Book Description

Profiles of more than one hundred Jewish women who have had a great impact in their respective fields of endeavor, including Golda Meir, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barbra Streisand, and U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Their unusual achievements are interestingly presented and their relationships to Judaism highlighted. With black-and-white photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great?
While there are some genuinely great Jewish women in this book, there are too many whose claim to greatness rests solely on fame and left-leaning politics. How is Barbara Streisand a "Great Jewish Woman"? Is it because she is a great Democtratic fundraiser? And How does Shulamit Aloni get to be great? By being an anti-Israeli Israeli? Diane Arbus (eeww) hated being Jewish and would be uncomfortable to see her name in this book if she hadn't killed herself, and Estee Lauder became a Roman Catholic........not exactly a "Great Jewish Woman".

If your idea of greatness is actresses and singers or anybody Jewish who managed to get her name in the paper than this is your book. Rosalind Franklyn and Judy Resnick constitute real greatness, while Goldie Hawn is merely famous. I would never put them in the same category.

A great gift for Jewish Women
This book makes a great graduation gift or other gift for any jewish woman, young or old. It illustrates the accomplishments of women and shows the adversity that they overcame to achieve greatness. Enjoyable for woman of any age. ... Read more

Amazon.com

All three of Ron Chernow's books are lengthy and solidly researched, but his background as a journalist shows in his ability here to convey complex material in terms of vivid characters and a well-defined theme. As in his National Book Award-winning business history (The House of Morgan) and his comprehensive biography of John D. Rockefeller (Titan), in The Warburgs Chernow employs marvelously detailed material to trace a single overarching story: the riveting and ultimately tragic odyssey of German Jews. The Warburgs were Hamburg's preeminent banking family from the 18th century until Hitler's Third Reich forced them to hand over their business to Aryans in 1938. But they also boasted among their family members a celebrated art historian (Aby Warburg), a Nobel Prize-winning scientist (Otto Warburg), and the financial angel of the New York City Ballet (Edward Warburg). Two of the "Famous Five" brothers married American women at the turn of the 20th century and became honored members of the Wall Street establishment, so Chernow's lively narrative imparts important U.S. social and economic history as well. But don't let all those fancy credentials intimidate you: The Warburgs features enough flamboyant personalities and high-class gossip to make this as entertaining a read as the latest issue of People magazine. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Power, Wealth and a Jewish Dynasty
Ostensibly the study of a remarkable, wealthy dynasty, The Warburgs is a monumental history of Europe, the United States, Israel and even Africa. The author manages to faithfully document the lives of these international bankers, nobel prize winning scientists, explorers and philanthropists against some of the most haunting events in human history.

That the Warburg family loved their German homeland is indisputable. Even after WWII, some descendents could not resist returning to Hamburg, to see the old estates, to embrace old nannies, employees and to on one occassion, steal back a valuable vase that the Nazi's had appropriated elsewhere. They were passionate German citizens later of course spurned and victimized.

From Imperial and then Weimar Germany, the Warburgs were integral to achieving the ends of their leaders; Max Warburg worked tirelessly up until the very end, to secure a peaceful neutralization of Hitler's intention for the Jews. He was involved in assuring a Dutch purchase of Nyassaland in Northern Mozambique which ultimately played a significant role for Rommel's troops.

The family with connections to the Rothschilds, Loebs, Kuhns and others had solid foundations in the U.S. with one Warburg advising Theodore Roosevelt and later, of course, FDR. And logically, from this family where ambivalence toward Judaeism was an on-going theme, there were inevitable struggles and betrayals during the seeding and conceptualization of an Israeli sovereign state.

The book has many levels of interest- it involves a history of culture and the arts, of Jewish European exodus to the U.S and to Israel, it presents scenes of wealthy Jews celebrating with Christmas trees, of kids attending Anglican schools, and even flirtations with far left and deeply conservative politics.

The book is a meditation on the nature of wealth and being Jewish, the insoluble interactions of the two and the frequently unintentional social responsibilities carried within those elements.

History of jew bankers
In this 1993 National Book Award winner, Chernow presents a sweeping yet intimate historical saga of an extraordinary German-Jewish banking family whose roots go back to the 18th century. Richly documented by Warburg family archival and oral sources, the study captures both the glory and folly of this family of grandees, whose remarkable impact on the world of international finance, politics, culture, philanthropy, and Zionism continues to resonate. With delicious detail spiced by psychological ruminations and sensitivity, with penetrating insight conveyed by sometimes sparkling writing, Chernow focuses on the individual heroes of the Warburg clan--especially Mak, Felix, Paul, Fritz, Aby, Eric, James, and Sir Seigmund--and deftly portrays the meteoric rise of the dynasty, its fall under the Nazis, postwar rebirth, and the ultimately futile struggle of most Warburgs to maintain a Jewish identity. This is biography on an epic scale. General readers, undergraduates, and above.

A Fascinating Lesson of Courage and Triumph in Adversity
Ron Chernow narrates with panache the riveting tribulations of the Warburgs, a prominent Jewish banking dynasty emerging in Germany in the sixteenth century. The author does an outstanding job in switching back and forth between the Alsterufer Warburgs and the Mittelweg Warburgs, the two rivaling branches of the Warburgs. Ron Chernow indeed vividly recasts the numerous actors of that saga against the economic, political and social backdrop of their time. The author brilliantly helps his readers understand the painful dilemma that many German Jews, keener and keener on assimilation into Germany, faced especially under the Weimar Republic and then under Nazism. Ron Chernow also underlines how several Warburgs emigrating outside Germany had a positive influence on the unfolding of some key domestic and overseas events. Ironically, M.M. Warburg & Co., the German cradle of the banking dynasty that Nazism and then internal infighting almost torpedoed with success, is the only one to remain independent today. M.M. Warburg & Co. is Germany's second largest private bank. S.G. Warburg is now part of Union Bank of Switzerland while Warburg Pincus, successor of E.M. Warburg, belongs to Credit Suisse.

A candid insight
The history of the Warburg family is a amazingly tragic, hopeful and truimphant one. Ron Chernow describes the tight rope that Jews trod, at different stages of world issues, in a captive and sensitive manner. The author describes the begining of the banking dynasty and progresses through each genration leaving a unremovable image of each member. With a few exceptions, for every successful and optimistic father there is a unsure and detached son. For every mother who was a perfectionist and hardworking, there was a loyal, ambitious son. Not being Jewish, but understanding the feeling of not being fully assimilated in my own society, i personally appreciated this balancing act. However i believe that the issues of their religion and their trade, whilst very significant, play a complementary backdrop to which is essentially a superb insight into a diverse and ambitious family. One which, i think we can all relate to. I'd recommend it for all readers out there.

