Three Days of Terror in November How Kristallnacht Continues to Haunt, and Instruct, Us Today ===================================================== Mr. Reisfeld has kindly made available the following books for giveaway (enter at the end of the post): Two (2) Signed paperback copies of The Last Way Station Two (2) eBook copies of The Last Way Station One (1) eCopy of Jerusalem Imperilled by Harry Freedman ===================================================== As night fell over the Third Reich on Wednesday, November 9th, 1938, Nazis at all levels of government launched a vicious, organized, national pogrom against the Jews. The attacks, unprecedented in their scope, brutality and brazenness, lasted for three days, during which time squads of sledge-hammer-wielding ‘brown shirts’ took the lead, savaging, looting and, in some cases, leveling Jewish businesses, homes and houses of worship. By the time the rioting stopped, organized mobs had ransacked and destroyed 267 Jewish synagogues, setting most of them afire. They had wrecked and plundered an estimated 7,500 Jewish storefronts and shops, desecrated Jewish cemeteries, and vandalized and looted countless Jewish homes. Many Germans welcomed the violence. Eyewitnesses described mothers lifting their children up over bystanders’ heads so that they, too, could see the destruction of Jewish property, while their parents cheered on the…
After the war ended, Brenner has accidentally taken on a new identity and becomes a janitor in the courthouse where the Nuremberg Trials are being heard. Trying to heal is conscious, Brenner writes a letter to his wife which set up each chapter of the book.
About: Snow: The Double Life of a World War II Spy by Nigel West and Madoc Roberts is a non-fiction about a double agent for England and Germany. This extraordinary book claims that England’s first double agent was a Nazi spy. The author is giving away one copy of this book— enter at the end of the post. 272 pages Publisher: Dialogue ISBN: 1849540934 My rating for Snow – 5 Great price on this book in paper or electronic format through the Man of la Book Affiliate Account Check out this & more World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: Snow: The Double Life of a World War II Spy by Nigel West and Madoc Roberts (Facebook) is a dense book, filled with secrets, double crossing and the fog of espionage. The authors did a tremendous research job to shed light on this world of shadows. What remains a mystery though is the protagonist of the story. Arthur Owens, a Welsh battery salesman who has no interest for his inventions decides to offer them to the Germans. When the British Intelligence (MI5) discovers this, Owens becomes a double agent. Owens is a character no one could make up, a man who changes his beliefs and his allegiance whenever convenient. Espionage…
The book is peppered with GI slang and phrases in French and German which I liked, the writing is engrossing and very good for a first time author. While I felt that the book lacked some insight, I certainly was not disappointed in this fantastic story.
Hitler’s Ashes: How Hitler’s Assassination Leads to the Development of Germany’s Atomic Bomb by John T. Cox is a very imaginative alternative history story. The premise, Operation Valkyrie (the plot to assassinate Hitler) has succeeded and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is the new leader of Germany.
The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg is dark and disturbing, but it has some humor, such as a ghetto residents asking what they would do with guns.
Even though The Day Before Happiness is not a long book, it is full with details about life in Naples, people behavior and well developed characters
The story is not a cookie cutter “feel good” one, but it seems more realistic, I wouldn’t be surprised if the author based this story on actual events.
Rosa Feurmann found herself in the Hotel Polski in Nazi Occupied Warsaw as part of an investigation of Jewish partisans as to exactly what is going on in there. Rumors were afloat that rich Jews were able to buy their way to freedom using false documents. However, Rosa is detected by the Gestapo Colonel in charge of the hotel and becomes his personal servant.
As those who follow this blog know that I love books about the military, fiction and non-fiction. In honor of Veterans Day I thought I’d post a list of books I enjoyed over the past year or two about this subject. I assume we all love to read about something which is close to our hearts, whether it’s a place, a feeling or an experience. I know I do. Non-Fiction: Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose A fascinating book about the European theater in World War II, as told by the men on the front lines, not a media hugging officer or a dry historian. Ambrose captures the sense of history from both sides of the fence, sticks to the facts as we know them and keeps his comments to a minimum. Command Influence By Robert A. Shaines A captivating book in which Mr. Shaines recounts his memories as a defending lawyer in the case of The United States v. Lt. George C. Schreiber. Lt. Schreiber was the appointed scapegoat in a trial for the murder of a Korean man (whose real name was never found). Mr. Shaines, a military attorney on the Lieutenant’s defense team, was fighting a battle which…