History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Forest / Trees
Hoffman is right
Against undeserved damnation
Forget about the money
A Balancing Act

The Collected Poems: 1956-1998
Zbigniew Herbert
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060783907
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

This outstanding new translation brings a uniformity of voice to Zbigniew Herbert's entire poetic output, from his first book of poems, STRING OF LIGHT, in 1956, to his final volume, previously unpublished in English, EPILOGUE OF THE STORM. COLLECTED POEMS: 1956 – 1998, as Joseph Brodsky said of Herbert's SELECTED POEMS, is "bound for a much longer haul than any of us can anticipate." He continues, "For Zbigniew Herbert's poetry adds to the biography of civilization the sensibility of a man not defeated by the century that has been most thorough, most effective in dehumanization of the species. Herbert's irony, his austere reserve and his compassion, the lucidity of his lyricism, the intensity of his sentiment toward classical antiquity, are not just trappings of a modern poet, but the necessary armor––in his case well–tempered and shining indeed––for man not to be crushed by the onslaught of reality. By offering to his readers neither aesthetic nor ethical discount, this poet, in fact, saves them frorn that poverty which every form of human evil finds so congenial. As long as the species exists, this book will be timely."

Customer Reviews:

Forest / Trees.......2007-09-02

The translation of literature and poetry in particular into another language has always been a source of distress, debate, denunciations. Does anyone remember the flogging of Donald Walsh over his translations of Neruda? But were they bad? Translation is another art form, an invisible one, in which the translator must disappear in order to make her subjects appear and grow luminous in another language. But a translator can't "improve" on the subject or else she is not translating any more. And each language has its own music and power. Just listen to any audio reading by the actual poet. It's not the same as reading the poem silently, it's not the same as reading it in another language.

The reviews of the Collected Poems of Zbigniew Herbert seem to be unfortunately all about the translations, which will never be more than what they are: substitutes. How many translations of Homer or Virgil or Pushkin are there? And which one is best? The one you like? I agree with Helen Vendler on the subject: "Like many reviewers of Herbert, I cannot read Polish, but it has seemed clear to me, as to others, that Herbert's verse is of the spare sort that can carry over many of its strengths, its essential characteristics, into another language."

Please do not be deterred from reading this collection because of the translation. Read the poems for yourselves and discover the staggering brilliance.

Hoffman is right.......2007-08-14

This is a bad book and not just because the translator made some poor stylistic choices in English, which she clearly did. It reads like more like the work of a graduate student than that of a skilled translator, which Herbert surely deserves. Daniel Halpern as editor has done a disservice to Herbert and English readers by turning over such an important project to an inexperienced translator.

I am not a poet or translator, but I did study Polish during three years I spent in Warsaw in the 1990s. So take my thoughts for what they are worth. I knew the earlier translations and was quite disappointed by the Valles' versions. When I read Michael Hoffman's very critical review in the May 07 Poetry, I found myself agreeing with nearly every point he made about the superiority of the Carpenters' translations to Valles'. It could be that, like Hoffman, I just prefer the English version the Carpenters provided, regardless of the Polish original. But I suspected that it also had to do with carelessness on the part of the translator. So I looked at the original language for the five excerpts for which Hoffman compares the Carpenters' version to Valles'. In every case, I found the Carpenters' choices very well grounded in the Polish of the originals. In Valles', I found numerous puzzling choices--and some outright mistakes.

Her tendency is to inflect the English version with meanings the language doesn't have in Polish. For example, in "Mother," she translates the second sentence as, "He unwound himself in a hurry and beat it into the distance." The Polish phrase "uciekal na oslep" means to escape "blindly." Since the adverbial phrase has the same derivation as the verb "blind," it seems a poor choice to substitute an idea of distance for one of lack of sight. In "Biology Teacher" she uses "bow-tie" for the Polish word, "krawat," which means necktie, as the Carpenters translated it. Polish has a separate word, "muszka," for bow-tie. She may have wanted to create the image of pinned bow-tie, but Herbert didn't. These choices, combined with some of her stylistic choices in English have the effect of creating a new poem in English, and not a very good one.

Against undeserved damnation.......2007-08-11

While I do not normally contribute to Amazon reviews, I can't help doing so in this case. Hoffman's review in Poetry is vicious, hysterical and overall unfortunate, but I was actually prepared to accept his criticism of Valles's work until I had a chance to read substantial samples of her translation against both the Carpenters' versions AND Herbert's original Polish (incidentally, none of the reviewers engaging in character assassination against Valles, with S. Dobyns joining here Hoffman's original offensive, seem to have done the latter). Yes, there are mistakes (hence my four stars) and yes, some of her choices are debatable, but I was amazed to find out in how many cases she vastly improves over the Carpenters, whose versions (however, for the most part, admirable in their own right) sometimes seem excessively bound by the Polish syntax and vocabulary and come through as heavy-footed and almost clumsy as a result. Valles (who, of course, was able to benefit from the earlier translators' experience) also gives us an English Herbert with plenty of room for improvement, but it is by no means a version inferior to those that preceded hers, and certainly nor as dramatically disastrous as some have claimed it to be.

