Bastards, Bitches, and Heroes: A Memoir

Book Description

This eye-popping, inspirational memoir has two parts: "The Agonies" and "The Ironies."

Herman I Neuman was born in Nazi Germany just before Hitler invaded Poland. His memoir describes the horrors that began in World War II and continued for years thereafter, mostly because his parents began a new war. Against each other. After more than twenty court processes, his family lost everything. During these wars they suffered firebombing, deathly illnesses, starvation and homelessness. When Herman and his brother were about seven and five years old, their mother forced them to scavenge food from unique places. Then she motivated them to eat it using some rather unusual methods.

Eventually the three of them moved in with their father who had just built a luxury home. But later a judge had them physically evicted. On Christmas Eve Day. For the next year they had to squat in a stranger's attic without water, sewer, heat, power or hope.

When Herman and his brother were sixteen and fourteen years old, their relatives invited them to America and subsequently enslaved them on separate farms. Herman was allowed to bathe but once a year. At the age of twenty he continued to live in isolated poverty and under almost impossible conditions.

In "The Ironies," their father gave all of his possessions, including his architectural practice, to his second wife. She then divorced him leaving him penniless. He and the boys' mother became friends again and she found him a new girlfriend, a wealthy widow. Even though he was now a pauper, he again lived in luxury until he died.

Herman and his brother eventually escaped their slavery. Through tenacity, self-discipline and hard work, including "the toughest job in town," they earned their way through college, became American citizens and traveled the world. Some of the travel adventures of Herman and his wife are included in this extraordinary story of inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Enthralling! A True Story About Triumph Over Evil.......2001-07-11

Don't miss out on one of the best memoirs ever written. Herman I. Neuman tells about his early memories of Nazi Germany, the terrible post-war poverty, the cruelty of whippings administered without love and about his and his brother's abandonment by their father and the judicial system of Germany. Later, as teens, they were lured to America under the guise of escaping the abuse only to be separated and turned into slaves at their uncles' farms.

But, the most compelling story begins after these two young victims escaped their bondage and dug deep into their own souls for the strength and courage to pursue better lives and achieve educations without the benefit of counseling, financial aid or help from anyone. This is a story of triumph over unspeakable hardships. This is about heroes.

Carol Kluz is the coauthor of suspense: Countermeasures and Perilous Summer under the pseudonym of Carol Randy. She is the author of epic fantasy, The Prophecy Unfolds, The Prophecy Unfolds: Volume II and The Agents of Kedra.

fascinating literary innovations.......2001-05-25

This book is groundbreaking in the sense that it departs from the genre of wallowing in and consuming the emotionality of dire wartime experiences--all too common in books set during World War II--and transcends to a new level of intellectual understanding. The interweaving of ironic asides with a fascinating plot keeps the reader on edge as to "what will happen next" while sparing him or her the feeling of being emotionally manipulated. This book offers something of interest for all.

Read This Book! Remember, lest we repeat the same mistakes.......2001-05-11

"Bastards, Bitches, and Heroes" touched me on so many profound levels that I am in the process of sending copies to friends. It is not a wallow for sympathy but rather, a bemused sardonic narration of survival. It is told in the most palatable way possible to enable those who will to see and understand. It enables us to handle the pain. Those who cannot or will not identify with the times in which the author lived still have an great read to look forward to. Mr. Neuman's book is told form a prospective we seldom see, but need desperately to remember. I am grateful for his sharing this harrowing and eventually triumphant memoir with us. That he has, has brought a new dimension and appreciation to my life. This book belongs in every school and in every home. Too many generations have forgotten the horrific price war exacts from the innocent. In every way, this is an important book through the eyes of a survivor. My grateful thanks to Mr Herman I Neuman for taking the incredibly difficult task in hand; to remember and share this book with us.

Book Description

An account of an artificial intelligence experiment in humans.

Computer chips will be inserted into the nervous systems of both the author, a professor of Cybernetics, and his wife. The experiment is to determine if emotions such as intoxication, anger, lust, can be read by the computer in terms of patterns of nervous excitement. Can these recorded emotions be beamed back to the chip in the body and experienced all over again? Will the emotions be communicable between two people – if one feels desire in New York, will the other be able to feel it in London? Will it change forever what it means to be human?