Learn history through real events in a family
The best way to learn & really "feel" history is to see it in familiar events, like the story of a family. Ron Chernow has achieved this feat with all 3 of the books I have read by him -- the Rockefeller book, the Morgan book and this book. This volume resonated with me more than the others since I am jewish, and since a number of my ancestors were assimilationist german jews (but never of the magnitude of the Warburgs!). The foolishness & the triumphs of this extended family would have made interesting reading even without the context of world events, but that's what makes the difference between a fair book and a great book. Chernow is particularly good at weaving in the world events without sounding ponderous or pedantic. ... Read more

Book Description

Auschwitz survivor Anna Ornstein recalls the tragedies of the Holocaust—and the small moments of grace that gave her the strength to endure—in MY MOTHER’S EYES, a triumphant testament to the human spirit.

After immigrating to the US as a young woman, Anna seldom spoke of the horrors she had experienced during the war. In time, as her family blossomed and grandchildren filled her home for the holidays, her daughter asked her to share some of her painful Holocaust memories as part of a Seder gathering. Over the course of the next 25 years, Anna added to this annual Passover tradition with another deeply personal recollection each year.The result, MY MOTHER’S EYES, is the moving account of how one woman survived—against all odds—with the fullness of her love, dreams and ambitions intact.

Award-winning artist Stewart Goldman paired his powerful images with Anna’s moving words to create a limited-edition gallery work, From Slavery to Deliverance. Available now for the first time as a book, MY MOTHER’S EYES bears witness to the faith, courage and tenacity of the human spirit. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

An Inspiring Story of Survival and Courage
I have read this book several times, and each time I was inspired by Misha's determination and resourcefulness. I am Jewish myself and was hidden in an orphange in Molenbeek, not far from Anderlecht were Misha stayed.

The ability of a young girl to take care of herself in the wild and to relate to wild animals is remarkable. What is also noteworthy is the fact that she was able to function alone. That this is not easy. I know this from experience since I had to learn how to be alone because I was often ostracised due to religious prejudice as a child.
Hopefully more people who read about Misha will see the futility of hating ones fellow human beings and animals and be inspired to respect all life.

This book is definitely a treasure worth reading. If it were to be made into a movie, it would surely be inspiring!

A survival storie through the eyes of a child
I am a personal friend of Misha and her family and the account of her story is true. Misha's personality as an adult truly reflects the effect of her life's trauma. Animals are magnetized by her. And i don't just mean domesticated animals. The wildlife is equally attracted to Misha and her love for them. My family and I have been mesmerized by the way she communicates with them. On one occasion, we joined her to a place in Ipswich where they have wolves in captivity. As the group of wolves was innocently going about their daily routine, Misha howled to them. They all howled back to her. Tears ran down my face and shills went down my spine at the same time. It was so incredible. Now we, as an audience tried to howl too. But the response just wasn't there. She clearly could communicate to them. I read her book, i know her life and she is a dear friend to the family. It's a touching story of true survival. The people that actually survived the period of the Holocaust, all have remarkable and incredible stories of survival to tell and sometimes it make you think that only a greater power must have been there to keep them alive. Misha just happened to be one of them.Now may be someone out there may know the fate of her parents and can put her life at rest.

Unique and Inspiring!
What a fabulous story. I stayed up half the night to finish the book. This would be an excellent book for pre-teens and up --except for one half page where Misha witnesses a rape in the woods. It is far less graphic than a lot of evening TV. I would still recommend it for "required reading" lists- just giving a heads's up for parents/teachers. I read this book over a year ago and am leaving a review now because the book left such an impression on me.

THE DEEP DOWN STRENGTH OF SURVIVAL
This is not just another view of WWII. It is a true and personal journey of an orphaned 7 year old through war ravaged Belgium and Eastern Europe. From her escape from a "safe home" to living with a pack of wolves, this is a story of what strength and ingenuity it takes to survive. She joins thousands of others who managed to escape the Nazi's. A remarkable story. Can't wait for the movie!

Let's be serious for a moment here
Uplifting and entertaining though this story may be, it is impossible to tell how much of it is true. Let's face it, no-one has ever been brought up by wolves, beautiful idea though it is. I would love to believe that wolves would take care of children, bring them up and feed them, but they don't.

There aren't any properly documented examples of wolf-children. It is an urban myth. Most of the "examples" can be traced back to some carnival barker trying to sell tickets to see somebody like "Pogo, the dog-faced boy". Just because a 19th century carny hustler says that a kid was brought up by wolves doesn't make it true.

I'm afraid that Misha either has a faulty memory or is telling an untruth here. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

The best Holocaust book I have read for a long time.
The Holocaust was a horrible time for everyone. The Holocaust began when the Germans were losing World War II. Hitler, a German dictator, wanted to feel powerful, even when his country was almost defeated. Since the Americans were too strong to be hurt, Hitler began to believe that all Jews were different and did not deserve to be treated equally. By abusing and killing them, he could get his sense of power and make another complication for the Americans. He began sending the Jews in small countries, like Hungary, to concentration camps. There they were forced to work long hours of labor with little food. In these camps there were rooms, called gas ovens, where Jews were killed if they were too weak or there wasn't enough room in the camps. Sometimes hundreds were killed at a time. Very few Jews during the Holocaust survived, but those that did can tell us how they were mistreated just because of their beliefs. Livia Bitton-Jackson is one of those survivors and in her book, "I Have Lived a Thousand Years" she retells her history of growing up in the Holocaust filled with suffering and pain.
In a small town called Somorja, a thirteen year old girl named Ellike lived with her mother, father, and her brother named Bubi. This was before Hitler invaded her town and Elli was happy. She went to school, attended her synagogue, and wrote poetry. She studied very hard in school because she wanted to enroll in a nice school in Budapest where Bubi went. Budapest was on a very nice side of town with big buildings and paved streets. On Somorja there were no fancy schools, buildings, and the only paved street was the main road and Elli dreamed of seeing it. But her dreams were shattered when the Germans invaded Budapest during the night. Luckily Elli's brother dodged the Germans and got on a train back to Somorja before they had a chance to close the train station. Most of Bubi's classmates were caught and shipped to concentration camps. Next, Hitler started to pass laws. The Jewish schools were closed. They were forced to surrender all of their jewelry and most valued possessions. They had to wear a yellow start to show they were Jews. They could not talk to Christians. Finally, they were moved to the ghetto, a small cramped area where twenty Jewish families were forced to live in the same small yard. Sometimes, there were eight different families living in the same house. A few days before the relocation of that specific ghetto, German soldiers came. They demanded that everyone bring any books, scrolls, or even pictures to them for safe keeping while the Jews were moved. They were hesitant but they had no choice, so they carried all of their books into the front yard. The Germans later burned the pile that had so many religious scrolls and bibles in it. Three days after that, they were put in cattle cars where 85 of them stayed for four days with out food or water. They were being transported to Auschwitz, the concentration camp. After the long cattle car ride and arriving in Auschwitz, all the children younger than 16 and over 50 were sent one way and the other girls were sent the other. Elli was 13 and the officer that was supervising the sorting should have sent her in the proper group. However, he saw that she had blond hair and let her go with her mother. The Germans prized long blond hair and blue eyes. If the officer had made Elli go with the younger children she would have been killed in a gas oven like Elli's aunt was. Then, the people that survived the "sorting" were shaved bald, put in showers, and given a gray dress and a pair of shoes. They weren't really anyone anymore. They were just Auschwitz workers.
This story about the Holocaust seems to sad to be true. I don't see how anyone could be that evil to another human. Hitler killed hundreds of children and adults just to feel powerful. After Elli was freed, a german woman came up to her and thought that she was 62 years old because of how weak and bruised she was. This story is really sad but it is also a warning about how much racism can hurt others. I would suggest he book "I Have Lived a Thousand Years" by Livia Bitton-Jackson to anyone who wants to learn about the Holocaust.

