American Mourning: The Intimate Story of Two Families Joined by War, Torn by Beliefs
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Loss and hatred on opposite paths
  • Unfair to both sides
  • American Mourning was a great book
  • American Mourning
  • A picture of the real heart of Americans.
American Mourning: The Intimate Story of Two Families Joined by War, Torn by Beliefs
Catherine Moy , and Melanie Morgan
Manufacturer: WND Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1581825404
Release Date: 2006-10-16

Book Description

American Mourning is the story of two American families whose sons died in the war on terror. Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson had been best friends since they first met at Fort Hood in Texas; they were killed within five days of each other in separate ambushes in Sadr City, Iraq, during Holy Week of 2004.

As the Sheehan and Johnson families have mourned their unimaginable loss, they have had little else in common and have taken entirely different paths as they mourned. Justin's father, Joe Johnson, followed his son to Baghdad, slogging through the open sewers of Iraqi slums to see where Justin had died and to avenge his death.

Cindy Sheehan wanted another kind of revenge. Blaming President Bush for Casey's death, she called the Muslim radicals who killer her son "freedom fighters" and brought an entourage of antiwar activists and a coalition of the willing press to the president's ranch outside Crawford, Texas. Demanding that the president meet with her in the sweltering Texas summer, she became a media phenomenon and America's best-known antiwar activist since Jane Fonda.

The Sheehans and the Johnsons represent the extremes of grief-stricken parents in war, both families reflecting the gap in how Americans view the war on terror. The Johnson family has bonded closer. Justin's parents have grown nearer; their faith has been strengthened; and their support for the war is stronger than ever. Meanwhile, the Sheehan family has fractured, and Casey's parents have divorced. Cindy says she is no longer a Christian, and her opposition to the war is deeper an dmore bitter than ever.

The bodies of Casey Sheehan and Justin Johnson lie in their hometown graves. Justin's final resting place is decorated with handmade flags and miniature Uncle Sams. Casey's had no marker for two years to tell the world that he lived, fought, and died a hero.

Both Joe and Cindy are shooting at ghosts. Cindy still is. This is their story. The story of American Mourning.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Loss and hatred on opposite paths.......2007-03-22

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (2/07)

Justin Johnson was raised in Georgia where boys are taught how to use a gun from an early age. Justin enlisted after 9/11. "Mom, things aren't good. It's scary. You wouldn't believe this place. It's messing with our heads. Mom, you just never know. There are kids, ten- to-twelve year-olds and they got machine guns. You don't know: are they friendly or are they the enemy."

Casey Sheehan was raised in California. Casey's mother discouraged her son from enlisting in the army. He was loyal and loved his country. She offered to take him to Canada so that he could avoid Iraq, but he declined.

Casey and Justin met at Fort Hood, Texas. The two became quick friends although they didn't have a lot in common. "Both were quiet, strong, patriotic, and God-loving young men." "Both young men prayed to God and hoped they would make it home to their moms and dads, sisters and brothers."

Justin and Casey were both killed by radical Muslims.

Joe Johnson wanted revenge on the terrorists. He signed up with a unit shipping to Iraq and "swore to God and to Justin that I would go to Iraq and kill as many of them as I could." Joe was filled with hatred. "I could kill all the insurgents and it would never bring Justin back, I don't think I'll really get anything out of it except for maybe that one moment of satisfaction when I finally kill somebody. But as far as long-lasting feelings of satisfaction, I don't think I'll find it in Iraq. There's hardly a day goes by that I don't wish I hadn't a spent more time with him."

Cindy Sheehan was also filled with hatred but she took it a different direction. "She blamed President George W. Bush for Casey's death and called the Muslim radicals who killed Casey and Just "freedom fighters." "Cindy posted herself outside the president's Crawford ranch. She became a media phenomenon, thanks to a campaign by well-paid media experts from the Left." Her grief and the media destroyed her family.

"A parent should never have to bury a child."

Catherine Moy & Melanie Morgan expressively share the tragic story of two young men killed in Iraq, two families torn apart. Moy and Morgan capture and convey the pain and anguish the families are suffering. I found myself in tears as I read this book. The bravery of Justin and Casey is celebrated on these pages. I want to be careful not to state an opinion of the actions of the families for I would not add to their pain. After reading this book, the deaths become more than a news story. This book gives Justin and Casey a face and brings them into you heart. This book describes the divide in American opinion concerning the War on Terror. Regardless of which side of the divide you stand we must never forget the young men and women who are fighting this war. Ms Moy and Morgan are to be commended on their presentation of the heroic lives of these two young men. I highly recommend "America Mourning" to all.

1 out of 5 stars Unfair to both sides.......2007-03-02

This book is one of the saddest pieces of "journalism" I have ever read. It is a smear job on both families. Not just Sheehan, but the ridiculous amount of personal stuff thrown out there on the Jackson's makes the reader wonder: What does any of this have to do with argument? All in all, a book that appears to be profiting from the death of two brave men. I am thoroughly appalled by the words and tactics of the authors. I am apolitical, so maybe I didn't enter this book with the frame of mind necessary to feel good about the dragging through the mud of two brave and decent soldiers families. Is this what they fought and died for? Flat ridiculous.

5 out of 5 stars American Mourning was a great book.......2007-01-10

I mostly read just Stephen King books, but this book was one that I had heard about and decided to purchase. I was very glad to read about one family that cared so much for their son that his father enlisted to avenge his son's death. Unfortunatly, reading about Cindy Sheehan only wanted me to get a gun and shoot her. She did nothing but lie and kept her family from mourning their son's death. I really enjoyed this book.

3 out of 5 stars American Mourning.......2007-01-10

If the authores would of just stuck with the story it would of been a 5 star for me. It had too many political judgements but all in all it was a good story. I heard they are thinking of making a movie out of this book. That I would like to see but I hope they focus more on the Soldiers and not so much on the politics.

