This book was a particularly slow read for such a short book. It was a dull story with little resolution at the end. We read this book as a book club. At our meeting, we sat mystified as to what to discuss. I did not enjoy this attempt at a novel, and would probably not recommend it unless you have time to read it more than once to try to follow the stale story.

Jay Basu keeps you mesmerized in this sad but touching story. This is Basu's first novel, and what a splendid job he's done. The story had a few twists, and it was hard to put down. Gracian is a memorable protagonist. He escapes his harsh world of working in a coal mine by wandering out into the woods at night to watch the stars, despite the constant presence of Nazi guards who could kill him. He and the other characters, including his coal mine partner, offer tremendous inspiriation to keep dreaming when life is cruel and seemingly hopeless.

The book "The Survivor In Us All" was a heart-filled story written by Erna F. Rubinstein. She was a teenager during the Holocaust. Erna and her family were sent to many different concentration camps. This book helps you understand the reality of the camps. Her writing in the book was very descriptive. At times her writing was so detailed that it felt like you were right there with her. She opens up her heart in the book and her true feelings show through. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about true stories of Holocaust survivors. I really enjoyed this book.

I thought the book "The Survivor In Us All", by Erna F. Rubinstein was a very good book. On a scale of one to ten, I would give this book a eight. The reason I would give this book an eight, is because I thought at some points of the book it needed to be told in more detail, so you understood what was being talked about. I particularly liked the fact that this book was told from the viewpoint of a teenage female, because it showed me how I might have acted if the things in the book would have happened to me. I thought that this book was very emotional. Some parts of "The Survivor In Us All" I really felt like I was there, because of the rich writting. This book really changed the way I think about some things. It also helped me understand a little bit more about how horrible the Holocaust really was. I encourage both males and females to read this book. Once again this book is a very good book!

What courage it took for Miriam Winter to live through her childhood, much less write about it. Through her eyes, I learned how one brave, resilient Jewish child learned to deny who she was simply to survive. Her attempts to fit in are heart-rending. The voice in these pages is very strong. I wish only to know more -- more about why she remained "hidden" even to herself after the war, more about her life in Poland as a young woman. Even a map of the places she lived. I also wish for more pictures, particularly of her family and life before the war. And the fact that those don't exist, for her family and countless others, chills my soul.

Miriam Winter tells us a gripping, sometimes harrowing, often horrifying memoir of her aborted childhood. Her orthodox Jewish father teaches her how to cross herself, how to say a Christian prayer and gives her a new name: Marisha. Her life from then on is terrifying and lonely. We learn how she survives, but not why she clings to the lies she has had to tell to do so. Only when she reaches adulthood and meets her future husband is she persuaded to confront her past. It is impossible not to be amazed as well as to be mesmerized by Ms. Winter's life.

Tusgele has the age-old problem of young Jewish women. Her parents want her to be married. "Find me a man as reliable as my broom," says Tsugele, "and I will marry him." Suitor after boorish suitor, she turns away.

When her parents promise to introduce still more men, Tsugele packs her bags and her broom and heads for a neighboring town. She settles with Mendel and his wife, and the same routine starts again. They introduce a leather goods man, and she goes off in a huff.

That night Tsugele dreams that her broom turns into a man. They dance. The next morning, she cannot find her broom... Alyssa A. Lappen

Valerie Scho Carey has, with "Tsugele's Broom," managed the neat trick of making this new tale seem like an old one. It has all the flavor of a folk tale passed down through generations, but with a decidedly modern twist.

The twist is this: Tsugele, a perfectly capable young woman who is perfectly happy on her own, is told by her parents that she needs to get married. Tsugele reasonably tells them that she sees no need for that, as she's fine all by her independent self. They insist, and Tsugele good-naturedly suffers through the attentions of several suitors before finally finding the man she really loves in a most unexpected manner.

Dirk Zimmer's terrific illustrations combine a block-print border with stylized drawings of Tsugele and the other characters. He uses color to very great effect, giving the book the fantastical look of eastern European embroidery. Highly recommended for any independent little girl!

Richard Watt has produced a readable volume that recounts the only period of modern Polish independance prior to the current one. It's complete, and seems to cover the issues reasonably well. Looming over the whole book is the figure of Jozef Pilsudski, the father of modern Poland, and he is reasonably well-described here. Good book, though the writing, while reasonable, isn't on the Barbara Tuchman-Robert Massie skill level writing-style wise.