I Have Lived A Thousand Years - An Amazing Story
I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson is beyond an amazing story. It tells the life of thirteen-year-old Ellie Freidmann during the Holocaust. Ellie is a Jewish girl who is forced from her home, along with her family, to the ghetto and then to many different concentration camps, including the worst, Auschwitz. Her father is taken away from them very early in the book, which is then followed by other losses. The book is almost guaranteed to make you cry, as it is not only filled with grief and loss, but also with an almost unreal amount of determination and love. Ellie and her mother's strength is almost unimaginable. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It really opens your eyes up to what hate and prejudice can lead to. Even though it contains large amounts of sadness, reading the book gives you a very encouraging feeling, to know that evil didn't and can't prevail.

awsome!
Well I think that it was very cool that everyone gave it 5 stars. It definitley deserves it too. Its an awsome book! I love it and think Livia Bitton Jackson is an amazing person!

Experience
"Jew girl, Jew girl." This phrase was laid upon Elli Freidmann as the uprising of Hitler was proclaimed. She was only at the age of thirteen when she, her brother, and mother where token away to a concentration camp called Auschwitz. Elli was to be one of the few that were selected to transported to what was soon too pronounced as hell on earth. She was facing the world in new view, full of unexpected and unfortunate events.

The thing that I really liked about this is that it shows what the people of the holocaust went through. As opposed to telling. This way it gave me more of an insight as to just what was echoing in the fog. I liked that throughout Elli's experience she was still able to keep a brave and faithful spirit. I feel that especially in times as those it's best to believe and hold onto something, so that you may hold tight to your life in return.

I really enjoyed it due to the fact that it is indeed a true story. She did a very well job in allowing readers of all kind to experience what others hopefully will never have to endure. The only thing is that I don't think I would read anymore books as this one, only because it makes me sad to think and actually know what this corrupt world has allowed to happen. Other than that I have no regrets as to reading this book, in many ways it has opened my heart and mind.

I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Book Review
When I read this book for the first time, I first thought, "WOW!" This book is about a 13 year old Jewish girl who gets sent to different concentration/labor camps throughout Hungary, Germany, and Poland. Although many life-threatening and traumatizing things happened to her, she still had hope, and she did not give up. The things in this book that I valued most were the fact that there was great detail, and it was powerful/moving. I liked the fact that there was so much detail, because nothing was non-descriptive. When I read the author's words, a very clear picture popped up in my mind, and if it wasn't that detailed, then I wouldn't have been able to understand the book as well as I did. An example of this is when the reader sees Bubi standing on the other side of the fence, and having been abused and worked almost to death. I also liked the fact that it made me cry. When books make someone cry, they are usually very powerful or moving. The part in this book that made me cry, was the part where the Germans trick the women into getting their soup, and then attacking them. The idea of this horrified me. This book made me see that the Holocaust only happened some 70 years ago, and that the world was obviously a very different place than it is now. Having discriminations against someone because of their race or religion is no way to live life; you have to embrace things. When I first got assigned to this book, I was worried that I would not like it, but once I got into it, it was easy to lose track of time and read the night away. I Have Lived A Thousand Years is an amazing book, and I highly suggest reading it during your free time. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The second volume of Victor Klemperer's searing diary, kept in secret during the 12 years he suffered under the Nazi regime, covers the period from 1942 to 1945. The humiliations visited on even such "privileged" Jews as Klemperer (whose wife was Aryan) grew increasingly severe, with house searches, arbitrary arrests, and brutal beatings becoming virtually routine. The 60-year-old historian is forced to shovel snow despite his heart condition; hunger gnaws at him as rations are mercilessly cut. Yet he clings to an intellectual life, continuing his reading and making notes on the lies and obfuscations of official Nazi discourse that would become his postwar masterpiece, Lingua Tertii Imperii. "The Russians, who have only just been annihilated, are tremendous and quite inexhaustible opponents," he notes sardonically after reading a mendacious fascist article in 1942. His lengthy account of his escape with his wife from Dresden after the Allied bombings of 1945 unforgettably captures the chaos of World War II's final days and the mixed feelings of a Jew who could never wholeheartedly gloat over the defeat of the nation that had persecuted him. Above all, his unflinching depiction of human nature and society in extremis amply justifies his cherished belief that even the Nazis "cannot prevent language from testifying to the truth."--Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Essential Reading
The extraordinary value of Klemperer's heroic diaries reside in their rich detail. Day after day, under the most unnerving circumstances imaginable, this decent, perceptive man took the time to observe and record the quotidien outrages of the Nazi horror. The result is a kind of huge pointillist canvas in which every dot of infamy, every speck of malevolence, has been precisely set down. The marvel--one might even say the miracle--is that, even in the face of Gestapo searches, any one of which might easily have resulted in his and his wife's deportation and certain murder, Klemperer had not only the self-possession but the courage to persevere.

One observation he makes in this second installment of the Diaries will doubtless fuel the ongoing debate as to the culpability of ordinary non-Jewish Germans in the Holocaust, and that is that many Germans, even those in official posts, were apparently unaware not only of the death camps but even of the severe depradations under which Jews were forced to live. One German, for example, is cited as believing that one could see many more Jews in the streets in 1942 because they were heartened by America's entry into the war, whereas, as Klemperer points out, 'the Jews were more frequently to be seen on the streets because they were forbidden to take the tram', and 'the man was completely unaware of this.' Now, whether this was inadvertant or willful ignorance is a lively question, but this and other examples cited by Klemperer seem to indicate that many Germans did at least appear to be unaware of the full extent of the mad repressive decrees daily exacted against their Jewish neighbors.