5 out of 5 stars A picture of the real heart of Americans........2007-01-10

A 'must read' for those who are only hearing the anti-America retoric of the liberal minority. There are still Americans who are proud of what our country still stands for. GP
Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Spellbinding Memoir
  • MAKE A MIRACLE--You Can Do It!!!!!!!!!!
  • interesting insight and perspective
  • Learn how most Chinese lived - Jewish girl in scheisse
  • Ursula's Amazing Story
Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China
Ursula Bacon
Manufacturer: M Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1595820000

Book Description

By the late 1930s, Europe sat on the brink of a world war. As the holocaust approached, many Jewish families in Germany fled to one of the only open port available to them: Shanghai. Once called "the armpit of the world," Shanghai ultimately served as the last resort for tens of thousands of Jews desperate to escape Hitler's "Final Solution." Against this backdrop, 11-year-old Ursula Bacon and her family made the difficult 8,000-mile voyage to Shanghai, with its promise of safety. But instead of a storybook China, they found overcrowded streets teeming with peddlers, beggars, opium dens, and prostitutes. Amid these abysmal conditions, Ursula learned of her own resourcefulness and found within herself the fierce determination to survive.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Spellbinding Memoir.......2005-11-04

I loved reading this memoir. It was an easy read that was character driven and suspenseful. The language was not unnecessarily pretentious, and getting into the story was easy. Further, I knew nothing before reading this book about the European Jews who found a haven of sorts in Shanghai during WWII. While they suffered many indignities, shortages of food, medicine, shelter, and clothing, they were much better off than the European Jews who went to their deaths in the camps. Ironically, they also fared better than non-Jewish citizens of countries allied against Hitler and Japan during the Japanese occupation. Non Jewish civilians of the allied countries or captured POWS participated in tragedies like the Bataan death march. They were interred in Japanese prison camps and subjected to grueling forced labor. There they starved, froze, and died of injury and disease probably in greater number than the Shanghai Jews. The Shanghai Jews were subjected to some but not a great deal of forced labor. They were required to police their own ghetto and dig the occassional ditch. Jews did die because of a lack of medicine, sanitation and adequate nutrition. However, many Chinese civilians suffered the same losses even before the war. Still this does not excuse the ghettoization of the Jews into terribly crowded conditions, rules that precluded most of them from earning a living even though they had skills or precluded them from owning property. Luckily aid from Jews in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa could reach them. For some this was their only means of support and they lived wretched lives. However, the narrator and her family arrived a little better off than most, and her father was a well liked industrious and optimistic businessman. Her mother took in mending and used her excellent seamstress skills to earn money. She tolerated her reduced circumstances without complaint and focused on the sunnier future she was sure would follow the war's end. When the author's father could not work much after the Japanese occupation, their circumstances were reduced. Because the ghetto was seriously overcrowded most occupants could afford little more space than 100 sq. ft. for every three people. Sanitation was completely lacking, and the description of the "honeypots" was truly odoriferous. Imagine several people suffering from amebic dysyntary using the same water closet outfitted with a rustic chamber pot. The author could have let her story fall into the trap of excessive sentimentality, but she did not. For this and her family's optimism I give her Kudos. I gave this four stars instead of five, because I don't think it rises to the literary level of a five star book. Still I highly recommend it. It is a great novel to take on an airplane, a vacation, or to read on an inclement afternoon. It can be read in a few hours.

5 out of 5 stars MAKE A MIRACLE--You Can Do It!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-07-20

Several months ago I saw the author, Ursula Bacon, on BookTv (C-Span 2). I was very impressed with her; her lecture was excellent; and the true story of her life from the age of 10 to 18 was compelling. So, I immediately ordered her book. But the book sat on my desk for weeks making me feel guilty about not reading it. I too am a writer. So, finally after completing one book and revising another one, I took a break. And what a break that was--when I was transported to the CHINA of 1938-1946! Ms. Bacon, an only child of a Jewish family, left Germany with her parents as Hitler and his cohorts were rounding up Jews and transporting them to Death Camps.

By the time Vati, Dad, and Mutti, Mom, were looking for countries to immigrate to, every country had closed its doors to German Jews except Shanghai, China. And Shanghai was a total mess, worse than anything most Americans would ever see. But Ursula's family lived in the filthy disease-ridden slums and survived by bartering their few possessions for food. Ursula, up until then a very sheltered child, attended a Catholic school where most classes were taught in French. And most of the time she remained optimistic, made many European and Chinese friends of all ages, learned to speak Mandarin Chinese, encouraged her Mutti, and helped Vati with his business endeavors.

Ursula became an adult before becoming a teen! And she encountered many bizarre situations which she handled better than most adults. The worst was when she was 12 or 13 and killed a drunken Japanese soldier with her bare hands when he attacked her as she walked home from a friend's house late at night. She didn't tell her parents, though, because she didn't want to burden them with additional worries.

This intriguing and inspiring survival tale is about Jewish refuges in China during WW II, though it depicts the color of Shanghai and the many nationalities struggling to survive their wartorn world. I didn't want SHANGHAI DIARY to end! However, I couldn't wait to finish it, so I could pass it on to an friend whose daughter adopted the most delightful Chinese girl who I predict will someday be an important leader in some capacity.

The world has grown so small today that every American should go out of his or her way to become acquainted with other cultures and religions. And every American teenager should be given the opportunity to live in a foreign country to learn new languages and cultures. I give this wonderful book MORE than FIVE STARS! And I hope parents will share it with their teens and high school teachers will use it in their classes. Thanks, Ursula! K.J. McWilliams, book reviewer as well as author of Pirates, The Journal of Leroy Jeremiah Jones, a Fugitive Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Darien Dexter Duff, an Emancipated Slave, winner of the Young Adult Fiction 2003 Royal Palm Literary Award.

4 out of 5 stars interesting insight and perspective.......2005-07-07

I have enjoyed this book (only read half so far). I don't know how she might remember such detailed accounts, but she did have a diary. This is an amazing account during a terrible time. Worth reading.

4 out of 5 stars Learn how most Chinese lived - Jewish girl in scheisse.......2005-06-04

This is not the best of wartime stories, but the author, an older Jewish lady now residing in Colorado, certainly has a good memory for the details of life in pre-Communist Shanghai. Her family fled with nothing, having entrusted jewelry to an old family friend, so they arrive in Shanghai with a precious few coins to survive. There are wealthy Jews in Shanghai who provide a very minimum bit of hospice space to sleep and some basic slop to eat, as supplies are stretched with the ever-increasing arrivals from all over Europe.

