Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisSylvia Duijm was not born as Master of Passion, it is what she became when she combined her studies, interests and experience of life. In an outspoken way, Sylvia Duijm tells of her quest for acknowledgement, love and friendship. As a daughter in an ex-pat family, she moved seven times before she was seven years old, living on four different continents. Her parents unstable marriage, her temperament, the rules that applied in the various environments, and repeated changes of school resulted in her belonging nowhere. Ultimately not even with herself! At the crossroads of life and death, she fought to rediscover love and acknowledgement in herself. All of which is written powerfully, poignantly and with humour. With this book and her work (www.sylviaduijm.nl) Sylvia Duijm seeks to give others the courage and insight to know that change is possible for everyone.

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Book SynopsisChallenging the colonial narratives surrounding the Netflix film Against the Ice, this personal, editorial project by a present-day descendant opens-up to cultural and historical inclusion by broadening the storytelling. The new Netflix film Against the Ice is based on the adventures of a Danish polar explorer, captain, and coloniser in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), who marked his agenda and achievements in books and maps that contributed to the production of collective memory' and the dominant history of Nordic colonialism. This book is designed and edited by Gudrun Havsteen-Mikkelsen, the great-granddaughter of this same explorer, in collaboration with designer Anna Bierler. Combining visual and textual contributions, archival material, dialogues, and controversies, Snowblindness Let's talk about storytelling, colonialism, Netflix and my great grandfather presents new grounds for engagement with the polar explorer's stories, whether these are visually, orally, or textually transferred. The result is a generous and vulnerable reader, which weaves information from a multiplicity of sources, and places particular emphasis on collaboration, trust, and questioning. Our lives resonate through storytelling. The writing and rewriting of history, family stories handed down through generations, the inclusion of plural perspectives and subsequent broadening of conversations; our identities are made by narratives colliding and shifting. In Snowblindness, colonial narratives are challenged through such storytelling, encouraging a questioning of history, ethics, and aesthetics.

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Book Synopsis15 June 2020, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the failed attempt of a group of fourteen Soviet Jews and two Russian freedom fighters to hijack a small plane from Leningrad Airport in order to escape the Soviet Union. At the head of this attempt was former Soviet air force pilot Major Mark Dymshits. They were sixteen: three Jewish families, including two daughters and one pregnant young woman; four Jewish refuseniks; and two Russian regime fighters. They were not part of any organization and indeed barely knew each other, but they had the same goal: to break through the prison wall of the Soviet regime and go to Israel or any other free country. The international scandal following their trial and brutal sentencing paved the way for hundreds of thousands of Jews to leave the Soviet Union. Later, the calls for freedom would crescendo, eventually bringing down the Berlin Wall. In this memoir, now appearing in print for the first time, Mark Dymshits recalls his life as a Soviet Jewish citizen and air force pilot and relates the events that led him to concoct the audacious plan that ultimately changed the world.

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Book SynopsisThis is a novel based on a true story. Racheli is a regular American modern Orthodox girl. After her marriage, idealism brings her and her husband to Israel where they begin to build a family. Spiritual searchers, the couple falls prey to a cult. Over a period of six years, Racheli and her husband lose the ability to make their own decisions or protect their children. As a result, Racheli receives a five-year prison sentence. Eighteen months into her prison sentence, Racheli begins to understand where everything went wrong. From here, her healing begins. Upon her release, Racheli marries a prisoner who still has time to serve. With his help, she is able to rebuild herself into a vivacious, mentally and emotionally healthy woman who learns to live with the irreversible consequences of her mistakes and nourish the children and grandchildren with whom she has contact. The book was written to give hope to anyone who feels that they have fallen into a place from which they cannot escape. It shows that you can rebuild yourself and fashion a core of inner strength that will make you into a person you never dreamed you?d be.Give Me a Second Chance sheds light on the dark shadows in this world in the hopes of giving strength to those still in their own personal darkness. The book encourages readers to give a second chance to those who have fallen.

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Book SynopsisA love story as implausible as this must be true. Their first date was arranged by a professional matchmaker. A deal, a pragmatic matter that had nothing to do with romance - that''s how it all began. Not long after the engagement was settled, Gabriel was sent to war. The year was 1914. Like Penelope and her Odysseus, Fanny waited for him. This was just the beginning of a romance spanning seven decades of passion and rage, desire and contempt, estrangement and attraction. This love story, set against a backdrop of the major historical events of the twentieth century, is also the story of the eras biggest Jewish dilemma: the choice between the promise of life in America and a new Jewish state in Palestine. While Fanny and Gabriel find themselves on opposite sides of this conflict, fate reunites them. Both a torment and an anchor, their love is an ember that never dies. Fanny and Gabriel are more than just incredible characters they were author Nava Semels very own grandmother and grandfather. With her unique literary talent, Semel weaves and reconstructs their story, piecing together the fragments of their extraordinary life. Fanny and Gabriel was first published in Israel in July 2017, just a few months before Semels death. It topped the best seller lists, received rave reviews, and found an adoring audience of readers.

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Book SynopsisIn 2010, bookish 22-year-old Shannon Young follows her Eurasian boyfriend to Hong Kong, eager to forge a new love story in his hometown. But when work sends him to London a month later, Shannon embarks on a wide-eyed newcomer''s journey through Hong Kong -- alone. She teaches in a local school as the only foreigner, explores Asia with other young expats and discovers family history in Hong Kong, all while trying to hold on to her thwarted romance. The city enchants her, forcing her to question her plans. Soon, she must make a choice between her new life and the love that first brought her to Asia.

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Book SynopsisWhat do normal people in China look forward to when they get up in the morning? What is the mentor of Lang Lang like? What about the personal friend of Chairman Mao and how does his granddaughter relate to him after the murderous Cultural Revolution? What do the numerous evangelical Americans really think of the Chinese? How does the One Country, Two Systems paradigm work for Hong Kong? For the last 73 years, American Book Award winner Alex Kuo has travelled back-and-forth between America and China. These letters and essays portray the private China, and provide indispensable cultural information for anyone interested in the People''s Republic in the 21st century.

