Cleaning Up for a Living: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Successful Building Service Contractor

Customer Reviews:

The most informative book I've found yet........2005-10-06

I've read MANY how to start a cleaning business books and this is the best I have ever read. He gives pointers about bidding jobs for residential AND commercial contracts.Tells you how to go about getting business, some of the ways will surprise you.This is just what I was looking for. Pair this with Mr Aslett's Professional Cleaners Personal Handbook and even an experienced cleaner will benefit.

Starting a Cleaning Business.......1998-05-05

Don Aslett covers many of the major points that anyone who wants to start a business should consider. He has obviously gained a thorough knowledge of the subject through many years of practical experience in the business. As a cleaning contractor who started in the same way as Don I disagree with some of his views regarding hiring and motivating staff although this may because of the different countries where we work (Reviewer resides in the UK). He advises buying products from local suppliers in order to recieve a good reliable service. This is always more expensive for the contractor and does not guarantee good service.His points regarding overspending on items such as vehicles etc is well founded and his advice is generally sound. It is an interesting read although to gain more knowledge on the subject an aspiring cleaner/entreprenuer will need to know much more about the subject before considering embarking on a cleaning career and setting themselves loose on an unwary public. He has covered the subject in other books he has written and this may be found there. All things considered his book is readable and quite informative and generally quite good value for your dollar.

Not easily understood........1997-04-28

While the book does give a lot of valuable info to one starting out in the service business, it is not explained in enough detail. It leavea me with a lot of questions that I still can't find answers for. It should be followed by a book that will provide the answers to the serious minded service person. J. J. Robinson Virgin

Book Description

Early in May 1861, twenty-one-year-old Sam R. Watkins of Columbia, Tennessee, joined the First Tennessee Regiment, Company H, to fight for the Confederacy. Of the 120 original recruits in his company, Watkins was one of only seven to survive every one of its battles, from Shiloh to Nashville. Twenty years later, with a "house full of young 'rebels' clustering around my knees and bumping about my elbows," he wrote this remarkable account of "Co. Aytch" -- its common foot soldiers, its commanders, its Yankee enemies, its victories and defeats, and its ultimate surrender on April 26, 1865.

Co. Aytch is the work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of war with an irrepressible sense of humor and a sharp eye for the lighter side of battle. Among Civil War memoirs, it is considered a classic -- a living testament to one man's enduring humanity, courage, and wisdom in the midst of death and destruction.

Customer Reviews:

a must read.......2007-08-29

There are seveal diary books which are like Co. Aytch however for some reason I could relate to Sam Watkins. When I'm asked about the Civil War/War of Nothern Aggression, I tell them to strat their study of that time with two books: Co. Aytch and Testament:A Soldier's Story of the CIvil War by Bobrick. Both books are a 5 star in my humble opinion. After reading those two then go on and read whatever you want.

Five stars aren't enough...............2007-06-12

Classic is an overworked term, but this one is. Sam Watkins was no general, but a private in Co. H, First Tennessee. Sam "saw the elephant", and lived to tell the tale....a lot of good men, on both sides, did not. [My own interest in the Civil War started with the stories my Dad told me that his grandfather had spent years passing down. James Madison Caldwell, 1841-1828, was a Pvt. in Co. H, 45th. Virginia Infantry. I take this opportunity to put his name in print].

This is an up close and personal account of four years in Hell. The Generals got the fame; the soldiers did the dying, freezing, and starving. [Generals died, too....way too many of them] We get first hand accounts of all the major battles of the Army of Tennessee. Oh, there are errors of fact, but they don't matter. How can a historian say that? Read it, and find out. We also get superb accounts of what the troops thought of the Generals. Their opinions are pretty much in line with those of "learned historians", but I won't spoil it by giving details.

Much Civil War history written by participants, particularly the leaders, is pure bilge. They were either spewing bile, settling scores, or advancing political careers.[The list of Officers from both sides who held office in some form would be impossibly long] Sadly a few were simply writing so their families would be able to eat [Grant, Hood]. There are exceptions....see my review of "A Southern Woman's Story", by Mrs. Phoebe Pember. The best of the works by General Officers are probably those by Edward Porter Alexander, and by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.. This book is not only an exception, it is one of the very greatest works in the English language.

If you have an interest in the Civil War, read this. If you have no interest in the Civil War, read this. [my son and daughter were both introduced to it quite early] If you can read English, read this. "Great" is a most inadequate word, but it's the best I've got.