Some, however, clearly did know, and, as Klemperer shows, were not altogether comfortable with the passivity of their knowledge. One day he has an encounter in the street in Dresden and his description of it in his diary nicely exemplifies the dignified magnanimity with which this extraordinary man treated the guilt of his much more fortunate German compatriots. 'On Warplatz,' he says, 'two gray-haired ladies, teachers of about sixty years of age, such as often came to my lectures and talks. They stop, one comes toward me, holding out her hand. I think: a former auditor, and raise my hat. But I do not know her after all, nor does she introduce herself. She only smiles and shakes my hand, says: "You know why!" and goes before I can say a word. Such demonstrations (dangerous for both parties!) are said to happen frequently. The opposite of the recent: "Why are you still alive, you rogue! " And both of these in Germany and in the middle of the twentieth century.--'

Essential as this and the first installment are for any understanding of the Holocaust, both would be much improved by much more thorough annotation. Still, that will take time, and English editor and translator Martin Chalmers has produced an admirable edition for the time being.

EXTRAORDINARY.
Is 'extraordinary' a powerful enough word for this book?

On reading it, I almost couldn't believe that it was genuine...but no writer of fiction could have created something as extraordinary,(I've used the word again,) as this.

Klemperer was a Jew, who managed to survive the war living within Nazi Germany because he was married to a Christian woman & 'luckily' for us, he wrote EVERYTHING down. Every. Tiny. Detail.

A superbly intelligent & witty man. Sometimes these kinds of books are just fascinating as eye-witness accounts, but what's unusual about this, is the fact that this man could actually write AND SO well.

SO sad & frustrating that it wasn't published within his lifetime.

I can't say any more. I'll never be able to say enough.

Probably the most extraordinary eye-witness account about life in Nazi Germany available...NO!...that will EVER be available.

Definetely the most extraordinary, (yes, it IS the right word,) book I've personally EVER read.

I'm honoured in being able to recommend this to you.

These are powerful books
Victor Klemperer's diaries are essential reading for any serious student of the Third Reich. His achievement is extraordinay on every level. Even though he was victimized, he maintained a studious detachment and even after twelve years of persecution, could see the Nazi leaders in a clear and objective light. At no time did he underestimate their intelligence, or their effectiveness at controlling the German people. His voice holds the reader in thrall as he repeatedly describes the capability of Hitler and Goebbels, in particular, to manipulate and distort events to their own advantage. Nowhere is the Nazi regime's effective use of power more clearly described than it is in these pages.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Klemperer's observations is that he held what we now call the Goldhagen debate within his own mind. Was antisemitism a deeply embedded and inseparable part of the German people, or not? He described acts of kindness and acts of discrimination and brutality in counterpoint over and over again. In the end, he did not form a final conclusion himself on this issue.

There has been much ink spilled on the Gestapo. How effective and how pervasive was this force in institutionalized and systemic terror activities? Klemperer's detailed and careful observations over a period of years provides an insight that transcends any other. He describes not only his own mounting sense of terror at Gestapo tactics, but dispassionately describes the impact on his friends and neighbors, most of whom did not survive the experience. To the question: How much did ordinary Germans know or guess about the extermination activities in the concentration camps? Klemperer's diaries leave no doubt at all that everyone knew.

Klemperer was a learned professor. He had both a strong work ethic and great courage. He attributes his survival to his wife Eva, an observation that is undoubtedly true. He wrote, she was the courier, a friend hid the pages at great risk. There is no way to overstate the importance of Klemperer's diaries. And there is no way to ever thank these people enough for their effort, courage, and sacrifice. These are powerful books.

Unbelievable
I have just started to read this book and it has already made a tremendous impact. Seeing what he and others have gone through in only the first 60 pages, I cannot help but wonder what the remaining pages will tell me and how he managed not only to survive the war but live for another 15 years.

It is one man's account of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds, faithfully recorded in rich detail for future generations to see.

Anyone who reads this cannot help but look at life in a different way.

A Ten-Star Collection
Volume I and this volume of Victor Klemperer's diaries as well as "The Language of the Third Reich" ("LTI") comprise the most extraordinary view of Hitler's Germany so far published. Not only are these books superbly written by an educated and perceptive man and expertly translated, they offer the most complete and engaging view ever presented of life in Nazi Germany. Born a Jew, Klemperer was a converted Christian, married to an Aryan, an anti-Zionist, and a German through and through. He also served with distinction in WWI. None of this made much difference to the Gestapo but nevertheless the Klemperers survived all 12 years of the Third Reich without being sent to a death camp, the humiliations (confiscation of car, home, pets, even Klemperer's WWI rifle bayonet!), the shortages of food and clothing, the forced manual labor. Through Klemperer's eyes we see clearly and with amazing detail and insight how the Nazis strangled initiative and freedom in Germany between 1933-1945, not only for Jews but Germans as well. We also see that anti-Semitism was not as widely spread in Germany as we might have previously believed, at least not in Dresden, where the Klemperers spent most of these horrible 12 years. It is also significant that neither Klemperer nor any of the other Jews in Dresden were aware during the war of the precise extent of the Holocaust, although they all knew that being sent to a concentration camp meant eventual death. My only criticism of these diaries is they could have used some maps of the local area and the notes should've been put at the bottom of the pages instead of at the end of the books, arranged by date. Thus it is sometimes very easy to miss the significance of certain entries. These books are required reading for anyone seriously interested in the history of Nazi Germany. ... Read more

Book Description

The sole and definitive biography of one of the 20th century's most influential and controversial psychologists.

The creator of the famous "Obedience Experiments," carried out at Yale in the 1960s, and originator of the "six degrees of separation" concept, Stanley Milgram was one of the most innovative scientists of our time. In this sparkling biography--the first in-depth portrait of Milgram--Thomas Blass captures the colorful personality and pioneering work of a social psychologist who profoundly altered the way we think about human nature.

Born in the Bronx in 1933, Stanley Milgram was the son of Eastern European Jews, and his powerful Obedience Experiments had obvious intellectual roots in the Holocaust. The experiments, which confirmed that "normal" people would readily inflict pain on innocent victims at the behest of an authority figure, generated a firestorm of public interest and outrage-proving, as they did, that moral beliefs were far more malleable than previously thought. But Milgram also explored other aspects of social psychology, from information overload to television violence to the notion that we live in a small world. Although he died suddenly at the height of his career, his work continues to shape the way we live and think today. Blass offers a brilliant portrait of an eccentric visionary scientist who revealed the hidden workings of our very social world. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Stanley Milgram: His research and his personality
Stanley Milgram was clearly a genius! His research on obedience to authority gave the world surprising insights into such phenomena as the role of ordinary people in the Nazi Holocaust. His innovative studies on the small world problem gave rise to the notion of six degrees of separation-which in recent years has been applied as a general principle in such diverse fields as physics, epidemiology and neuroscience. Whether we consider cognitive maps of cities, the lost letter method of assessing attitudes, the concept of the familiar stranger or Cyranoid communication, the mark of Milgram's research was its originality and brilliance in conceptualizing everyday events in a manner that elucidated the phenomenon, yet was never tried before.

