ALMOST A FAMILY : A MEMOIR
by John Darnton
John never knew who his father was and his brother, Robert only had faint memories.
Byron Darnton was killed in World War II. He was a war correspondent (known to everyone as Barney) for The New York Times. Why a man with a wife and two very young sons (eleven months and two years old) would leave them to go overseas and report on the fighting, at the age of forty-four, had many people scratching their heads. The soldiers on the ship that he was on couldn't understand why he was there with them. (Barney had permission to join the forces.) John's mother tried to regroup and give her children a life worth remembering. She often spoke of Barney as this larger-than-life hero who was held in such high esteem.
When John Darnton retired from working at The New York Times (yes, he followed in his father's footsteps) in 2006, he decided, with his brother, to investigate their parents' past.
Almost a Family socks you in the jaw. It is such a powerful story. The writing is absolutely superb. Darnton has such a way with words that for much of the book, you are kept on the edge of your seat. The truth about his father is a real eye-opener.
Get this book. You won't be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
MURIEL'S WAR : AN AMERICAN HEIRESS IN THE NAZI RESISTANCE
by Sheila Isenberg
Do you remember when Lillian Hellman wrote Pentimiento back in the early 1970s? It was a collection of stories that included a portrait of a woman named "Julia" who was purported to be a friend of Hellman's. "Julia" was involved with the Austrian resistance during World War II. Hellman never knew this woman, was never a friend of hers yet she took the liberty of borrowing a life to write about it to make herself look good. Luckily, the real woman had more class.
Muriel Gardiner was born into wealth. The family of Swift and Morris were involved in the meatpacking industry in Chicago. Muriel did not know anything about the business; nobody at home ever talked about it. When she was twelve, her father died and Muriel became a millionaire inheriting $3 million (this was in 1913). By the time she went off to college and entered Wellesley, she disengaged herself from her life of luxuries. When Muriel graduated, she took a trip to Europe, studied at Oxford and then went to medical school at the University of Vienna. She became interested in psychoanalysis and although she never met Sigmund Freud, she went into therapy with a protege of his. War clouds were gathering by this time and when Hitler marched into Austria, Muriel began to help both Jews and anti-Fascists escape using both her unlimited stores of money and connections. She risked her life many times, but she had incredible courage. When she left Europe for New York, she continued to help rescue hundreds of people still trapped behind enemy lines.
Muriel Gardiner was an incredibly selfless woman and quite a hero to everyone she saved. She kept on giving to others until the day she died. Muriel financed education for aspiring students, bought homes for people in need, paid for vacations for friends and relatives; the list goes on.
Although she rebelled against her family for their wealth, she finally realized that by having an inordinate amount of money she could accomplish much more by passing it on to others in dire straits.
Sheila Isenberg has produced a book about a virtually unknown woman and has done a terrific job. Her writing is fluid and absorbing. Between the extensive number of people she interviewed who knew Muriel, the amount of archives she perused (twenty-six pages of Notes) and over one hundred books and articles, Isenberg has brought the tale of a very gutsy woman into the limelight.
Not many libraries own this book. (Pennsylvania has four copies.) I made a special request at my local library having read about it on the Internet. It's worth your while to read it.
Recommended.
by Sheila Isenberg
Do you remember when Lillian Hellman wrote Pentimiento back in the early 1970s? It was a collection of stories that included a portrait of a woman named "Julia" who was purported to be a friend of Hellman's. "Julia" was involved with the Austrian resistance during World War II. Hellman never knew this woman, was never a friend of hers yet she took the liberty of borrowing a life to write about it to make herself look good. Luckily, the real woman had more class.
Muriel Gardiner was born into wealth. The family of Swift and Morris were involved in the meatpacking industry in Chicago. Muriel did not know anything about the business; nobody at home ever talked about it. When she was twelve, her father died and Muriel became a millionaire inheriting $3 million (this was in 1913). By the time she went off to college and entered Wellesley, she disengaged herself from her life of luxuries. When Muriel graduated, she took a trip to Europe, studied at Oxford and then went to medical school at the University of Vienna. She became interested in psychoanalysis and although she never met Sigmund Freud, she went into therapy with a protege of his. War clouds were gathering by this time and when Hitler marched into Austria, Muriel began to help both Jews and anti-Fascists escape using both her unlimited stores of money and connections. She risked her life many times, but she had incredible courage. When she left Europe for New York, she continued to help rescue hundreds of people still trapped behind enemy lines.