If you're interested in the War Between the States...........2007-06-05

Buy this book. I've read many dozens of Civil War books, but this is the only one I've read multiple times (I first read it around 1978, and now have multiple copies in my home - extras to loan out).

Although the book was written by Sam Watkins several decades after the war, and I'm sure that many details were missed and others glorified, it gives a true sense of what he felt about the conflict, especially after having several decades to come to terms with it.

The reader senses the bitter miseries, the simple joys, the fear, and the hopes felt by a soldier in the 1860's - whether North or South.

I've given out copies to friends that had nothing more than a passing interest in the "War between the States" or "Civil War", and have never heard back a negative thing back about the book, and have been often asked by them about other Civil War books to read.

Buy it, borrow it, or whatever you need to do, but read this book. Excellent.

An incredible diary of the Civil War.......2007-03-21

Sam Watkins was there from beginning to end of the Civil War. His private's-eye-view of the Civil War is valuable for the insight it gives on the concerns, issues and events of the men who did the fighting. Sam had no knowledge of or concern about the grand strategy. His major concern was doing what he was told, fighting for his cause, finding food, and trying to find comfort when he could. Few other books on the Civil War will discuss the fun soldiers had having snowball fights, their griping about the commanders, their 'raids' on the homes of civilians, what it was like to be on picket duty, etc.

This is a valuable book not just for the Civil War buff, but for those who want to know about the reality of war.

Co. Aytch: A Confederate Memoir of the Civil War.......2007-01-09

This is an excellent book. I first read this book while in high school(20 years ago), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At the time, I had a slight interest in history, but after reading this book, I became hooked on the Civil War. It's a very good, first-hand account written by Sam Watkins, a private in the Confederate ranks. I'd recommend this book to anyone... be they a Civil War buff or not.

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Sam Watkins Up Close & Personal!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag!
Sam Watkins
A real page turner!
One of the BEST FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS

CO Aytch
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0684833247

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Sam Watkins Up Close & Personal!.......2007-02-28

Sam Watkins writes with such candid honesty and emotion that it has provided this reader some insight to the average person living in the South. He didn't own a plantation or slaves. He wasn't wealthy or involved in politics nor was was he a military man. He was just a young man living an ordinary life like most of us. When the call came to defend his country, what we call our state, his passion & love of country led him into extraordinary circumstances. His vivid descriptions of his life as a private soldier from Tennessee allowed this reader to share his experiences both good & bad. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting some insight into the life of the private soldier in the Confederate Army of the Tennessee.

Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag!.......2005-08-23

Sam Watkins was from Maury County, Tennessee. That's where my father and grandfather and great-grandfather were from, on back to my ancestor James Henry Notgrass, who was a contemporary with Watkins in the Confederate Army. Watkins jointed Co. "H" of the First Tennessee Regiment in 1861 and followed its banner until the end in 1865.

Watkins spins a fascinating tale as he describes the men, the marches, the battles, and the background of that "little unpleasant misconception" -- the War Between the States. He admits that he was not a Christian at the time, but in these memoirs of 20 years later, he looks back with faith in the God who doeth all things well. He still believed in the right of secession in 1881 and cherished the memory of his brave companions, but he puts these events in the fading past, having "shaken hands across the bloody chasm" with his Yankee adversaries.

Sam includes many humorous and touching episodes, along with the bloody violence. He points out frustrations with and failings of the Confederate cause. He also quotes some martial curses. This is not a book for young readers, but older readers will gain great insight into the life of the average Johnny Reb.

I've read "Co. Aytch" four times, I think. I have developed a one-man impersonation of Sam to honor his memory and share his powerful story. I want to help others understand that stormy time, see the tragic consequences of war, and appreciate the faith of our fathers. View my profile and visit my website if you'd like information on a presentation.

Sam Watkins.......2005-01-31

This is the best book I have ever read.
An absolutely amazing account of a
Civil war survivor. You will miss
Mr. Watkins when the book ends.

A real page turner!.......2004-06-09

Written twenty years after the war, Private Watkins gives his account of serving with Company H, First Tennessee Regiment. Of the 120 original men in the unit, Watkins was only one of seven left at the end. If you enjoy reading about the civil war, you'll certainly enjoy this well written account of the life of a common Southern soldier.