Forget about the money.......2007-08-10

Forget about the money, the cost of the book. Forget about anything you might have read about the new Alissa Valles translation. It is fine. Maybe not as fine as the Carpenters, in every verse, but finer, I think, than Milosc and Peter Scott in general. (Strangely, the Milosc/Scott 1968 Selected Poems appear here virtually untouched.) Herbert's work, though, seems unconcerned; the breath still goes shallow, the blood-pressure rises. The book is a monument to one of the greatest poets of the second half of a bloody century. And here it is, in English. Just buy it!

A Balancing Act.......2007-06-08

I purchased this book as soon as I saw it. Although I am not as disappointed as Mr. Dobyns (a wonderful writer himself), early on I did take a number of poems and place them side by side with their respective John and Bogdana Carpenter translations. (Although I don't know Polish, I had sensed something.) Dobyns is right; the Alissa Valles translations are flat and stiff in comparison. Considering Zbigniew Herbert is not only one of the most original poets of the last century but also one of the weightiest, this testament to his life's work falls short. However, it is a great pleasure to have even a reasonable facsimile of his collected poems. Even in the hands of inept translators, Herbert's poems can shine.

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Good for character education
This book may cause tears!!
Great Book on Bullying and Peer Pressure
Beautiful Story
the hundred dresses

The Hundred Dresses
Eleanor Estes
Manufacturer: Harcourt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152052607

Amazon.com

Wanda Petronski lives way up in shabby Boggins Heights, and she doesn't have any friends. Every day she wears a faded blue dress, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if she didn't tell her schoolmates that she had a hundred dresses at home--all silk, all colors, and velvet, too. This lie--albeit understandable in light of her dress-obsessed circle--precipitates peals of laughter from her peers, and she never hears the end of it. One day, after Wanda has been absent from school for a few days, the teacher receives a note from Wanda's father, a Polish immigrant: "Dear teacher: My Wanda will not come to your school any more. Jake also. Now we move away to big city. No more holler Polack. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city. Yours truly, Jan Petronski."

Maddie, a girl who had stood by while Wanda was taunted about her dresses, feels sick inside: "True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing.... She was a coward.... She had helped to make someone so unhappy that she had had to move away from town." Repentant, Maddie and her friend Peggy head up to Boggins Heights to see if the Petronskis are still there. When they discover the house is empty, Maddie despairs: "Nothing would ever seem good to her again, because just when she was about to enjoy something--like going for a hike with Peggy to look for bayberries or sliding down Barley Hill--she'd bump right smack into the thought that she had made Wanda Petronski move away." Ouch. This gentle Newbery Honor Book convincingly captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. Louis Slobodkin, illustrator of the 1944 Caldecott Medalist Many Moons, brings his wispy, evocative, color-washed sketches to Eleanor Estes's time-proven classic about kindness, compassion, and standing up for what's right. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

Never out of print since its 1944 publication, this tender story offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. At its heart is Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl in an American school, who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. When she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, she unwittingly triggers a game of teasing that eventually ends in a lesson for all.

In restoring the reproduction of Louis Slobodkin's artwork, this new edition recaptures the original vivid color. And to celebrate the book's enhanced beauty, Helena Estes, the daughter of the author, has written a new letter to readers about the true story behind The Hundred Dresses.

Customer Reviews:

Good for character education.......2007-09-09

This is a very cute book with a great message...perfect for teaching character education (acceptance, kindness) to children.

This book may cause tears!!.......2007-07-18

Ron Clark mentioned in his book, "Essential 55," that he reads, "The Hundred Dresses," to his class to help his students understand and not allow bullying. This is a great book. I had tears and so did a lot of my students. This book is an easy read and easy to understand. The story helps

-demonstrate to the reader that no matter how poor you are, you don't have to look or act poor.

-shows the reader that a bully is not always someone that gets in your face and calls you names.

-and reveals that watching someone being bullied without helping sometimes makes you just a guilty as the bully.

This book has characters that appear real and reflect on their decisions. Please remember to have tissue!

Great Book on Bullying and Peer Pressure.......2007-05-07

I recently read this book with my 3rd grade class and loved it. It has a great message for girls on being a bully and peer pressure. The illustrations are colorful and overall just delightful.

Beautiful Story.......2007-03-19

I read this book as a child and loved it so much. I purchased it because it's a great lesson and one that I want my children to learn as well.

the hundred dresses.......2007-02-14

The title of this book is "The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes. I give it 4 stars.

The reason I give this book four stars is because it was good and very descriptive but it was not very interesting. The book was dull and just went on and on with not a very good plot if any. This book was about a girl was made fun of because of what she said. Girls would tease her asking how many dresses she had in her closet. When she answered this question by saying she had a hundred dresses the girls would laugh and tease her. They also teased her because she had a funny last name. One day the girl did not come to school. When there was a drawing contest at school where the girls had to draw dresses she won. Everybody realized that they had done wrong and hoped that she forgave them.

