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Showing 1 - 20 of 3210 items
By Marvin J. Newell. 2006
"Have you grace to be a martyr?" D.L. Moody was once asked."No," he replied, "I have not. But if God…
wanted me to be one, he would give me a martyr's grace."They came from around the world. Administrators, teachers, doctors and nurses, church planters and pilots. Regular people in the prime of life.In A Martyr&’s Grace, Marvin Newell tells the individual stories of these faithful men and women who made a difference in the places they served. He also describes—in many cases for the very first time—how Jesus called them home. Their legacies live on in the rainforests, villages, churches, and cities where they died. What is it that compels ordinary people to sacrifice their lives in this way? Only Christ. They didn&’t go expecting to die. But they went—having already given their lives.By Daniel Stuart, S. N. Goenka. 2020
In a life that saw him evolve from a staunchly religious Hindu to an ecumenical master of Buddhist insight meditation,…
Satyanārāyaṇ (S. N.) Goenka (1924–2013) emerged as a leader in the spread of lay mindfulness and insight meditation practice on a global scale. A second-generation Burmese of Indian origin, Goenka was a successful businessman before turning to Buddhist meditation for help with crippling migraines. Becoming first a close student and then assistant teacher under the innovative Burmese lay Buddhist teacher U Ba Khin, Goenka eventually felt the pull of karmic destiny to teach meditation in India and thereby repay the ancient debt that Burmese Buddhists owed to the original Indian Buddhist tradition. In the 1970s, as he became an integral part of the Indian Buddhist spiritual landscape, thousands of young people from the United States and Europe flocked to India to explore its spiritual possibilities. Out of this remarkable convergence was launched a global network of practitioners and meditation centers that would become Goenka&’s legacy.Drawing heavily on Goenka&’s own autobiographical writings and Dharma talks, Daniel Stuart draws the first comprehensive portrait of the master&’s life and demonstrates that Goenka&’s influences, teaching, and legacy are much more complex than has been commonly thought. Stuart incorporates a wide range of primary documents and newly translated material in Hindi and Burmese to offer readers an in-depth exploration of Goenka&’s teachings and his practice lineage in Burma. Stuart further details the trials and tribulations Goenka faced in building a movement in India in the 1970s, developing a global network of meditation centers, and negotiating a range of relationships with students and religious leaders worldwide. This fascinating addition to the Lives of the Masters series reflects on Goenka&’s role in the revival of Buddhism in postcolonial India and his emergence as one of the most influential meditation masters of the twentieth century.By Norvene Vest. 1997
In this second book in her series on Benedictine spirituality, Norvene Vest brings the insights of Benedict’s Rule to the…
world of work. A gifted interpreter of Benedict’s wisdom, Vest examines with empathy and clarity the plight of men and women who wish for their work to be life-giving, service to others, and the place where they can experience the presence of God. Vest brings Benedict’s perspective to three areas of work discontent today: the stress of performance, overproduction, and acquisitiveness. To these she opposes three Benedictine principles: vocation, or being called to what we do; stewardship, or taking care of what we are given; and obedience, or serving one another. Her emphasis is on the words of Benedict’s primary text and its application for people today. Each chapter concludes with extensive spiritual exercises and food for thought.America’s first Black bishop and his struggle to rebuild the African American presence inside the Episcopal Church In 1918, the…
Right Reverend Edward T. Demby took up the reins as Suffragan (assistant) Bishop for Colored Work in Arkansas and the Province of the Southwest, an area encompassing Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and New Mexico. Set within the context of a series of experiments in black leadership conducted by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas in the early decades of the twentieth century, Demby's tenure in a segregated ministry illuminates the larger American experience of segregation disguised as a social good. Intent on demonstrating the industry and self-reliance of black Episcopalians to the church at large, Demby set about securing black priests for the diocese, baptizing and confirming communicants, and building schools and other institutions of community service. A gifted leader and a committed Episcopalian, Demby recognized that black service institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and orphanages, would be the means to draw African Americans back to the Episcopal Church, which they had abandoned in droves after emancipation as the church of their former masters. For more than twenty years, hamstrung by white apathy, lack of funds, jurisdictional ambiguity, and the Great Depression, Demby doggedly tried to establish the credibility of a ministry that was as ill-conceived as it was well intended. Michael J. Beary skillfully narrates the shifting alliances within the Episcopal Church and shows how race was but one aspect of a more elemental struggle for power. He demonstrates how Demby's steadiness of purpose and non-confrontational manner gathered allies on both sides of the color line and how, ultimately, his judgment and the weight of his experience carried the church past its segregationist experiment.By Martin Goodman. 2024