In this beautifully written biography of Milgram by Thomas Blass, we not only get a superb overview of Milgram's work, but we also find out about Stanley Milgram-the person. By learning about his parents and his childhood we can now understand what drew his interest into Holocaust relevant research. Following his graduate career, we can gain insight into the personalities and social dynamics that existed at the Harvard Department of Social Relations and how these forces shaped Milgram's research agenda. His European travels, studies and adventures (amorous and otherwise) fill out the picture of Stanley Milgram's early interests.

Fortunately, Milgram was a prolific writer of letters to his friends that expressed his feelings at that moment. It appears that the author gained access to practically every word ever written by Milgram and through extensive interviews with Milgram's family, colleagues and students Blass compiled an even larger database of quotes and anecdotes which he appropriately shares with the reader. Some of these anecdotes are not complimentary, but I believe they give us an honest view of this very complex person. These firsthand testimonies paint an intriguing image of one of the most influential social scientists of our time.

Milgram: Arrogant and Clever
I've been a fan of Stanley Milgram's work since my psychology grad school days in the late 60's. Fortunately, I also had the pleasure of hearing him speak and the honor of meeting him. So I waited with anticipation when I learned that Thomas Blass was writing a biography on Milgram. I was hoping that I would lean more about Milgram's groundbreaking research and that I might also end up liking him as a person, although I know that's certainly not the purpose of biography.

Well, thanks to Blass's book I did learn a lot about Milgram, not all of it very pleasant. And even at that, it seems to me that Blass pulled some punches to avoid making Milgram even less attractive as a person, perhaps in deference to Milgram's wife and his children who cooperated in the writing of this biography. For example, Blass reports that Milgram delayed his departure from Paris until he found out if his French girlfriend was pregnant. Blass doesn't say whether she was or not or what happened if she in fact was. Blass frequently references Milgram's sexual appetite and conquests but avoids discussion of whether this carried over to Milgram's later life. When I met Milgram, he was in the company of a tall, beautiful young woman who was described simply as his "traveling companion".

Blass does repeatedly mention Milgram's arrogance, snobbishness, and abrasiveness but also offers up what seem to be pedestrian acts of kindness attributed to Milgram and that he was a good family man. This "on the other hand" approach by Blass is apparently intended to imply that underneath it all Milgram could be very sensitive and kind or that he was "complicated". Blass also briefly mentions Milgram's drug use as a possible explanation of his mercurial behavior.

Overall, I was left with the impression that although Milgram was certainly funny, clever, creative, and intellectually curious, he was also driven by a strong need to gain status and recognition and that he could be deceptive and manipulative, e.g., he wrote letters to politicians representing himself untruthfully and falsely claimed to be a French student in order to get a rent subsidy from the French government. Later in his career, he even hired a professional clipping service to find all the reviews of his books but then, despite his substantial income, complained about the cost of his children's education.

Does this matter? In terms of Milgram's significant influence on social psychology and our understanding of obedience, the small world effect, etc., probably not. But in terms of biography just for the sake of recreational reading, to me it does. I almost hate to admit it but it's just more fun to read about someone you end up caring about, much like identifying with the main character in a movie. Although I was constantly reminded of Milgram's methodological cleverness and powers of observation, I couldn't shake the notion that Blass was too easy on him and that I would not have liked him very much as either a teacher or as a colleague. But perhaps this very type of personality is exactly what was needed to do the kinds of studies Milgram did, i.e., a "nicer" person wouldn't have done them.

Despite these opinions, I would still recommend the book because Milgram's work is so socially significant, unconventional, and methodologically clever. You might also gain some insight into the department politics at two prestigious universities when Blass writes about Milgram's unsuccessful attempts to land a tenured position at Harvard and Yale. If you decide to read a psychologist's biography other than this one, I would definitely recommend "Love at Goon Park", the biography of Harry Harlow by Deborah Blum. I believe Harlow was even more influential than Milgram. Better yet, read them both.

A brilliant biography of a brilliant social scientist
Due to the high level of excitement and anticipation surrounding the arrival of this important biography, I was eagerly looking forward to receiving it, yet naturally concerned it might not live up to expectations. Fortunately, I am pleased to say this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it's a fascinating and well-written book by Blass, who is recognised as the authority on Milgram.

Since I am not a psychologist myself, what struck me initially was how readable an account this actually is. I was also extremely impressed by the incredible level of detail and nuance that Blass offers about Milgram's life and work. I've read some earlier material on Milgram that Blass wrote over the years, which is one reason I was looking forward to the publication of the biography.

In my view, it offers a very important and unparalleled glimpse into the life as well as full range of research of a man who became so controversial--in large measure--for revealing a disturbing side of human behaviour that has proven to transcend boundaries of time and culture. Now more than ever--given the current state of affairs on the world stage--I feel this book is a very important contribution to the field of psychology, and obedience to authority in particular. Moreover, given the far reaching implications of the subject matter and the readability of this book, it should appeal to an even broader audience. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Compelling and well-written
This is an account of how shear luck and personal fortitude can enable a person to survive and continue to learn and grow under the most horrendous conditions.

As with all holocaust stories, from the beginning one knowsthe outcome, which in this case is happy.The middle and necessarilyhorrible part is told forcefully, but with a degree of detachment whichmakes it bearable.The tone reminded me of Frank McCourt's in Angela'sAshes.

The story of how the author put together a very successful lifeafterwards is fascinating.She also has sympathy for those who were notable to cope with the aftermath, and has substantial insight on the effectsof the experience on herself and on her family.

In summary, very wellwritten and an important addition to the record being left by thisgeneration. They must tell their stories so that it never happens again. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Personal Accounts from Hell
How can one describe the indescribable? In the last several years, I have read maybe a dozen and a half books on the Shoah and have been greatly impressed by many if not all of them. This narrative though, I feel, is head and shoulders above all of the other personal accounts that I have read thus far. Words to Outlive Us is a fascinating read. This, I feel, can be attributed to three things: the structure of the book(it is divided into six chapters each dealing with a particular aspect of life and death inside the Ghetto), the fascinating and in many cases heartbreaking quality of the accounts and finally, the sheer quantity of unique individual accounts. . While none of these components of the book are unique individually, put together they create an unsurpassed narrative of those Jews, who for no other reason than the fact they were Jews, suffered under the Nazis and in many cases, their Polish neighbors. This compilation is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. It is even more amazing when one takes into account the immense danger that these victims placed themselves in simply by writing of their experiences as Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Particularly poignant I felt, were the chapters on the institutions of the Ghetto, the resistance and liberation. Through these accounts the reader is seeing day to day life and tragedies as if he or she is witnessing them personally. The reader is a witness to both the greatest acts of kindness and the most horrific acts of violence which human beings are capable of. This is, I believe, the greatest testament to the power of this collection of personal stories. My only disappointment in this book was that it wasn't double it's 440 pages.