Other great and esciting titles that i reccomend are catherine called birdy, bronx masquarade, and the midwifes apprentice. I am a student in 7th grade i am in an aig english class, and love to read. If you enjoy short, purposeful books, you will enjoy this one.

Polish: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Comprehensive)

Average customer rating:

There is no better language program out there
4 Conversational Polish
A Must-Have for Learning Polish
Do Not buy this product
slow

Polish: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Comprehensive)
Pimsleur
Manufacturer: Pimsleur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743528891

Book Description

Comprehensive Polish includes 30 lessons of essential grammar and vocabulary -- 16 hours of real-life spoken practice sessions -- plus an introduction to reading.

Upon completion of this Level I program, you will have functional spoken proficiency with the most-frequently-used vocabulary and grammatical structures. You will be able to:

* initiate and maintain face-to-face conversations,

* deal with every day situations -- ask for information, directions, and give basic information about yourself and family,

* communicate basic information on informal topics and participate in casual conversations,

* avoid basic cultural errors and handle minimum courtesy and travel requirements,

* satisfy personal needs and limited social demands,

* establish rapport with strangers in foreign countries,

* begin reading and sounding out items with native-like pronunciation.

Customer Reviews:

There is no better language program out there.......2007-10-06

I have tried many different language programs over the years and Pimsleur is hands-down the very best. I bought Pimsleur's Italian 2 years ago to prep for a trip to Italy and, within a month, I learned enough to get around with ease and was able to carry on a decent conversation with the locals. The Polish language is a little more difficult to master, but YOU CAN'T NOT LEARN it with Pimsleur. Seriously folks, don't even bother looking at other programs.

4 Conversational Polish.......2007-09-14

Clearly the place to start for conversational Polish. Each 25-30 minute lesson fits nicely into the daily commute. If you are serious about learning Polish, bite the bullet and purchase Comprehensive. If not sure, start with the Conversational for a test drive. Pimsleur is excellent for developing the sounding and flow of the language, and my new-found Polish colleagues were impressed. Repetition incorporates the language into your usable memory. The program does not come with a reference book and you will occasionally find it difficult to decide what letter you're trying to sound out in the words. Purchase a good dictionary and you'll be OK. At the end of Comprehensive you'll be able to perform simple tasks, but your vocabulary will be extremely limited. The audio courses available from other manufacturers do not fit into the American educational style. They can be used following Comprehensive to increase vocabulary. An excellent supplement for written (and audio Polish) is the First Year Polish course, available online at the Univ Pittsburgh.

A Must-Have for Learning Polish.......2007-08-26

This audio CD is AWESOME! I purchased it before my first trip to Poland. I had absolutely no background in Polish. 'Couldn't find any classes to take. I purchased this series at the suggestion of a friend. Wow! I couldn't believe how easy it made the language.

The phrases are those that would be used in casual conversation... which is exactly what I needed. The people I met were convinced that I really knew the language! When they started rattling off things I didn't understand, I was able to express my limitations w/ the language.

I enjoyed Pimsleur for Spanish but Pimsleur for Polish is excellent!

Do Not buy this product.......2007-08-12

I have not compared this product to its comptetors, so I cannot judge how good it is realative to them.

However, in itself, it is not a useful introduction to Polish. Both I and another visitor to Poland had used it before our trips and found it inappropriate.
Pimsleur spends a great deal of time on very complex sentences ("Where, madam, would you like to get something to eat?" - which in Polish is a much longer and very tonue-twisting sentence), but does NOT teach such fundamental basics as:

- My name is ...
- How much is?
- US consolate.
- How far is?
- How do I .... ?
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm from...
- Where are you from?
- What do you do for a living?
- Do you like .....?
- Is ... safe/good/reliable/trustworthy/usual cost, etc?
- This is my wife (daughter, son, etc)
- I am going to .... (Warsaw, etc)
- What do I need to declare?
- I am a (doctor, teacher, etc)
- Taxi, train station, bus station, subway,
- North, south, east, west

In fact, our joke was that the program might better be named the PIMPsler program, because so many of the lessons were given to such dialogues as:

"Madam, would you like to get a drink?..... At my hotel?"
"No."
"Then would you like to get a drink at a restaurant?"
"No."
"Then, Madam, may I buy you something?"

If you were a travelling letch interested in dealing with an escort service, these might be appropriate. For a family trying to find their way around, the content was unhelpful and counterproductive.

slow.......2007-06-27

The entire Pimsleur series that I have encountered is mind numbingly boring with endless repetition of the same basic phrases. I learned much more Polish with one World Talk CD than with the 5 Pimsleur CDs. I had the same objection to the Pimsleur Romanian CDs.