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Book SynopsisFrom prison, company chairman John Hung recounts his life in a sweep of Hong Kong history -- from his family roots in the 19th century through World War II to the present. The story tracks his Scottish/Chinese heritage, his rise and fall from the pinnacles of corporate success to the life-destroying court case and incarceration. With subtle humour, Hung describes his colourful life, interwoven into the commercial, political and sporting tapestry of East Asia.

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Book SynopsisWe had no jurisdiction outside of Hong Kong waters. But we could see their vessels sinking in heavy seas. It was life or death, right there. We just went. Former Marine Police officer Les Bird tells of the harrowing sea journey to Hong Kong made by tens of thousands of refugees in the years that followed the end of the Vietnam War. As he patrolled the southern maritime boundary of Hong Kong, he photographed their makeshift boats and later the people-smuggling vessels coming in including the Sen On, a freighter ship that was abandoned by its crew and ran aground on Lantau Island. With this previously unpublished collection of personal photographs, Bird tells the stories of these boatpeople the young children, the father who just bought a boat to embark on a 1,000-mile journey, and the disillusioned North Vietnamese battle-hardened veterans all searching for a new life.

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Book SynopsisDesigning a Life tells the inspiring story of Kai-Yin Lo, a determined woman born to a wealthy Hong Kong family who had to build her own future following an abrupt change in the family''s fortunes. After a first job at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, she made her way to Time Inc. in New York to establish a new life. Encouraged by her first collection being accepted by Cartier New York, she employed talent, innovation and determination to become a designer of international renown, respected as an ambassador for cross-cultural exchange in art, design and thought.

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Book SynopsisIt all started with a pure and honest prayer in one of the holiest and most sacred places on earth. Follow one womans incredible journey of courage and faith on her path to conceiving a child. Lifes hardships are never truly about the outcome alone, but what you learn along the way.

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Book SynopsisText in Arabic. Author Rania Al Sawalhi pens an in-depth autobiography of her journey to obtain her doctoral degree. She begins with her memories as a child and recollects various experiences in her life on the road to completing her postgraduate studies to finally achieve her life-long dream of acquiring a doctorate degree. This detailed and candid overview can benefit any researcher on their path to higher education.

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Book SynopsisMeeta Singh, daughter of Ganesh Man Singh, is a gynecologist specializing in oncology. She is a professor at Nepalganj Medical College and has authored books on her father and female genital tract oncology.

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Book SynopsisTreva Brandon Scharf paid her dues, survived countless romances, relationships, boyfriends and breakups, heartaches, and heartbreaks. She loved and lost, she dumped and got dumped, and she lived to tell the story. This extremely talented blogger and writer became a first-time bride at the age of 51, and she's ready to tell all the juicy details of her long road to the altar. And what a story it is. Scharf's debut book is part self-help/dating advice, part-memoir, and 100% delightful. On her 50th birthday she met a fellow late bloomer. Fifty-six and never married, her future husband showed her what true love was all about: ""farting, burping, snoring, laughing, watching sports 24/7, and being all in when it came to wanting to be with me."" If women can stop laughing long enough, they'll realize they've just met a one-of-a- kind force of nature who has managed to acquire an invaluable store of knowledge on life love, personal growth, and it's all here for the taking. In Done Being Single, Scharf advocates for strong, independent singles, speaks for empowered women of all ages, and is the poster child for late blooming love. "You're never too old, and it's never too late," as Scharf reminds her readers.

