Walls is the story of how a young German woman, acting alone with the cooperation of a handful of other individuals in wartime Germany, brought sustenance and hope to thousands of political prisoners of the Third Reich. “When so many of us seem crippled by the numbness we see in our own society, Walls reminds us of the power of individual conscience.” — The Nation “I want my friends to read this book. I want to fix them with a glittering eye, à la Ancient Mariner, and force them to sit down and start reading. How else can they learn that a book about wartime Germany and concentration camp horror can be enthralling, inspiring and even possess charm.” — Pamela Marsh, Christian Science Monitor “The autobiography of Hiltgunt Zassenhaus pierced through the malaise and oppressive apathy of our society to affect me more profoundly than I recall a book ever having done before.” — Genesis II “The suspenseful and dramatic story of one courageous woman’s bold deception of the Gestapo.” — Book-of-the-Month Club News “This book releases its own inspiriting energies. In times that call for courage, ever more courage, Walls will remind any human heart of its own worst dangers and its best possibilities.” — National Catholic News Service “... set down in cool reflection but charged with inescapable emotion...” — The New Yorker
Resisting the Third Reich-One Woman's StoryNew Foreword by Katherine PatersonBest Book of the Year--American Literary AssociationAn enthralling and inspiring account of one woman's experience in wartime Germany.
“Migration from Europe has occurred without interruption since the time America was discovered. There have always been some intellectuals, educated abroad, whose presence and work enriched our culture. Laura Fermi, however, analyzes a new and unique phenomenon in the history of immigration, the wave of intellectuals from continental Europe that from 1930 to 1941 brought to these shores well over 20,000 professional refugees. Most immigrant intellectuals were pushed out of the European continent by the dictatorships of that period; they were ‘the men and women who came to America fully made, with their Ph.D.’s or diplomas from art academies or music conservatories in their pocket, and who continue to engage in intellectual pursuits in this country.’ Among them we find Franz Alexander, Bruno Bettelheim, Enrico Fermi, Hannah Arendt, Albert Einstein, Igor Stravinsky, John von Neumann, Paul Tillich and a long sequence of Nobel Prize winners and exceptional scholars. Their contribution to American life continues to the present. Working with a sample of about 1,900 names and relying on personal contacts, interviews, memoirs, newspaper accounts, obituaries, and similar sources, Mrs. Fermi succeeds in conveying the significance of the intellectual immigration and the areas of its impact on America. She describes the personal trials and the successes of these persons caught up in the web of persecution and peregrinations leading to higher institutions of learning in the United States... the delightful style of the book, the new light it throws on the period studied from a participant observer’s position, and the insight it brings forth concerning the mutual enrichment of American and European intellectual communities make it enjoyable and instructive reading.” — Silvano M. Tomasi, The International Migration Review “Illustrious Immigrants is an honest and informative book; it is well-organized, well-informed, well-balanced... crammed with information, with illuminating anecdotes, often moving incidents and revealing statistics.” — Peter Gay, The New York Times “[R]ich in personal anecdote and communication which make delightful reading... in so many ways a splendid and useful book, tackling with imagination, industry, and a rare combination of personal concern and emotional detachment a subject that would frighten — indeed thus far has frightened — professional social historians by its magnitude and complexity.” — Alice Kimball Smith, Science “[Laura Fermi has] made an effort to bring together materials that exist nowhere else and to juxtapose them so as to reveal patterns that would otherwise be invisible. For this, we should be grateful... Mrs Fermi’s work is earnest and responsible.” — Harriet Zuckerman, Physics Today “[Laura Fermi is] an immensely knowledgeable, discerning, and unpretentious guide to the influx [of the intellectual migration from Fascist Europe], as well as a personal example of its lustrous quality... this engaging book... will prove to be indispensable to all students of transatlantic interactions.” — Cushing Strout, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science “This is an optimistic book, a contribution to a singular chapter in the history of American science and learning.” — Philip Morrison, Scientific American