Memories Of My Life In A Polish Village, 1930-1949

Average customer rating:

A wonderful book to read on Easter
A personal "scrapbook" of memories told through art

Memories Of My Life In A Polish Village, 1930-1949
Toby Fluek
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

A wonderful book to read on Easter.......2007-04-10

Toby Knobel Fluek book is beautifully illustrated. In a simple way, Toby brings the reader into Jewish culture and Sabbath day preparation, Password celebration, and the foods and clothing of these celebrations. Toby focuses on the excitement of kitchen and food preparation: baking bread for the week, preparing Challah, important cooking pots for the passover, subtle humor, eggs, chicken, the potato and its many dishes, and potato pancake. Toby sister was a dress maker for rich patrons. Toby's uncle Mordche bought local eggs and sold them in the city and trudged through the mud all day. Ironing was a laborous task which included filling the iron with ambers from the fire and occassionally rekindling the ambers by waving the iron around about her head. Sabbath candles and pots were given as marriage gifts. The community had men of various religious roles. One role was the reader of the Talmud. The Charoes remind the Jews of their captivity and the milling of cement for bricks. Sedar reminded them of the haste they left their capativity, lying on their side as they recite prayers and sing songs. The clothes and shoes had to be cleaned and polished for the Sabbath. Everyone was dressed clean and proper for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was celebrated with a wonderful feast of delicious food prepared the prior day. On passover, a place for Elijah set, facing East, and the door opened. The Elijah stories excited the imagination of the children. The did not go without candles and pototes were used to hold the candles for those that could not afford an Minohora. Women washed and carried water, plucked chicken feathers in exchange for delcious food. Aaron must wait to marry his love until her older sister marries.The family is imprisoned in a Polish Ghetto. Gentiles sell food to the Jews through the fence at exorbit prices. The polices beat people selling at the fence. Food rationing increases starvation. 10s of thousands of Jews die before concentration camp and survivors eventually deported to the camps. Toby and her mother escape, march behind retreating Russians. The scene reminds me of Ruth and Naomi of the old testament bravely walking as tracers whistle over their heads. Toby and her mother escapes concentration camp and are certain other family members did not survive. PK provides a place for clothes, a hot meal, and sense of civilization. A wonderful book to read at Easter. An amazing story of human courage, determination, and faith in their God. A history of incredible contrasts: joy and sorrow, marriage and death, and faith and despair.

A personal "scrapbook" of memories told through art.......2005-08-09

This little book is a real gem of Jewish history, told through one woman's art. The paintings and sketches are arranged in chronological order, with personal explanations of each work. The result is like a scrapbook. Whereas most people today would have an album of photographs, Toby Fluek lost everything in the Holocaust, and was forced to carry her memories in her mind. Years later, she committed them to paper and canvas and now shares them in this book.

Interestingly, her family lived on a farm. One does not usually think of Eastern European Jews as farmers, but, in fact, there were Jews who worked the land. (One of my gentile Polish neighbors here in Minnesota told me that the Jews in his village always had the best vegetables!) While it is true that there were restrictions against Jews owning land, it is also true that there were exceptions to the rules. Toby's father's family had been on this farm for generations. It was this aspect that led me to purchase the book, because I, too, live and work on the land.

"We led a primitive life," she writes, "but we were a close-knit family." The "primitive" side of life is illustrated in her excellent still lifes, which portray arrangements of the common objects used for the Sabbath, festivals, and everyday activities. A basket of eggs for Passover, candles for the Sabbath, a prayer shawl on the table. Meat was served only on the Sabbath or when her father had an animal slaughtered. (Even then, he sold the best cuts of meat.) On weekdays they ate lots of potatoes, beans, and vegetables -- all beautifully painted here. Pots and dishes were passed down from mother to daughter, and nothing was ever discarded. One still life shows a well-worn set of Passover pots stored in a niche in the wall. Another painting is of her mother working in the farmhouse kitchen. She in kneading a week's worth of bread dough in a large wooden tub.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Toby eventually lost everything to the Nazi occupation. This, too, is illustrated through her paintings and drawings. The style here is darker, more ominous. Not something I would hang on my wall (the burning hospital, with the people still in it, is utterly horrifying in its simplicity) but essential to the telling of her story. She shows us Yom Kippur in the forest, hiding outdoors in the rain, crouching in a cellar and hanging her bread on a string to keep the mice from eating it at night. Her father was shot by the Nazis, her brother captured and taken away, presumably to his death. Through it all, her will to live was strong and she survived.

The collection of paintings (94 in all) continues through the liberation of Poland, being a displaced person begging for food, finding a job in a Russian military bakery (where the soldiers looked the other way so she could steal bread to take home). In 1949 she was married and moved to New York, where she lives today. The world she once knew is gone, but the memory lives on in her artwork. The last painting, "Am Yisrael Chai" (The People of Israel Live! shows Jews parying at the Western Wall in freedom.

A Scrap of Time and Other Stories (Jewish Lives)

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...an anthology of shards from a broken world...
A Scrap of Time
An exceptional collection of short stories

A Scrap of Time and Other Stories (Jewish Lives)
Ida Fink
Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0810112590

Customer Reviews:

...an anthology of shards from a broken world..........2004-05-17

Though the concentration camps are never mentioned, these 23 short stories are a haunting collection about life in Poland at the time of the Holocaust. The theme of the anthology is on the excruciating agony of life in a broken world. These are stories of resistance, submission, betrayal, hope, regret and remembering.