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Book SynopsisA LA Times Bestseller“…[A] compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders. …” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen BassThis is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist’s passion with a seasoned politician’s skill to challenge the region’s power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department’s excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.’s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. “I may be part of the establishment,” he said on the day he was first sworn into office, “but the establishment is not part of me.” Trade Review“Zev’s Los Angeles is a compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders.Zev Yaroslavsky’s career in public service spanned Los Angeles’ emergence as a global city and some of its most trying times. His personal story is essential to understanding where our city is today, and where L.A. and the nation's cities are headed in the future. A must read for anyone curious about leadership and governing in changing and challenging times.” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass“In his upcoming memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky takes readers on an uplifting and inspiring journey of personal faith, public service, and the shaping of Los Angeles. The son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, his story is a quintessentially American one. From modest beginnings, Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark through his work on expanding health care, implementing innovative housing programs, and growing our city’s public transportation network. Zev gives readers an inside look into the life of one of the most empathic and effective leaders I’ve known, as well as insight into the challenges he overcame along the way. This memoir is for any reader looking for inspiration about their own ability to effect change in their community.”— U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)“Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power, the autobiography of, well, Zev, revisits the period in which Los Angeles became what we know today: big and complex, multiracial, exciting, divided and far deeper than what meets the eye. Zev Yaroslavsky left a lasting mark on L.A. over decades on the City Council and the Board of Supervisors, and his thoughtful reflections earn his memoir an honored place in the history he helped make and now helps to understand. … Aided by former Los Angeles Times writer Josh Getlin, Yaroslavsky manages the dual tales of his own life and the broader L.A. story. The result is satisfying at every level: a solid history, an insightful analysis of power and a sincere reflection on a life of service.”— Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times“In Yaroslavsky’s book… you surely learn a lot about local politics… But there’s another set of lessons embedded in this memoir, about what it looks like to animate one’s values and honor one’s heritage while engaged in the deeply transactional and often cynical day-to-day of politics. … The long arc of his career combines idealism, ethical behavior — in four decades, not a whiff of scandal — and service to the greater good, the community. … That is to say, Yaroslasvky, who retired in 2014, left the city far better than he found it. God knows there’s still a lot left for a new generation of politicians to do. They have a fine example to follow.”— Rob Eshman, The Forward“Los Angeles can be harder to understand than most big cities. … Move to Boston or New York, and those cities will teach you how to be a Bostonian or a New Yorker. Move to Los Angeles, and the metropolis will more or less lie there, unfurled and opaque, awaiting instructions. … The place doesn’t tend to define its people. The people, in the aggregate, define the place. How that works is the subject of a new book by Zev Yaroslavsky, who has been a Los Angeles civic leader for the last five decades. … The book… is billed as a political memoir, but it is also a history of the people and policies that have shaped the city.”— Shawn Hubler, New York Times (California Today)“Yaroslavsky—former City Councilman, now retired from the County Board of Supervisors—has written, with Josh Getlin, an account of his years in government that will impress the most jaded critic. … Yaroslavsky writes that he intended his book to be ‘a history as much as a memoir,’ and the result is a studied account, written with an evident eye on posterity. … Yaroslavsky has provided an engrossing account of a tumultuous era and the often-subterranean battles that have shaped the city of Los Angeles. He may even give the reader a new appreciation for the work of a politician.”— Kathleen Hayes, The Jewish Journal“Zev Yaroslavsky led a long and highly productive political career that deserves proper ink. His history is our history… I highly recommend Zev’s Los Angeles to anyone who cares about the future of Los Angeles, especially those considering getting into politics or public service. … Zev’s book gives the reader an insider’s look at all Zev helped get done while in office. It’s a rather remarkable list, really. While reading this book, you will feel like you are right there in the meetings with him as he dashed about, pulling every lever of power he could in pursuit of a good cause. … Public policy can be dry, boring, and wonky. This book is anything but.”— Jeff Hall, Brentwood News“The son of Ukrainian immigrants turned one of the most important politicians in post-World War II Los Angeles walks readers through his life and career with anecdotes and asides in a style that’s just like him — plain-spoken, insightful, confident and crusading.”— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times (California Column)“Zev's Los Angeles is a peerless guide to the history, politics, and culture of the City of Angels. No one knows L.A. better. And no one conveys it in precisely this way—spellbinding, unvarnished, and yet elegant. It reads as if Zev were doing what he does best--holding court with that mix of photographic recall, a penchant for the piquant, the unmistakable no-nonsense style, and the staggering command of policy. This book is, at once, the story of one man's undying commitment to his city, a brilliant and revealing biography of LA, and a first-class primer on how to forge good governance at the local level. It should be of interest to all who are interested in how a city works—and how it should work.”— David Myers, Distinguished Professor and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, University of California, Los Angeles“Politicians often avoid risk until they are forced to do the right thing. Not Zev. With little political upside, he aggressively stood up for all civil rights, stared down LAPD bullies, and championed women’s rights. Throughout his 40-year career, he wielded political power not for himself, but to right wrongs. He passionately lived up to his oath of office—to faithfully protect and defend the Constitution. He has earned my respect and my friendship.”— Connie Rice, Civil Rights Lawyer, Author of Power Concedes Nothing“Zev Yaroslavsky will be remembered as one of L.A.’s most consequential public officials. He played a central role in nearly every major public policy from his upset 1975 council election in 1975 to his retirement as a county supervisor in 2014. This remarkable political autobiography offers one person’s journey through L.A.’s modern history. With acute perceptions, deep feeling, and detailed insider recollections of the key players and dramas, Yaroslavsky takes the reader from his family roots in the Russia empire to the swirling multiethnic and radical politics of Boyle Heights, to his efforts on behalf of Soviet Jewry, to navigating the changing L.A. political scene through massive crises. In so doing, Yaroslavsky links his own story to the larger L.A. narrative. The book stands as an invaluable resource for students of public service in troubled times, and for those who hope to understand this complicated, ever-hopeful, and diverse region.”— Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, California State University, Los Angeles “Zev’s Los Angeles… works precisely because, like Zev, the tone is earnest. Over a long career of working through the endless bureaucracy that characterizes local politics, not to mention having to weather complaints from all sides of the Jewish community, Zev never lost sight of his dedication to serve the public good. … In this sea of cynicism, Zev has offered us a testament to the power of earnestness, a power rooted in one of our most precious resources: trust. … The key lesson I gleaned from Zev’s book is that you can be hip and cool and the world’s greatest schmoozer, but if you really want to accomplish good stuff in life, it’s best to be earnest. … It may even get people to like you.” — David Suissa, Jewish Journal (Editor's Note)“In this compelling memoir, Zev Yaroslavsky chronicles Los Angeles’ evolution into one of the world’s great cultural capitals and his role in that transformation. From Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, to the L.A. Opera, to the region’s museums and more—his influence in expanding L.A.’s cultural footprint is a remarkable legacy. I have been privileged to share many of the challenges and exciting moments in that history.”— James Conlon, Music Director, Los Angeles Opera, International Conductor“At a time of highly polarized, partisan politics, Zev Yaroslavsky’s memoir offers an insightful and very personal view of an era when Los Angeles leaders came together to tackle the most difficult issues facing the region, from police accountability and preserving green space, to protecting the region’s fragile safety net and expanding accessibility to the arts. Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power is required reading for students of leadership and government, and aspiring policymakers on what it takes to be an effective, issue-oriented leader.”— Miguel Santana, President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation“[This] book is an informative recollection that anyone familiar with the local political scene for the past fifty years will find fascinating reading that reminds [readers] of the evolution of [the] city and takes [them] behind the scenes in City Hall, the County Hall of Administration and other seats of power. In Yaroslavsky’s case, he consistently used his increasing power for the public good.” — John Welborne, Larchmont Chronicle“Zev’s Los Angeles… is a fascinating book covering the extraordinary public service of an unlikely young activist whose unlikely election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1975 coincided with the transformation of Los Angeles into [a] major metropolis.So much has changed in the city over the past four decades, it’s hard to appreciate what it was like. Fortunately, Yaroslavsky invites you in, sits you down, and gives you the whole story.” — Patricia Lombard, Larchmont Buzz“Political memoirs generally fall into at least one of two categories, boasting or tattling—the first motivated by vanity, the second by revenge.Zev’s Los Angeles, subtitled ‘From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power,’ falls into a third category: teaching, motivated instead by the desire to impart knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Also, maybe ‘inspiring,’ as in encouraging young people to consider politics and elective office as an admirable and productive career choice.” — Joel Bellman, The Canyon Chronicle“I have watched Zev work but until I read this memoir, I had no idea of the scope of his activism and the impact he has had on so many areas… [I]t is a fabulous and exciting read… personal, political in the best sense of its meaning, and a veritable history of the city over the past 100 years. … Zev’s intellect and curiosity are contagious, and his passion for everything decent and good is the mark of the man. Those virtues are revealed on every page of this memoir. I urge you to read it.”— John L. Rosove, The Times of Israel (Blog)Table of Contents“I Will Love You Forever, if You Let Me”: A Dedication to Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky (1947-2018)Introduction1. Roots of a Legacy: Shimon Soloveichik2. My Parents: Minna and David3. The Sandman Awakens4. Coming of Age5. The Walls Have Ears6. “Why Zev?”7. Be Indispensable to Your Constituents8. The Taxpayer and Renter Revolt9. The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympics10. Taking on the LAPD11. Big Money and the Battle to Preserve Neighborhoods 12. The Mayor’s Race That Never Was13. Sudden Change14. Designed Not to Govern15. The Crisis That Nearly Bankrupted the County16. The Transit Revolution17. Arts and Culture: Los Angeles’ Golden Age18. God Isn’t Making Mountains Anymore19. Confronting the Homeless Crisis20. Tragedy and Resurrection at MLK Hospital21. Every Cause Needs a Champion22. Witness to History 23. Who Could Have Imagined? Epilogue Index