Muriel Gardiner was an incredibly selfless woman and quite a hero to everyone she saved. She kept on giving to others until the day she died. Muriel financed education for aspiring students, bought homes for people in need, paid for vacations for friends and relatives; the list goes on.
Although she rebelled against her family for their wealth, she finally realized that by having an inordinate amount of money she could accomplish much more by passing it on to others in dire straits.
Sheila Isenberg has produced a book about a virtually unknown woman and has done a terrific job. Her writing is fluid and absorbing. Between the extensive number of people she interviewed who knew Muriel, the amount of archives she perused (twenty-six pages of Notes) and over one hundred books and articles, Isenberg has brought the tale of a very gutsy woman into the limelight.
Not many libraries own this book. (Pennsylvania has four copies.) I made a special request at my local library having read about it on the Internet. It's worth your while to read it.
Recommended.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
THE GOOD DAUGHTER : A MEMOIR OF MY MOTHER'S HIDDEN LIFE
by Jasmin Darznik
It all started with a photograph. The young girl pictured was thirteen years old and she was wearing a wedding veil. She was none too happy to start a life with a man that she barely knew who was so much older than her. It was common for the families to have these arranged marriages.
Jasmin Darznik found this photo when she was helping her mother, Lili move into a new abode in California. When Jasmin showed her mother the photograph, Lili refused to say anything. Six months later, the first tape (there would be ten, altogether) arrived in the mail and Lili's story of her previous life in Iran was revealed. It was quite tumultuous.
Males are favored much more than females in that kind of society. They are fawned over and treated like royalty and can do no wrong. The opposite sex, in the minds of the men, are only good for being a domestic servant and the earlier they are married off, the better.
And, so it was with Lili. When she was eleven years old and going to school, she was spotted by a man who decided that she was going to be his wife. (He was twenty-six at the time.) Two years later, barely an adolescent, the ceremony takes place. Lili has a daughter, Sara, at fourteen. Her life is a living hell. She is granted a divorce but is not allowed to take her daughter.
Lili goes back to school, which had been interrupted, and she soon goes to Germany to join her brother and studies to be a midwife. Her plan is to be able to support herself, go back to Iran and finally be a parent to Sara. Things don't always happen the way you want them to.
What an incredible book! I read it in two days mainly because I just could not put it down. Jasmin writes so beautifully about the women in her family and what they went through in their own personal lives.
The Good Daughter perfectly captures Iranian culture via its delectable food, the living arrangements amongst families, the age-old traditions and the inner strengths of females who are continually abused and yet always seem to rise above it.
The story captivated me until the very last page.
Highly recommended.
by Jasmin Darznik
It all started with a photograph. The young girl pictured was thirteen years old and she was wearing a wedding veil. She was none too happy to start a life with a man that she barely knew who was so much older than her. It was common for the families to have these arranged marriages.
Jasmin Darznik found this photo when she was helping her mother, Lili move into a new abode in California. When Jasmin showed her mother the photograph, Lili refused to say anything. Six months later, the first tape (there would be ten, altogether) arrived in the mail and Lili's story of her previous life in Iran was revealed. It was quite tumultuous.
Males are favored much more than females in that kind of society. They are fawned over and treated like royalty and can do no wrong. The opposite sex, in the minds of the men, are only good for being a domestic servant and the earlier they are married off, the better.
And, so it was with Lili. When she was eleven years old and going to school, she was spotted by a man who decided that she was going to be his wife. (He was twenty-six at the time.) Two years later, barely an adolescent, the ceremony takes place. Lili has a daughter, Sara, at fourteen. Her life is a living hell. She is granted a divorce but is not allowed to take her daughter.
Lili goes back to school, which had been interrupted, and she soon goes to Germany to join her brother and studies to be a midwife. Her plan is to be able to support herself, go back to Iran and finally be a parent to Sara. Things don't always happen the way you want them to.
What an incredible book! I read it in two days mainly because I just could not put it down. Jasmin writes so beautifully about the women in her family and what they went through in their own personal lives.
The Good Daughter perfectly captures Iranian culture via its delectable food, the living arrangements amongst families, the age-old traditions and the inner strengths of females who are continually abused and yet always seem to rise above it.
The story captivated me until the very last page.