Those who like the dirty details of real life in a poor, overcrowded and ancient civilization will love this book. The author does not mince words at her horror of Chinese sanitation, more actually, the lack thereof. The paragraghs devoted to the honeybuckets, their cleaning, and the stenches of the alleyways could make even a reader vomit. I myself had toured China on the cheap in 1990 and can testify that things had changed little when one got off the main roads of Shanghai - though in the last 15 years, many of the old slums have been torn down to make way for skyscrapers and apartment silos. Going to the bathroom, usually squat Turkish style, was always a nightmare, and always to be postponed until perhaps a Western hotel could be found. Very easy otherwise to lose one's lunch! Oh well, if China was cheap, who cares about a lost lunch?

Not for the young Ursula is China cheap. The father, once a well-off printer and company owner, is now working as a pseudo-wallpaper applier, or rather, with A Chinese Partner, supervising 60 coolies to do the work. The mother has a way with needle and thread, some basic dressmaking, and begins to help other refugees with mending and adjustments. Ursula has learned English in school and from the streets, so she is also employed, as the teenager governess to three high-ranking concubines of a Chinese general. She learns all about the Chinese view of sex, marriage, views of women, and why baby girls are found dumped in the local trashbins all around her Hongkew slum. One days she even found a live, crying girl in the trash, and against all better judgment, fished it out from under the garbage and brought it to a Christian orphanage.

The luck of the refugees go up and down according to the politics and their own individual initiatives. After selling off whatever they managed to smuggle out from Europe (jewelry, winter garments, shoes, books, etc), they must become resourceful in order to eat regularly. All follow with interest whatever bits of news they can garner about the war in Europe, since it quickly moves to their corner of the world.
Then the Japanese arrive and take over Shanghai, with new rules.
Whereas before the Jews could, as foreigners, move freely through Shanghai and conduct business, rent properties, and so on, they are now rounded up and forced to live in one section only of the city, namely, the filthy slum of Hongkew. Families live all in one room, with a sheet hung between to share the room with yet another family "next door". There is no privacy, and Ursula suffers from this. They no longer can manage to do their business freely and become desperate scroungers and scavengers, as indeed are practically all the local Chinese under Japanese rule. A few Jewesses choose to make themselves useful to the Japanese rulers, to get money and presents, but they are despised by their own community.

The last years of the war are spent in this filthy condition, with neighbors and friends dying of the communicable diseases, despair, malnutrition, and random shootings and bombings. Ursula, for example, learned jujitsu, to protect herself against assault by Japanese soldiers. The girls and women learn to never go out alone, and never by night. One evening Ursula makes the mistake to walk back home alone (prescribed routes only for foreigners, by the way), and gets assaulted by a horny soldier. She aims a strong h andchop at his Adam's apple and kills him.

No one the next day commented on one more dead body in the lane, nor asked who could have done it.

My main complaint with Ursula's story is its ending. She and the other refugees dream constantly of USA, with such details as tennis courts, horseback riding and swimming pools, etc. These ideas came presumably from movies, widely shown in Shanghai. Meanwhile, although they're realists, they don't seem to realize that the bulk of the US population in the 1930's was in serious economic stress, with no such lifestyle possible. Even today, not everyone is a spoiled surburbanite by a long shot, especially new arrivals with no money, as they would be.

The fast Happy End, where they all somehow get to America, do well, get married and whatnot, with no struggle implied, is quite a letdown. HEre we have been dragged through the coals of the misery of Chinese life, in its minute details, and suddenly, presto! They somehow get allowed into their dream country (which strings did they pull, how much did it cost, etc.? why the sudden silence on how hard life maneuvers can be?) and do well. Oh? WHat did she study, what work did she find? She mentioned that her father found work with the Denver Post as a printer. Did he know English? Was it hard for him?
What did his wife do?

The main "thrill" of the book is in the details of everyday Chinese life, with its stench, its sexism, its obsessions and superstitions. These come through more clearly for a Western reader than if written by a Chinese, who takes such privations as normal. Indeed, they were, and still are, standard problems for the bulk of China and much of the Third World.

Ursula Bacon's family did not considered themselves Jews in any true religious sense, so their experience is not particularly Jewish, but German. Their German ideas and attitudes come through clearly, especially in their horror of dirt, in their love of literature and knowledge. They are open to all religions and put Ursula, in fact, in a French Catholic school, where she admires the true-believing nuns.

A great read! Just unsatisfactory ending, as if she were trying to wrap it up quickly... so maybe there's a second book coming out of this, the struggle to get a foothold in America, and their shock and horror at some of US customs, disregard for education, plenty of Jew hatred, and so on?

Apparently, also, a movie is coming out on this. Watch for it.

5 out of 5 stars Ursula's Amazing Story.......2005-02-19

"If you can't change it, don't complain." Life is not about events, but it is about people. Life was truly a challenge. To escape Hitler the author and her family escaped to Shanghai, China. She learned to live one day at a time. She had a spirit of dreaming of America. America was a beacon of hope for her during this trying time. After the war she and her parents came to America after a two year struggle to get a visa and they located in Denver.

The author grew up in China as an escapee from Hitler's Germany. In China she learned to be grateful for everything. She had escaped to China as a child of ten. There with her parents she lived with 20,000 other refugees in horrific conditions. But she and her parents survived. The story is told with wonderful courage, sensitivity and even some humor. The author has learned not to hate but to love people, inspite of the hell she suffered caused by Nazi Germany. According to the author the most important emotions to have are love and gratitude. She lives her life with love of people and gratitude for all persons who have helped her during those difficult years.

For those who are interested, there is an author event available on C-Span2 Book TV for this book.
Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-Rich, War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Fascinating
  • A solid historic book
  • A must read on Azerbaijan
  • Great book on caucasus region
  • Strongly recommended!
Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-Rich, War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic
Thomas Goltz
Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 076560244X

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Fascinating.......2007-05-15

Reading this book while visiting a friend in Azerbaijan, I could not put it down. The incredible history of this small country and the current issues both told in a very entertaining narrative that can't be found anywhere else.

5 out of 5 stars A solid historic book.......2006-05-05

This is one of the rare historic books reflecting the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from both sides. It is reach in historic and political facts, and also reflects the author's own eyewitness of the war.

Also in this book, Mr. Goltz makes it clear in the book his unfriendly relations with Azerbaijani government, and criticizes the structure of the gorevnment, and it's adiministration which lead to series of strategic mistakes.