A vivid account of the political triumphs and domestic tragedies of the Jewish king Herod the Great during the turmoil…
of the Roman revolution &“Herod the Great is typical of Yale&’s Jewish Lives series: short, clear, deeply knowledgeable, deeply illuminating.&”—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal Herod the Great (73–4 BCE) was a phenomenally energetic ruler who took advantage of the chaos of the Roman revolution to establish himself as a major figure in a changing Roman world and transform the landscape of Judaea. Both Jews and Christians developed myths about his cruelty and rashness: in Christian tradition he was cast as the tyrant who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents; in the Talmud, despite fond memories of his glorious Temple in Jerusalem, he was recalled as a persecutor of rabbis. The life of Herod is better documented than that of any other Jew from antiquity, and Martin Goodman examines the extensive literary and archaeological evidence to provide a vivid portrait of Herod in his sociopolitical context: his Idumaean origins, his installation by Rome as king of Judaea and cultivation of leading Romans, his massive architectural projects, and his presentation of himself as a Jew, most strikingly through the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple. Goodman argues that later stories depicting Herod as a monster derived from public interest in his execution of three of his sons after dramatic public trials foisted on him by a dynastic policy imposed by the Roman emperor.By Yahiya Emerick. 2002
Muhammad was a religious visionary and political leader. Raised in the harsh Arabian Peninsula and orphaned while still a child,…
this unlikely leader and military genius received a calling to transform his society from a collection of raiding tribes into one of the world's most progressive societies. His message of monotheism and righteousness motivated an entire people to abandon idolatry and spread the word of God to surrounding nations. Although he was a military genius, his greatest accomplishments came from the religion he preached: Islam, which called its adherents to lead a life of prayer, charity, and contemplation. The second largest religion in the world, both Islam's prophet and its values are today often misunderstood by adherents and outsiders alike.This concise, informative biography explores: • Muhammad's background and boyhood, as well as the culture and society in which he lived • A look at Muhammad as a family man, and how his personal life was a testament to his high regard for women • Muhammad's mission as a prophet and his new religion's philosophy on topics ranging from monotheism to interfaith relations • The Qur'an and how it was revealed, how Muslims view it in their religious life, and the concept of Jihad from Muhammad's perspectiveThe Critical Lives series takes a biographical look at pivotal, fascinating people and a critical look at the work and accomplishments that, rightly or wrongly, made them unique, influential, and enduring. Discover the events that shaped their lives and how they came to shape our world.By Stan Zimmerman. 2023
&“...the very definition of a page-turner. READ THIS BOOK!&” – Colin Mochrie, &“Whose Line is It Anyway?,&” &“Hyprov&”The Girls: From…
Golden to Gilmore is the story of Stan Zimmerman, a gawky Jewish boy who dreamed of becoming a wildly successful actor, rich enough to build his own mansion in the Hollywood Hills. While the actor part didn't quite pan out, Stan found success as a writer, producer, director, and playwright, working on such shows as The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Gilmore Girls. Growing up in a small suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Stan was surrounded by three strong, intelligent women-his mother, his grandmother, and his sister-all of whom supported his imagination and creativity. Instead of playing outside, he spent time in his basement directing and acting in plays with the neighborhood kids. At seven-and-a-half years old, he was the youngest student accepted into a prestige summer theater school program. After high school, he was awarded a work/study scholarship to NY/Circle in the Square, where he met his first serious boyfriend and became Andy Warhol's unwitting photo subject one night at Studio 54. He also met Jim Berg, a journalism student at NYU's University Without Walls, forming a writing partnership that has continues to this day. partnership to this day. Their latest project is naturally an all-star, female ensemble Christmas comedy movie for Lifetime! Throughout his life, most of Stan's friendships have been with females. He credits those friendships and the women in his family with his ability to connect with creative women who have played a part in his career success. Accompanied by journal entries, The Girls details Stan's relationships with some of entertainment's most notable women, including Roseanne Barr, Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, and, of course, all four Golden Girls. The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore is a candid, funny, and sometimes poignant testimony about how a young boy turned his dream into reality.By Walt Larimore. 2006