Customer Reviews:

Mostly about the guy, not much about the experiment.......2005-02-09

Don't bother. This guy is a systems and process engineer, a robotics genius - and a megalomaniac who thinks he does real science. Surprise! He went to do his experiment and discovered that there are rules to real science, like Human Subjects Protection laws. This is a guy who thinks that if you feed each group of 10 schoolkids a different breakfast for a month and find a 3 point difference in IQ in the group that ate bacon sandwches, that proves that bacon raises IQ. He mixes up his psychological, biological and philosophical concepts, mostly because he really doesn't seem to have much grounding beyond the logic of systems - and his own desire to become the first cyborg. That huge book, and 95% is "me, I, me, I" about his papers, his trips, his projects, his jobs, his TV appearances, his publicity.

The experiment isn't much. Big deal, he implanted a small array of electrodes in his lower arm with some wires attached, wore it around for 3 months, connected it to a computer once in a while, and then he ran some simple tests on it, the most important of which, in my estimation, was making the virtual hand work at a distance by moving his own hand - a nice future worth developing for robotics working in dangerous environments, something that didn't seem to have occured to him. The part about sending electrical currents from his hand to his wife's hand was interesting, but he imbued it with semi-mythical power. My question is, does it count as brain-to-brain electrical communication if the nerve stimulation doesn't pass through the brain but only works in the arm and spinal column, or just the arm to the implant? Issues he didn't consider because of his limited knowledge in anatomy, neuroanatomy (he had to open a textbook at every step of his experiment), etc.

I think cyborgs are coming, and I think neural control of objects is a good thing. I want to be able to write and make art from my brain directly, when that is possible, and would even be willing to volunteer to help along the way. But I don't think Warwick counts as the first real cyborg. He wasn't even the first implant - the first and second implants were done in 1996 by a group in Atlanta, headed up by Philip Kennedy (Science News, 1/29/05, p. 73). I think Warwick's effort was an engineer-being-a-science-dilettante publicity-hound's quick-and-dirty effort to grab a lot of ink and a Nobel Prize, which he thought to deny in the book - why bother to mention it if you're not thinking about it?

Read the news stories about his experiments, they get to the point faster. Read his books about robotics, which is where his expertise lies, if you're interested in his real work and significant ideas. Read other people's work on cyborgs. Check out the good work being done with blind people and paraplegics by different groups, work that goes into serious scientific looks at what Warwick just played with. They just don't write self-aggrandizing books about things, they go through peer review first!

Interesting book.......2003-09-09

I would have liked to hear more of this experiment. From the writer experience, it appears that a body can be directly linked to a computer to do simple tasks like driving a wheel chair.

The possibiliy of directly linking a computer to a brain as quite an exciting possiblity. I also agreed with the writer that it could be quite a blessing to many people that are incapicitated in some way.

Average customer rating:
I, Cyborg

Manufacturer: Century
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLPSL4

Average customer rating:

A novel of what?

Outstanding Science Fiction

highly satisfying first science fiction novel

The Count of Monte Cristo Meets Robocop

One of the Best Science Fiction Novels in recent years...

Edward Maret: A Novel of the Future
Robert I. Katz
Manufacturer: Willowgate Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
High Tech | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1930008007

Book Description

Edward Maret is a happy man. He is young rich, carefree and engaged to be married, but Edward Maret has enemies. His cousin Philip envies him his money. Vincent FitzMichael envies him his fiancee, and Jason Deseret, a man with a dangerous secret, fears that Edward Maret can destroy him.

Customer Reviews:

A novel of what?.......2006-05-30

First, this is an example of an author reviewing their own book numerous times. Look at the anonymous reviews with little say other than how great the book is above.
Simply. This book sucks.
It's not a novel of the future. The structure of the book fits no narrative flow. There's no hook. No inciting incident. The author then meanders around, expecting the reader to enjoy the thoughts tossed out. The escalating conflict seems to be missing. And a climactic scene? Where?
So.
The author can keep posting five star reviews on his own book to keep his rating up. Good luck. Bye.

