The book is part history, part historical fiction. While much of the book is based on outstanding research and first-person interviews, some of the book is told from a perspective which the author himself wrote but relied on historical information for reference. A most interesting way to write the book and a brave decision by the author (who states his method in the forward).
The book is actually two well written essays. The first essay is a fascinating look at Colonial America and the life of an 18th Century regular people without the wealth and genealogy of many of our Founding Fathers. The second part is more of a scholarly essay about uses and methods of history.
About: Good Morning, Mr. Mandela by Zelda la Grange is a memoir of Mr. Mandela’s private secretary. This is Ms. la Grange’s first book, which I understand caused some controversy as it is the first such memoir to come out after Mr. Mandela’s death. 384 pages Publisher: Viking Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0525428283 My rating for Good Morning, Mr. Mandela – 5 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* Thoughts: Good Morning, Mr. Mandela by Zelda la Grange is a heartfelt memoir in which Ms. la Grange shares with the reader her intimate and personal knowledge of Mr. Mandela. The author confirms what we already know; Mr. Mandela was a great humanitarian, an excellent leader and simply, a wonderful human being. Ms. la Grange was very close to Mr. Mandela, in fact he called her his “adopted granddaughter” and was handpicked by Mr. Mandela as a young Afrikaan girl. At first Ms. la Grange was skeptical, being brought up to think blacks were inferior, however Mr. Mandela changed her mind as he changed the whole country. I really liked the way the book is laid out, not only chronologically but by relevant sections within each timeline. For example the…
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen is a non-fiction book in which he details what is wrong with our history books.
The strength of the book is in the way Mr. Krakauer tells the story, combining an adventure with social commentary without resorting to dry timeline lists
Mr. Harding wrote a strong, thought provoking, fascinating book which, most important of all, is a family heirloom and an homage to a relative who has passed away. I found the book to be well researched, an easy read and a window into a time where the ideal of right and wrong was clearly defined.
The author presents each person as a human being, something that’s missing from today’s fast paced, 24/7 world, each person is his or hers own universe, not a bullet point or a statistic. The book celebrates those who survived, learned and some even flourished from their tragedy.
A non-fiction book about saving a culture. It was sad to read about all the abondandoned books nobody wanted, but a great pleasure to read about the trials of trying to save these books.
The Eternal Nazi: From Mauthausen to Cairo, the Relentless Pursuit of SS Doctor Aribert Heim by Nicholas Kulish is a non-fiction book detailing the trials and tribulations of Nazi hunters following an elusive criminal.
The Angel: Ashraf Marwan, the Mossad and the Surprise of the Yom Kippur War by Uri Bar Yosef is a non-fiction book in which Professor Bar Yosef outlines why he believes Marwan was the best spy who worked for Israel, ever. Mr. Bar Yosef is a professor in The Department for International Relations of The School for Political Science at Haifa University, specializing in national security, intelligence studies and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