5 out of 5 stars A must read on Azerbaijan.......2006-02-15

Thomas Goltz's book on Azerbaijan is unique, for many reasons. First, he was among the few western journalists to be and actually live in the Caucasus when hell broke loose in the conflicts of the region. Secondly, He speaks the language, bringing him across cultural barriers that even Russian-speakers encounter though they seldom know they do in the non-Russian partso the former USSR. Third, Goltz has a smell for the events of the country and understands the backdoor politics.

In the final analysis, no serious book on Azerbaijan has been written since Goltz published Azerbaijan Diary. This is sad, since his book mainly covers the transition from communism over the brief popular front period into the Aliyev era - and a lot has happened since.

Historians may come around to write books on this period. But no book is likely to be published on this era that physically makes you feel you were there both, when the Popular Front took over power in parliament; or when rockets came crushing down on Azeri positions in Karabakh.

5 out of 5 stars Great book on caucasus region .......2006-01-21

This a a great source of informaiton for those who are interested to learn more about Azzerbaijan and it's relations with the neighbouring countries.

5 out of 5 stars Strongly recommended!.......2006-01-21

It's a great book about Azerbaijan and it's history. Very comprehencive review, great illustrations. Definitely recommended.
Ten Green Bottles: The True Story of One Family's Journey from War-torn Austria to the Ghettos of Shanghai
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Not a must read.
  • Disappointing
  • Decadence and Poverty of Wartime Shanghai
  • A story that should not be forgotten
  • A Very Outstanding Book
Ten Green Bottles: The True Story of One Family's Journey from War-torn Austria to the Ghettos of Shanghai
Vivian Jeanette Kaplan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312330545
Release Date: 2004-10-14

Book Description

To Nini Karpel, growing up in Vienna during the 1920s was a romantic confection. Whether schussing down ski slopes or speaking of politics in coffee houses, she cherished the city of her birth. But in the 1930s an undercurrent of conflict and hate began to seize the former imperial capital. This struggle came to a head when Hitler took possession of neighboring Germany. Anti-Semitism, which Nini and her idealistic friends believed was impossible in the socially advanced world of Vienna, became widespread and virulent.

The Karpel's Jewish identity suddenly made them foreigners in their own homeland. Tormented, disenfranchised, and with a broken heart, Nini and her family sought refuge in a land seven thousand miles across the world.

Shanghai, China, one of the few countries accepting Jewish immigrants, became their new home and refuge. Stepping off the boat, the Karpel family found themselves in a land they could never have imagined. Shanghai presented an incongruent world of immense wealth and privilege for some and poverty for the masses, with opium dens and decadent clubs as well as rampant disease and a raging war between nations.

Ten Green Bottles is the story of Nini Karpel's struggles as she told it to her daughter Vivian so many years ago. This true story depicts the fierce perseverance of one family, victims of the forces of evil, who overcame suffering of biblical proportion to survive. It was a time when ordinary people became heroes.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Not a must read........2007-03-10

The account of a Jewish familys' descent in Vienna through the Nazi hell to the foreign shores of Shanghai is interesting from an historical perspective. The writing is amateurish with the point of view jumping around and the verb tenses as well. It could have used a good editor.

1 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2006-08-05

The story of the blind hatred and inhumanity whipped up by the Nazis needs to be told - and told often. But it deserves a more nuanced telling than this single-dimensional presentation. This account is all bright colors (first quarter) and darkness (remainder), with little in between.
What is particularly striking is that the narrator makes no effort to relate to the suffering of Shanghai's indigenous Chinese population. Her flat and parenthetical references to the pervasive poverty, disease and oppression reveal little or no interest in the historical or social context that created such dreadful conditions, not to mention any empathy with the people so afflicted. Its detachment is disturbing. Could it be that one's humanity is so degraded by abuse that one cannot see beyond one's own suffering? Perhaps, but without any attempt at explanation it comes across as heartless indifference.
As a tribute by a daughter to a mother and a family who endured hideous persecution the book is a worthy effort. But in providing any real insights it falls sadly short.

5 out of 5 stars Decadence and Poverty of Wartime Shanghai .......2006-05-10

I thoroughly enjoyed "Ten Green Bottles". Unlike other books on Shanghai of that period, I particularly relished the intimate glimpse of the extreme wealth and decadence that was ongoing alongside the abject poverty of the immigrants that fled Europe. Much is written here of how people of many nations with unimaginable wealth made Shanghai their "sumptuous playground" between the stench and filth of the city.

In particular, the author's description of the Bolero Club through the eyes of Nini, who worked as a hostess there, was so exciting and so descriptive and so alive that I was sure I was in the room with some of the most powerful men and glamorous women of the time. Her detailed description of the opium den next door, a "grand salon" established exclusively for the very rich, is breathtaking.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to live the Shanghai of World War II from its lows to its highs.

5 out of 5 stars A story that should not be forgotten.......2005-11-13

This story about the experiences of a Viennese Jewish family in Shanghai perfectly fulfills two raison d'etre of books - on the one hand it allows the reader to enter a time-warp machine and be transplanted to another time and another place and vicariously live through the emotional upheavals, the smells, sights, sounds and most importantly the feelings of fear, frustration, Angst and yes, fortunately also joy, of the main characters. Vivian Kaplan is a master of setting the scene and allowing the reader to slip into the protagonist's skin. I have lived and worked in Vienna and also in Northern China (albeit at a much later time) and Vivian's writing rings true. The chapters in the book are like 3-D images conjured up for the reader (and would make a very gripping screenplay). The other raison d'etre of books is to preserve and hand down important happenings and narrate them in a gripping and thought-provoking manner. The manner in which the Jews in Austria and elsewhere were treated by an Austrian madman who managed to come to power in Germany should never be forgotten. More importantly, we all need to be vigilant that such events happen less and less frequently in the history of humankind. Although familiar with the story of displaced Jews from German-speaking countries as I (like the author) am offspring, I was unable to put down the book. What Nini Karpel's mother had to experience in one short lifetime is more than most people should have to live through. The book also helped me understand the initial inertia of many Jews in Vienna to the anti-Semitic flare-up in the 1920s and 30s. "Oh, we've seen this many times, let's just lie low and wait for it to blow over". Writing in the present tense made the story more immediate. However, despite the fact that the book had its share of gruesome scenes, overall the manner in which Nini viewed the world seemed overly rosy-colored and syrupy sweet. The naive tone that permeates the book distracts from the serious situation in which these refugees find themselves. Even a five-year old would know better than to state 'we are awed by the changes in the baby within his first year. Every day he seems to learn some new word...' p.5. Should the book get reprinted, I suggest a German-speaking editor correct some of the German words. The great Ferris wheel in Vienna is no 'Reisenrad' p.77 and the 'Fuhrer' should be spelled 'Fuehrer'. But overall we are better off for having another story capture the senseless suffering human beings will inflict upon one another.