Outstanding Science Fiction.......2004-03-15

This futuristic version of the Count of Monte Cristo is one of the best science fiction novels I have read in quite some time. Edward Maret, a not too introspective but kind hearted and wealthy scion of a prominent family, is egregiously framed by jealous rivals (one being his cousin). On the eve of his marriage Maret is falsely accused of being a member of a rebel group. Other intrigues ensue, resulting in Maret's family being told he was killed in and accident, when in reality he has his memory erased and is turned into a cyborg programmed to follow orders and become a killer...soldier...cannon fodder for the state.

Through a series of events, AX-17, formerly Edward Maret, is captured by an alien diplomat at war with the human race and after being tortured to point of death, his memory is restored. Just like the Count of Monte Cristo-Maret travels the universe eventually to return to seek revenge on those who betrayed him.

It may sound like a wild plot-but this is an extremely well written and entertaining science fiction novel. I highly recommend it.

highly satisfying first science fiction novel.......2001-06-11

Robert Katz's EDWARD MARET touches all the bases: cyborgs, aliens, cyberspace, Thomas Aquinas, DNA, trips across the galaxy, political intrigue, betrayal, love, and more. And Katz serves it up in a snappily written, evocative style, plangent with memorable images, details, and metaphor. Katz is an author to watch; meanwhile, enjoy his debut novel.

The Count of Monte Cristo Meets Robocop.......2001-04-04

A classic tale of revenge updated for tomorrow. Edward Maret moves quickly enough to entertain, yet pauses briefly to consider ethical issues, some timeless, and others which are just now appearing on the horizon. Fun to read; interesting to ponder.

One of the Best Science Fiction Novels in recent years..........2001-03-15

Katz has written a great book. It is a true science fiction adventure with incredibly well-drawn characters and worlds that you will remember long after you finish. It conjures up Herbert, Heinlein, plus has a modern SF tone and style to it. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a well-written, entertaining book filled with interesting ideas.

I'd rather be a cyborg than a goddess: avoiding difficult questions. (ethics): An article from: Arena Magazine

Average customer rating:

I'd rather be a cyborg than a goddess: avoiding difficult questions. (ethics): An article from: Arena Magazine
Alison Caddick
Manufacturer: Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Arena Magazine, published by Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd. on June 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1220 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Radical feminism fails to address deeper ethical issues of the technological age. It simply recasts women as ethically superior to men, and rejects the findings of modern science as male-biased. A new critical discourse should be developed that transcends simplistic viewpoints, but does not promote an essentialist interpretation of humanity based on gender or other factors.

Citation Details
Title: I'd rather be a cyborg than a goddess: avoiding difficult questions. (ethics)
Author: Alison Caddick
Publication: Arena Magazine (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1998
Publisher: Arena Printing and Publications Pty. Ltd.
Issue: n35 Page: p10(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss?

In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives.

Customer Reviews:

No book is going to take away the loss.......2006-10-21

But this one explains what's going on in a way that makes it easier to take: Oh, that's why I feel so___. Some parts of loss just will not be resolved. The person experiencing the loss has to change his/her attitude toward the loss because the fact of the loss itself isn't going to change. As one who has lost my partner psychologically and physically to brain damage, this book was comforting. It validated my feelings, making me feel I'm not bad to feel abandoned (for instance) because frankly, I am abandoned in a lot of ways. The suggestion for a ceremony to put a period on the loss is intriguing. I felt better after reading it, and want to go back through it again and take notes about thoughts/ideas I'd like to print up and hang where I can see them often and think them over again.

A Brave Step into an area people don't want to acknowledge.......2002-03-06

I found this book to be wonderful. Ambiguous Loss is a hard subject to tackle and answers are not black and white. Pauline has given me a new insight to kinds of loss different than my own.

This book has very inspirational ways to deal with one of the hardest losses a person can face. Since this kind of loss is different for everyone solutions are different for everyone. I feel they are covered.

I am recommending this book for everyone I know! A Must Read!