One of the BEST FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS.......2003-10-25

I first read COMPANY AYTCH back in the late 1980's and thoroughly enjoyed it. I often re-read certain books many years later to see if my attitude towards it has changed. In this, Watkins is STILL an EXCELLENT read. For students of the Civil War, COMPANY AYTCH is among the best first hand accounts. (Alongside Billings' HARDTACK AND COFFEE) Watkins was educated, observant and witty. (Some might say he was a bit of a romantic as well) Watkins covers both glory and gory with equal coverage. Especially telling is how the war affected the civilian populations, with the food shortages, etc. Southerners have all too long been thought of as illiterate, depraved hillbillies ala TOBACCO ROAD. Sam Watkins shows a different view.

Co. Aytch : The Classic Memoir of the Civil War By a Confederate Soldier

Average customer rating:

the absolute best book on the army of tennessee!
A Civil War classic.

Co. Aytch : The Classic Memoir of the Civil War By a Confederate Soldier
Paul Watkins
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0020381301

Customer Reviews:

the absolute best book on the army of tennessee!.......1999-03-07

the best diary of a civil war veteran i have ever read!!

A Civil War classic........1997-06-08

This fast, short read is a Civil War memoir written by a private in the First Tennessee Regiment of the Confederate army, the "Maury Grays", about twenty years after the war. Channel surfers and Ken Burns fans may recognize "Co. Aytch" as a favorite source of quotes for War historians, and for good cause. The book is not a history of the war - Watkins is at pains to make this point - but rather a view of what one private saw. And by his telling of it, he saw a lot. He was at or around half the Civil War battles you ever heard of - Manassas, Shiloh, Chatanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta - and a bunch of others of which you probably never heard. By the end of the war he was one of seven men still living from his original company of one hundred twenty. Watkins's classic front-porch, army veteran style was likely developed over the course of many retellings, during which - just perhaps - one or two of the episodes were a tiny bit stretched. Taken prisoner three times - followed by three escapes - grazed or hit by bullets innumerable times, once having his hat removed by a cannonball, Watkins is occasionally hard to believe. A special strength of Watkins's style, however, is his abilty to switch from, for example, a lurid and breath-taking description of men in battle at the "Dead Angle" of the Hundred Days Battle northwest of Atlanta to scathing sarcasm in his assessment of General Hood's performance in that campaign. Humor abounds in this book, some of it uproarious - as in the description of a preacher who was courageous in his sermonizing but not in battle. Much of Watkins's humor, however, is gently sardonic: "Well, reader, let me whisper in your ear. I was in the row, and the following pages tell what part I took in the little unpleasant misconception of there being such a thing as north and south." "Co. Aytch" has many qualities reminiscent of "The Red Badge of Courage". The two works - the former an extroverted memoir and the latter introspective fiction - convey strongly the private's nearly constant condition of not knowing the big picture of an army's movements - a knowledge reserved for generals and for historians. The two works also offer scenes of battle which bring the reader into the action through judicious choice of descriptive detail. Watkins writes: "We were charging through an old citizen's yard, when a big yellow cur dog ran out and commenced snapping at the soldiers' legs - they kicking at him to keep him off. The next morning he was lying near the same place, but he was a dead dog." Elsewhere Watkins writes: "The sun was poised above us, a great red ball sinking slowly in the west, yet the scene of battle and carnage continued", which recalls a famous, and stronger, concluding sentence from a battle scene in "The Red Badge of Courage": "The red sun was pasted onto the sky like a wafer." It is difficult to know, finally, what to make of Sam R. Watkins. His judgements of his contemporaries are trapped in contradiction by the values of his region and era. His acceptance of the south's aristocractic ethos causes him to retreat repeatedly from his own trenchant, plainspoken criticisms of this or that general's performance; and yet the criticisms, once stated, do remain. Likewise, Watkin's patriotic and religious convictions mix with his stright-talking nature to produce contradictory opinions. All any incompetant soldier need do to be rehabilitated in Sam Watkins's eyes is to get killed in battle for his country. This triggers an immediate suspension of criticism and lengthy sentences of praise, with flowery references to reunions to come in the blessed hereafter. Watkins's most troubling conflict, however, is between his graphic depictions of the senseless brutality of the war - which of themselves amount to an argument for pacificism - and of his refusal to finally reject war either generally or in this instance. He of all human beings has seen enough to take the shine off chivalry - but he will not give it up. Sam Watkins stays true to the cheers of the ladies and of the preachers who sent him and his friends off to war in 1861. Watkins's social background triumphs over his own moral sense; and so, in the end, we get not a moral document but a wonderfully colorful description. "The tale is told. The world moves on, the sun shines as brightly as before, the flowers bloom as beautifully, the birds sing their carols as sweetly, the trees nod and bow their leafy tops as if slumbering in the breeze, the gentle winds fan our brow and kiss our cheek as they pass by, the pale moon sheds her silvery sheen, the blue dome of the sky sparkles with the trembling stars that twinkle and shine and make night beautiful, and the scene melts and gradually disappears forever."