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Book Synopsis“Extraordinary storytelling about unfathomable horror.” — Library Journal (starred review)"[A] worthy tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a remarkable woman.” — Publishers WeeklyIn World War II's Poland, thirty year old Zofia Sterner and her husband Wacek refuse to be classified as Jews destined for extermination.Instead, they evade the Nazis and the Soviets in several dramatic escapes and selflessly rescue many Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto and a labor camp, later becoming active participants in the Warsaw Uprising where they are taken prisoner. This retelling, captured through diaries, interviews, war crime trial testimonies, and letters, detail the Sterners' heroic rescues, escapes, and ultimate survival. A true story of hope amid horrifying tragedy, How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis illustrates how war brings out the worst and the best in people, and how true humanity and heroism of ordinary people are revealed by their willingness to risk everything and help others. This story is about being human under the most inhumane conditions.Trade Review“The book reads like a fast-paced thriller with stories about … escapes, participation in the Warsaw Uprising and subsequent arrests… Extraordinary storytelling about unfathomable horror. At the core of it is a remarkable woman and her family who not only refused to allow the Nazis to exterminate them, but they also saved others. For readers who enjoy history, Judaic studies, and human-interest stories.” — Library Journal (starred review)“Dziarski debuts with a dynamic narrative … [and] renders in palpably urgent, first-person, present tense writing the remarkable story of a woman who was driven by her belief that ‘every life was precious’ to save strangers. … It’s a worthy tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a remarkable woman.” — Publishers Weekly“In the vast literature on the Holocaust, few memoirs are told from the point of view of the rescuers. Roman Dziarski’s reconstruction of the story of a Polish-Jewish couple under German occupation stands out for its presentation of events from the perspective of Zofia, an ethnic Pole married to her Jewish husband and member of the Polish resistance, Wacław Sterner. Under Nazi racial laws, both are to don the Star of David armband and report to the Warsaw ghetto, which they refuse, taking their chances on the so-called Aryan side. With ties to the Polish underground and the milieu of assimilated Warsaw Jewry, the couple is involved in a sort of grassroots ‘Żegota’ rescue operation that helps dozens of Jews escape the ghetto. The story, punctuated by counterintuitive twists, demonstrates the difficulty of generalizing about Polish-Jewish relations during the Second World War and beyond. This creative retelling, pieced together from sources found in the family's archive by the author, a nephew of the protagonists, saves this remarkable story from oblivion.”— Tomasz Frydel, PhD, Concordia University“How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis reads like a thriller. It is a page-turner. What makes it unique is that the story conveys the precarious lives of Poles under the German occupation and after liberation without whitewashing the antisemitism that existed. If, like Roman Dziarski, Poles and Jews can acknowledge the suffering of each group, perhaps these groups can transcend the argument about ‘who suffered most’ and work together to teach the history of World War II and its aftermath.”— from the foreword by Eva Fogelman, author of Conscience & Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust“[T]here is such a confidence . . ., such a gift, such abandon of Good! I am greatly struck by it, when Zofia Sterner tells me how she led her charges out of the ghetto. . . . [D]uring all the occupation, the Sterners devoted heart and soul to the cause which they had voluntarily chosen: to save Jews, give them comfort, and to help them leave for more secure places, with passes in their pockets.”— Marek Halter, La force du Bien (Stories of Deliverance: Speaking with Men and Women Who Rescued Jews from the Holocaust) Table of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: FleeingChapter 2: Getting helpChapter 3: Mob and lossChapter 4: Reunion and fleeing againChapter 5: Back with the familyChapter 6: EvadingChapter 7: BirthChapter 8: ResistanceChapter 9: RescuesChapter 10: Passing and hidingChapter 11: Working for the enemyChapter 12: BlackmailChapter 13: UndergroundChapter 14: UprisingChapter 15: PrisonerChapter 16: DeportationChapter 17: Escape and freedomChapter 18: ReturnChapter 19: Back homeChapter 20: Epilogue – Zosia and Edek KosmanThe main charactersAfterwordPostfaceJewish situation in Poland before WWIIPolish-Jewish relations, Polish help, and Polish atrocities on Jews in WWIIHuman cost of WWIIA note on terminologyAbbreviations and glossaryAcknowledgementsReferencesList of FiguresFigure creditsIndex