Weak on non-illness related ambiguous loss.......2002-01-20

Here's how I would rate this book if I had the flexibility to do so: five stars, if you need to prove to someone in your life that there is such a thing as ambiguous loss; three stars if your family is suffering the pyschological loss of a family member through a disease such as Alzheimer's; and two stars if you are trying to name or process any other ambiguous loss, from a parent who disappeared after a divorce to a miscarriage to a friendship that melts away.

Be warned: You will not find in these pages much practical advice for dealing with ambiguous loss. Boss's main goal seems to be convincing other therapists and laypeople that ambiguous loss exists. The one concrete step she advocates is family sessions with one or more therapists in attendance for illness-related losses, mainly Alzheimer's.

In non-illness related loss, the book is weak. Boss skims by the effects of a father or mother disappearing after a divorce; families with a history of cutting off family members; the fading of once-close friendships; loss experienced after the ending of an illicit relationship; or rejection in professional situations. She acknowledges these are losses but not how to approach them as such.

In short, if you as an individual already know you are grieving an ambiguous loss and want specific help in dealing with that, you'll find this book disappointing. You'll do better to purchase books on grief/the grieving process.

Ambiguous Loss.......2001-11-17

I didn't even know this sort of grief had a name. Emotions are so confusing. Thank you for this book. I also have used a grief journal, Write from Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal to help me heal. It helps to write my feelings down.

The hurt that doesn't heal.......2001-08-01

Boss understands the ongoing trauma of living with someone who is there/not there and by explaining it, helps us feel a little better. After years of being told to "hate the illness, not the person" with mentally ill siblings or "that's not really your father talking" (cancer/dementia), I found this book extremely validating and helpful with my own work. - Clea Simon, author "Fatherless Women: How We Change After We Lose Our Dads" (Wiley) and "Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings" (Penguin)

AMBIGUOUS LOSS Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief

Average customer rating:

AMBIGUOUS LOSS Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief
Pauline Boss
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JVC8BY

Average customer rating:

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!

Da Silvano Cookbook: Simple Secrets from New York's Favorite Italian Restaurant
Silvano Marchetto
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Italian | European | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Soffritto: Tradition and Innovation in Tuscan Cooking

The Maccioni Family Cookbook

The Balthazar Cookbook

Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook

Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes from the Splendid Cities

ASIN: 1582341176

Amazon.com

Restaurant Da Silvano is a small Manhattan treasure. Opened over 25 years ago by Silvano Marcchetto, it was among the first New York dining spots to offer authentic Tuscan cooking. Locals flocked there, followed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Paul McCartney, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Overseen by the ebullient Marcchetto, the restaurant's cooking is now available to one and all in Da Silvano Cookbook, which presents over 120 recipes for its savory straightforward fare. This includes dishes like Linguine alla Vognole (linguine with clams), Rapini con Salsiccia (broccoli di rapa with spicy pork sausage), and Pesce Spade alla Veneziana (Venetian-style swordfish). The dishes, many of which are generally known, nonetheless have Marcchetto's special touch that results in superior eating.

The book offers recipes for all the courses of a typical Italian meal, from antipasti to dolci, and includes particularly winning meat and poultry formulas like that for chicken cooked in beer, a house specialty. Vegetables, too, receive their due, with dishes like fennel with Parmesan cheese. Among the sweets, the restaurant's famed panna cotta, a toothsomely firm version, is present, and wine suggestions are offered throughout. Illustrated with color photos, many of the "master" himself, this easy-going but astute collection provides enjoyment equal to a visit to the restaurant itself. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

From legendary restaurateur Silvano Marchetto-owner and chef of the twenty-six-year-old institution that was one of the first restaurants to bring true Italian cooking to New York.

While a lot of high-powered restaurants serve impressive, complicated food that results in beautiful, but not very practical, cookbooks, Da Silvano's food is known for its elegant simplicity. Infused with owner and chef Silvano Marchetto's engaging personality, Da Silvano Cookbook sparkles with the pleasure that comes from making and eating fresh and delicious food. From the wonderfully simple Garlic Soup to the rich and always satisfying Osso Buco alla Milanese, the 120 recipes make this an indispensable guide to the best Italian cuisine.