“The beloved and reviled ‘Nazi hunter’ pens his life story, and a riveting one it is. Born in Galicia, one of the most war-ravaged territories in the world, he miraculously survived World War II, with more than one hair’s-breadth escape. Since that time he has been occupied mainly with tracking down Nazi war criminals who have gone into hiding and in pushing, through publicity, reluctant German and Austrian officials to bring war criminals to justice... the book consists of mainly... a miscellany of cases and questions that have engaged the 81-year-old Mr. Wiesenthal, who has lived in Vienna since the war, through the course of his unique career. Above all, it contains the story of how, after 12 years of tracking him down, he was able to point his finger at Adolf Eichmann, then living pseudonymously in Argentina, so that the Israelis could kidnap him for trial and eventual execution. But, apart from successes such as this one, Mr. Wiesenthal’s book contains histories of Nazi war criminals whose whereabouts have not yet been discovered or who have remained unattainable in spite of his efforts... this book may best be described as a companion volume, or even as a supplement, to Mr. Wiesenthal’s classic 1967 work, The Murderers Among Us... Mr. Wiesenthal’s recollections do not involve evil men alone. There is a chapter on the late Andrei Sakharov, praising him and describing the author’s efforts on his behalf, and there is one on Raoul Wallenberg, who was arrested by the victorious Soviets in February 1945 after his heroic efforts the previous year had succeeded in saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest. Since then, Mr. Wallenberg’s whereabouts have remained a mystery... In all, this book provides a sense of a formidable presence, of a force larger than life that seems equal to an enormous task it has taken on.” — The New York Times “Simon Wiesenthal, who has devoted his life to hunting down Nazis, believes that ‘guilt cannot be forgiven but only paid for by expiation.’ In his memoirs, which created a furor when they were published in Austria (where he now lives) in 1988, Wiesenthal explores the lack of remorse among former Austrian Nazis in the larger context of that country’s approach to its past. This is not an autobiography in the strict sense — those wishing a fuller account of his life should turn to The Murderers Among Us (1967); rather, Wiesenthal shows here how his own pursuit of war criminals came to be entangled in the net of Austrian politics. Appropriately, Justice Not Vengeance reaches its climax in a narrative of his battles with the late Austrian chancellor, Bruno Kreisky... In these absorbing memoirs, Wiesenthal goes some way toward counting up the cost, to Austria itself, of its ongoing destructive attempt to suppress and to deny its past.” — Commentary Magazine “The Nazi hunter’s life and raison d’être are eloquently encapsulated by this autobiography — and its title. The book opens with a biographical sketch by Peter Lingens, an Austrian journalist who provides background on Wiesenthal’s life up until the sleuth’s second escape from death shortly before liberation... the final testament of a major 20th-century figure, seeking vindication from any image of vindictiveness.” — Kirkus “Renowned Nazi-hunter Wiesenthal recalls his escapes from death in concentration camps where his family perished, and his career tracking down war criminals. The shattering account, as riveting as a spy yarn, concerns his ruthless global pursuit of hundreds of murderers and collaborators, including Adolf Eichmann, Joseph Mengele and the SS officer who arrested Anne Frank.” — Publishers Weekly “This is a fascinating book for more reasons than one... The details of the numerous cases in the book read truly like detective stories.” — International Journal on World Peace
"The Holocaust takes on a riveting immediacy in these true stories of an everyday, understated heroism that saved thousands of Jews from annihilation at the hands of the Third Reich. Combining personal interviews with contemporary and vintage photographs, To Save a Life pairs the stories of a handful of rescuers with those of people they saved." "These stories of courage and risk, set in Holland, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, represent a great many other stories of rescue that will never be documented."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“This is the most satisfactory study of Rafael Trujillo [1891-1961] yet published. Mr. Crassweller has used printed materials and interviews to reconstruct the life of the Caribbean strongman and his book is not the typical sycophantic panegyric published during Trujillo’s rule or a recapitulation of the worst excesses of his dictatorship. It is a surprisingly well-balanced attempt to understand the man, his motives, and his regime. Trujillo was the product of the United States occupation between 1916 and 1924. Born in humble circumstances in 1891, his career had been inauspicious until he discovered that he might be able to obtain a commission in a new constabulary being formed by the occupation forces... within ten years he was in charge of the nation’s armed forces, and by 1930 he was President. From that time until his death he ruled his country with an iron hand, and the author lucidly shows how he converted it into his own personal estate through political and economic manipulation. A vain man, Trujillo used the vanity of others to achieve his goals. He thought everyone had his price, and all too often he was right. Not only would Dominicans debase themselves in order to receive the dictator’s largesse, but there is evidence, as the author shows, that United States Congressmen and even the Vatican accepted favours from Trujillo. But in his quest for power he made more enemies than friends, and the account of his decline is both informative and dramatic.” — International Journal “Crassweller has produced a superb volume about ‘the man’ in Caribbean politics from the early 1930’s until the rise of Fidel Castro. This portrait of Dominican politics and the ascendancy of Trujillo is chilling in its implications and far surpasses what the average critic of Trujillo imagined. The former dictator is portrayed as a tyrant in the absolute