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Book Synopsis“Extraordinary storytelling about unfathomable horror.” — Library Journal (starred review)"[A] worthy tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a remarkable woman.” — Publishers WeeklyIn World War II's Poland, thirty year old Zofia Sterner and her husband Wacek refuse to be classified as Jews destined for extermination.Instead, they evade the Nazis and the Soviets in several dramatic escapes and selflessly rescue many Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto and a labor camp, later becoming active participants in the Warsaw Uprising where they are taken prisoner. This retelling, captured through diaries, interviews, war crime trial testimonies, and letters, detail the Sterners' heroic rescues, escapes, and ultimate survival. A true story of hope amid horrifying tragedy, How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis illustrates how war brings out the worst and the best in people, and how true humanity and heroism of ordinary people are revealed by their willingness to risk everything and help others. This story is about being human under the most inhumane conditions.Trade Review“The book reads like a fast-paced thriller with stories about … escapes, participation in the Warsaw Uprising and subsequent arrests… Extraordinary storytelling about unfathomable horror. At the core of it is a remarkable woman and her family who not only refused to allow the Nazis to exterminate them, but they also saved others. For readers who enjoy history, Judaic studies, and human-interest stories.” — Library Journal (starred review)“Dziarski debuts with a dynamic narrative … [and] renders in palpably urgent, first-person, present tense writing the remarkable story of a woman who was driven by her belief that ‘every life was precious’ to save strangers. … It’s a worthy tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a remarkable woman.” — Publishers Weekly“In the vast literature on the Holocaust, few memoirs are told from the point of view of the rescuers. Roman Dziarski’s reconstruction of the story of a Polish-Jewish couple under German occupation stands out for its presentation of events from the perspective of Zofia, an ethnic Pole married to her Jewish husband and member of the Polish resistance, Wacław Sterner. Under Nazi racial laws, both are to don the Star of David armband and report to the Warsaw ghetto, which they refuse, taking their chances on the so-called Aryan side. With ties to the Polish underground and the milieu of assimilated Warsaw Jewry, the couple is involved in a sort of grassroots ‘Żegota’ rescue operation that helps dozens of Jews escape the ghetto. The story, punctuated by counterintuitive twists, demonstrates the difficulty of generalizing about Polish-Jewish relations during the Second World War and beyond. This creative retelling, pieced together from sources found in the family's archive by the author, a nephew of the protagonists, saves this remarkable story from oblivion.”— Tomasz Frydel, PhD, Concordia University“How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis reads like a thriller. It is a page-turner. What makes it unique is that the story conveys the precarious lives of Poles under the German occupation and after liberation without whitewashing the antisemitism that existed. If, like Roman Dziarski, Poles and Jews can acknowledge the suffering of each group, perhaps these groups can transcend the argument about ‘who suffered most’ and work together to teach the history of World War II and its aftermath.”— from the foreword by Eva Fogelman, author of Conscience & Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust“[T]here is such a confidence . . ., such a gift, such abandon of Good! I am greatly struck by it, when Zofia Sterner tells me how she led her charges out of the ghetto. . . . [D]uring all the occupation, the Sterners devoted heart and soul to the cause which they had voluntarily chosen: to save Jews, give them comfort, and to help them leave for more secure places, with passes in their pockets.”— Marek Halter, La force du Bien (Stories of Deliverance: Speaking with Men and Women Who Rescued Jews from the Holocaust) Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: FleeingChapter 2: Getting helpChapter 3: Mob and lossChapter 4: Reunion and fleeing againChapter 5: Back with the familyChapter 6: EvadingChapter 7: BirthChapter 8: ResistanceChapter 9: RescuesChapter 10: Passing and hidingChapter 11: Working for the enemyChapter 12: BlackmailChapter 13: UndergroundChapter 14: UprisingChapter 15: PrisonerChapter 16: DeportationChapter 17: Escape and freedomChapter 18: ReturnChapter 19: Back homeChapter 20: Epilogue – Zosia and Edek KosmanThe main charactersAfterwordPostfaceJewish situation in Poland before WWIIPolish-Jewish relations, Polish help, and Polish atrocities on Jews in WWIIHuman cost of WWIIA note on terminologyAbbreviations and glossaryAcknowledgementsReferencesList of FiguresFigure creditsIndex