Silvano has been feeding and charming celebrities and locals alike at his Manhattan restaurant for twenty-five years, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Yoko Ono, Jack Nicholson to Patti Smith. Whether it's a memory of sage leaves from his childhood in Florence or a mention of Warren Beatty's fondness for truffles, Silvano slips an anecdote into every recipe, the garnish on clear, easy-to-follow directions that combine to make this cookbook as useable as it is delightful.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!.......2001-12-13

Simple and delicious. I only bought this cookbook two weeks ago, and have already used it half a dozen times. Fantastic. Silvano Marchetto is a true master.

Book Description

This is a unique manual--every suggestion is accompanied by step-by-step photography to ensure perfect results as well as heart-warming images of the happy hounds enjoying the product of your work.

Average customer rating:

Outdoor Mosaic: Original Weather Proof Designs

Not really a how-to book

Pretty Pictures, But Not Enough Technical Information

Mosaic Workshop Rules

This is a keeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Outdoor Mosaic: Original Weather Proof Designs To Brighten Any Exterior Space
Emma Biggs , and Tessa Hunkin
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Decorating | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Pottery & Ceramics | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Encyclopedia of Mosaic Techniques (Encyclopedia of Art Techniques)

Garden Mosaics: 25 Step-By-Step Projects for Your Outdoor Room

The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook

Mosaics: Inspiration and Original Projects for Interiors and Exteriors

Mosaic Art and Style: Designs for Living Environments

ASIN: 1570761965

Book Description

Whether a spacious garden or a tiny rooftop terrace, this dazzling collection of ideas and projects shows you how to bring color and style to any outdoor space. Beautifully illustrated and featuring more than a dozen projects, from wall friezes and garden paths to tables, bird baths, and pool surrounds. 100 color photos & 20 color illustrations. A Crafter¹s Choice Book Club Selection and A Country Homes & Gardens Book Club Selection.

Customer Reviews:

Outdoor Mosaic: Original Weather Proof Designs.......2006-03-10

This book had a great chapter on technical information and weather proofing outdoor mosaics. Was extremely helpful in determining which products I should be using on my own water feature and protecting it. Well worth the effort and time to have it sent to Australia for this chapter alone.

Not really a how-to book.......2004-07-29

The book is mainly devoted to showing various projects made by the authors. Very nice and inspiring, as they do wonderful work, but if you are looking for in-depth instructions or practical knowledge, this is not the book. Try Encyclopedia of Mosaic Techniques by the same authors, instead.

Pretty Pictures, But Not Enough Technical Information.......2004-04-05

I purchased this book specifically for technical information on creating outdoor mosaics. I was particularly interested in recommendations for grouting, adhesives, materials, etc. The majority of the book is taken up with lovely pictures and projects, but the technical portion is given the short shift at the end of the book. I'd recommend other books if you are just starting out and are looking for good, detailed information.

Mosaic Workshop Rules.......2002-11-11

Brilliant book written by two of the most experienced mosaicists in the UK. I was so impressed, I attended a Mosaic Workshop course in London in October 2002 which was taught by Emma Biggs. I am now using this book as a reference for the techniques demonstrated on that course, and I thoroughly recommend it. It contains some very specific technical advice regarding weatherproofing. The advice is based on years of experience, so the techniques are eseential to follow to ensure longevity of the mosaic works. I was a total beginner last month, but feel competent and full of confidence with outdoor mosaic now. I certainly recommend this book for inspiration and reference for those who have done a bit of mosaic work.

This is a keeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2001-12-21

This is a fabulous book! I have been a creating outdoor mosaics for over 15 years, and I have finally found a book that gets it correct! They have great step by step instructions, and suppliers listed as well as fabulous pictures! Five Stars!!!

Customer Reviews:

MAGNIFIQUE: A READER'S GARDEN PARTY.......1997-08-03

This book captures many botanical wonders that are passionately explained by Suzanne Turner. The talented camera work and Ms. Turner's expertise combine to allow the reader to feel as though he or she were strolling through Louisiana's landmark gardens. The commitment and depth of this piece of art are nothing short of magnifique

Book Description

Introduces children to the human culture and natural history of the far north. Ages 7-12.