sense operating through a series of clever tactics to intimidate those around him... this volume must stand as an achievement.” — The Review of Politics “[H]ere we have a small miracle... [Crassweller] has produced the best work on Trujillo, the man, and the Dominican Republic, the country, that we have or are likely to get in the years immediately ahead... In scope, the book is both expansive and intimate, paying careful attention to the changing historical circumstances as it concentrates on the personal characteristics and activities.” — The New York Times Book Review “This book deserves to be read: no comparable picture of the Caribbean saga exists in English... a devastating history... This biography of Trujillo may be read as a super-detective story, or as colorful history, or as a commentary on our times. No one starting the book is likely to put it down, and he will be left at the end with a pressing question of how sane, clean, and healthy forces can be made to triumph in this area so vital to the safety of the United States.” — The New York Herald Tribune’s Book Week “This is a remarkable account of a remarkable period in Caribbean history... well-planned and well-written.” — Chicago Tribune “Mr. Crassweller’s account of this power-crazy dictator and his times is a monumental job of historical and biographical research and writing.” — Christian Science Monitor “This biography of Trujillo is by far the best available. In a vivid, very readable style, it presents a mass of information, much of it hardly known, most of it of historical interest... highly recommended as a lively portrait of a fascinating character.” — Caribbean Studies “I suppose everyone has told you what a subtle, elegant and penetrating account you have written of Trujillo. But let me also add my word. This combination of artistry and craftsmanship happens only about once every five years.” — John Kenneth Galbraith
Surrounded by mechanical appliances and electronic gadgets, today’s woman devotes as much time to housework as a woman living in the early decades of the 20th century. This book explains why. “This work won the 1984 Dexter Prize of the Society for the History of Technology. It is a history of housework and household technology from the 17th century to the present. Ruth Schwartz Cowan contends that households were not industrialized the way other workplaces were in the 19th century and that women’s work was industrialized incompletely or differently from men’s. Despite technological advances, housework thus remains a full-time task. Critics praised the book’s clarity and insights.” — The New York Times “More Work for Mother is a major contribution to the social history of technology and a book that attempts feats few scholars undertake... it is lucid, engaging, and provocative... On balance, More Work for Mother is a remarkable book. It makes some important aspects of the history of technology accessible to a popular audience; provides a stimulating, scholarly overview of domestic technology for courses in the history of women, labor, or technology; and seems destined to set the next decade’s research agenda for scholarship on housework and household technology.” — Isis “[A] perceptive contribution to the social history of technology.” — The Business History Review “More Work for Mother is an engaging and thought-provoking general history of household technology in America from colonial times to the present... All students of the subject will greatly benefit by the framework [Cowan] has constructed and the stimulating ideas she has put forward.” — Journal of Social History “The strength of Cowan’s work is her consistent ability to demonstrate how tools have shaped human behavior... Cowan’s book is knowledgeable, deft, and stimulating.” — The American Historical Review “Ruth Cowan’s knowledgeable, witty, and concise survey of three hundred years of household work — and her original interpretation of the industrialization of the household — will open the eyes and provoke the thoughts of historians and general readers alike.” — Nancy Cott, Yale University “It is written with eloquence and fluency revealing a subtlety of mind and an eye for the neglected obvious which I much admire.” — Daniel J. Boorstin, The Librarian of Congress “So interesting and so well written that you scarcely realize how much you are learning.” — Jessie Bernard, author, The Female World
In this brilliantly researched and insightful book, psychologist Eva Fogelman presents compelling stories of rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust--and offers a revealing analysis of their motivations. Based on her extensive experience as a therapist treating Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and those who helped them, Fogelman delves into the psychology of altruism, illuminating why these rescuers chose to act while others simply stood by. While analyzing motivations, Conscience And Courage tells the stories of such little-known individuals as Stefnaia Podgorska Burzminska, a Polish teenager who hid thirteen Jews in her home; Alexander Roslan, a dealer in the black market who kept uprooting his family to shelter three Jewish children in his care, as well as more heralded individuals such as Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg, and Miep Gies. Speaking to the same audience that flocked to Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning movie, Schindler's List, Conscience And Courage is the first book to go beyond the stories to answer the question: Why did they help?