More enchanting tales of the people and events that shaped a young doctor's life and faith during his early practice…
in the Smoky Mountains.There are places in Bryson City where the smell of home cooking is a little too tempting for an empty stomach. Don't, for instance, pass the Fryemont Inn when the windows are open--not unless you plan to come inside and enjoy fresh-baked rolls, gourmet cooking, and an owner who is as warm and inviting as the food. She's just one of the friendly faces you'll meet in Bryson City Secrets.Told with winsome humor and deep affection, Bryson City Secrets is a story-lover's delight, continuing Dr. Walt Larimore's reminiscences of his early years of country medical practice. Pull up a chair and feast on this rich fare of Smoky Mountain personalities, highland wisdom, and all the tears, laughter, tenderness, faith, courage, and misadventures of small-town life.By Francine Klagsbrun. 2024
Award-winning author Francine Klagsbrun reveals the complex life and work of Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah and a Zionist trailblazer…
Henrietta Szold (1860–1945) is renowned as the founder of Hadassah, the Women&’s Zionist Organization of America, which quickly became one of the most successful of all Zionist groups. In her work with Hadassah, Szold used a combined ethical and pragmatic approach aimed at improving the lives of both Jews and Arabs. She later moved to Mandate Palestine to help shape education, health, and social services there. The pinnacle of her career came in her seventies, when she took on the task of directing the Youth Aliyah program, which rescued thousands of young people from the Nazis and resettled them in Palestine. Using Szold&’s copious letters, diaries, and essays, along with other archival documents, Francine Klagsbrun traces Szold&’s life and legacy with an eye to uncovering the person behind the Zionist icon. She reveals Szold as a complex human being who had to cope with controversy and criticism, a workaholic with an outsized sense of duty, and an idealist who fought for her beliefs even as she questioned her own abilities. With deep insight, Klagsbrun introduces readers to this extraordinary woman, whose impact on women&’s lives as well as on education and health systems still resonates.By Kati Marton. 2006
The “intensely gripping story” of John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, Arthur Koestler, and six other world-renowned Hungarian Jews who fled…
the Nazis (The Washington Post Book World).In this book, New York Times–bestselling author Kati Marton tells the stunning tale of nine men who grew up in Budapest’s brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by anti-Semitism, fled to the West, especially to the United States, and changed the world. These nine men, each celebrated for individual achievements, were part of a unique group who grew up in a time and place that will never come again. Four helped usher in the nuclear age and the computer, two were major movie myth-makers, two were immortal photographers, and one was a seminal writer. From a Peabody Award–winning journalist and finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, The Great Escape is a groundbreaking, poignant American story and an important untold chapter of the tumultuous last century.“Describes the crossroads where art and politics meet, the perils of dictatorship and the horrors of war, all of it punctuated by the frantic struggle to create the atomic bomb. . . . Deserves a special place on bookshelves alongside Budapest 1900.” —The New York Times Book Review“By looking at these nine lives—salvaged, and crucial—Marton provides a moving measure of how much was lost.” —The New Yorker“[Marton has] a keen understanding of what it means to leave one’s country behind.” —The Seattle Times“A haunting tale of the wartime Hungarian diaspora. . . . Marton writes beautifully.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Filled with a number of wonderful anecdotes.” —Chicago Sun-Times“An engrossing book.” —Library JournalBy William J. Bennett. 2018
Former secretary of education and New York Times bestselling author William Bennett blends his historical expertise with his gift for…
storytelling into a heartwarming book about the man who ultimately became known as Santa Claus.Beloved writer and speaker William Bennett brings the legendary Saint Nicholas to life in this fascinating and faith-affirming book that will change the way you think about Santa Claus and the meaning of Christmas. Bennett reflects on Saint Nicholas&’s storied life, which has spanned seventeen centuries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and reveals an inspiring tale of devotion to God and an example of eternal goodness.The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas focuses on three aspects of Saint Nicholas—historical facts from his life, his legacy in the centuries following his death, and the legendary status that transformed his likeness into the present-day jolly, toy-bearing Santa Claus. The book vividly captures the heart and life of someone who lived long ago—and yet whose life remains an inspiration for everyone to aspire to a higher order of generosity, giving, and devotion to others.An instant classic by one of America&’s most respected thinkers, The True Saint Nicholas is a memorable keepsake to be shared with family and friends every year to evoke the true spirit of Christmas.By Ptolemy Tompkins, Tyler Beddoes. 2016