5 out of 5 stars A Very Outstanding Book.......2005-08-05


Ten Green Bottles is one of the most powerful, emotional, fascinating and beautifully written books I have ever read. Where has this author been?

The story begins in the early 1920s in Vienna where a five year old Jewish girl, called Nini, begins to experience what it is to be the youngest of three sisters. It is written in Nini's voice and throughout the book you seem to live every moment of her life as if you were in her skin. You laugh, cry, feel and experience everything that happens to her as if it were happening to you, yet the book is non-fiction.

The story tells of her life in a growing family and the hardships of her mother in raising her children and carrying on their business after her father's death. As Nini grows into her teenage years, your senses are filled with the excitement of Vienna and the thrill of skiing in the mountains nearby. Then the Nazis come and everything changes.

As Jews are now considered vermin, they must flee the city or they will surely die. With the help of a gentile lawyer they are able to leave Vienna for Shanghai. On arriving in this no-man's land with almost no money, they find themselves in the middle of another war between China and Japan. Living in squalor and trying to survive, their life is made even more miserable. Japan, an ally of Germany, forces them and about 20,000 other Jews into a small ghetto with over 100,000 of the poorest Chinese. The story tells of their life and the life of the Jewish community as they try to make it through to the end of the war under the most deplorable conditions imaginable. They are eventually liberated by the Americans and stay until the Communist takeover in the late 1940s when they leave. The story ends with their exceptionally well written arrival in the white winter of Canada where they do not have to fear anymore.

I read a lot and to me this book was a literary masterpiece. I also learned about a very interesting part of the Holocaust that I had not known.
War Torn: Stories of War from the Women Reporters who Covered Vietnam
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • a special perspective
  • A Different Look at Vietnam
  • Fantastic for a Newcomer to the Vietnam War
  • Fascinating stories of courage
  • Where was I?
War Torn: Stories of War from the Women Reporters who Covered Vietnam
Tad Bartimus , Tracy Wood , Kate Webb , Laura Palmer , Edith Lederer , and Jurate Kazickas
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375506284
Release Date: 2002-08-20

Book Description

For the first time, nine women who made journalism history talk candidly about their professional and deeply personal experiences as young reporters who lived, worked, and loved surrounded by war. Their stories span a decade of America’s involvement in Vietnam, from the earliest days of the conflict until the last U.S. helicopters left Saigon in 1975.

They were gutsy risk-takers who saw firsthand what most Americans knew only from their morning newspapers or the evening news. Many had very particular reasons for going to Vietnam—some had to fight and plead to go—but others ended up there by accident. What happened to them was remarkable and important by any standard. Their lives became exciting beyond anything they had ever imagined, and the experience never left them. It was dangerous—one was wounded, and one was captured by the North Vietnamese—but the challenges they faced were uniquely rewarding.

They lived at full tilt, making an impact on all the people around them, from the orphan children in the streets to their fellow journalists and photographers to the soldiers they met and lived with in the field. They experienced anguish and heartbreak—and an abundance
of friendship and love. These stories not only introduce a remarkable group of individuals but give an entirely new perspective on the most controversial conflict in our history. Vietnam changed their lives forever. Here they tell about it with all the candor, commitment, and energy that characterized their courageous reporting during the war.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars a special perspective.......2005-11-29

A unique insight to the ravages of the wars of the mid 20th century from the viewpointss of a group of female corrrespondents who had to claw their way through the jungles
of the eastern asia and the media industry to get their views
across....highly recommended to gain an added persective of a
turbulant time in world history

5 out of 5 stars A Different Look at Vietnam.......2002-10-20

The stories in War Torn are riveting and capture the will and determination of women journalists to have equal access to cover the war. But they also bring Saigon and Vietnam in the 60s and 70 alive to anyone too young to remember. I applaud these women for making the Vietnam war accessible to a generation who grew up after the war.
War Torn leave the reader happy and sad but thoroughly enchanted. For anyone who is a history buff, a traveler planning to visit Vietnam or simply a lover of great tales, I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic for a Newcomer to the Vietnam War.......2002-10-05

I don't know much about Vietnam, but I was drawn to the book by the sad and thoughtful face on the cover. My highest praise to these women. They brought the Vietnam war alive to someone who was not even born at its conclusion. The stories are beautiful, sad, funny and touching. My thanks to the authors for putting such a wonderful piece of writing and important part of history down on paper.

5 out of 5 stars Fascinating stories of courage.......2002-09-05

WAR TORN is a brilliant and riveting collection of essays by the handful of smart and courageous women who actually went to the battlefields in Asia to report on the Vietnamese War. For everyone who served in the war or had loved ones who did, for those of us who lived through these events at home, and for younger readers who have no sense of this history, this compelling book reveals these critical years from a perspective most of us never knew existed. The stories of these nine brave women will capture your minds and break your heart a bit. A thorougly uplifting and informative book with stories you've never heard before.

5 out of 5 stars Where was I?.......2002-09-02

" Having been born in the early forties, Vietnam was MY war. Unlike the women of WAR TORN, I busied myself with raising a family in the good, old, safe & sound USA. I cannot say enough about the impact this book had on me. These selfless, courageous, determined correspondents took me on a tour of a Vietnam that I never knew existed. Reading WAR TORN was truly an educational, eye-opening experience for me. They way these women express their adventures, insights, and emotions is absolutely glorious. This is a must read for people of all ages."
Under a War-Torn Sky
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A great book
  • Courage of Resistance Fighters
  • This is a Great Book
  • Great book!
  • Good Book
Under a War-Torn Sky
L.M. Elliott
Manufacturer: Hyperion
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786817534
Release Date: 2003-04-28

Book Description

When Henry Forrester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to freedom. Relying on the kindness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town-traveling by moonlight, never asking questions, or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Throughout his journey, Henry gains an understanding of the French and their struggle; and of his own place in a war that will change the face of Europe forever.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A great book.......2007-07-14

I had to read this book for a class. I love this book and if I teach a upper elementary classroom I would probably read this to them. I thought the first two chapters were slow, after that the descriptions were awesome and I couldn't put it down.