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Book Synopsis“Bethea’s book conveys the story of an amazingly ambitious attempt to preserve the humanities while also saving the future of disadvantaged high school students in Chicago. … Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review)The Pushkin Project tells the story of how a Russian studies professor changes course late in his career by reeducating himself in evolutionary thought and founding a summer institute that partners with inner-city high schools to implement a new set of learning strategies for underserved youth.These “cognitive cross-training” strategies involve introducing students from Hispanic and Black neighborhoods in the west and south sides of Chicago to the Russian culture and language, with an emphasis on poet, playwright, and novelist Alexander Pushkin. Through the lens of modern evolutionary thought, students adopt not only a new and different language and culture, but also a different sort of literary hero, one whose African heritage within the majority culture speaks to them directly. This inspiring and compelling story provides fascinating insights into Russia's national poet, brings the sciences and humanities together, and provides new directions in teaching young people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.Trade Review“The Pushkin Project is both an inspiring memoir of Bethea’s work building an educational program for children from underprivileged communities and a remarkable essay on literature and evolutionary thought. At the center of it all are Bethea’s captivating readings of Pushkin’s classic works, in the form of lesson plans that will be useful to educators in any high school or university. Written in an engaging manner, probing deep questions of cultural history and educational philosophy, this is a book that effortlessly and gracefully appeals to multiple audiences.”— Kevin M. F. Platt, Professor of Comparative Literature and Russian and East European Studies, The University of Pennsylvania“A brilliant, multifaceted, and completely original book about how a distinguished professor of Russian literature decided to retool his pedagogy in accordance with the latest findings in evolutionary and cognitive science to teach Russian language and literature to underserved, minority, inner-city high school students. Bethea’s generous goal was to allow them to have the same powerful, life-altering experience he did when he learned Russian—a language with which he had been completely unfamiliar—and discovered that it revealed a new world and ‘added a different gear’ to his brain. In light of today’s debates about ‘cultural appropriation,’ the decade-long success of Bethea’s initiative is especially noteworthy because it demonstrates the necessity of deep engagement with cultural alterity to achieve optimal personal growth. Part memoir, part bridge between Snow’s ‘two cultures,’ part paean to the enduring genius of Russia’s national writer, Alexander Pushkin, this is an essential book for our times.”— Vladimir Alexandrov, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University“A fascinating account of how, in teaching Pushkin, one might also teach students to think about citizenship, risk, evolutionary neuroscience, and language itself. Exemplary readings of major texts are embedded in this book, which is pedagogical in multiple ways. I envy David Bethea the chance to have learned so much from students in the Pushkin Project.”— Stephanie Sandler, Harvard University“This book is testimony to an astonishing hybrid. On one side Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s foundational poet of genius and an octoroon; on the other, an American professor and born teacher who devotes a decade of his life to making Russian culture inspirational for young people from minority backgrounds. Prompted by creative visions as vast as those of Charles Darwin and Iain McGilchrist, all the while urging us on with his trademark faith in ‘co-evolutionary spirals’ that pit literature against despair, David Bethea, in this very bad time for our Russian brand, has given us a moving memoir of poetry, sociobiology, civic conscience, and pastoral care.”— Caryl Emerson, Princeton University“David Bethea has combined his love of Pushkin and the Russian language with his knowledge of evolutionary biology and his deep reading in other areas to devise an educational project unlike any other. The Pushkin project is unique and is dedicated to helping Black and Brown teenagers learn about another language, another culture, and a different way of seeing the world. I highly recommend it.”— Henry L. Roediger, III Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning“Such a lucid and immersive narrative about a most improbable and imaginative project! I learned so much about Pushkin and inner-city culture, and the evolutionary drumbeat resonated throughout. Bravo to David Bethea, his adventurous students, and their fascinating encounters with poetry and transcendence.”— Ursula Goodenough, Washington University; author of The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved“This book is the best news for the field. It mixes eye-opening readings of Pushkin through the lens of evolutionary biology with something that is constantly, but I dare say especially currently, much in demand: a sense of purpose. In engaging and subtle prose, Bethea tells the story of the experience teaching Pushkin to students from Black and Brown communities, and in doing so, reminds us that the opportunity to turn our studies into something meaningful—not just for us but also for the people around us—is always at hand.”— Daria Khitrova, Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Origins2. PSI: Implementation3. “The Shot”: Role-Playing with Loaded Pistols4. “The Stationmaster”: Morality Meets Sexual Selection5. The Blackamoor of Peter the Great: Identity, Creativity, Homecoming6. “The Queen of Spades”: Risk, Reward, Gaming LifeAfterword: The Students RespondAppendix: The PSI QuestionnaireWorks CitedEndnotes

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Book Synopsis“Bethea’s book conveys the story of an amazingly ambitious attempt to preserve the humanities while also saving the future of disadvantaged high school students in Chicago. … Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred review)The Pushkin Project tells the story of how a Russian studies professor changes course late in his career by reeducating himself in evolutionary thought and founding a summer institute that partners with inner-city high schools to implement a new set of learning strategies for underserved youth.These “cognitive cross-training” strategies involve introducing students from Hispanic and Black neighborhoods in the west and south sides of Chicago to the Russian culture and language, with an emphasis on poet, playwright, and novelist Alexander Pushkin. Through the lens of modern evolutionary thought, students adopt not only a new and different language and culture, but also a different sort of literary hero, one whose African heritage within the majority culture speaks to them directly. This inspiring and compelling story provides fascinating insights into Russia's national poet, brings the sciences and humanities together, and provides new directions in teaching young people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.Trade Review“The Pushkin Project is both an inspiring memoir of Bethea’s work building an educational program for children from underprivileged communities and a remarkable essay on literature and evolutionary thought. At the center of it all are Bethea’s captivating readings of Pushkin’s classic works, in the form of lesson plans that will be useful to educators in any high school or university. Written in an engaging manner, probing deep questions of cultural history and educational philosophy, this is a book that effortlessly and gracefully appeals to multiple audiences.” — Kevin M. F. Platt, Professor of Comparative Literature and Russian and East European Studies, The University of Pennsylvania “A brilliant, multifaceted, and completely original book about how a distinguished professor of Russian literature decided to retool his pedagogy in accordance with the latest findings in evolutionary and cognitive science to teach Russian language and literature to underserved, minority, inner-city high school students. Bethea’s generous goal was to allow them to have the same powerful, life-altering experience he did when he learned Russian—a language with which he had been completely unfamiliar—and discovered that it revealed a new world and ‘added a different gear’ to his brain. In light of today’s debates about ‘cultural appropriation,’ the decade-long success of Bethea’s initiative is especially noteworthy because it demonstrates the necessity of deep engagement with cultural alterity to achieve optimal personal growth. Part memoir, part bridge between Snow’s ‘two cultures,’ part paean to the enduring genius of Russia’s national writer, Alexander Pushkin, this is an essential book for our times.” — Vladimir Alexandrov, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University “A fascinating account of how, in teaching Pushkin, one might also teach students to think about citizenship, risk, evolutionary neuroscience, and language itself. Exemplary readings of major texts are embedded in this book, which is pedagogical in multiple ways. I envy David Bethea the chance to have learned so much from students in the Pushkin Project.” — Stephanie Sandler, Harvard University “This book is testimony to an astonishing hybrid. On one side Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s foundational poet of genius and an octoroon; on the other, an American professor and born teacher who devotes a decade of his life to making Russian culture inspirational for young people from minority backgrounds. Prompted by creative visions as vast as those of Charles Darwin and Iain McGilchrist, all the while urging us on with his trademark faith in ‘co-evolutionary spirals’ that pit literature against despair, David Bethea, in this very bad time for our Russian brand, has given us a moving memoir of poetry, sociobiology, civic conscience, and pastoral care.” — Caryl Emerson, Princeton University “David Bethea has combined his love of Pushkin and the Russian language with his knowledge of evolutionary biology and his deep reading in other areas to devise an educational project unlike any other. The Pushkin project is unique and is dedicated to helping Black and Brown teenagers learn about another language, another culture, and a different way of seeing the world. I highly recommend it.” — Henry L. Roediger, III Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning “Such a lucid and immersive narrative about a most improbable and imaginative project! I learned so much about Pushkin and inner-city culture, and the evolutionary drumbeat resonated throughout. Bravo to David Bethea, his adventurous students, and their fascinating encounters with poetry and transcendence.” — Ursula Goodenough, Washington University; author of The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved “This book is the best news for the field. It mixes eye-opening readings of Pushkin through the lens of evolutionary biology with something that is constantly, but I dare say especially currently, much in demand: a sense of purpose. In engaging and subtle prose, Bethea tells the story of the experience teaching Pushkin to students from Black and Brown communities, and in doing so, reminds us that the opportunity to turn our studies into something meaningful—not just for us but also for the people around us—is always at hand.” — Daria Khitrova, Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsPreface1. Origins2. PSI: Implementation3. “The Shot”: Role-Playing with Loaded Pistols4. “The Stationmaster”: Morality Meets Sexual Selection5. The Blackamoor of Peter the Great: Identity, Creativity, Homecoming6. “The Queen of Spades”: Risk, Reward, Gaming LifeAfterword: The Students RespondAppendix: The PSI QuestionnaireWorks CitedEndnotes