Each story is the nightmare of an otherwise quiet ordinary people, previously living a secure and ordered existence. What is most striking is the uniqueness of the tone and style in each short story; and that none of the stories talk of the camps, only the horror before and after.

Perhaps, the author's own words (see below) taken from the first, title story captures why this collection is ultimately crucial to an impression, an understanding of those times. [Recommended for Young Adults/Adults]

[quote]
I want to talk about a certain time not measured in months and years. For so long I have wanted to talk about this time, and not in the way I will talk about it now, not just about this one scrap of time. I wanted to, but I couldn't, I didn't know how. I was afraid, too, that this second time, which is measured in months and years, had buried the other time under a layer of years, that this second time had crushed the first and destroyed it within me. But no. Today, digging around in the ruins of memory, I found it fresh and untouched from forgetfulness. This time was measured not in months but in a word--we no longer said "in the beautiful month of May," but "after the first "action," or the second, or right before the third." We had different measures of time, we different ones, always different, always with that mark of difference that moved some of us to pride and others to humility. We, who because of our difference were condemned once again, as we had been before in our history, we were condemned once again during this time measured not in months nor by the rising and setting of the sun, but by a word--"action," a word signifying movement, a word you would use about a novel or a play.
[/end quote]

A Scrap of Time.......1999-12-02

Ida Fink uses vivid langauge and impectable details to bring faces to the Holcaust. She tells haunting stories about Jewish life in Poland before and after World War II. Fink's stories are beutifully told and evoke every emotion; from fear to joy, hatred to pity. The book tells about individuals and gives faces and lives to the often impresonal Holocaust.

An exceptional collection of short stories.......1999-05-31

A Scrap of Time is a collection of short stories that masterfully presents the Holocaust experience from the perspective of survivors, witnesses, and victims in the villages of occupied Poland. Acts of personal courage, the day to day decisions that meant life or death, personal attempts to carry on with dignity, are all expressed here in powerful language and moving tales that evoke the Holocaust as it is not often told: as an experience that was as personal as each person who lived it. I have read and re-read this book several times. Each time, the stories seem to resound with their original power. Ida Fink, a Polish survivor of the Holocaust, is a master storyteller. With the very first sentence, she has the ability to create scenes of astonishing clarity and suspense. You simply cannot put the book down until you finish the story. With simple, lyrical language, she creates scenes of tremendous emotional impact. I don't believe I will ever look at the Holocaust in quite the same way. No television documentary could ever do justice to the Holocaust experience as these unforgettable stories of the personal lives of human beings in the most impossible of situations.

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom

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The Long Walk-Rawicz
The Long Walk
Thrilling adventure, lousy history
A Maze Ing
Escape from the Soviet Union

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
Slavomir Rawicz
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1558216340

Amazon.com

Cavalry officer Slavomir Rawicz was captured by the Red Army in 1939 during the German-Soviet partition of Poland and was sent to the Siberian Gulag along with other captive Poles, Finns, Ukranians, Czechs, Greeks, and even a few English, French, and American unfortunates who had been caught up in the fighting. A year later, he and six comrades from various countries escaped from a labor camp in Yakutsk and made their way, on foot, thousands of miles south to British India, where Rawicz reenlisted in the Polish army and fought against the Germans. The Long Walk recounts that adventure, which is surely one of the most curious treks in history.

Book Description

The harrowing true tale of escaped Soviet prisoners¿ desperate march out of Siberia, through China, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and over the Himalayas to British India.

Customer Reviews:

The Long Walk-Rawicz.......2007-10-12

How much of this adventure is indisputable fact? And how much is recalled in the mind of a man mostly crazed by thirst and hunger and thus distorted by the nigtmares suffered on the journey? I give literary license to the author and say it was a fantastic adventure. Shame on the doubters!

The Long Walk.......2007-10-11

I am an avid reader, and this is by far one of the most fascinating books I have read. It shows the strength and willpower of a human's will to survive in the most horrific condtions. A must read.

Thrilling adventure, lousy history.......2007-09-26

I would have admired this book without reservation if it were represented as a work of fiction, but since its supposed to be a true story, I can't be as positive. Even without the information about the author uncovered by the BBC, which pretty much ends the debate regarding the veracity of this account, I would have questioned the authenticity of this story anyway.

I can believe most of the horrible things described about the author's arrest, interrogation, transport, and incarceration in a work camp (though the forced march seems less plausible, but we should never underestimate the cruelty of the gulag camp system). If anything, the way he describes the work camps sounds too tame in light of what we know about the gulag. He describes a work camp without criminals (most gulag inmates were classed as criminals, not politicals) and with very relaxed boundaries between the commandant and the inmates. This sounds more like Hogan's Stalag 13 than a real gulag. (read Anne Applebaum's remarkable book on the gulag.)