Highly recommended.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
THE LAST GREATEST MAGICIAN IN THE WORLD : HOWARD THURSTON VERSUS HOUDINI & THE BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN WIZARDS
by Jim Steinmeyer
"I wouldn't deceive you for the world" was a sentence that was uttered by Howard Thurston at every one of his magic performances. What the audiences saw were so complex and spectacular that they were left spellbound and completely mystified.
Thurston was a contemporary of Harry Houdini but their accomplishments were quite different. Houdini was known as an escape artist and Thurston was an illusionist. Their personalites were also disparate. Houdini was brazen and overbearing and Thurston was a true showman with a mellifluous speaking voice, who charmed both children and adults and was much more refined (at least on stage).
Thurston started his career in vaudeville performing card tricks. He soon left it behind because he wanted to expand his act and make it into one incredible extravaganza with all kinds of apparatus and multiple costumes.
For thirty years he toured all over Europe and the United States. The public couldn't get enough of him. When Hollywood started making films (a different kind of magic) that was the beginning of the end.
The Last Greatest Magician in the World is a fascinating story of a man who is considered legendary to the magicians today but virtually unknown to the rest of us. The author is no slouch in this department as he is a designer of magic illusion and has quite a portfolio. (You can read about him on www.jimsteinmeyer.com.) He describes how the illusions were performed and what went on backstage with the preparations in building everything.
You are introduced to scores of other magicians, in the book, and the rivalry that went on amongst them all.
There are some great black-and-white photographs of Thurston doing his magic, his family and fellow magicians that gives you a true flavor of the past.
A great read.
Recommended.
by Jim Steinmeyer
"I wouldn't deceive you for the world" was a sentence that was uttered by Howard Thurston at every one of his magic performances. What the audiences saw were so complex and spectacular that they were left spellbound and completely mystified.
Thurston was a contemporary of Harry Houdini but their accomplishments were quite different. Houdini was known as an escape artist and Thurston was an illusionist. Their personalites were also disparate. Houdini was brazen and overbearing and Thurston was a true showman with a mellifluous speaking voice, who charmed both children and adults and was much more refined (at least on stage).
Thurston started his career in vaudeville performing card tricks. He soon left it behind because he wanted to expand his act and make it into one incredible extravaganza with all kinds of apparatus and multiple costumes.
For thirty years he toured all over Europe and the United States. The public couldn't get enough of him. When Hollywood started making films (a different kind of magic) that was the beginning of the end.
The Last Greatest Magician in the World is a fascinating story of a man who is considered legendary to the magicians today but virtually unknown to the rest of us. The author is no slouch in this department as he is a designer of magic illusion and has quite a portfolio. (You can read about him on www.jimsteinmeyer.com.) He describes how the illusions were performed and what went on backstage with the preparations in building everything.
You are introduced to scores of other magicians, in the book, and the rivalry that went on amongst them all.
There are some great black-and-white photographs of Thurston doing his magic, his family and fellow magicians that gives you a true flavor of the past.
A great read.
Recommended.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
THE WITNESS HOUSE : NAZIS AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS SHARING A VILLA DURING THE NUREMBERG TRIALS
by Christiane Kohl
When the Nuremberg trials were about to begin, in 1945, the people who were testifying needed a place to stay. The Americans requisitioned a house (the owner and her son had to sleep in the basement) and supplied all of the food. Due to the tenuous and strained circumstances (Germans high up in the hierachy and former Holocaust survivors) somebody had to come in and manage the household. Countess Ingeborg Kalnoky took the task and was able to keep everything running smoothly even though the tension was extreme.
Some people stayed for a couple of days, while others stayed for weeks. When they left, they signed a visitor's book. There were soldiers posted outside the villa. A few of the guests were under house arrest and not allowed to leave the premises. One such man was Rudolf Diels, who was the former head of the Gestapo. (All of the women found him quite charming.) Journalists, lawyers, resistance members, Goring's private secretary, Hitler's personal photographer and the Messerschmidt airplane constructor were just some of the fascinating folks that resided at the house.
I have read plenty of books on the Holocaust but I've never seen a story quite like this one before. How everyone lived together in close circumstances under one roof and were civil to one another is amazing in itself.
The author, who is German, found out about the "witness house" from her parents' boarder (he had been an interpreter during the trials) and was shown the visitors' book with all kinds of comments. She became intrigued and wanted to know more and by doing quite a bit of research was able to create a tale that almost seems more like fiction than fact.