3 out of 5 stars Courage of Resistance Fighters.......2007-07-02

Henry loves to fly. Even as a child living on a Virginia farm with his mother and his angry father, he dreamed about flying. Now he is nineteen years old and finally getting to fly, although it is not nearly as soothing as he had imagined. The problem is that Henry is flying missions out of England in World War II. He is the youngest guy in his company and is terrified every time he flies a mission over Germany.

It is one of the longest missions Henry has ever been on, and his plane is taking heavy fire from German planes. He and the men in his plane have to bail out. They parachute to the ground, perhaps miles apart from each other, and Henry is alone in a foreign country.

The first problem Henry faces is in finding out where he is. When he discovers he is in a French province controlled by the Nazis, he realizes he is in serious danger. Luckily the first man he meets is a sympathetic former schoolteacher who agrees to smuggle him into a safe place until he can recover from the injuries he received when he parachuted to the ground.

What follows is Henry's long journey to try to get home. He meets up with members of the French resistance movement, who are able to help him stay alive and move toward his eventual freedom. But he is constantly in jeopardy and falls into the hands of the Nazis more than once. During his travels, Henry comes to realize what he is capable of and he also becomes aware of the ways normal people showed extraordinary courage in helping American and British soldiers during the war.

I liked reading about what everyday citizens were able to do to help the war effort. The members of the resistance were incredibly courageous to help others without thought of their own safety.

However, there were so many times Henry was in imminent danger but then something amazing happened to save him. I understand wanting to show all of the different ways soldiers escaped to freedom, but having them all happen to the same character was a little much.

4 out of 5 stars This is a Great Book.......2007-05-30

Henry Forrester, 19, is in the U.S. Air Force when he is shot down over the Nazi controlled area of East France. Henry has to escape the terrors of the Nazis.

At first, Henry meets a French school teacher tthat aides him through a part of his trek. he teacher puts a splint on Henry's broken leg, and tells him of barges that go to Neutral Switzerland. Henry hops on one of the barges but encounters a close call when he is almost discovered by a Nazi soldier.

Next, Henry meets a group of French resistance forces that help him along even more. The soldiers take him to a small family living on a farm.

Henry now has befriended a small boy that lives on a farm ownen by a family that helps downed pilots. Henry decides to barter with the boy, the boy teaches him French, and in exchange Henry teaches him English.
a group of Nazi patrollers nearly discover a sub machine gun that the family owns. Henry now has no choice but to run away from the family that he has learned to love...

Will Henry make it back to England, or will he become a P.O.W. Read this stunning thriller to find out.

I think that this is a great book, a must buy

5 out of 5 stars Great book!.......2007-03-01

Do you need a book report book? This book is the perfect war story for you! This book is about a boy named Henry who gets shot down and lands in France. It's a story how he goes through the underground trying to get back home. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a book report book.

4 out of 5 stars Good Book.......2007-02-15


Henry forester is the main character and/or protagonist of "Under A war-Torn Sky." Henry is trying to navigate his way through enemy occupied France to get back to allied occupied soil. This book is told in 3rd person.

Along the way he meets many giving people. One of these people is Madame, a wealthy French woman who is helping the French resistance escort allied pilots home. The Authors tone in Under a War-Torn sky" was very serious and down to earth.

I don't think the story really had a theme, except to entertain. Over all "Under A War-Torn Sky" was an exciting book. It also always has you on the edge of your seat with it's great elaboration strategies.

Chechnya: Life in a War-Torn Society (California Series in Public Anthropology, 6)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • a subtle, unpacking of the Chechen conflict
  • The casualty of war.
  • Very reccommended
  • A balanced yet personal look at the conflict.
  • A relatively balanced analysis of this difficult conflict
Chechnya: Life in a War-Torn Society (California Series in Public Anthropology, 6)
Valery Tishkov
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520238885

Book Description

This book illuminates one of the world's most troubled regions from a unique perspective--that of a prominent Russian intellectual. Valery Tishkov, a leading ethnographer who has also served in several important political posts, examines the evolution of the war in Chechnya that erupted in 1994, untangling the myths, the long-held resentments, and the ideological manipulations that have fueled the crisis. In particular, he explores the key themes of nationalism and violence that feed the turmoil there. Forceful, original, and timely, his study combines extensive interview material, historical perspectives, and deep local knowledge. Tishkov sheds light on Chechnya in particular and on how secessionist conflicts can escalate into violent conflagrations in general. With its balanced assessments of both Russian and Chechen perspectives, this book will be essential reading for people seeking to understand the role of Islamic fundamentalist nationalism in the contemporary world.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars a subtle, unpacking of the Chechen conflict.......2005-05-31

I came to this book after reading several books on the Caucusus -- Yo'av Karny's 'Highlanders' (2001) being the best -- and a couple on Chechnya -- Khassan Baiev's memoir 'The Oath' (2004) the most profound of those. Admittedly, I came to Tishkov's work skeptical: he is Russian, after all. For those of us perhaps a little too eager to see local resistances to 'imperial' power and statehood as liberatory struggles, Tishkov engages us in a real marvel of anthropology, teasing apart threads, and questioning assumptions. Like Baiev, albeit in a very different way, Tishkov's professionalism, his belief in the rationalism of the anthropological method, carries this book. It is certainly possible he may have carefully selected and then edited his informants' words, but to what end? Throughout the book I was successively impressed by his unwillingness to engage in "a debate over the truths of who did what during the Chechen war." This is not to say that Tishkov avoids pointed commentaries about either Russian hubris or Chechen entrepreneurial violence, but it is to say that he does a profound job in helping his readers understand the precarious nature of war and peace, especially in a cultural climate where "even the slightest of differences can be used to justify violence."