What seems most implausible to me is the novelistic quality of the book. First, there are the supporting characters - in true hollywood fashion, each of whom has a characteristic that distinguishes him or her from the others - toothless guy, the gentle giant, the wisecracker, and most implausibly, a beautiful young escapee who miraculously crosses their path amid the vast wastes of Siberia. Next, there's the dialogue (always recalled by the author verbatim), which reads more like a hollywood script than actual conversation between people (e.g., each of the wisecracker's quips is recalled verbatim). Finally, there's level of detail that no memory could recall, such as who found what kind of snake on which day.

Read this book side by side with real stories of survival, accounts of undisputed veracity (omit those written by journalists or authors who kept a notebook during their travels). Next to a book like Herzog's Annapurna or Worsley's book on the Endurance, the Long Walk reads like a very good novel, but not a true account of survival.

Frankly, I'm surprised that so many people have accepted its authenticity over the last several decades. Credit should go to the journalist who wrote the book with the help of the "author." The true story I would like to read is how a journalist and a Polish camp survivor cooked up this tale and sold it to the public. The author's tells us that he donated his time to good causes. I have to wonder if he was trying to ease his sense of guilt or rationalize his long involvement in this hoax.

A Maze Ing.......2007-09-11

What an amazing life. I was expecting another "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" or "Gulag Archipelago." But this story is different -- there is very little bitterness, very little savoring-of-the-details. Instead, it is cleanly told and incredibly true. It is a simple book, not much complexity, just human nature laid bare. Amazing.

Escape from the Soviet Union.......2007-09-05

There is some debate as to whether or not this story is true, but it is not at all improbable. Sentenced to 25 years in the Soviet gulag system, Polish cavalry-officer Rawicz was determined to escape from the remote Siberian labor-camp, somewhere north of Lake Baikal. The brutality Rawicz experienced at the hands of the communist government is typical of such accounts from this era. It reminds one of the memoirs of Alexander Solzhenitzyn.
Rawicz assembled a group of six other prisoners: two more Polish soldiers, a Latvian, a Lithuanian, a Yugoslavian, and ...an American! They made their break in early 1941, during a winter storm. Along the way, a teenage Polish girl also joined the party. The resulting narrative (if it is all true) is a harsh tale of survival as they trekked across some of the most rugged and dangerous terrain on Earth: frozen pine-forests, open plains, the Gobi Desert, and the mountains of Tibet.
Sadly, only half the party made it to the objective, which was India. Had they been less hasty in their trek once free of Soviet territory, the entire party could have survived. Had they planned more, traveled with caravans, and learned some basic survival skills, they could have brought everyone out.
The crossed Siberia, Mongolia, north China, and Tibet, cut off from all civilization and news of events abroad. They passed through lands where life was largely unchanged in a thousand years, and oblivious to the titanic events of World War II. Had Rawicz's party stopped in Lhasa, they surely would have met the famed mountaineers Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschneider (read "Seven Years In Tibet").
The most sceptical account, is a sighting of the "Yeti", while in the Himalayas. Did they really see some as yet unclassified primate? Who is to say?
Regardless, the story is profoundly fascinating...I hope its all true! The only improvement to the tale: what happened to the survivors after they left India? Unfortunately, thats where the story ends.

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Show Some Passion
Realism
A Trip To Bleakest Europe
Definitely not Furst's best work
Fantastic

The Polish Officer: A Novel
Alan Furst
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375758275
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Book Description

September 1939. As Warsaw falls to Hitler’s Wehrmacht, Captain Alexander de Milja is recruited by the intelligence service of the Polish underground. His mission: to transport the national gold reserve to safety, hidden on a refugee train to Bucharest. Then, in the back alleys and black-market bistros of Paris, in the tenements of Warsaw, with partizan guerrillas in the frozen forests of the Ukraine, and at Calais Harbor during an attack by British bombers, de Milja fights in the war of the shadows in a world without rules, a world of danger, treachery, and betrayal.

Download Description

In 1939, as the German army ravages his country, Captain Alexander de Milja joins the intelligence service of the Polish underground and undertakes many daring and defiant missions. The Polish Officer is Furst at his best: masterfully suspenseful, brilliantly atmospheric, and surprising to the last page.

Customer Reviews:

Show Some Passion .......2007-09-27

I liked the big set pieces -- the train heading out of Poland, the big attack on the beach. But the main character left me flat. He was too disinterested, it seemed, in everything. Too noir. That said, Furst has a wonderful style of setting the scene and his strokes of the pen in describing a character, a look, a scene are succulent. He is one of a kind. I just didn't get a feeling for desperation and urgency out of our hero.

Realism.......2007-04-16

This is an incredible story of unself-conscious courage. However, it demands a lot from the reader, too.

You have to be ready for a simple, clear storytelling style which describes in convincing detail a very bleak, dehumanizing atmosphere where people have given up virtually all hope. War is depicted very unsentimentally and realistically, and heroism is outlined quite simple: a willingness to kill "good naturedly." Wow.

The main character is drawn simply and powerfully. You'll enjoy getting to know him, and feel relief when you put the book down, too. He is capable of doing "whatever it takes" to win.

Well-written and, from what others say here, historically accurate. It pays us to remember what WWII was really like, and what it demanded from ordinary people.

