethnic studies, or specifically in Chicano Studies, Jewish Studies, etc.And we think that is fine, although some twenty or thirty years ago some academics questioned such fields.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Antisemitism    3. Europe - Germany    4. Germany    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Jewish - General    10. National socialism and intellectuals    11. National socialism and scholarship    12. European history: from c 1900 -    13. History / Germany    14. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    15. Jewish studies    16. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (7)

House of Israel
Conversion, expulsion, and annihilation. The Jews were the historically - the elect, presently - the rejected after losing the Davidic covenant, and in the future - the elect.Jewish Zionism was established through the formation: of a Jewish army, a Jewish National homeland, and immigration policy allowing thousands of Jews to live in Israel.Israels restoration has many important men: Mose, King David, Jesus Christ, and David Ben Gurion.
Way past his use-by date
Christians can sure have short memories. How many predictions has Hal Lindsey made over three decades that have failed to "come to pass". This book is well-written, but so is The Lord of the Rings. Once again, Mr Lindsey bypasses the fact that the Revelation was written for a first century audience, although it certainly has application and ramifications for us today. And his school of prophetic thought ignores the fact that belonging to "God's people" was never about blood but about faith. Always.
A Fabulous Book!!
In some quarters, Hal Lindsey has garnered an undeserved reputation for hype and sensationalism.Nothing could be further from the truth.This book is a prime example.It is easy to read, but written in a very scholarly manner, a testament to Lindsey's earned doctorate and mastery of Greek.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity and antisemitism    2. Holocaust    3. Holocaust (Christian theology)    4. Inspirational    5. Inspirational - General    6. Judaism (Christian theology)    7. History / Holocaust   

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   

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 (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.