The Witness House is quite a book. There are some great photographs of the guests, the villa, the Countess, the courtroom, Himmler, Goring, etc.
A very good and different read.
Recommended.
by Christiane Kohl
When the Nuremberg trials were about to begin, in 1945, the people who were testifying needed a place to stay. The Americans requisitioned a house (the owner and her son had to sleep in the basement) and supplied all of the food. Due to the tenuous and strained circumstances (Germans high up in the hierachy and former Holocaust survivors) somebody had to come in and manage the household. Countess Ingeborg Kalnoky took the task and was able to keep everything running smoothly even though the tension was extreme.
Some people stayed for a couple of days, while others stayed for weeks. When they left, they signed a visitor's book. There were soldiers posted outside the villa. A few of the guests were under house arrest and not allowed to leave the premises. One such man was Rudolf Diels, who was the former head of the Gestapo. (All of the women found him quite charming.) Journalists, lawyers, resistance members, Goring's private secretary, Hitler's personal photographer and the Messerschmidt airplane constructor were just some of the fascinating folks that resided at the house.
I have read plenty of books on the Holocaust but I've never seen a story quite like this one before. How everyone lived together in close circumstances under one roof and were civil to one another is amazing in itself.
The author, who is German, found out about the "witness house" from her parents' boarder (he had been an interpreter during the trials) and was shown the visitors' book with all kinds of comments. She became intrigued and wanted to know more and by doing quite a bit of research was able to create a tale that almost seems more like fiction than fact.
The Witness House is quite a book. There are some great photographs of the guests, the villa, the Countess, the courtroom, Himmler, Goring, etc.
A very good and different read.
Recommended.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
THE ENVOY : THE EPIC RESCUE OF THE LAST JEWS OF EUROPE IN THE DESPERATE CLOSING MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II
by Alex Kershaw
Hungary was the last country, in 1944, where Adolf Eichmann planned to finish off his duty by sending the rest of the Jews to extermination camps. In just a couple of months, Eichmann had already deported half a million people to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Before he could carry it out though, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest to rescue the Jews that remained. He issued "Schutzpasses" (safe passage passes) and was able to save thousands this way. Wallenberg defied Eichmann, the other Nazis and the violent Arrow Cross and risked his own life for the safety of others. When the war was finally over, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and disappeared into the gulag.
Eichmann fled and headed towards Austria. Eventually, he was captured by American soldiers who had no idea that they were holding a mass murderer (he used a false name) and was shunted around for two years in various POW camps. He escaped in 1947, got a passport and went to Argentina. Many years later, after much hunting and investigation, Eichmann was brought to Israel for trial. Justice was finally achieved.
Wallenberg was never found. His parents spent years trying to find him writing letters to Stalin and other leaders. Nobody really knows what happened to him except the Soviets and they're mum on that fact.
The Envoy is a terrific, riveting story of two men, one who was quite evil (although he said that he was only following orders) and another who had incredible courage and in the eyes of the survivors, a tremendous hero.
I have read many books on the Holocaust and about these two particular men. There's new information here (some quite startling) that I've never seen before. Alex Kershaw brings everything together, quite smoothly, from all of his sources (both documentation and interviews) for one exciting read.
Highly recommended.
by Alex Kershaw
Hungary was the last country, in 1944, where Adolf Eichmann planned to finish off his duty by sending the rest of the Jews to extermination camps. In just a couple of months, Eichmann had already deported half a million people to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Before he could carry it out though, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest to rescue the Jews that remained. He issued "Schutzpasses" (safe passage passes) and was able to save thousands this way. Wallenberg defied Eichmann, the other Nazis and the violent Arrow Cross and risked his own life for the safety of others. When the war was finally over, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and disappeared into the gulag.
Eichmann fled and headed towards Austria. Eventually, he was captured by American soldiers who had no idea that they were holding a mass murderer (he used a false name) and was shunted around for two years in various POW camps. He escaped in 1947, got a passport and went to Argentina. Many years later, after much hunting and investigation, Eichmann was brought to Israel for trial. Justice was finally achieved.
Wallenberg was never found. His parents spent years trying to find him writing letters to Stalin and other leaders. Nobody really knows what happened to him except the Soviets and they're mum on that fact.