4 out of 5 stars The casualty of war........2005-04-28

Following the tide of change that resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union, the people of Chechnya proclaimed their independence in November 1991. Inevitably, many events took place between the newly formed nation and the Russian Federation, leading to the invasion of Chechnya by Russian troops in early December of 1994. A conflict that Anatol Lieven, the author of Chechnya: Tombstone Of Russian Power, has referred to as "the greatest epics of colonial resistance of the past century". Thus, for the next ten years, one bloody war after another reduced a thriving country to rubble; the Chechens enduring unimaginable suffering with no end in sight. To date, the struggle for self-determination has somehow, develop into an "Islamic" guerrilla war. Chechnya: Life In A War-Torn Society is not an account of the war; rather it is a reflection on a Chechen society forced into a never-ending, cruel and traumatizing war. The author of this scholarly text, Valery Tishkov, is currently the director of the Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Therefore, his views on the conflict can be deemed authoritative and to some extent, biased.
In the first five chapters, the author seeks for the answer by explaining the historical context of events such as Stalin's atrocious deportation of the Chechens to the lifeless steppes of Kazakhstan during World War II, which the Chechens suffered in silence, undoubtedly created bitterness in their memories. Yet he asserts that it is not a reason for the unending conflict. Nor, according to Tishkov, do ethnic, tribal, or religious disparities explain the tragedy of this war. Tishkov however places the core of the problem in the early stage of Boris Yeltsin's presidency when rivalries between factions paralyzed the operations of the government in dealing with the Chechen crisis. He perceives the bloodshed as the result of unresponsiveness and puzzlements on the Russian leaders when the Chechen crisis first emerged and the reluctance to deal with General Dzhokhar Dudayev, whom the author introduces in chapter six, while the situation is still in control. All through the book, Tishkov observes the first war and its aftermath through the eyes of fifty-four Chechens whom he and his associates interviewed at length. These "informers" have infused his account of the war with an exclusive directness and subtlety. Their recollections offer a distinctive ethnographic description and analysis of the war, the outcome, and what precipitated it.
According to the survivors and Tishkov, the Chechens success in the first war can be attributed to the use of "guerrilla warfare", with tactics such as ambushes and attacks on the enemy's lines of communication which the author of Resisting Rebellion, Anthony J. Joes, stated as one of the vital strategy for insurgents to succeed. Tishkov goes on to express his admiration for the Chechen fighters' ability to overcome the psychological fear and intimidation and master the techniques of guerrilla warfare. Nevertheless, in chapter seven, when they staged and recorded their attacks, Tishkov portrays the exhibitionist behavior of the Chechen fighters as acts of terrorism. The author fails to realize that it is one of the ways that terrorists can get their objectives across to a wider audience. In his book Terror In The Mind Of God: The Global Rise Of Religious Violence, Mark Juergensmeyer, the noted sociologist and the Director of Global and International Studies, explains it as a theater that terrorists use to conduct terror for their audiences whom they are trying to terrorize. Yet, Tishkov fails to mention the atrocities that Russian troops committed on the Chechens that provoked the situation in the first place. On the aspect of religious, from chapter eleven to the rest of the book, Tishkov emphasizes the negative influences of Arab outsiders in the conflict, such as the al-Qaeda terrorist's network, whom he feels is using Chechnya as a stage determined to turn it into another Islamic state similar to the Taliban of Afghanistan. Tishkov's Chechnya: Life In A War-Torn Society is a recommended book since it does not try to venerate or condemn either side of the conflict but to expose how the war-monger parties in both Moscow and Grozny have made the erroneous political decisions that brought war to the Chechens and terrors to the citizens of Russia. Last but not least, the reader of this book must approach it with an open mind and not to form their judgments prematurely. Such as, in the view of some Westerners, the conflict is being about a small brave nation fighting against an imperial monster, or, in the view of Russia, an armed coup d'etat in Chechnya led by General Dudayev, resulting in the rise of an aggressive paramilitary regime that challenged both the Russian state and its armed forces. Nevertheless, it is a conflict that for Russia, according to Joes, who ranks it as one of the most disastrous counterinsurgent experiences on record, with the full implications of which have yet to manifest themselves.

5 out of 5 stars Very reccommended.......2005-03-18

This is a very good book about the Chechen War written from the viewpoint of the fighters. Most books on this topic are written by Liberals apologists for terrorism, who sympathise with the rebels and blame Russia for the terrorist acts committed by Chechens. Others are by extreme Conservative Christians who just hate all Muslims. Chechnya went from being a struggle for independence to a Holy Jihad. If you want to hear the real story from the voices of the Chechens, here it is! This book is easier to read then Wolves of Islam, and I reccommend reading both!

5 out of 5 stars A balanced yet personal look at the conflict........2005-02-18

Tishkov presents a blanced, well researched account of the two Russian-Chechnyan conflicts. Filled with interviews of both Chechnyns and Russians, the book gives a factual account of the war mixed with personal stories of the survivors. Highly reccomended if you want a down the middle view.

5 out of 5 stars A relatively balanced analysis of this difficult conflict.......2004-08-17

Unlike many other books on Chechnya, this one offers a unique ethnographic account and analysis of this war and of what preceded it. Although very academic, it offers 'direct voices' of Chechens (mostly) that either suffered the war or have escaped it and now live elsewhere. The book does not attempt to glorify or condemn either side but, on the contrary, demonstrates how hawkish parties in both Moscow and Grozny have committed acts of political shortsightedness that dragged the country into war.

While this book is not going to satisfy anyone whose opinion has already been formed, especially anyone who views this conflict in terms of a small brave nation fighting against an imperial monster, it is more scientific and balanced than any other book that exists on this subject in English. It also takes a stab at Western preconcieved notions such as a failure to recognize ethnic cleansing of Chechnya in 1991-94 when the city of Grozny has been cleansed of non-Chechens who were forced to leave the republic or killed, their appartnments having been taken by the militants.

