About: Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz by Omer Bartov tells of the violent history in a small Polish town during World War II, when people who lived side by side their whole lives turned on one another. Mr. Bartov is an Israeli scholars who went off to write a family history and stumbled onto something bigger. The publisher is giving away 1 copy of this book – enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post. 416 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (January 23, 2018) Language: English ISBN-10: 1451684533 My rating for Anatomy of a Genocide – 5 Buy Anatomy of a Genocide from Amazon.com* More Books by Omer Bartov Thoughts: This is the book I was waiting to read for a long time. I have had interest in World War II for many decades, I read numerous history books and works of fiction, all trying to explain human nature and the brutality which ensued, seemingly out of nowhere. But we all know that it wasn’t out of nowhere. And we all know that atrocities don’t just “happen”. Mr. Bartov’s mother was raised in Buczacz (present day Ukraine), one day on offhand remark to her son…

A very ambitious and well researched novel which tries to understand how good people simply roll over and help commit atrocities

E. Y. Harburg (8 April, 1898 – 5 March, 1981) was an American songwriter and book author who is mostly known for his hit songs for Hollywood and Broadway 1) Born as Isidore Hochberg in New York’s Lower East Side to Jewish immigrants from Russia, he was the youngest of four children (out of 10) who survived to adulthood. 2) His nickname, Yipsel, is Yiddish for squirrel because he was always moving around. 3) He attended high school at Townsend Harris Hall, an experimental school for talented children where he worked at the school newspaper with Ira Gershwin (a fellow student), who later on introduced him to composers and writers. 4) Americana, a 1932 revue, Mr. Harburg worte “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” which was considered to be the anthem of the Depression and an anti-capitalist propgranda. 5) In 1939 Mr. Harburg, along with his long time writing partner Harold Arlen, scored the movie The Wizard of Oz. Mr. Harburg approached the movie as a depression fantasy. 6) The Broadway musical Finian’s Rainbow is considered to be Harburg’s masterpiece. 7) Mr. Harburg was involved in several radical groups (but never of the Communist Party itself) and was blacklisted in…

The novel read as if the author had access to old KGB files (maybe he did) deciphering the bureaucratic code used to hide atrocities and turn it into an amazing, gripping tale. Another outstanding work from an outstanding scholar which is well worth reading.

This is the final book to an excel­lent series in which the author appraises post World War II Europe in a cyn­i­cal, tired, yet clear man­ner. The book is a won­der­ful intro­duc­tion to the Berlin Block­ade, told through an excit­ing story with like­able characters.

Award winning Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov (24 May, 1905 – 21 February 1984) was known for write and the Russian revolution, Civil War and collectivization. 1) Sholokhov was born in Veshenskaya, known as “land of the Cossacks”. 2) Sholokhov’s mother learned how to read late in life for the sole purpose of corresponding with her son. 3) At the age of 13 Sholokhov fought in the Russian civil war for the Bolshevikk side for several years. 4) After the war Sholokhov moved to Moscow to work as a journalist. He held several jobs including a stonemason and an accountant to pay the bills and be able to participate in writers’ seminars. 5) In 1923 Sholokhov published his first work, The Test, but returned to Veshenskaya in 1924 to devote himself to writing. 6) In 1924 Sholokhov married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaia. The couple had two daughters and two sons. 7) Sholokhov’s most famous book, And Quiet Flows the Don which deals with Cossacks before and during World War I and the Russian civil war earned him the Stalin Prize and took 14 years to finish. The work, called socialist realism, was the most read Soviet fiction and won Sholokhov the 1965 Nobel…

Today is the birthday of Romanian poet and translator Paul Celan (23 November 1920 – abt. 20 April 1970) . Born into a Jewish family in Romania (Ukraine) . Celan was awarded the Bremen Literature Prize in 1958 and the Georg Büchner Prize in 1960. 1 ) Celan was born as Paul Antschel but changed his name to Celan (pronounced Chelan). 2 ) Celan’s father was a Zionist and insisted his son learn Hebrew. Celan’s mother loved German literature and insisted that German will be spoken in the house. Paul Celan abandoned Zionism after his Bar-Mitzvah but finished his Hebrew education. 3 ) During World War II Celan and his parents were deported into a ghetto on October 1941. Celan kept busy but translating Shakespeare’s Sonnets and writing his own poetry. In the Ghetto Celan was exposed t traditional Yidish songs and culture. When the ghetto was dissolved Celan was working as a forced laborer clearing debris and destroying Russian books. 4 ) Celan tried to convince his parents to leave Bukovina, but they refused. One night Celan was so mad he slept at a friend’s house. That night, 21 June, his parents were deported to an interment camp in…

I figured I’ll do something a bit different today then I usually do and instead of looking for books by a particular subject or genre, I’d see what I can find from the NYT Bestseller’s list. While there aren’t many free books from this supercilious prestigious list, there are some good bargains. Enjoy! Please note: The prices for the post are cur­rent at the time of the post, please pay atten­tion to make sure they haven’t changed before purchase. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. The Hunger Games Tribute Guide by Emily Seife Digital List Price: $7.99 Print List Price: $7.99 Kindle Price: $1.60 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet You Save: $6.39 (80%) The New York Times bestselling Hunger Games is now a major motion picture — and here is the ultimate guide to the all the tributes in the 74th annual Hunger Games!Here is the ultimate guide to the twenty-four tributes participating in Panem’s 74th annual Hunger Games. Follow the tributes’ journey from the reaping to the Games, with a look at all the highlights along the way–the Tribute Parade, the stations of the Training Center, the interviews, and…