A Trip To Bleakest Europe.......2006-10-16

"Poland had lost a war, this is what was left." Alan Furst's third novel begins in the bleakest corner of war-ravaged Europe where Poles waited, in vain, for British and French help that would not come. As demonstrated by "Night Soldiers" and "Dark Star," Furst is unmatched when it comes to describing wartime Europe in a detail so fine that the time and place seem to come alive. So, we are not just told that Poland was left to freeze as its coal was shipped off to Germany, Furst writes that "there was ice in Captain de Milja's basement room; a rust-colored stalactite that hung from a connection in the water pipe that ran across his ceiling."

But as the story moves from Warsaw, to Bucharest, to Paris, Furst shows us a different war. The contrast Furst draws between a craven France and a fighting Poland is stark. France may be occupied, but the French in this book (with certain exceptions) are overwhelmingly compromised and cowardly -- and, in return, live better than the hopeless Poles.

This novel is shorter than "Dark Star," and is less dense. Rather than layering complex story lines, Furst moves "The Polish Officer," Alexander de Miljia, through a series of missions in occupied Europe and Russia. This approach does not make the novel any less satisfying. The story of the "Pilava Local," the last passenger train through Poland, is harrowing. The missions against the Gestapo are awe-inspiring. The activity in occupied France -- assisted (finally) by the British -- are also absorbing. If there is any criticism of this novel, it is that the story flags a bit at the end, when de Miljia reaches the western USSR, and it ends on a note that is somewhat more hopeful than events warrant. Nonetheless, the story is riveting overall. A fine entry in Furst's series.

Definitely not Furst's best work.......2006-06-26

Alan Furst is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of fiction, but I was disappointed with The Polish Officer for a number of reasons. For starters, the entire story just kind of rambles along from one location, one set of characters, and one situation to another, without ever really getting on track or going anywhere in particular. It seemed like more of a random collection of vignettes than a closely knit and comprehensive story. Much of what happens (particularly early in the book) is completely irrelevant. And although Furst clearly knows his history well, many of the events he writes about seem to be included simply as an opportunity for him to show off his knowledge - the literary equivalent of name dropping. There really is no central plot that develops through the course of the story. Instead, the protagonist just plods along from one adventure to the next. Then the book abruptly ends without any kind of climax or resolution, as if the author simply ran out of time before he had to get his manuscript to his editor. Like I said, I'm a big fan of Alan Furst, so it really pains me to be so critical of one of his books. I know he is capable of writing excellent stories; this just doesn't happen to be one of them.

Fantastic.......2006-05-23

The Polish Officer was the first of Alan Furst's books I read, and I instantly became infatuated. Absolutely immersive, suspensful, enthralling. His writing never insults your intelligence. This book (as well as his others) don't just simply appeal to consumers of WWII history or espionage fiction; Furst's work captures those who love reading about the human struggle in the face of impossible odds. The Polish Officer is one of his best. My highest recommendation.

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen (Penguin Classics)

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disgusting title
TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE...
A remembrance of things past
A lesson to learn
Shocking in its non-chalance

This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen (Penguin Classics)
Tadeusz Borowski
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140186247

Customer Reviews:

disgusting title.......2007-02-23

I would never purchase nor read a book entitled "This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen". It upsets me to read the sentence let alone read such a book.

Given that it certainly gets your attention what other purpose except to upset the reader before he opens the first page...the author obviously has issues that he has yet to deal with.

TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE..........2005-11-26

In the annals of holocaust literature, this is one of the more unflinching collection of death camp stories, as it depicts the stark reality of the desperate situation of those ensconced in concentration camps, where the final solution was frantically put into play. The stories are of the unimaginable and the nearly unendurable, replete with the inherent pathos of the situation of the truly desperate. It is shows the desensitization that takes place in order for one to survive the horrors of a death camp. It is an unapologetic dissertation of what camp life was truly like for those for whom surviving was the bottom line. It also shows how the Jewish people were clearly singled out for mass extermination.

The author himself survived two death camps, Auschwitz and Dachau, where he had been imprisoned from 1943 to 1945, as a young man in his early twenties. Born in the Ukraine in 1922 to Polish parents who spent time in Siberian labor camps, the author was no stranger to hardship. Yet, he was little prepared for man's inhumanity to man. His time in the death camps was to form an indelible impression on him, resulting in this collection of stories, which chronicle man's inhumanity to man. It shows how camp culture made all those within its sphere participants in its reign of terror and in the final solution. In the end, having survived the unimaginable, the author committed suicide in 1951, choosing to gas himself to death. The irony inherent in his choice of death is not lost upon the discerning reader.

A remembrance of things past.......2005-06-14

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.

Borowski was born in Soviet occupied Ukraine to Polish parents. His father was sent to a Soviet work camp, building the White Sea Canal, but was released in an exchange of prisoners with Poland. Upon his father's release, the family settled in Warsaw. Although not Jewish, Borowski was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 for subversive activities when he was caught surreptitiously printing his own poetry. He spent the rest of the war in Auschwitz and Dachau. The first piece of luck or fate that saved his life was the decision by the Nazis to stop exterminating non-Jewish prisoners two weeks before Borowski's arrival.

