MOSCOW NIGHTS : THE VAN CLIBURN STORY-HOW ONE MAN AND HIS PIANO TRANSFORMED THE COLD WAR
by Nigel Cliff 

Russia and the United States have always had a love-hate relationship. The only thing they really had in common was that both of these nations were world powers at the same time. Ideologically, though, they were complete opposites. America promoted freedom and Russia believed in autocracy. The Cold War era was especially tense between them. 
Into this midst of turbulence (1958) entered a tall, gangly, twenty-three-year-old piano prodigy from Texas named Van Cliburn. He was brought to Russia's attention when he took a trip to Moscow to compete in the First International Tchaikovsky Competition. But, the Soviets had no intention of letting an American win. In their minds, Americans could not possibly understand how to play their music. They had already chosen one of their own, anyway, to win the coveted prize. That all changed when Cliburn began to play. He swept the Soviets off their feet by his stupendous talent, his passion, and his intense love for the music. They thought he was better than their own Russian pianists. The adulation was endless and every time he performed, the crowds just swooned. They couldn't get enough of him. What a love affair! Cliburn's life would never be the same again.
Moscow Nights is a terrific portrait of one incredible musician who brought classical music to millions of people. Author Nigel Cliff is a masterful storyteller and keeps you riveted to the pages. It's fascinating to read about all of the presidents that Cliburn performed for and how much Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev had such a soft spot for him (he thought of Cliburn like a son). The very engrossing prose leads you through Russian history (sometimes this can be deadening, but not at all here) and the Cold War. Through it all, one humble, patriotic, and inspiring man with impeccable manners was able to bridge the gap between two hostile entities by his music.
Very highly recommended. 

THE FRENCH CHEF IN AMERICA : JULIA CHILD'S SECOND ACT
by Alex Prud'homme

Julia Child was bigger than life, literally. At six feet, two inches tall she towered over everyone. This did not stop her from being embraced by so many adoring fans. By the 1960s, she had become America's first lady of French food (the "French Chef"). That was the name she gave to WGBH when she was filming cooking shows for them thinking that she would change it later. It was ironic that an American woman was considered to be such an authority on French food. Julia also did not consider herself to be a chef, but just a cook. For that alone, she wanted to showcase how ordinary people could recreate spectacular cuisine in their kitchens and not be afraid of doing so. In front of the cameras, Julia was a natural and her robust personality endeared her to millions. Today she would be considered the first celebrity chef before that was even popular. By the late 1970s, that is exactly what did happen to her when she distanced herself from the "French Chef" title and reinvented herself as "Julia Child." It was time for her to become more Americanized as the culinary world was changing fast.
There have been several books on Julia Child, including her own memoir, and I have read them all. The French Chef in America is absolutely delightful to read and Alex Prud'homme, her grandnephew, is a terrific writer. (He collaborated with Julia on the previous book My Life in France.) This volume is chock full of fascinating information, trivia, and fun facts. Julia's persona definitely jumps out of these pages. If you're a foodie and just love reading about cooks, get a hold of this spectacular biography. Julia Child was one of a kind and Prud'homme has crafted a rich portrait.
Very highly recommended.
 

FAMOUS NATHAN : A FAMILY SAGA OF CONEY ISLAND, THE AMERICAN DREAM, AND THE SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT HOT DOG
by Lloyd Handwerker and Gil Reavill