How some fought back and why others could or would not
So often, we read accounts of the Shoah afer the fact. Not to diminish their power, but primary testimony as the events happened, understandably a rarer extant survival, speaks directly and eloquently with a visceral power. The accounts here, by a cross-section of thoughtful, self-deprecating, agonized, and bewildered observers, show why those in the ghetto were so diminished and demoralized.

Years of abuse, mental and physical, years of starving and disease and uncertainty wreaked havoc on the Jews in Warsaw. Reading these accounts, you understand how awful were the limited choices between giving in and holding out could both be. Also, what here emerges more fully is the extent to which Jews were exploited with the hopes of work permits, resettlement, visas, and hush money by informers, turncoats, bosses, and those willing or forced to collaborate. The constant anxiety underscores the bodily suffering of the ghetto's inhabitants.

Revealed here are the predicaments hundreds of thousands of people like you and me faced, nearly half-a-million crowded into an area the size of Central Park. What often has been distorted into kitsch or melodrama in later re-creations in its original context remains unforgettably eloquent.

For people who want to understand the Holocaust
I read this book after I watched the movie "The Pianist". The true accounts in this book shocked and moved me. By combining with the visual impact from the movie, I am able to relate what I read with what I watched from the movie. After reading the book, I admired the courage, the-will-to-survive, and the brilliance of the Jewish people. I suggest to people who are interested to know what happened in the Warsaw Ghetto, but who has no such background on the holocaust, watched the movie first, then read this book. It is not a dry history book. The acccounts were written by people who have superb writing skill, though they might not know themselves. ... Read more

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Reviews (10)

One of the Most Inspiring Books I have Ever Read!
I was first drawn to this book by the black and white photo of Etty on the cover -- belying a woman who was thoughtful, mysterious, bohemian. Then when I saw that this was truly a book that was inspirational -- and written by someone who was herself a victim of the Holocaust -- I was indeed intrigued and purchased the book in anxious anticipation.

However, nothing prepared me for just how truly enlightening this book was to be! Etty lived in the same time period and only blocks from where Anne Frank was hiding, and had the advantage of living as a Jewish housekeeper in a non-Jewish household. Indeed she had many advantages that could have, has she pursued it, possibly spared her ultimate end at Auschwitz. However, Etty had some strong feelings, which she mentions more than a couple of times. One is that she did not see why she should be spared what so many thousands of others were having to bear. However she also dearly hoped to live past the end of this terrible era -- and she felt always certain that this dark era would end -- especially so that she would be able to tell the world something so important, and have the world listen. She would tell the world that "life is beautiful, in spite of everything." Though her life was cut off in Auschwitz in November of 1943, the book perhaps can fulfill that dear hope.

No Pollyanna or ostrich, Etty experienced her ups and downs fully. Yet she had a deep understanding of real fulfillment in and gratitude for life. Most importantly, she looked for her answers within, and while the world with out was often atrocious, clearly what she found within was a source of constant beauty and sustenance.

The only explanation I can find as to why I had not heard of her before -- and why her name is not as well known as that of Anne Frank -- was her very liberal attitudes which were no doubt especially unpopular after the war, including a very liberal attitude toward sexuality and an, albeit constructive, criticism of fellow Jews who responded to the Holocaust only with hatred and bitterness.

Etty Hillesum's life, and her reflections in this book containing her diaries and letters from a Nazi work camp, are rare and sparkling jewels indeed. I recommend this book -- especially those who are late teens through eldest adult!

Bravo, Etty.

Note: I recommend that one not skip even one page of the initial forward and preface. It is a wonderful and immensely helpful introduction into the book.

Etty is a spiritual role model
This book is filled with some of the deepest most meaningful words I have ever read. Etty begins her diaries "struggling for true inner freedom" (p. 55) She achieves this. She turns inward to her faith at a time when thing around her are in total despair. She is a role model for others. In her twenty eight years she reaches a point of spirituality many of us do not. Excellent book. Begining was a little hard to get into but stay with it! Her writing becomes more clear, you can learn a lot from Etty.

Transformative
In these trying times, this book is a gentle reminder that terrible events have the curious power to make us better (more caring, more open, more alive) people. I was utterly transfixed by Etty's swift transformation from a self-absorbed whiner to a spiritual and philosophical mystic who transcended the horrors of her time.
As a memoir of life and death during the Nazi Holocaust, as well as a chronicle of spiritual transformation, this ranks among the very best.
Though it has been five years since I read the book, I am still inspired by Etty's courage and love.

This Is Difficult to Get Into, But Well Worth Staying With
I found this book very difficult to get into. Like many spiritual journals this book seemed at first overly self-centered and indulgent; one page read boringly very much like the page that went before. Her sleeping around and her bizarre therapy with Spier put one off. And Etty herself felt very deeply, vehemently, passionately; reading her can be like drinking water from a fire hose. One might feel like giving up the battle, but it will be well worth your while to push on. More and more one begins to see astonishing signs of spiritual growth and maturity and then of extraordinary achievement and grace. Emotionalism passes into selfless and self-sacrificing love. She moves speedily from her first ability to say the word God to constant prayer and even to a mystical union, all the more significant for being so unrelated to any conventional religion. In the midst of ever increasing certitude about coming annihilation, and eventually amid the horrors of the transit camp of Westerbork, this young woman not only manages to preserve her sanity and keep herself from hating her persecutors, but somehow even comes to rejoice in the beauty and meaning of life. It is truly a wonder how anyone could manage to grow to such transcendent greatness of spirit in so short a time. How fortunate for us that it happened to a woman who felt so deeply, knew herself so clearly, and wrote so aptly, and whose writings from the midst of the Holocaust has survived to our time.

Translation is execrable
Having read the reviews, I am amazed that Etty's spiritual growth managed to be felt by the reviewers despite the terrible translation. This translator not only leaves out the poetry of her way of expressing herself -- the continuing metaphors she employs to make her points -- but the translator completely misses the point and mistranslates almost on every page. For example, on page 211 of this edition, the translator has Etty telling us that Klaus committed suicide and that she must "make sure his name is taken off the card index." No, no, no. Klaus did not commit suicide and in any case, even if he had, Etty would not have worried bureaucratically about removing his name from a registry. What Etty really said was that a man committed suicide in the camp hospital and Klaus's reaction was to worry about taking his name off the registry. Because Klaus COULD NOT EMPATHIZE. Klaus hated the Nazis but he himself had the heart of a Nazi. This is what fascinated Etty -- that this man who could see the evil in others was oblivious to his own. This point is obscured by the erroneous translation.