The series of stories contained in This Way for the Gas are all written in the voice of one prisoner, Tadeusz. Not unexpectedly the stories appear to be loosely autobiographical. Borowski's writing is not overloaded with emotion. It is descriptive and matter of fact. The day-to-day tone of the writing, writing that describes death and deprivation as normal events adds an emotional impact to the stories.

For example, in one scene the prisoner Tadeusz describes a football (soccer) match played by the prisoners. He served as goalkeeper and described his walk to retrieve a ball that was kicked way over the net. As he walks to the ball he sees through the barbed wire fence truckloads of prisoners being herded through the gas chambers. Later in the match he has to retrieve another ball. As he returns to the goal he matter-of-factly estimates that 5,000 prisoners have been gassed between his retrieving the two balls. It is powerful storytelling.

Equally compelling are stories that describe the numerous decisions Tadeusz and his fellow prisoners made every day in order to survive. Taking clothes from the luggage of prisoners destined for the gas in order to trade the clothes for bread. People fight for survival and despite a certain ethical code amongst prisoners (there are some things even the dying won't do) they all know that the steps they take to survive often means that someone else will perish. Borowski does not flinch from subjecting his alter ego and his fellow prisoners to a critical self-examination of these choices. Both Borowski and his narrator survived Auschwitz. But as you can see from these flawlessly executed stories the question of how much of one's humanity remains is a difficult question. The emaciated bodies of the survivors could often be repaired. But the sense of a moral inner flame extinguished by the acts required for survival is not so easily relit. The reader cannot help but wonder whether the lingering impact of those choices in Auschwitz somehow invariably led to the choice he made in July 1951.

Tadeusz Borowski's "This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen" is a wonderful example of how fiction can portray the horrors of genocide with an emotional clarity that non-fiction sometimes lacks. This book ranks with Varlam Shalamov's Kolyma Tales (the Gulag) as a monumental piece of remembrance presented in the form of short stories, vignettes of life in a place with little mercy and less humanity. They each stand as stark testimony, even though they are works of literature and not history, to the "evil that men do."

Upon finishing "This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman" I found myself wanting to repeat the words "never again" as a refrain. Yet upon reflection one looks at subsequent world events: Bosnia, Cambodia, Chechnya, Sudan, and Rwanda (among others) and asks whether humanity makes the phrase "never again" a futile gesture. It has been said that those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Anyone who reads Borowski's testament will long remember the prose that, hopefully, will keep us from forgetting.
L. Fleisig

A lesson to learn.......2004-05-09

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.

Shocking in its non-chalance.......2003-11-09

Borowski's account of life in Aushcwitz is a classic. The brutality, inhumanity, and gruesome daily life in the hell-on-earth that was the Holocaust is matter-of-factly, even non-chalantly described and recounted in _This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen_. Little wonder the author put his own head in a gas oven in the years following his experiences. The images are haunting. But what I found to be most disturbing was the simple language Borowski used in retelling his experiences.

Borowski, a Pole, lived separately from the Jews who were daily incenerated. And while his life was unimaginably difficult, by some measure it was better than that of the Jews. A sense of guilt - call it survivors guilt, or regret, or perhaps at its most elemental level, deep and profound sadness - permeates the book, as it should. It is a remarkable read, profound and stunning. Highly recommended.

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Best book available on Abakanowicz

Ideas and art on a grand scale

Magdalena Abakanowicz
Barbara Rose
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Figurative Sculpture of Magdalena Abakanowicz: Bodies, Environments, and Myths

Sculpture since 1945 (Oxford History of Art)

ASIN: 0810919478

Book Description

The sculptures of Magdalena Abakanowicz, one of the preeminent sculptors of the past half-century, offer a moving, tactile testament to both individuality and common humanity. This monograph provides an exhaustive overview of Abakanowicz's permanent installations (among other works), such as Katarsis at the Fattoria di Celle sculpture garden in Santomato di Pistoia, Italy. There, as in other of her bronzes, limbless, headless torsos stand in soldierly ranks, their surfaces rough with textures that differentiate each from the other. Mournful and mute, the artist's monumental groups are fitting, solemn representations of contemporary human alienation and political manipulation. Drawings and essays, along with artist statements and an interview, complete this necessary contextualization of an important contemporary artist.

Customer Reviews:

Best book available on Abakanowicz.......1999-12-01

Excellent attention to Abakanowicz's aesthetic modes and influences

Ideas and art on a grand scale.......1998-12-24

Rose presents the reader with a book of incredible beauty and depth encompassing large scale ideas as well as art. Who can help but become an admirer of both this wonderful artist and the author as the pages reveal Abokanowicz's silent but triumphant monuments. From towering textile pieces to gigantic bronze installations, Abakanowicz's emotive creations are dually tranquil and disturbing, but most of all they are profoundly free. Rose brings Abakanowicz's strength and vision to the fore in a volume worthy of it's own pedastal.

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