Co. Aytch Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side Show of the Big Show

Average customer rating:

The complete story of one Confederate's service.

Co. Aytch Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side Show of the Big Show
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: Hard Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1406948322
Release Date: 2006-11-03

Customer Reviews:

The complete story of one Confederate's service........1999-09-21

If you've ever wondered what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War, get this book. I recommend it whether your sympathies are Union or Confederate, whether you are new to studying the War or a lifelong buff. Sam Watkins tells the reader of all the excitement, tedium, bravery, fear, humor, and horror of a soldier's life in wartime. He is an excellent storyteller, with a style on a par with Mark Twain. I only regret that he wrote 20 years after the War, and his memory was better in recalling some events than others. But he recalls more than enough to give a complete picture. He was, of course, a staunch Confederate, but does not dwell much on politics. He judges senior officers on their individual merits as he saw them, and his opinions of them run the gamut from near worship of his regimental commander to contempt for Braxton Bragg. The book is a valuable soldier's-eye history of the Army of Tennessee, and portions of it are the only surviving first-hand accounts of the events recounted. The details of daily Army life will be of particular interest to re-enactors.

Co. Aytch: Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side S

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Co. Aytch: Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side S
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Secession may have been wrong in the abstract, and has been tried and settled by the arbitrament of the sword and bayonet, but I am as firm in my convictions today of the right of secession as I was in 1861. The South is our country, the North is the country of those who live there. We are an agricultural people; they are a manufacturing people.

Co Aytch (Civil War Heritage Ser : No 6)

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Co Aytch (Civil War Heritage Ser : No 6)
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: Morningside Bookshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0890290679

"CO AYTCH" A Confederate Soldier's Memoirs

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"CO AYTCH" A Confederate Soldier's Memoirs
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HECVS8

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"Co Aytch": A Confederate Soldier's Memoirs
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: Collier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000W5YUYU

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Co. Aytch : A SIDE OF THE BIG SHOW
Paul Watkins (INTRO BY ROY P. BASLER)
Manufacturer: COLLIER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF8KWG

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Co. Aytch First Tennessee Regiment
Sam R. Watkins
Manufacturer: Providence House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Product Description

The classic Co. Aytch has reigned as one of the most memorable and honest depictions of the American Civil War since its original publication in 1882. Sam R. Watkins's first-hand account of life as a Confederate soldier eloquently captured the realities of war, the humor and pathos of soldiering, and the tragic, historic events in which he participated. Although there have been dozens of versions of Co. Aytch published, this is the first with new material and revisions by Sam Watkins himself. Intending to republish after his first edition sold out, Watkins edited and revised Co. Aytch adding a new perspective that only came with time. He died before accomplishing his goal. Now more than one hundred years later, Watkins's great granddaughter, Ruth Hill Fulton McAllister is fulfilling Watkins s dream. Using his yellowed, aged, and pencil-marked copy handed down through different family members, McAllister has crafted a masterpiece that combines the ageless text with Sam Watkins's intended revisions.

This new edition incorporates actual images of Watkins's handwritten additions, all his desired editorial changes, and more than forty images. Desiring to be true to both her ancestor's wishes and the sanctity of his classic memoir, McAllister skillfully included Watkins's additions and artfully indicated what he would have omitted, leaving the original text intact. The result is a rich, expanded, director's cut version of Co. Aytch, sure to fascinate historians, Civil War enthusiasts, and new readers alike.

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Memoirs of an American Gold Seeker
John Brown
Manufacturer: Ye Galleon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 087770368X

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Memoirs of an American gold seeker: Experiences of a "forty niner" during his journey across the continent on horse-back and in mule and ox trains, observations ... education in south Pacific islands
John Evans Brown
Manufacturer: Associated Publishers of American Records]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00089RC4K

Product Description

This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1892 edition by Columbia University Press, New York.