One hundred years ago (1916) Nathan's Famous was born. Every day, thousands of people thronged the tiny counter space for a frankfurter in a toasted bun that cost five cents at Surf Avenue on Coney Island. At first, during the summer, it was just the tourists who came by. But then the rest of the year, the place stayed open and was monopolized by people who worked in the area. In no time, Nathan's Famous expanded and took over the entire block. It became one of the most popular restaurants in the world. One man brought an innate sense to create a business from the ground up and become quite a success story.
Nathan Handwerker came to America in 1912 from Galicia, Poland. He was one of thirteen children. Both poverty and hunger were the norm. His father, Jacob, was a shoemaker but didn't make enough money to support his family. When Nathan was eleven, he got a job at a bakery and worked there for two years. In the next five years, he helped his mother, Rose, sell produce. It was from this small venture that Nathan learned about supply and demand and how by selling cheap food could eventually reap a fortune. He listened and paid attention. Nathan took the values that he learned from his mother and later applied them to his hot dog stand.
When Nathan arrived at Ellis Island, he was completely illiterate. He could not speak English (only Yiddish) nor was he able to read or write. That didn't stop him. The very next day he was off looking for a job and found one as a shoemaker. It didn't last. He didn't want to be employed in a sweatshop. So, with the help of his brother Israel, Nathan landed a job as a dishwasher at a luncheonette. He knew that he was going to end up in the restaurant business and here was his ticket. Pretty soon he moved up to a busboy, then a server, to working the frankfurter counter learning English along the way. He saved his money and he began to formalize his dream to have his own place (Nathan would call it "the store").
Famous Nathan is a wonderful rags-to-riches story. Written by Nathan's grandson, Lloyd Handwerker, you get a much more personal portrait. Nathan cared about the quality of his food and how important it was to hire the right worker. (He used to say that just by looking at the back of a prospective employee, he could tell right away if that person would be good.) Many of them were quite dedicated and stayed for decades (some for over fifty years). Nathan was intensely loyal to his workers and paid them quite well. There's so many fascinating tidbits to read about in this book: what Coney Island was like at that period of time; the kind of beef that was used in the frankfurters; how money was collected and stored; dealing with inebriated customers; how the store was allowed to remain open during World War II when others had to observe curfew rules; what happened when Nathan's sons got into the business.
This is definitely a great read, especially if you like the food history of New York. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a small black-and-white photo with either quotes by Nathan or other people and sometimes the location of where the photo was taken.
I loved every bit of the book.
Highly recommended. 

TRIALS OF THE EARTH : THE TRUE STORY OF A PIONEER WOMAN
by Mary Mann Hamilton 

When Mary Mann was seventeen her father moved his family from Missouri into the "wild country of Arkansas." Within ten days he died of pneumonia, so the two oldest brothers, out of six children, got a job at the sawmill. As their house was the only one livable, they took in boarders. Mary did all of the cooking. It was here that she met Frank Hamilton, an Englishman twelve years older than her who had secrets about his past which he did not share with her. He definitely had an eye for her even though she didn't feel the same about him. But, at the age of eighteen she married him and they took off for the Mississippi Delta. Frank ran logging camps and Mary helped him by cooking for upwards of one hundred men. She would go to bed at 1:00 a.m. and get up at 4:00 a.m. and start preparing breakfast. (She baked 115 loaves of bread every day and thirty pies for dinner.) Besides the preparation of the food, Mary sewed clothes, skinned deer, fought off bears and snakes, gave birth to children, (four of whom died), survived floods, and helped and supported Frank in as many ways as she could. Through hard work, endurance, and persistence, Mary somehow stayed positive and soldiered on.
Near the end of her life, a friend of hers encouraged Mary to write down an account of her life (this was in 1933). It was submitted to the publisher Little, Brown for a writers' competition, but didn't win. Eighty-three years later with the help of Mary's descendants and the publishing company finally realizing that they had made a mistake, Trials of the Earth has been brought to fruition.
Mary Hamilton is a wonderful storyteller and yet it's all true. She definitely keeps you riveted to the page.  Mary's writing is so raw, honest, expressive, and emotional that you feel as if you are right there with her experiencing everything she went through. Life back then was really tough with none of the luxuries that are afforded today. One really had to keep their wits about them. So, the next time you feel as if you are having a really bad day, just read this book and it will put things in perspective.
Very highly recommended. 