In short, this book will please you if you are looking for a balanced account or if you have an open mind and are not already set in condemning the Russians. After all, these are Chechen voices too.
A Nation Torn: The Story of How the Civil War Began (Young Readers' History of the Civil War)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderful foundation for the roots of the Civil War
A Nation Torn: The Story of How the Civil War Began (Young Readers' History of the Civil War)
Delia Ray
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140381058

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful foundation for the roots of the Civil War.......2005-06-15

A Nation Torn gives readers a solid background to the animosity between the North and the South. The text is interesting, the illustrations (often primary documents) capitivating, and the storyline illuminating. By giving details on the people involved, Ray helps readers understand the emotions driving the key players. As homeschoolers, we appreciated the sequential events. She did a particurally good job of tying in the importance of the Western Territories. Many of the illustrations are primary documents. My seven year old was blown away by the newpaper illustration depicting the caning of Senator Sumpter. The cruelty of slavery really hit home when we came to the picture of a slave whose back was scarred from whipping. Ray does a good job presenting a balanced view. She did a good job of making my son understand why Southerners believed in and justified the need for slaves. Unlike some books about this period, Southerns were not depicted as heartless. It is a well written book. Wonderful illustrations and high interest stories made this our favorite book for researching the story behind the Civil War. We checked it out of the library twice before we decided that this one was simply worth purchasing!
One More Border: The True Story of One Family's Escape from War-Torn Europe
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great book!
One More Border: The True Story of One Family's Escape from War-Torn Europe
William Kaplan , and Shelley Tanaka
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0888996381

Book Description

It's 1939, and Memel, Lithuania, is no longer safe for Jewish families like the Kaplans. Nazi troops have overtaken much of Europe, and hundreds of thousands of Jews have tried to flee Hitler's advance. Most do not succeed. The Kaplans — Igor, his little sister, Nomi, and their parents, Bernard and Nadja — are determined to survive. Staying one small step ahead of the German troops, they encounter the legendary Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara, who manages to finagle exit visas for the entire family — everyone, that is, except for the Russian-born Mrs. Kaplan, who must somehow secure her own papers. Can she succeed where so many have failed, and find refuge with her family, or will she meet the grim fate of millions of other Jews? The Kaplans' desperate attempts to obtain safe passage, and their harrowing journey three-quarters of the way around the world, on ship and on the Trans-Siberian Express, form a riveting narrative that puts a personal face on the often-overwhelming human tragedy that is the Holocaust.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great book!.......2000-09-01

In One More Border--escape from war-torn Europe, William Kaplan tells the story of his father, Igor's, escape from Europe during World War II. Igor Kaplan was a young boy when he and his family decided to leave their country for a safer place. With the help of the wonderful author, Shelley Tanaka, William Kaplan's story will intrigue readers. A few pages in the book even give detailed history of World War II. I would highly recommend this book for 9-12 year olds. Although the book isn't overly scary, children under eight may find the subject of World War II too intense, and people over 12 probably won't find the story exciting enough and may become easily bored.

If you enjoy this book, you'll probably love some of Shelley Tanaka's books!
The Crimson Talisman: War-Torn, Book I (Eberron:  War-Torn)
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Just boring
  • Worst Eberron book?
  • Not bad, but decidedly not the Eberron tone
  • so-so
  • So bad that I can not get beyond page 50...
The Crimson Talisman: War-Torn, Book I (Eberron: War-Torn)
Adrian Cole
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786937394
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Book Description

The first book in a series of high adventure novels set in the Eberron™ Campaign Setting.
The Crimson Talisman is the first title in a new Eberron™ series that focuses on war-torn souls that have known nothing but a world in chaos. Each book in this series will focus on the aftermath of The Last War, in which every realm of the Eberron setting fought a bitter and long-lasting battle.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars Just boring.......2007-06-09

The action is fast paced enough, but it's written in such a slipshod and confusing matter that I really don't care what the characters are doing or what army they are single handedly taking down at the time. Mr. Cole is in desperate need of a thesaurus; there are other ways of describing leaving a building besides "quitting the building" but it's a term he likes so much that he uses it sometimes twice in the same paragraph.

2 out of 5 stars Worst Eberron book?.......2007-04-27

I am a huge fan of the Eberron campaign setting for D&D so of course I wanted to read some of the novels based on the setting. While none of the novels have blown me away with their greatness, this one was far below par. The book feels like a D&D adventure that I played when I was [...]. Their seems to be no real point, just one dangerous and seemingly random situation after another. To be honest I could not even finish the book so perhaps there is some redemption at the end, but I just couldn't keep reading. If you are interested in checking out the Eberron novels I highly recommend starting with something else, perhaps Keith Baker's series or Tim Waggoner or Rich Wulf's. Any of those is a much better choice.

3 out of 5 stars Not bad, but decidedly not the Eberron tone.......2006-05-01

First, this book is not near as bad as many reviewers claim; it's actually not a bad story, and is pretty well-written. Naturally, it suffers from the typical, written-for-13-year-olds every WoTC/TSR novel endures, and it is an obvious commercial for D&D products. Nonetheless, if you removed all the WoTC-trademark names and whatnot, it could stand by itself as a passing-fair fantasy novel. The real problem is that it is decidedly NOT the tone of Eberron. Readers of the Eberron books have come to expect a certain gritty, anime-inspired, industrialized sci-fantasy setting with a modern tone--the other novels in the line are rife with contemporary language, humor and a style that is extremely cinematic. The Crimson Talisman harkens back to the TSR years and comes off as a Forgotten Realms novel written in the eighties early ninties, that maybe got a quick re-do, replacing Realms names with Eberron names...not a good idea (it is also very, very English). DO NOT pick this book as your first Eberron book. Try The Lost Mark series (definitely, the tone of Eberron is captured in this series, and there are no boring scenes...) or Baker's introductory novels (Dreaming Dark series).

2 out of 5 stars so-so.......2006-03-15

It has it's moments I'll give it that. Overall not a great novel but I can see where some people will like it.

If you like this type of book, might I suggest another I've recently come arcoss. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly reccomend it. It's definitely a better read.

1 out of 5 stars So bad that I can not get beyond page 50..........2005-10-01

The author needs to learn how to write and not sound like a high school freshman trying to cover every least detail. The first four pages are horrid, but I continued forward until I realized that I had commercials to watch on TV.

The characters are so 2-dimentional, that calling them flat would be an insult. The characters are stiff and when the author tries to convey information about the world of Eberron through the characters, that information seems to shock them even though the characters should have a firm grasp of their own reality.

This was the worst book that I have bought in 20 years, hands down.

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