Stalin's Peasants: Resistance and Survival in the Russian Village After Collectivization

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Peasants into Soviets?
Excellent social history of rural Soviet life in the '30's
Life as it really was - interesting lesson

Stalin's Peasants: Resistance and Survival in the Russian Village After Collectivization
Sheila Fitzpatrick
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019506982X

Book Description

Drawing on newly-opened Soviet archives, especially the letters of complaint and petition with which peasants deluged the Soviet authorities in the 1930s, Stalin's Peasants analyzes peasants' strategies of resistance and survival in the new world of the collectivized village.
Stalin's Peasants is a story of struggle between transformationally-minded Communists and traditionally-minded peasants over the terms of collectivization--a struggle of opposing practices, not a struggle in which either side clearly articulated its position. But it is also a story about the
impact of collectivization on the internal social relations and culture of the village, exploring questions of authority and leadership, feuds, denunciations, rumors, and changes in religious observance. For the first time, it is possible to see the real people behind the facade of the "Potemkin
village" created by Soviet propagandists. In the Potemkin village, happy peasants clustered around a kolkhoz (collective farm) tractor, praising Stalin and promising to produce more grain as a patriotic duty. In the real Russian village of the 1930s, as we learn from Soviet political police reports,
sullen and hungry peasants described collectivization as a "second serfdom," cursed all Communists, and blamed Stalin personally for their plight.
Sheila Fitzpatrick's work is truly a landmark in studies of the Stalinist period--a richly-documented social history told from the traumatic experiences of the long-suffering underclass of peasants. Anyone interested in Soviet and Russian history, peasant studies, or social history will
appreciate this major contribution to our understanding of life in Stalin's Russia.

Customer Reviews:

Peasants into Soviets?.......2005-07-27

Sheila Fitzpatrick's study begins with the advent of collectivization in 1929 and covers the decade of the 1930's to the German invasion of June 1941. Fitzpatrick argues the peasants reacted to Stalin's brutal policy, what they regarded as "a second serfdom" (p. 4), with varying degrees of passive resistance. The author concludes that by the end of the decade, peasants, justifiable embittered and angered over the policy, did not approve or conform to collectivization as the states had intended it to be, but rather, "modified the kolkhoz (collective farm) so that it fit their own purposes as well as the state's" (p. 4). According to Fitzpatrick, by the end of the 1930's, "similar cultural patterns of resistance and adaptation" had spread throughout rural Russia despite well-entrenched ethnic and cultural ways of life. Fitzpatrick clearly shows why, in the summer of 1941, many peasants consequently regarded the invading Germans as liberators to the repressive Stalin regime. The author also explains how the initial decade of collectivization differentiated from the "kolkhoz amalgamations" of the post war period. Utilizing a narrative approach, Fitzpatrick provides us with nearly every aspect of life within the peasant village while simultaneously presenting a balance of political imagery from the Soviet regime. This combination of predominately social and cultural history along with an easily flowing narrative is what makes Fitzpatrick a leading scholar of this genre. The focus on the peasant village itself is what sets this study apart from other similar works. From Fitzpatrick's pages, we learn that the peasant village was not as united an entity around an earthly neighborly bond as one would suspect. In fact, the typical village was deceivingly factious. These animosities based on class are deeply rooted in the Emancipation (1861) and Stolypin (1905) reforms and, are perhaps exhibited best in the long-standing resentments between the Bedniaks and Kulaks. Stalin's systematic dekulakization demonstrated the threat the latter posed to the state's exploitive machinations and, as Fitzpatrick clearly shows, undermined the egalitarian objectives of collectivization. Nor, were the majority of peasants typically uneducated. This aspect is revealed in the numerous letters of peasant grievances culled from various archival depositories and delightfully reproduced within the pages of Fitzpatrick's work. Moreover, the theme of education is further illustrated by what is perhaps the most positive reform to emerge from collectivization: the rapid growth of rural schools. Fitzpatrick succeeds in differentiating between the social and cultural realities of the peasant village and the regimes propagandist illusions of the regime's ideal kolkhoz (Potemkin village). These differentiations in status played a significant role in the form of resistance the members of the peasant village chose to incorporate. Fitzpatrick gleans from a rich deposit of archival and published sources. The former make up the bulk of her work, however, the book was published at a time when still more Soviet archives were being made available too western eyes. But Fitzpatrick is no stranger to Russian language material and even with more resources becoming available, it is doubtful whether it would have added substantially or fundamentally altered the scope of this book. As Fitzpatrick concludes, the purpose of collectivization "to incorporate the Russian village (culturally and politically) into the emerging Soviet nation-failed (p. 314). In a play on Eugen Weber's classic study (Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernization of Rural France 1815-1914 [1976]) collectivization did not turn "peasants into Soviets" (p. 314), at least not before World War II. Sheila Fitzpatrick is essential reading for anyone seriously interested in modern Russian history.