The Envoy is a terrific, riveting story of two men, one who was quite evil (although he said that he was only following orders) and another who had incredible courage and in the eyes of the survivors, a tremendous hero.
I have read many books on the Holocaust and about these two particular men. There's new information here (some quite startling) that I've never seen before. Alex Kershaw brings everything together, quite smoothly, from all of his sources (both documentation and interviews) for one exciting read.
Highly recommended.
Friday, February 4, 2011
AMERICAN ROSE : A NATION LAID BARE : THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GYPSY ROSE LEE
by Karen Abbott
She was born with the name Ellen June but then when her sister was born, a few years later, the names were switched. When Mama Rose laid eyes on her newest child with those big, beautiful blue eyes and curls in abundance, she named her June (she would always be a baby in her mother's eyes). The eldest daughter would be named Rose Louise.
The two girls spent their childhood performing on the stage doing vaudeville. Baby June could do everything: sing, dance, act. Louise was the complete opposite. (She was creative, though, and made all of the costumes.)
Rose wanted everything for her children. She worked them to the bone (mostly June). Her tantrums with directors, producers and the like became legendary. With her daughters, she could either be loving or a raving lunatic. Eventually, June had a nervous breakdown (at the age of twelve) and two years later, she left the act and eloped.
Attention is now drawn to Louise. She didn't have any talent, wasn't terribly attractive, was overweight, but she did have long legs and the gift of gab. All Rose cared about was making money so she scouted around for someplace that would make her daughter a star. Vaudeville was pretty much dead and the only other option was burlesque. Enter "Gypsy Rose Lee."
What an amazing story! It took author Karen Abbott three years to write (one of her interviews was with Louise's sister June Havoc two years before she died).
All I ever knew about Gypsy Rose Lee was the musical that I saw as a child with Ethel Merman playing the mother's role. (The show was based on Gypsy's memoir and most of that stuff was invented.) A young girl with no talent reinvented herself to become the biggest star that America had ever seen. She hid behind this persona and it totally enveloped her.
The book captures the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, vaudeville, the Great Depression, the seedier side of life, and a whole cast of characters: Fanny Brice, Jimmy Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, et al.
Running parallel to this cultural history, Abbott delves into the four Minsky brothers who brought burlesque to the people.
Spectacular pictures are scattered throughout the book and takes you back to that era.
It was quite a life and the writing transports you there. Meticulous research and nuanced details makes for an exciting read.
Highly recommended.
by Karen Abbott
She was born with the name Ellen June but then when her sister was born, a few years later, the names were switched. When Mama Rose laid eyes on her newest child with those big, beautiful blue eyes and curls in abundance, she named her June (she would always be a baby in her mother's eyes). The eldest daughter would be named Rose Louise.
The two girls spent their childhood performing on the stage doing vaudeville. Baby June could do everything: sing, dance, act. Louise was the complete opposite. (She was creative, though, and made all of the costumes.)
Rose wanted everything for her children. She worked them to the bone (mostly June). Her tantrums with directors, producers and the like became legendary. With her daughters, she could either be loving or a raving lunatic. Eventually, June had a nervous breakdown (at the age of twelve) and two years later, she left the act and eloped.
Attention is now drawn to Louise. She didn't have any talent, wasn't terribly attractive, was overweight, but she did have long legs and the gift of gab. All Rose cared about was making money so she scouted around for someplace that would make her daughter a star. Vaudeville was pretty much dead and the only other option was burlesque. Enter "Gypsy Rose Lee."
What an amazing story! It took author Karen Abbott three years to write (one of her interviews was with Louise's sister June Havoc two years before she died).
All I ever knew about Gypsy Rose Lee was the musical that I saw as a child with Ethel Merman playing the mother's role. (The show was based on Gypsy's memoir and most of that stuff was invented.) A young girl with no talent reinvented herself to become the biggest star that America had ever seen. She hid behind this persona and it totally enveloped her.
The book captures the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, vaudeville, the Great Depression, the seedier side of life, and a whole cast of characters: Fanny Brice, Jimmy Walker, Fiorello LaGuardia, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, et al.
Running parallel to this cultural history, Abbott delves into the four Minsky brothers who brought burlesque to the people.
Spectacular pictures are scattered throughout the book and takes you back to that era.
It was quite a life and the writing transports you there. Meticulous research and nuanced details makes for an exciting read.
Highly recommended.
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