Customer Reviews:

Awsome book! From a home school mom........2000-08-18

This is a great book for the study of the Artic Tundra. I am using it along with "Julie of the Wolves". I highly Recommed it!

Average customer rating:
Stories from the Arabian Nights
Laurence (illustrated by Edmund Dulac) Housman
Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton/Boots
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IYTIO2

Average customer rating:

Cold, grim, wonderfully weird

Weird Tales from Northern Seas (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press)
Jonas Lie
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 140650470X

Book Description

By the popular Norwegian novelist, considered to be one of the four greats of 19th century Norwegian literature, this is a collection of some of his best stories (eight from Trolls) and draws on his knowledge of the folklore of the far North and Lapp magic. Beautifully illustrated.

Customer Reviews:

Cold, grim, wonderfully weird.......2005-03-21

Jonas (Lauritz Edemil) Lie was one of Norway's most prolific nineteenth century novelists. The son of a town sheriff, he grew up above the Arctic Circle in the city of Tromsø, where his youthful impressions of the wild sea-going life provided material for many of the stories in this collection, first published in 1893. "Weird Tales from Northern Seas" was originally written in Danish, which was the official language of Norway for many centuries.

As you might expect from your reading of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen these tales of the Northern Seas are not only weird, but grim. Grimmer than Grimm I should say. The supernatural beings that haunt the shores and depths of the sea are uniformly malignant--including the merfolk. Even a seal "looked so evilly and viciously at him with its bloodshot eyes...that Elias thought he should have died on the spot for sheer fright."

Of course, the seal turns out to be a 'draug'--a demon peculiar to the northern Norwegian coast. In revenge for a wound that Elias had inflicted on it, the draug lures the fisherman's entire family out to sea and kills all but one in a peculiarly horrible manner.

And that's just the first story in this book. "Finn Blood" which the editor refers to as "a charming love story" is filled with Finn-bashing, evil magic, and of course, draugs. This story has a great line that summarizes the atmosphere of the whole book:' "He ...laughed and grinned complacently at his own narrations, the humor of which was always a wreck or a drowning."

Grim as it may be, this is a wild and wonderful collection of eleven tales that are filled with the sound and deadly magic of the far North.

Arabian Nights: Stories Told by Scheherazade

Average customer rating:

Arabian Nights: Stories Told by Scheherazade
Laurence Housman
Manufacturer: Abaris Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

ASIN: 0913870919

Book Description

Rackham's classic illustrations

Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor a Wonder

Average customer rating:

Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor a Wonder
Laurence Housman
Manufacturer: HALCYON HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SI2QHY

The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor A Wonder Tale For All Children

Average customer rating:

The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor A Wonder Tale For All Children
Housman Laurence
Manufacturer: The World Publishing Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDPLCE

The Adventures of Sindbad the Sailor-A Wonder Tale For All Children

Average customer rating:

The Adventures of Sindbad the Sailor-A Wonder Tale For All Children
Laurence, Illustrated by Mahlon Blaine Housman
Manufacturer: New York: Illustrated Editions Co. 1936
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GVHTF2

Alfred Edward Houseman. Recollections by Katharine E. Symons, A. W. Pollard, Laurence Housman, R. W. Chambers, Alan Ker, A. S. F. Gow, John Sparrow. A. E. H. Bromsgrove School, 1870-1877.

Average customer rating:

Alfred Edward Houseman. Recollections by Katharine E. Symons, A. W. Pollard, Laurence Housman, R. W. Chambers, Alan Ker, A. S. F. Gow, John Sparrow. A. E. H. Bromsgrove School, 1870-1877.
Katharine E., et al. Symons
Manufacturer: Bromsgrove: Bromsgrove School,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IUW7J4

Alfred Edward Housman. Recollections by Katharine E. Symons, A.W.Pollard, Laurence Housman,R.W. Chambers, Alan Ker et al.