From the collaborator of the blockbuster bestseller Proof of Heaven comes the definitive book proving angels are real, all around…
us, and interacting in our lives every day.In March 2015, millions worldwide were captivated by news reports of the dramatic rescue of an eighteen month old girl, Lily Groesbeck, who’d somehow survived fourteen hours in an overturned car partially submerged in an icy-cold Utah river after her mother apparently lost control of the vehicle. A voice the four responding officers assumed was the child’s mother still trapped inside spurred them on: “Help me, help me.” Yet, once the two victims were recovered, it was clear that the voice could not have come from Lily’s mother: she’d been killed on impact.New York Times bestselling author Ptolemy Tompkins, with the help of Tyler Beddoes, one of the responding officers who helped rescue Lily, will explain this modern-day miracle and the existence of angels in our world.Proof of Angels weaves real-life stories into a rich narrative, exploring the history, nature, and significance of angels in our lives. With an introduction by Colleen Hughes, the editor-in-chief of Angels on Earth magazine, Proof of Angels proves that the barrier between the spiritual and the scientific is less certain than we often think. Not only does Tompkins offer a highly entertaining look into a universally fascinating topic, but he also delivers a fresh and deeply reassuring message: we are not alone.By Barry Zito, Robert Noland. 2019
The painfully honest and personal story of one of baseball&’s most intriguing players.In Curveball, Zito shares his story with honesty and…
transparency. The ups and the downs. The wins and losses. By sharing his experiences as a man who had everything except happiness, Zito offers readers a path through adversity and toward a life defined by true success.Despite achieving the kind of fame and fortune that most people only dream about, Barry Zito was plagued by both internal forces and external circumstances that robbed him of any sense of peace—until he finally found a purpose worth living for.Barry explores the twists and turns of his own journey, including:his dad&’s constant push and pursuit for excellence, which translated into a toxic father-son relationship,how achieving superstardom in the major leagues created crippling fear,the personal destruction brought on by fame and fortune,and the disastrous seasons with the San Francisco Giants, including being benched for the 2010 playoffs and World Series.Zito comes face-to-face with the destructiveness of his own ego—his need to be viewed as the best. He also comes face-to-face with God and with the truth that he was loved no matter what he achieved.By James Carroll. 1997
National Book Award winner: This story of a family torn apart by the Vietnam era is &“a magnificent portrayal of…
two noble men who broke each other&’s hearts&” (Booklist). James Carroll grew up in a Catholic family that seemed blessed. His father, who had once dreamed of becoming a priest, instead began a career in J. Edgar Hoover&’s FBI, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming one of the most powerful men in the Pentagon, the founder of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Young Jim lived a privileged life, dating the daughter of a vice president and meeting the pope—all in the shadow of nuclear war, waiting for the red telephone to ring in his parents&’ house. James fulfilled the goal his father had abandoned, becoming a priest himself. His feelings toward his father leaned toward worship as well—until the tumult of the 1960s came between them. Their disagreements, over Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement; turmoil in the Church; and finally, Vietnam—where the elder Carroll chose targets for US bombs—began to outweigh the bond between them. While one of James&’s brothers fled to Canada, another was in law enforcement ferreting out draft dodgers. James, meanwhile, served as a chaplain at Boston University, protesting the war in the streets but ducking news cameras to avoid discovery. Their relationship would never be the same again. Only after Carroll left the priesthood to become a writer, and a husband with children of his own, did he begin to understand fully the struggles his father had faced. In An American Requiem, the New York Times bestselling author of Constantine&’s Sword and Christ Actually offers a benediction, in &“a moving memoir of the effect of the Vietnam War on his family that is at once personal and the story of a generation . . . at once heartbreaking and heroic, this is autobiography at its best&” (Publishers Weekly).By Steven Karras. 2010
Jewish refugees who fled the Nazis—then returned to fight them as Allied soldiers—share their experiences: “Heroic, poignant [and] compelling.” —The…