A translator who does not understand the message is unable to translate the message. Etty's message is subtle. Her message is about spiritual growth. If the translator is not at the same level of understanding, the translation will be distorted by numerous tiny slightly wrong word choices and word order. If you liked the book in this translation, well, one can only hope that someone will translate it correctly some day. Or if you can read French, try the version "Une vie boulverse" by Philippe Noble, Editions du Seuil. ... Read more

Book Description

In this disturbing but inspirational account of her experiences of the Holocaust, Lucille Eichengreen relates her journey as a young Jewish girl through Nazi Germany and Poland - including internment in the camps at Auschwitz, Neuengamme, and Bergen-Belsen. It was a journey that began in 1933, when she was eight years old and witnessed the beginnings of Jewish persecution, a journey along which she suffered the horrible deaths of her father, mother and sister. Sustained by great courage and resourcefulness, Lucille Eichengreen emerged from her nightmare with the inner strength to build a new life for herself in the United States. Only in 1991 did she return to Germany and Poland to assess the Jewish situation there. Her story is a testament to the very thing the Holocaust sought to destroy: the regeneration of Jewish life. Blessed with a remarkable memory that made her one of the most effective witnesses in the postwar trial of her persecutors, Eichengreen has composed a memoir of exceptional accuracy. As important as its factual accuracy is its emotional clarity and truth. Simple and direct, Eichengreen's words compel with their moral authority. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Fanstastic , Touching Book!
I was extremely impressed with this book. The author decribes in detail her life before anti-semitism and how it started to change. Her story is emotional and touching.

She was born Celia Landau and changed her name to Lucille. She and her sister Karin were the products of a very close knit family completely torn apart by the Third Reich. Her father gets sent off to a labor camp and a year later they are delivered a box of what supposedly contains his ashes. Eventually Celia, Karin and mother are sent to the Lodz ghetto where surviving is difficult and their mother eventually dies of starvation. Celia's account of this is very sad and moving. She then tells a story of a tender love affair with Szaja in the ghetto, and befriends an elderly couple named Jules and Julius who ironically after liberation, she winds up marrying their son when she moves to New York.

She and her sister Karin are then sent to Auschwitz. Poor Karin is so devastated and having trouble surviving day to day after losing both her parents. Celia's heart is again broken when Karin is not chosen in the selection and is loaded up into a truck and never seen again.

Celia is only weeks away from death when Auschwitz gets liberated. She goes into detail her life after the camps including her testimony during war crimes trials that helped put many of the SS in prison.

She also tells her experiences of going back to Europe in 1991 for the first time since she left. The hostility and indifference against Jews was still alive.

This book is highly recommended. Well written.

Wow
How Cecelia (aka Lucille) survived is beyond imagination. What determination.

Revenge through good deeds
As a child in Hamburg, Germany, Celia Landau led a cultured and privileged life. Her father Benjamin had a study full of books and frequently entertained renowned visitors, including philosopher Martin Buber and Rabbi Paul Holzer. This began to unravel when the Nazis came to power. In the summer of 1934, the family traveled to a German spa in Bad Schwartau. As their visit ended, the spa's owner gleefully announced that Hitler would deal with the Jews. The next fall, nine-year-old Celia's grades began to falter as former school friends labeled her "Drechtjude." In 1937, the family were forced out of their condominium at Hohe Weide 25. In October, 1938, her father was carted to prison, then deported to Dachau. In February 1941, a Gestapo agent deliver his "ashes" in a cigar box.

Eight months later, Celia, now 16, was deported with her mother Sala and sister Karin to Lodz. Here they shared an unheated room on Zgierska Street with Julie and Julius Eichengreen and five others. As the vast majority of Jews were shipped like cattle from Lodz, the couple made Celia promise, if ever she went to New York, to find their son, who had left Europe years earlier. On July 13, 1942, Celia's starving and sick mother Sala died.

Before being herself deported to Auschwitz in August 1944, Celia starved and scraped to survive, and lost her sister Karin as well. Her one friend from that period, Elli Sabin, traveled with her in the final transport from Lodz to new horrors. Here she came face to face with the dreaded Dr. Mengele, slaved for some months in an outdoor construction site at the Neuengamme subcamp and in the Blom and Foss Shipyards. In October, she was transferred to Arbeitslager Sasel. Here, to gain access to important files, she promised to transfer her family's house in Altona-Luna Park outside Hamburg to an SS guard. The ploy worked, and she memorized the names and addressed of 42 Nazi guards.

In March 1945, Celia Landau was again transferred, this time to Bergen-Belsen, the disease-ridden camp where Anne Frank and her sister died of Typhus. Fortunately for Laudau, a month later, the camp was liberated, on April 15, 1945. Here she told a British major of her exploit, and was swiftly introduced to Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Tilling, of Britain's War Crimes Investigations unit. When friends Elli, Hela Dimand and Sabina Zarecki corroborated her story, the British swiftly transferred Celia Landau to Hanover Germany, where she helped bring 17 Nazis to justice.

Her assistance to the British War Crimes unit gave Celia new opportunities. What she did with them is but one of the things that makes this book fascinating. This is the story of an extraordinary woman who sought revenge only through her own good deeds.

The one thing missing from this book is what gave her the courage to go on. Alyssa A. Lappen

Student Review
"From Ashes to Life" was a book about the holocaust. It was very inspirational and heartfelt. It takes place back in 1933 in Poland-Germany when Celia's eight years old. Everything in life seemed to be going very well as regular little kid. 'Til one day her father was called off and was beaten, starved and then soon killed. The Germans took over all of Poland and made sure that the people who were really Jews paid for all the punishments. Even the people who had some jewish blood in them they were also taken away and killed.
In Celia's life she went through a ton of heartache. She was there when her mother died and when her sister was taken away from her to be killed. As Celia got older, she was able to leave Poland-Germany and come to America. Here she met her husband in New York. Her husband and her went back to Germany in 1991 and tried to overcome the horrible past. Her name today is Lucille Eichengreen. This book is great and I personally would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the holocaust.

Well written, personal and moving account of the Holocaust
This is by far the best personalised account of the Holocaust I've read to date. Celia manages to convey the horrors and degredation experienced by the Jewish people living through the Holocaust, and yet still manages to temper the account with a constant almost irrepressible sense of hope.

I've visited Bergen-Belsen several times, and seen the official documentation and memorials, but From Ashes to Life really brought it all into perspective.

This is a book that provides a factual first hand account of what actually happened, and doesn't pull any punches, but it still emminently readable by everyone.

I had real difficulty putting From Ashes to Live down once I'd started it, and would recommend it to anyone! ... Read more

Amazon.com

That subtitle may inspire in some readers waves of ethnic pride, and in others waves of ethnic revulsion, but the point of this book is that its claim of origin is quite literally true. And what makes it an interesting read for political types is the way it demonstrates that no matter how much the founding Hollywood moguls and their successors tried to peddle an idealized, escapist form of entertainment, bubbling up under and around their every project was ideology, racism, ethnic prejudice, class friction, domestic and international politics and all the other raw, seething stuff that distinguishes this country from all others. In Gabler's hands, the Industry draws a picture of American political history in spite of itself. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Not necessarily so, but an interesting treatise
Here's an absorbing history of the movie industry. Neal Gabler claims that Adolph Zukor (Paramount), the Warner brothers, Harry Cohn (Columbia Pictures) and the moguls of Fox Studios, MGM and Universal had a dream of what America was which they incorporated into movies and sold to the American public and the world.