Average customer rating:

Alfred Edward Housman. Recollections by Katharine E. Symons, A.W.Pollard, Laurence Housman,R.W. Chambers, Alan Ker et al.
*****
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUKDO0

All-fellows and The cloak of friendship (Short story index reprint series)

Average customer rating:

All-fellows and The cloak of friendship (Short story index reprint series)
Laurence Housman
Manufacturer: Books for Libraries Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0836935543

Average customer rating:

American Mercury 1940--November
Laurence Housman, Robert M. Yoder. Contributors include William Henry Chamberlain
Manufacturer: American Mercury
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UUEZL0

Average customer rating:

A Must Read

A Moving Account

First person account of a WWII POW captured on Bataan

Lest we forget the horror that is war.

A modest astonishing memoir!

Abandoned on Bataan: One Man's Story of Survival
Oliver Craig Allen , and Mildred Faye Allen
Manufacturer: Crimson Horse Ent. & Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

My Hitch in Hell: The Bataan Death March (Memories of War)

Baby of Bataan: Memoir of a 14 Year Old Soldier in World War II

We Refused To Die: My time as a prisoner of war in Bataan and Japan, 1942-1945

Bataan Diary

Some Survived: An Eyewitness Account of the Bataan Death March and the Men Who Lived Through It

ASIN: 0971318417

Book Description

Abandoned on Bataan: One Man's Story of Survival is a remarkable and enduring tale from a living survivor of the Bataan Death March, one of the most horrifying events of World War II. The story by Oliver 'Red' Allen is dedicated to his two sons on the 60th anniversary of the event.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read.......2004-10-17

So many people today do not fully understad the sacrafice and the struggle our parents and grandparents endured for the sake of freedom. We take it all for granted. Abandoned on Bataan tells of a small town Texas boys view of a horrible war. The will to survive and their struggles are an inspiration. The horrible acts of their captors should never be forgotten. Our unwillingness to get involved in the beginning, our thoughts that it's not our problem, should be a reminder. We must never forget the past, or those brave men and women who sacraficed all.

A Moving Account.......2003-11-21

In today's world, war is something of a video game. We watch it on the television, in the movies, and even pretend to stage our own battles over the internet. Modern day combat as seen in the Middle East proves this even more. With high tech equipment and more resources, we have left ourselves at somewhat of a disadvantage psychologically from past wars. As Americans, many of us have become weak to the thought of paying the ultimate price for freedom. In Oliver `Red' Allen's book, Abandoned on Bataan, we read his memoirs of survival as a prisoner-of-war under Japanese control. Allen tells the story of his own personal tragedy along with the stories of other Americans stuck in "hell." The battle cry of the Bataan prisoners-of-war says it all:
"We're the battling bastards of Bataan,
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces.
...And nobody gives a damn!"

Allen does not attempt to put together a bashing attack towards the Japanese, nor does he give the history of Bataan or World War II. He simply gives the reader a summary of one man's experience as a prisoner-of-war during the Bataan Death March and subsequent captivity. His vivid descriptions of the march along with daily accounts allow the harsh realities of war to be felt by anyone who reads his words.
Allen gives an extensively detailed account of life as a POW under Japanese control. His depictions of daily life spent in Japanese custody are absolutely bone chilling. Some passages left me almost weeping with emotions that I thought were reserved for personal tragedies. One particular incident in the book concerned Allen's appearance before a senior Japanese officer. He was in trouble and had to stand at attention until he was excused; this treatment went on for hours. Already undernourished and overworked, Allen's body was on the verge of shutting down. After several hours, he was told to leave and go back to work. The Japanese officer left but later sent an interpreter back to find Allen still standing at attention. The young American prisoner was so numb with pain he could not move and had to remain in that position until pushed over by the guard. Even though atrocities like this occurred to the author, he still seemed to stay level-headed. Never during my reading did he seem to show hatred towards his captors, which is incredible given the conditions he had to endure.
I consider Abandoned on Bataan one of the best books I have ever read about this era. After reading the book, persons come away with a greater appreciation of our life today and the freedoms we enjoy. Allen's positive attitude, even in the worst of situations, stands as a shining example for all. I would recommend this book without any reservation for those who want to know more about this painful episode from America's past.