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Book Synopsis“Elegant yet shattering… Rendered in plainspoken yet devastating prose, Masson’s historical narrative is intercut with startling present-day moments… This is haunting.” — Publishers Weekly“This heart-wrenching recollection views the traumatic events and close calls that punctuate the author’s memories… A brief, rare, and powerful testimony.” — Library JournalThis short, beautifully-written memoir is a rare first-hand account of a child’s life in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. The author weaves together memories from her wartime childhood, reflections on the burdens and damages she carried into her adult life, and accounts of her travel to contemporary Warsaw seeking to find traces of the past. Written vividly and honestly, this unique tapestry of time and perspective not only stands out in the vast literature that discusses the Holocaust, but also appeals to anyone interested in the lasting impact of childhood trauma, as well as the human potential for resiliency.

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Book Synopsis"This standout survivor’s account will move and inform even those well versed in the inhumanity of the Shoah." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)Ita Dimant’s gripping diary is a detailed account of her experiences during the Holocaust. She describes the chaotic living conditions in the Warsaw ghetto and her dramatic escape to the ‘Aryan’ side. She wrestles repeatedly with the burden of losing close friends and family, revealing her emotional responses to the unfolding tragedy. As one ghetto after another is liquidated, she becomes a courier carrying vital information and supplies between Polish cities. Ita must rely on her wits, skillful deception, and a few trusted friends, as she seeks to evade the noose closing around her. Trade Review“In this posthumous soul-wrenching memoir, Dimant… reconstructs and expands a diary she’d kept during the Nazi occupation of the Warsaw Ghetto… There’s a palpable urgency to Dimant’s writing, which is haunted by the specter of almost unbearable regret… This standout survivor’s account will move and inform even those well versed in the inhumanity of the Shoah.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Archiv­ing the vast, diverse expe­ri­ences of Jews dur­ing the Holo­caust is an impor­tant his­tor­i­cal task — and Sur­vival is a wel­come addi­tion to the canon. … [T]he memoir’s com­bi­na­tion of eye­wit­ness tes­ti­mo­ny and trea­sure-trove pho­tographs makes Ita’s sto­ry come to life. Those who are inter­est­ed in Jew­ish-led resis­tance move­ments, as well as women’s roles with­in them, will find this book par­tic­u­lar­ly compelling.”— Leah Grisham, Jewish Book Council“Ita Dimant's diary is an extraordinary and harrowing account of bravery, resilience, and loss. Translated by Teresa Pollin and edited by Martin Dean, with an introduction by the author's son, Jacob Dimant, this new volume will serve as a valuable and compelling resource for researchers, educators, and general readers, detailing one woman's story of courage and survival, amidst the destruction of a people. This is a fascinating account written and re-written three times over during the course of the war, a testament to Ita’s determination not only to survive, but to bear witness to the tragic scenes she endured in the ghettos of Warsaw, Częstochowa, and elsewhere in Poland through her work as an underground courier, as well as in slave labor in Germany. Ita's survival was a product of remarkable courage, determination, profound resilience, occasional acts of kindness, and no small measure of luck.”— Avinoam J. Patt, Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies, University of Connecticut; author of The Jewish Heroes of Warsaw: The Afterlife of the Revolt“When I first read the manuscript of Ita Dimant’s diary, I was very touched by the author’s personality, her literary talent, her detailed description of everyday life in the Warsaw and Częstochowa ghettos, and by the power of Ita’s spiritual resistance. This extraordinary testimony of the Holocaust should be read by as many people as possible.When I met Ita Dimant in person, she was full of warmth and had a great sense of humor. For me, she will always remain a heroine of everyday life, despite the hunger and suffering, covering the table in the ghetto with a white tablecloth. Her moving diary describes with compassion and accuracy the struggles Jews endured in German-occupied Poland, both inside and outside the ghetto.”— Barbara Engelking, Founder and Director of the Polish Center for Holocaust Research“What makes this diary stand out from other diaries of women Holocaust survivors is not only the multi-layered and readable character at the heart of its narrative, but the fact that we are able to follow the story of a woman who did not consider herself special or brave but had no other choice but to become so as she fought to survive. During this process, she learned a lot about how easy it would be to forget how important doing good in the face of evil could be. Always keeping a good pair of shoes nearby, she never allowed herself the luxury of not remaining vigilant or preparing her loved ones for possible flight. With the help of an excellent translator and editor, her diary shares the moving story of becoming a survivor against all odds.”— Andrea Peto, Professor, Central European University, ViennaTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: A Story of Courage and Survival by Jacob DimantPrologue by Ita Dimant (published originally with the 1993 English and Hebrew editions)The DiaryThe Warsaw Ghetto YearsThe Częstochowa YearLeaving for GermanyFreedom Epilogue by Jacob Dimant Courage and Survival—Symcha Dymant by Jacob DimantAppendix 1: The Brust Notebook DiaryAppendix 2: A Diary in Note FormAppendix 3: Documents, Photographs, and Artifacts Donated to the USHMM by the Dimant FamilyAppendix 4: Miodownik Family TreeList of Illustrations