THE ANGEL : THE EGYPTIAN SPY WHO SAVED ISRAEL
by Uri Bar-Joseph

The funeral for Ashraf Marwan in Cairo that took place on July 1, 2007, was a virtual who's who among the Egyptian elite. People from the areas of government, business, and security came to pay their respects to one of their own. They knew about his patriotism to his country and wanted to honor him. But, there were others who did not feel this way. They considered him to be a traitor.
Marwan was the son-in-law of the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and worked as a top-level official in his administration. Nasser never really trusted Marwan and didn't really give him anything important to do. Frustrated by being looked down upon (he had quite an ego), Marwan decided that he wanted to go back to school and get a master's degree in chemistry in London. Nasser approved and off Marwan and his wife, Mona, with their son, Gamal (named after his grandfather) went. London was perfect for Marwan and he had the time of his life. Soon he got into trouble financially (he had a weakness for gambling). Nasser was not too happy and wanted Mona to divorce Marwan, but she said no, that she loved him too much and would stand by him. They returned to Egypt and Marwan was only allowed to go to England for a few days at a time for his studies. He was back to the position where he was constantly scrutinized and he knew that he had to change it. On one of those days where he came back to England to continue his education, Marwan called the Israeli embassy in London and offered his services.
Marwan became a spy for the Mossad (Israel's intelligence service). His handlers called him "the Angel." Israel considered him to be the most important spy they ever had. He saved Israel from losing the joint Egyptian-Syrian attack during Yom Kippur in 1973. Marwan worked for them for years and gave Israel incredible information. After Nasser died of a heart attack, Anwar Sadat took over. He treated Marwan like a son and so Marwan had access to even more secrets. Amazingly, nobody in Egypt knew about his other life. It was not until 2001 that details began to come out.
If you like espionage, you will definitely like The Angel. Without Marwan being around, Israel would have lost the 1973 war. There's so much information here. What is really interesting is the blow-by-blow account before the attack. Anybody who enjoys reading about  Middle Eastern history, military intelligence, and spying should not hesitate to read this book. It's an amazing story.
Recommended.

THE RETURN : FATHERS, SONS AND THE LAND IN BETWEEN
by Hisham Matar

When Hisham Matar was eight years old, he and his family left Libya in 1979 and settled for a long exile in Cairo, Egypt. They thought they could be safe here. Libya was ruled by Muammar Qaddafi, a tyrannical dictator. If you opposed him, you were hanged in a public square; those who departed were pursued. Hisham's father, Jaballa, was one of these dissidents. Qaddafi considered him to be a dangerous enemy.
Eleven years later (1980) while Hisham was studying at a university in London, his father was kidnapped by the Egyptian secret police. He was brought to a prison (Abu Salim) in Tripoli where the regime stuck people that they wanted to forget. Hisham never saw his father again. He never gave up hope, though. that his father was still alive.
Fast forward to late August 2011. Tripoli has fallen, Qaddafi is deposed, and the revolutionaries have taken over. The prison cells are emptied, but none of the men are Jaballa Matar. There is no sign of him. Nobody knows anything. Hisham decides that he must take a trip and return to Libya to find out what really happened to his father.
The Return is a book that should be read by everybody so that they can learn what it was like to live under a diabolical monster. In beautiful prose, Hisham gives you an early history of Libya, the period of time when Qaddafi was in power (1969-2011), and what's happening currently. The writing is powerful, honest, revealing, and extremely moving. One has to be very strong to go back to the homeland where there are strong memories and where it took so much away.
Highly recommended.

THE WICKED BOY : THE MYSTERY OF A VICTORIAN CHILD MURDERER
by Kate Summerscale

During the latter part of the Victorian era in England (1890s), schoolboys were snatching up at a tremendous rate something called "penny dreadfuls." They were known as the pulp fiction of the day and caused quite a bit of concern to the general public. Wild adventures, escapism, violence, and murder were the usual subjects. For young lads who were bored by their rote learning in school, the "bloods" (what the boys called them), were a wonderful diversion. Unfortunately many of the boys were heavily influenced by these stories.
Robert Coombes, at age thirteen, was one such boy. He committed matricide by killing his mother. His brother, Nattie (age twelve) was at first considered an accomplice but after Robert confessed that he did it alone, Nattie ended up giving evidence against his brother. 
The trial was a huge sensation. Neither the prosecution nor the defense could figure out what Robert's motive was. The judge sentenced him to be incarcerated in the most famous villainous insane asylum in the country: Broadmoor. Robert would spend seventeen years there. 
Author Kate Summerscale has done it again. She is a master of writing books about murder in the Victorian age. Her most famous one is called The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher and the review is posted in this blog. Kate's meticulous research on the Coombes family, the brothers (most especially Robert), the trial and how to deal with a child criminal, the asylum where Robert would spend a good portion of his life, and what happens to him after his release makes for quite riveting reading. Even though the subject matter is disturbing, you will want to stick with it and find out what kind of man Robert became.
Highly recommended.