First person account of a WWII POW captured on Bataan.......2003-04-21

"Abandoned on Bataan" is the detailed memoirs of Oliver Allen, one of may American soldiers left behind on the Bataan peninsula during World War II. Most people with even a basic knowledge of the history of the war in the Pacific know of the Bataan death march and the condition of the people when they were rescued from camps in China and Japan. What we generally don't know much about is what happened between those events. Oliver Allen's story fills in that detail with his personal experiences. He details the treatment received (including the rare instances of kindness shown by individual soldiers), the daily life in the camp, the work details, the health conditions, and the eventual liberation. It is a story of strength in the darkest hours of human travesty, it is a story of surviving, and it is a story of winning against all odds. For those with an interest in history and in particular an interest in Bataan or the war in the Pacific in general it is a highly recommended read.

Lest we forget the horror that is war........2003-03-09

Lest we forget the horror that is war.

Standing, as we are, on the cusp of what historians will call the Second Gulf War, the world is confronted once again with the terrors and brutality that warfare stirs in the human psyche. Each of our living generations carries distinct and vivid imagery of what those horrors are. The further back in time our collective memories stretch, the more brutal warfare becomes. Tragically, as our technology has advanced, our ability to wage a lightning war -- an antiseptic Blitzkrieg if you will -- has become so profound that the youngest of our generations have forgotten, or never learned, just how terrible war can be. In a world where our most recent conflicts have seen more friendly fire casualties than deaths attributable to combat, to be captured, tortured, and deprived of basic human necessities is now something of an anachronism to Americans in the 21st century.

To counter our fading memories, Oliver Craig Allen, with the help of his wife Mildred Faye Allen, has given us one man's perspective of the grim realities faced by thousands of American prisoners of war during World War II ' many of whom never returned home alive. The Allen's do not attempt to tell the sweeping and rich history of American combat in the Pacific during the war, nor have they put together a comprehensive history of Bataan, the Death March or even of the unit in which Red Allen served. Rather, this is a story of survival in the face of almost unimaginable brutality at the hands of Japanese captors. Throughout the story, the reader is met head-on with Allen's completely honest assessment of himself, not as a hero or otherwise notable figure but as a simple young man who ended up in a terrible situation from which there was little hope of escape. Allen's gritty determination and tenacious will to survive is perhaps the most salient feature in this work which traces Red Allen from the years prior to his enlistment through his freedom from captivity and to his return to life as a civilian deeply affected by his experiences in combat and captivity.

Among the many prominent facets of this work is Allen's depiction of the ever-present fog of confusion and chaos that surrounded the battle for the Philippines and life as a captive of the Japanese. This story does an exceptional job in painting a clear picture of the fall of the Philippines and the abandonment of our armed forces thereafter. As a stand-alone memoir, Abandoned on Bataan is a good read about a terrible time. It is also valuable as a component in the larger story of the hell that was life as a prisoner of war under a Japanese captor with only the vaguest regard for individual dignity and human life.

A modest astonishing memoir!.......2003-03-04

One man's story of survival, as told to Mildred Allen. A teenage American GI recounts his years (1941-1945) of starvation, torture & germ warfare as a prisoner of war of the Japanese Empire in the Philippines & Manchuria.

ABANDONED ON BATAAN isn't about great generals or mighty battles, it is much, much more important, for it is about the survival of human dignity, compassion & hope against all odds. Yes, Red Allen ponders on the differences between cultures. Yes, his perspective of his captors is all-American, his point-of-view, however, is both prosaic & honest.

Yearning to become a pilot, teenager Oliver Allen answers the call to duty as the storms of war rumble over Europe & China. Unable to attain his dream of flying planes, he enlists anyway & is immediately shipped to the West Coast, on to Hawaii & then across the Pacific to the Philippine Islands into the maw of the Japanese advance.

That Red Allen survives is due as much to the simplicity & hardscrabble of his Texas childhood during the Great Depression as to the ebullience of his youth, not to mention pure damn luck!

Embedded in this memoir is history as well as a mystery. What were the reasons the world went to war in Europe & in Asia, & what were the feathers the POWs found in their Red Cross packages & parcels from home?

Book Description

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books