Gabler claims that what these movies showed was not the real country at all. "Only this way," he writes, "could these immigrants satidsfy their hunger of assimilation into a country that had rejected them." In the end, he says, the fictive America created by these businessmen portrays an artificial "reality" that later generations of moviegoers took as truth.

I have two problems with the premise of this book: First, I know for a fact that the America portrayed in the movies of the '40s and '50s did exist and second, those moguls created their own social world, partly out of geographic necessity and partly because the work of filmmaking isolated them from the everyday work world.

I know the kind of family, community and lifestyle often portrayed in those "romantic" and "sentimental" movies (i.e. where family members and members of the community worked and lived together in mutual respect and affection) existed because I experienced it. The movies I saw as a child and as a young adult in the 1940s and 1950s mirrored the life I knew.

I understand that contemporary life is so different from life in those days that young people view what they call "sentimental romanticism" with disbelief. I pity them. The lives they seem to be living look shabby and disgusting to me!

It's an interesting premise but it's built on a false presumption!

The book will charm the moviephile. It's entertaining and well written and it gives a fascinating look at backstage Hollywood in a time when Hollywood enjoyed a great deal more respect than it does today.

Movie Jews Starring in Their Own Life Movie
Neal Gabler explores the lives of the founding movie moguls of Hollywood in this work which is at turns funny and sad. Most of the moguls never had a very good family life either growing up or growing old, but the stories of the business and oddities of Hollywood are amusing.

One of the most interesting of Gabler's points is that each head of the studio made a certain style of movie that reflected his personality--whether that would be Mayer's idealized America or the Warners' stories of tough outsiders, for instance.

Gabler gives interesting insights into the struggle between Edison and the Jewish independents over who would monopolize the distribution and equipment for the business. It is suggested that this was fight between protestants on one side, and Jews and Catholics on the other, given the ethnic make-up of the two camps. Edison eventually lost out over an anti-trust suit and the movie moguls went on to pretty much monopolize the business until they lost an anti-trust suit in 1948.

The reason why Jews have predominated in the movie business from the beginning was that in the early days of film, it was considered a slightly disreputable business to be in and white gentiles had no great desire to enter into a venture considered to be a novelty to make some fast cash. The Jewish businessmen saw the movies as something more than a novelty and sought to make them more high-brow by filming critically acclaimed plays and literary works. This was done also to bring in the middle class into their already working class customer base.

Gabler shows how many of the movie moguls wished to present themselves as totally assimilated Americans who made themselves over to look like the high class gentiles of the Eastern Establishment. But at the same time they saw themselves as Jews and their enemies saw them as Jews too. The years of blacklisting communists is covered in which some gentiles complained about the moguls employing communist Jewish writers for their films. (The moguls themselves were Republican and many of their writers we're Jewish communists.)

Hollywood is shown to be place where there is no real friendship and materialism reigns. In their cutthroat business, those on top are celebrated as long as they stay successful and those who have fallen are forgotten. This rule even applies somewhat to the movie moguls of this era. Anyway, one gets the impression it's more fun to watch the movies than to be in the business of making them.

Foundational Study of Motion Picture History
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These stories of Hollywood's original film moguls are as personal and insightful as they are legendary.

While today's movie executives seem to be both disposable and interchangable, these industry giants created a mammoth enterprise that will last for the ages. Hollywood's early movie magic endures because these entrepreneurs were driven with a passion to shape their own legacy and to obtain the recognition they craved.

This reader would have been interested in understanding how these moguls related to the independent studios, including the Walt Disney Studio. Some critics have accused Walt Disney of having anti-semitic attitudes, while none have sufficientely documented such an extreme conclusion. Based upon the cooperative working relationships with the other major studio heads (including those at MGM, Columbia, RKO, and others), there seems to be evidence supporting a profitable exchange of ideas and creative talent between the studios that would undermine those proposing such anti-semitic rhetoric. Within this exchange, clearly Walt Disney benefitted from these relationships, and his early successes certainly had the attention and admiration of his competition. Sufficient documentation exists in support of these complimentary relationships that capable researchers should be able to bring a more substantial review to contemporary readers.

Of particular interest would be the seemingly competitive struggle between Jack Warner and Walt Disney during the 1964 Oscar race (My Fair Lady vs. Mary Poppins). Additional analysis of this aspect of Hollywood history would be beneficial.

Gabler's work is a triumph in documenting the essential backstory of Harry Cohn, William Fox, Carl Laemmle, Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, Harry Warner, and Adolph Zucker. Brilliant!

Dave Mason is Southern California author and Disneyland historian. He is owner of the internet's premier vintage Disneyana auction site,... His next book, "The Merchants of Main Street" is scheduled for release in early 2004.

plays like a hollywood script
I had to see the movie for some odd reason. I agree with the last review on many points. The film makes it sound like the Jewish people were the sole inventors of film. It is horribly cliched, and makes etremely odd, partial points, like that "My Fair Lady" is an example of the jews trying to fit in. It plays out like a script written by the moguls themselves. Waste of time.

Fascinating but sometimes frustrating
This is, to the extent of my explorations, the only book on what would seem to be a pair of significant questions about American mass culture: why did the Jews take control of the motion picture industry in its earliest days; and how did that fact shape their creations and the culture they influenced? For its uniqueness, its thoroughness in investigating the relationships of the early film moguls to their religious heritage, and its wealth of detail regarding their lives, I applaud it. I find myself, however, yearning for a second book, or a revised edition, for this first exploration leaves much untouched.

Neal Gabler states early on that the moguls' vision of "America" shaped not only the fictional realities of their films but the reality of America itself, in that it was through Hollywood that we developed much of our self-image. Apart from passing mentions, however, such as noting that our later vision of a lost, small-town America was largely shaped by memories of the Andy Hardy series beloved by Louis B. Mayer, he does not develop that important thread.

There are also a few frustrating narrative lapses that set me to reviewing the index to see if I'd missed something (which I hadn't). The author leads us through the story of Paramount's Adolph Zukor, whom he presents as perhaps the most important and emblematic of the moguls, to a point at which Zukor is poised to seize a commanding role in the national distribution of films. Gabler then cuts away, and when we return to Zukor we find that his expansionist efforts have failed and his position at the studio is now in jeopardy, though we are not shown how.

I recommend this as a fascinating beginning to an exploration. I hope there will be more books like it to develop the story further. Perhaps, in time, we will even see books that will treat the same questions with regard to popular music, comedy, and other fields so shaped by the Jewish people. ... Read more