Daily NewsEven Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel struggled with the question: Why didn’t the Jews fight back? But he finally concluded that the real question was how so many of them did. As he put it, “Tormented, beaten, starved, where did they find the strength—spiritual and physical—to resist?” In fact, over 10,000 German Jews fought in the Allied armies of World War II. This book honors those European-born combat veterans—refugees from the Nazi regime in Germany and Austria who faced their persecutors by joining the Allied forces in a fight against the country of their birth. These twenty-seven interviews take us into the unique and harrowing experiences of brave men—and one brave woman—whose service restored a sense of dignity and allowed them to rise above their former victimization. All burned with anger at the Germans who’d subjected them, often as young children, to cruelty in everyday life in their hometowns, and to ridicule in the national media. As soldiers who knew the language and psychology of the enemy better than any of their comrades, they struck back with newfound pride against the rampant injustice that had annihilated their families, destroyed their prospects, and subjected many of them to the worst forms of physical abuse, both random and terrifying. In The Enemy I Knew they tell their stories—and the world is richer for their heroic acts, and for their testimony.“It is rare to come across a book about a forgotten story from World War II, but Steve Karras has found one of the most compelling, little-known accounts from the war and he tells it brilliantly. Harrowing, breathtaking in parts, and completely absorbing.” —Andrew Carroll, New York Times–bestselling editor of War Letters“Few stories can rival the ones told in The Enemy I Knew.” —Library Journal (starred review)By Rachel Cockerell. 2024
'A truly radical book; radical in subject, radical in form. For the most tragic reasons, it could not feel more…
immediate; and yet it's a fluid, fast-paced, hugely enjoyable and engaging read.' - Andrew Marr'Meticulously researched, elegantly constructed, unforgettable.' - Jonathan Freedland'This is an extraordinarily original way of writing memoir, history and truth. An enthralling book and a wonderful new writer.' - Laura CummingOn June 7th 1907, a ship packed with Russian Jews sets sail not to Jerusalem or New York, as many on board have dreamt, but to Texas. The man who persuades the passengers to go is David Jochelmann, Rachel Cockerell's great-grandfather. It marks the beginning of the Galveston Movement, a forgotten moment in history when 10,000 Jews fled to Texas in the lead-up to WWI.The charismatic leader of the movement is Jochelmann's closest friend, Israel Zangwill, whose novels have made him famous across Europe and America. As Eastern Europe becomes infected by anti-Semitic violence, Zangwill embarks on a desperate search across the continents for a temporary homeland: from Australia to Canada, Angola to Antarctica. He reluctantly settles on Galveston, Texas. He fears the Jewish people will be absorbed into the great American melting pot, but there is no other hope. In a highly inventive style, Cockerell uses exclusively source material to capture history as it unfolds, weaving together letters, diaries, memoirs, newspaper articles and interviews into a vivid account of those who were there. Melting Point follows Zangwill and the Jochelmann family through two world wars, to London, New York and Jerusalem - as their lives intertwine with some of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century, and each chooses whether to cling to their history or melt into their new surroundings. It is a story that asks what it means to belong, and what can be salvaged from the past.By Rachel Cockerell. 2024
'A truly radical book; radical in subject, radical in form. For the most tragic reasons, it could not feel more…
immediate; and yet it's a fluid, fast-paced, hugely enjoyable and engaging read.' - Andrew Marr'Meticulously researched, elegantly constructed, unforgettable.' - Jonathan Freedland'This is an extraordinarily original way of writing memoir, history and truth. An enthralling book and a wonderful new writer.' - Laura CummingOn June 7th 1907, a ship packed with Russian Jews sets sail not to Jerusalem or New York, as many on board have dreamt, but to Texas. The man who persuades the passengers to go is David Jochelmann, Rachel Cockerell's great-grandfather. It marks the beginning of the Galveston Movement, a forgotten moment in history when 10,000 Jews fled to Texas in the lead-up to WWI.The charismatic leader of the movement is Jochelmann's closest friend, Israel Zangwill, whose novels have made him famous across Europe and America. As Eastern Europe becomes infected by anti-Semitic violence, Zangwill embarks on a desperate search across the continents for a temporary homeland: from Australia to Canada, Angola to Antarctica. He reluctantly settles on Galveston, Texas. He fears the Jewish people will be absorbed into the great American melting pot, but there is no other hope. In a highly inventive style, Cockerell uses exclusively source material to capture history as it unfolds, weaving together letters, diaries, memoirs, newspaper articles and interviews into a vivid account of those who were there. Melting Point follows Zangwill and the Jochelmann family through two world wars, to London, New York and Jerusalem - as their lives intertwine with some of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century, and each chooses whether to cling to their history or melt into their new surroundings. It is a story that asks what it means to belong, and what can be salvaged from the past.By Linda Kay Klein. 2018