When I read the advertisement i have learned that list of names from Lodz ghetto should be in the book. I saw a few pages with the names , addresses etc. I was caught by surprise when I have opened this book - ther is no such list included. Could you, please, explain me how it's happened and more important how could I get those pages. Thank you very much.

Dance of the Planets is a biography written by Nancy Veglahn about Nicolaus Copernicus, the scientist known as the founder of modern astronomy. During the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, he questioned the theories that the Church accepted and formed hypotheses of his own. These ¡§correct¡¨ ideas were based on the observations of the second-century Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy, who claimed that the Earth was in the center of the universe and that the sun and other planets traveled around it in circles. Copernicus, on the other hand, wrote that the sun was in the center and that all of the planets, including the Earth, made circular paths around the sun. He also questioned the accuracy of the Almagest, the book that Ptolemy had written, which was considered to contain the entire truth of the heavens. Such courage in challenging the Church laid the foundation for the field of astronomy that exists today.
This book is worth reading because the author uses subtle yet powerful techniques to make the story enjoyable. For one thing, she incorporates dialogue, which makes this book unusual because most biographies¡Xbeing nonfiction¡Xdo not include elements that would make them seem fictionalized. In addition, the author describes world events, like the voyage of Christopher Columbus, to help the reader fully understand what was going on during the time in which Copernicus lived. Also, the illustrator of this book, George Ulrich, draws helpful visual aids to enable readers to visualize the story¡¦s text more clearly, especially when certain portions can seem confusing. These include a map that shows how Ptolemy viewed the universe as well the heavens from Copernicus¡¦s perspective. The dialogue, information, and illustrations in this book make it unique.
This was an excellent book overall, yet perhaps my favorite part is after the close of this story. Scientists in the United States launched a satellite on August 23, 1972 containing a thirty-two-inch reflecting telescope. This was the largest instrument ever sent into space, and it was used to gain valuable information about the universe. The satellite carrying it was named Copernicus. I found the fact that a satellite was named after Copernicus was very significant because this showed the importance of Copernicus to modern-day astronomy. During his lifetime, Copernicus was not recognized for his achievement in astronomy, but he is now credited for his theories.

Every book written by a Holocaust survivor is very important and honest. This book was so overwhelming to take, and it's a shame it is out of print. The writer remembers of all the things that happened. Her confusion, her fears, her observations were all packed into an action filled story. The scemes are so well described and it's hard to not understand. The book took you into the story and made the reader it's best friend.

"Something was not right in Bobe's old house on St. James Place. First there was the uneasy silence between Becka's parents, Patrick and Judith's bewilderingly generous praise for her daughter's musical talent. And finally, most misteryously, there was Becka's great-grandmother's baffling determination to move from her memory-laden old house to a nursing home.

As Becka struggles to unravel all these tangled threads, she stumbles upon yet another secret-an acount of Bobe's Polish childhood, rich in music and in dreams, and of her youthful journey across the ocean to America. For Becka, Bobe's past casts a revealing light on the present and gives her the confidence to take the first steps in shaping her own future."

In my opinion, this is a great book, which at the beginning seems boring but as the story unveals and Bobe's past is revealed. It gets very interesting. An awesome story. You should read it...

This book is autobiographical. The author is a well-educated and very perceptive Jewish lady, now living in Britain, who, at the time, lived and worked in Poland (having survived the Holocaust). She describes the main events in her personal life, such as getting married to a dashing army officer and convinced Communist (who later leaves both the military and the party); also, giving birth to, and bringing up, three daughters. The author becomes, herself, a sincere and dedicated member of the Communist Party. She becomes, in effect, a censor and member of the "red bourgeoisie", due to her role within the film production administration. Gradually, however, she realises that Socialism in post-war Poland is a misleading hall of mirrors. Worse still, a resurgence in rabid antisemitism, openly encouraged by the authorities, wrecks all her dreams of "belonging" in that country. The Zionist ideal takes over, and, together with her husband, they decide to emigrate to Israel. As much as a Jewish perspective on post-war Poland, this well and wittily written book is fascinating because it provides an insight into the beliefs and expectations of many a Communist in the 1950s and 1960s - and not only in Poland. This autobiography will tell you more about all these issues - and the nature of Soviet-style Socialism - than 1,000 learned treatises would. If you have any interest in the topics described, you should definitely read this book, which is never boring, and often illuminating.