Excellent social history of rural Soviet life in the '30's.......2003-07-29

Stalin's Peasants is the pre-cursor to Fitzgerald's "Everyday Stalinism". While the focus of the later is soviet urban life the focus here falls squarely on the agrarian Soviet Union in the 1930's.

This is an eye-opening look at the effect of collectivization at the village level. The famine of the early '30's- not the main focus- is shown to have been more the case of poor planning, beauracratic ineptitude and peasant reactions against collectivization rather than a diabolical program of systematic starvation.

Post Soviet studies into the Stalinist era confirm the fact that non-party and non-technocratic wrokers who were not Kulaks were much safer from the pograms raging around them. The effect of this was that Kholhozes were constantly replacing managers and technicians caught up in the latest round up of wreckers, this in turn led to confusion and declining morale among the peasants.

The peasants are contrasted with the urban vanguards who flooded the rural kholhoz's who were filled with communist fervor. These vanguards were resented and looked down upon as interlopers and outsiders by the local farm workers. Fitzgerald does great work showing how peasants retained their religious beliefs in the face of communist pressure and their passive resistance to constant pressures from the central government to accomodate the latest decrees.

Just as in Everyday Stalinism, Fitzgerald's work here is excellent. This isn't for the novice reader but a great resource for those who are already knowledgeable on the Soviet Union in the 1930's.

Life as it really was - interesting lesson.......2001-05-26

Fitzpatrick presents a view of Soviet collective farms that many of us may have guessed at, but never really knew or understood. As an amateur researcher of the former Soviet Union and now Russia, particularly the rural and agricultural sectors, I found the book to be very intriguing. It lays out the precursors to and development of the collective system. Provides insight and commentary on political decisions affecting and resulting from the same. And throughout, manages to allow a glimpse into what really happened from the vantage point of the people on the farms themselves - how they managed to survive despite living under a system so flawed as to almost be designed to see them fail.

If you don't mind a long history and political science lesson, I highly recommend this book.

Customer Reviews:

Great book but go to a performance first........2006-08-11

This is an excellent read, especially for Pride and country-western music fans. Charley gives real insight on who he is, his background, handling racism, and how he made it big.

Average customer rating:

IT has the makings of a good country song.

Pride: The Charley Pride Story Story
Charley Pride , and Jim Henderson
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688126383

Customer Reviews:

IT has the makings of a good country song........1999-01-06

Charley Pride may no longer be a fixture on so-called country radio stations, but he has more talent than a slew of those twenty-something rock and roll wannabees who command the airwaves these days. This book proves that Charley is an equally talented author, and what a story he has to tell! From his impoverished childhood, through his military experience through his promising baseball career to country music stardom, the rags to riches tale is told in vivid detail. Readers will put it down feeling like they've made a new friend. It also contains in depth portraits of his wife of 40+ years, family, and associates who include some of Nashville's biggest names back when country music was really country.

One question that will definitely be on your mind when you finish is, "Did that soldier from Alabama ever contact him?"

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Pride: The Charley Pride Story Story
Charley with Jim Henderson Pride
Manufacturer: Morrow & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LCB0L0

Book Description

Because of Romek is a nonfiction, autobiographical narrative about the experiences of a teenager during the Holocaust of World War II. This is the riveting, true story of a young boy's survival in the face of Nazi atrocities.

In the mid-1960s, the German government contacted David Faber to testify against Nazi war criminals. Until then, he did not know that his older brother, Romek, whom the Nazis had tortured to death many years earlier, had been involved in a Polish Underground plot to avert Nazi Germany's ability to create an atomic bomb. When David finally agreed to testify, he began to relive all the horrors of his experiences during the war: concentration camps, murders, tortures, starvation, and disease. When David Faber was 13 years old, he had witnessed the Nazi murders of his parents, brother Romek, and five of his six sisters. He survived nine concentration camps between the ages of 13-18, from 1939 to 1945, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald. When he was liberated in 1945 from the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, he weighed a mere 72 pounds. Because of Romek fulfills David's promise to his dead mother that he would survive and tell the world about the horrors committed against him and his family.