In Pure, Linda Kay Klein uses a potent combination of journalism, cultural commentary, and memoir to take us &“inside religious…
purity culture as only one who grew up in it can&” (Gloria Steinem) and reveals the devastating effects evangelical Christianity&’s views on female sexuality has had on a generation of young women.In the 1990s, a &“purity industry&” emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a dangerous message: girls are potential sexual &“stumbling blocks&” for boys and men, and any expression of a girl&’s sexuality could reflect the corruption of her character. This message traumatized many girls—resulting in anxiety, fear, and experiences that mimicked the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—and trapped them in a cycle of shame.This is the sex education Linda Kay Klein grew up with.Fearing being marked a Jezebel, Klein broke up with her high school boyfriend because she thought God told her to and took pregnancy tests despite being a virgin, terrified that any sexual activity would be punished with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. When the youth pastor of her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl, Klein began to question purity-based sexual ethics. She contacted young women she knew, asking if they were coping with the same shame-induced issues she was. These intimate conversations developed into a twelve-year quest that took her across the country and into the lives of women raised in similar religious communities—a journey that facilitated her own healing and led her to churches that are seeking a new way to reconcile sexuality and spirituality.Pure is &“a revelation... Part memoir and part journalism, Pure is a horrendous, granular, relentless, emotionally true account" (The Cut) of society&’s larger subjugation of women and the role the purity industry played in maintaining it. Offering a prevailing message of resounding hope and encouragement, &“Pure emboldens us to escape toxic misogyny and experience a fresh breath of freedom&” (Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising)."It took months of God waking me up in the middle of the night before I realized I was the…
one He was calling to leave my comfortable American life and move to Haiti."Miracle on Voodoo Mountain is the inspirational memoir of an accomplished and driven 24-year old who quit her job, sold everything, and moved to Haiti, by herself—all without a clear plan of action. Megan Boudreaux had visited Haiti on a few humanitarian trips but each trip multiplied the sense that someone needed to address the devastation—especially with the children, many of whom were kept as household slaves on the poverty-stricken and earthquake-devastated Caribbean island.God guided her every step as she moved blindly to a foreign land without knowing the language, the people, or the future. From becoming the adoptive mother of former child slaves, to receiving the divine gift of the Haitian Creole language, to starting, building, and running a school for more than 500 children, "the amazingness of what God did after I made the choice to be obedient is incredible," said Megan.Three years later, six acres on Bellevue Mountain in Gressier is the home of the nonprofit Respire Haiti at the former site of voodoo worship, and in the area that many still come to make animal sacrifices, Megan and her staff of nearly 200 are transforming this community as they educate, feed, and address the needs.By Peter Gay. 2008
&“Not only a memoir, it&’s also a fierce reply to those who criticized German-Jewish assimilation and the tardiness of many…
families in leaving Germany&” (Publishers Weekly). In this poignant book, a renowned historian tells of his youth as an assimilated, anti-religious Jew in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1939—&“the story,&” says Peter Gay, &“of a poisoning and how I dealt with it.&” With his customary eloquence and analytic acumen, Gay describes his family, the life they led, and the reasons they did not emigrate sooner, and he explores his own ambivalent feelings—then and now—toward Germany its people. Gay relates that the early years of the Nazi regime were relatively benign for his family, yet even before the events of 1938–39, culminating in Kristallnacht, they were convinced they must leave the country. Gay describes the bravery and ingenuity of his father in working out this difficult emigration process, the courage of the non-Jewish friends who helped his family during their last bitter months in Germany, and the family&’s mounting panic as they witnessed the indifference of other countries to their plight and that of others like themselves. Gay&’s account—marked by candor, modesty, and insight—adds an important and curiously neglected perspective to the history of German Jewry. &“Not a single paragraph is superfluous. His inquiry rivets without let up, powered by its unremitting candor.&” —Los Angeles Times Book Review &“[An] eloquent memoir.&” —The Wall Street Journal &“A moving testament to the agony the author experienced.&” —Chicago Tribune &“[A] valuable chronicle of what life was like for those who lived through persecution and faced execution.&” —Choice