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Book SynopsisJust how improbable can one man''s survival story be? From evading the KGB and disassembling a downed American plane to narrowly escaping a life sentence in Siberia, Reuven Rashkovsky’s story is a gripping tale of coming of age, searching for belonging, and daring to escape the tightly controlled Soviet regime. Relayed in his point of view by his daughter, Dr. Karine Rashkovsky, An Improbable Life tells the story of a man who has been at the center of some of the most dramatic and tumultuous events in modern history, from World War II to the Six-Day War to the collapse of the USSR, providing insight into the world of Soviet Jewry and the almost insurmountable obstacles to getting out. Filled with quirky, revealing anecdotes, An Improbable Life is a valuable historical resource for anyone intrigued by culture and identity in the Soviet Union from the last days of Stalin to the Brezhnev era and the paradox and perils of being outcast—and possibly heroic—in that time and place. With the return of a totalitarian, imperialist Russia, Rashkovsky’s story is all too relevant to today’s struggles. Here is an improbable true story of what can indeed, be possible.

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Book SynopsisAn entertaining memoir of a rollicking life in New York of an Irish immigrant.Trade Review‘One of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Everyone should rush to buy it’Irish News ‘A drunken exhilarating version of the American dream’The Observer ‘One grows to like Mr McCourt for his honesty, sympathise with him for his struggle… and laugh and sweat with him when the authorities seem to be closing in… a funny, oddly winning book’New York Times

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Book SynopsisWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HERMIONE LEE The previously uncollected occasional prose of a great English writer – full of wit, feeling and illumination.Trade Review‘Of all the novelists in English of the last quarter-century, Penelope Fitzgerald has the most unarguable claim on greatness.’ Philip Hensher ‘This generous selection of essays, reviews, introductions and other occasional writings proves yet again that stylistically, intellectually and morally Fitzgerald couldn’t put a foot wrong if she’d tried. Hers is an impeccable and unique voice not just from another century but another world.’ Michael Dibdin, Books of the Year, Daily Telegraph ‘Remarkable. It is the range of her scholarship that impresses.’ Doris Lessing, Books of the Year, Daily Telegraph ‘An intelligent writer, superbly and unfailingly so. Wise and funny, with a dry wit allied to a great emotional sympathy.’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisA lyrical, evocative and wonderfully original wartime memoir about life on a farm in the Cotswolds, seen through the eyes of a child.Bertie, May and Mrs Fish' is Xandra Bingley's account of her childhood on a Cotswold farm, set against the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath. Bingley's mother is left to farm the land, isolated in the landscape, whilst her husband is away at war. With its eccentric cast of characters, this book captures both the essence of a country childhood and the remarkable courage and resilience displayed by ordinary people during the war. The beauty and sensitivity of Bingley's observation is artfully balanced by the harshness and grit of her reality.In the cowshed my mother ties her hair in a topknot scarf that lies on the feedbin lid. At five-thirty each morning and four o'clock in the afternoons she chases rats off the mangers. She measures cowcake and rolled oats and opens the bottom cowshed door. Thirty-one brown and white Ayrshires and one brindle JerTrade Review‘There is nothing usual about Bingley's story or her way of telling it. It is full of bright colours like a child's paintbox. This is her first book…but it instantly takes its place beside country classics.’ John Carey, Sunday Times ‘This is a book so alive that when you finish it you feel that you have been there and met the people…[The] book has immense charm, and also a resonance that is beyond charm.’ Diana Athill, Guardian ‘You would need to have lost touch with all feeling not to be moved to tears by the book's final chapter.’ Peter Parker, Telegraph ‘“Bertie, May and Mrs Fish” is an instant English classic…a runaway pleasure to read.’ Ali Smith ‘Utterly enchanting, and quite unputdownable.’ Jilly Cooper

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Book SynopsisFull of anecdotal case-histories and told in her own unique voice, we see how Jan Fennell’s unique gifts have won her the admiration of dog lovers worldwide.

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Book SynopsisA brilliant, inventive and endlessly delightful new memoir from Fay Weldon, one of our most respected commentators on sex, relationships and gender, that picks up where her acclaimed Auto da Fay left off.Trade ReviewPraise for Fay Weldon: ‘Fay Weldon is a national treasure.’ Literary Review ‘Prolific and provocative, Fay Weldon shines brightest in the league table of British women novelists.’ Time Out

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Book SynopsisAlan Whicker is quite simply a legend. A visionary and master of his craft, his television shows from the fifties to the nineties almost single handed invented the language of travel television and earned him the status of one of the most foremost of British media icons.Trade Review'a vivid warm-hearted record of his experiences as a leading member of the Army Film and Photo Unit in Italy during the second world … Whicker's prose is such a natural expression of his ebullient personality … that reading it one seems to hear that laconic humour and to realize that he is as dapper and jaunty as he was in 1943.'Sunday Times ‘Riveting – a marathon television series, now a compulsive and fascinating book…’Radio 4 'My bookshelf would certainly be poorer without this written record. Inspired…and inspiring.'Manchester Evening News 'It almost doesn't seem like a book at all, for so familiar is the Whicker economy of language and word rhythms that it is impossible to look over the opening paragraphs without hearing the Whicker voice reading the words out loud inside your head.'Jean Moir, Daily Telegraph 'One of the outstanding broadcasters of the age and a reporter with notable gifts. Surrounded by carnage, corpses and the memory of lost friends, his familiar voice was as lilting and playful as ever, but laced with elegy…It was beautifully written and delivered with such assurance that even the pauses were eloquent.'Stephen Pile, Daily Telegraph

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