This moving narrative is also a useful tool for educators. To today's students, the Holocaust too often seems to be an abstract event in the dim past. Because of Romek pulls the reader into the story, thereby illuminating the past and putting a face on history.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2007-06-06

Mr. Faber came to speak at my school and I was absolutely blown away. For a man to go through all of this and still be able to talk about it is just amazing. Thank you for making such a difference in my life Mr. Faber.

Because of Romek.......2007-05-09

If you get through this book without shedding a tear, you are not human! POWERFUL and PAINFUL

Amazing Life Story.......2007-02-12

This is the real story of a young man who was forced to endure the very worst that mankind can inflict. As an adolescent his "high school" was a series of the worst of the Nazi concentration camps in WWII.

I have personally hosted Mr. Faber as a visiting speaker in the Sacramento area, and am amazed that he survived those years of ordeal and then has become the warm and productive human being that he is today (at 84 or so years old now).

I never knew..........2007-01-25

I've read many books about the Holocaust, but none have given me such a detailed and, may I say, gruesome picture of the atrocities the Germans committed against the Jews. At some points there was a surprising lack of emotion, but perhaps this slightly distant style brings the facts of the situation to the forefront, making the book more valuable on the intellectual side. Be prepared, this book contains very disturbing material; perhaps the most disturbing part is that it truly happened.....

Touching Holocaust Story.......2006-11-21

I found this story to be very touching and personal. I think that everyone should read it!!! I think that David must be very strong to survive such horrors. I want to thank my teacher for suggesting this book to me.
MZ

Because of Romek: A Holocaust Survivor's Memoir

Average customer rating:

One of the greatest books
Recommend
Incredibly unimagionable boy's triumph against odds
One of the best books!!!
A haunting tale that will leave you thinking long after...

Because of Romek: A Holocaust Survivor's Memoir
David Faber , and James D. Kitchen
Manufacturer: Faber Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0976876329

Product Description

This is a nonfiction, personal narrative that tells the true story of a young boy's courage in the face of Nazi attrocities during WWII. Born in Poland, David Faber as a teenager survived eight concentration camps, witnessed the murder of his family, and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen in 1945, at the age of 18, weighing only 72 pounds. Because of Romek fulfills David's promise to his mother to tell the world what happened to his family.

Customer Reviews:

One of the greatest books.......2006-06-18

This has been one of the few excellent books i have ever read. It is actually real, it really happened, so it makes you feel as if this was happining before your eyes. It was sad, and well written. i actually heard David Faber, the author of this book, speak. He was an incredibly powerful speaker, and his book places you in his position, just as his speech does.

Recommend.......2005-10-22

David faber visited our high school last week, and had told us about his horrific ordeal during the holocaust. And I was utmost touched and embraced him. I could see those fear he told us in his eyes. And some of us left the auditorium in tears. I recommend this to anyone, because there is a dark side of humanity we taken for granted, and people had suffered more than anyone who had to go through.

Incredibly unimagionable boy's triumph against odds.......2005-06-08

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Faber as he spoke at the middle school I attended when I was in 7th grade. He spoke to us about his experiences and encounters during the Holocaust that took part in Europe during WWII. Our history teacher read us "Because of Romek" as it was part of our curriculm. I have not been the same since. This is an incredible account of what he went through in keeping of his promise to his mother to stay alive. I would recommend this to a more mature audience being that it does have some parts that are somewhat rough to handle...or so were for myself but overall is an incredible read...as he takes you through his experiences.

One of the best books!!! .......2005-03-24

This book explains how David's encounter with the Holocaust and yet his story is sad but a good book to read. This is one of the best holocaust memoir I've read! I highly recommended. When I was starting to read the book, I couldnt but the book down...( I ended up finishing the book in 2 days!). I loved it and highly respect the holocaust survivors and of course, David Faber.

A haunting tale that will leave you thinking long after..........2004-12-10

Had I thought it was fiction, I would have thought the author went over the top with this farfetched tale. To know that it is authentic is horrifying and at the same time captivating. If you are into the holocaust, then you will find this book absolutely fascinating; and if you aren't a history buff I recommend this book as enlightenment. My utmost respect to anyone that has been through this nightmare. And David Faber my deepest gratitude for having written this book.

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