“A brilliant survey of the history of warfare... the best yet produced anywhere.” — B. H. Liddell Hart “Outstanding and penetrating outline of the processes of war and the means of fighting from 1415 onward... skillfully and carefully written... [includes] one of the most comprehensive bibliographies of the history of war.” — E. B. Long, Chicago Tribune “A substantial and scholarly history of modern warfare from the age of the ‘great captains’ through the innovations of the industrial revolution, to our age of unlimited violence.” — Henry L. Roberts, Foreign Affairs “Leaves the reader astonished by its combinations of brevity, clarity, and accuracy.” — Times Literary Supplement “Theodore Ropp’s thoughtful and well-documented study of wars of Western civilization from 1415 to the present is most welcome because of its comprehensiveness. His book has the added attraction of readability, so it is to be hoped that it will inform and influence not only the professional soldier, but also the intelligent layman... Dr. Ropp has been eminently successful in emphasizing the most essential lessons for today. We see policy and grand strategy cooperate or fall apart in military activities from planning, recruiting, and training to strategy and tactics... throughout we are unobtrusively shown the disastrous consequences of failure to coordinate policy and strategy.” — Donald Armstrong, Military Affairs “Dr. Ropp has written a brilliant survey of the history of warfare in modern times. It is useful to the military man because it surveys concisely yet adequately modern concepts of war; it is equally helpful to the advocate of peace because it portrays the factors and the beliefs he must overcome if war is to be removed from the world... [a] concise, yet meticulously organized and accurate account of the place of war in modern society... Ropp has produced an invaluable insight into military thinking of the modern world.” — Elden Billings, World Affairs “[A] short and vivid summary of warfare as waged in modern time... Ropp’s book is a reminder that the history of warfare includes the raw materials with which the political, economic, diplomatic, or social historian also works... Ropp preserves timeless lessons for us, along with his evidence that warfare did much to disrupt and change the life of man in the past three hundred years. The historian cannot ignore the ways and means by which nations enforced these changes if he is to give the whole picture of the past.” — Forrest C. Pogue, The American Historical Review “A scholarly, thoughtful and well-written survey of the evolution of warfare from the ‘age of the captains’ to the ‘age of violence.’ The main stress is on the wars of the 20th century and on the effect of political, social and economic circumstances on the theory and practice of the military profession.” — C. P. Snow, Scientific American “Theodore Ropp’s volume... is principally a history of the political and social implications of warfare from the Renaissance to the present. But it is much more than that. It adequately summarizes the battles and campaigns that form the stuff of conventional military history; it analyzes the principal military theorists from Machiavelli to Clausewitz and Mahan; and it discusses the complex problem of military organization and the intricate relationships between military institutions and the governments they serve. Moreover, the analysis of American and European political, economic and social history is as sound as the discussion of the technical issues of strategy and tactics... a remarkable volume which, in addition, contains one of the finest working bibliographies of military history that has ever been put into print.” — Richard D. Challener, The American Scholar “It requires courage to undertake to survey the history of warfare through the past five centuries in less than 400 pages. Professor Ropp has done a remarkable job of just that in this unique volume... outstanding... is the manner in which the Bibliography is presented. It is developed by means of Footnotes to the text so that the reader has the applicable reference before him as he reads... The compilation of the Bibliography alone is a monumental piece of work... This volume is much more than an introductory textbook to military history; it is a reference work of real worth.” — Bern Anderson, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science “War in the Modern World is a valuable book. It will be very useful in military history courses. And Professor Ropp’s excellent bibliographical notes are the most thorough and up-to-date guide to recent work in military history which is presently available; they are, indeed, beyond praise. These and its other virtues will make this a standard work in its field, useful alike to the beginner and the professor of military history. “ — William R. Emerson, The Mississippi Valley Historical Review “[A] distinguished one-volume history of military affairs spanning the past five centuries. It is superbly annotated and brilliantly balanced in its interpretation... the basic contribution of War in the Modern World is found in its central thesis: political, technological, and organizational features of warfare in history are indivisible... Professor Ropp’s contribution comes as close as any volume will to filling the crucial need for a balanced single volume on military history, broadly considered.” — Eugene M. Emme, Technology and Culture “War in the Modern World is far and away the best of the histories of military affairs... a remarkably fine piece of work... Professor Ropp has made a great contribution to an understanding of the phenomenon of war.” — Edward L. Katzenbach, Jr., The American Political Science Review “Surpasses any other general history of the subject.” — Library Journal “The narrative flows easily, is illuminated by flashes of colorful detail, and relates the development of warfare to the political, technological, and economic changes of the modern era... Especially stimulating and helpful is Mr. Ropp’s system of bibliographic footnotes. These are found on almost every page, directing the reader to a well-selected choice of historical and military writings which will provide more light and wider vistas whenever his interest is further stirred by what he is reading... This reviewer... has never seen anything quite as calculated to guide the beginner in further exploration of the subject or to serve as a quick reference index for the experienced analyst.” — New York Herald Tribune
