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When Africa makes international news, it is usually because war has broken out or some bizarre natural disaster has taken a large number of lives. Westerners are appallingly ignorant of Africa otherwise, a condition that the great Polish journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuœciñski helps remedy with this book based on observations gathered over more than four decades.
Kapuœciñski first went to Africa in 1957, a time pregnant with possibilities as one country after another declared independence from the European colonial powers. Those powers, he writes, had "crammed the approximately ten thousand kingdoms, federations, and stateless but independent tribal associations that existed on this continent in the middle of the nineteenth century within the borders of barely forty colonies." When independence came, old interethnic rivalries, long suppressed, bubbled up to the surface, and the continent was consumed in little wars of obscure origin, from caste-based massacres in Rwanda and ideological conflicts in Ethiopia to hit-and-run skirmishes among Tuaregs and Bantus on the edge of the Sahara. With independence, too, came the warlords, whose power across the continent derives from the control of food, water, and other life-and-death resources, and whose struggles among one another fuel the continent's seemingly endless civil wars. When the warlords "decide that everything worthy of plunder has been extracted," Kapuœciñski writes, wearily, they call a peace conference and are rewarded with credits and loans from the First World, which makes them richer and more powerful than ever, "because you can get significantly more from the World Bank than from your own starving kinsmen."
Constantly surprising and eye-opening, Kapuœciñski's book teaches us much about contemporary events and recent history in Africa. It is also further evidence for why he is considered to be one of the best journalists at work today. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
In 1957, Ryszard Kapuscinski arrived in Africa to witness the beginning of the end of colonial rule as the first African correspondent of Poland's state newspaper. From the early days of independence in Ghana to the ongoing ethnic genocide in Rwanda, Kapuscinski has crisscrossed vast distances pursuing the swift, and often violent, events that followed liberation. Kapuscinski hitchhikes with caravans, wanders the Sahara with nomads, and lives in the poverty-stricken slums of Nigeria. He wrestles a king cobra to the death and suffers through a bout of malaria.
What emerges is an extraordinary depiction of Africa--not as a group of nations or geographic locations--but as a vibrant and frequently joyous montage of peoples, cultures, and encounters. Kapuscinski's trenchant observations, wry analysis and overwhelming humanity paint a remarkable portrait of the continent and its people. His unorthodox approach and profound respect for the people he meets challenge conventional understandings of the modern problems faced by Africa at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
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Ryszard Kapuscinski arrived in Africa in 1957, at the beginning of the end of colonial rule -- the "sometimes dramatic and painful, sometimes enjoyable and jubilant" rebirth of a continent. The Shadow of the Sun sums up the author's experiences ("the record of a 40-year marriage") in this place that became the central obsession of his remarkable career. From the hopeful years of independence through the bloodcurdling disintegration of nations such as Nigeria, Rwanda, and Angola, Kapuscinski recounts great social and political changes through the prism of the ordinary African. He looks at the rough-and-ready physical world and identifies the true geography of Africa: a little-understood spiritual universe, an African way of being. And he offers a moving portrait of Africa in the wake of two epoch-making changes: the arrival of AIDS and the definitive departure of the white man. Kapuscinski's rare humanity invests his subject with a dignity and grandeur unmatched by any other writer on the Third World, and his unique ability to discern the universal in the particular has never been more powerfully displayed than in this work. The Shadow of the Sun is a masterpiece from a modern master.
Customer Reviews:
The real Africa.......2007-07-02
You can really feel the heat and human struggle when reading this book. If you read traveller books about Africa you will learn what to see and where to go. In "the Shadow of the Sun" you will read about what you will see if you turn a wrong corner from a main street and meet ordinary people - or get stuck somewhere. I have lived in Ethiopia and visited several other African countries, but this is the first book I have read that describes how it really is if you don't follow the main tourist stream.
Excellent insight.......2007-03-26
Kapuscinski has a knack for describing both the geographic landscape and the human condition in such a way that you can visualize it. He has a keen eye and mind for observation and analysis. All his books should be compulsory reading for anybody and everybody involved in any kind of aid activity in the third world - government agencies or charities.
Africa .......2007-03-10
The best book about Africa I have read. The reporting is balanced and full of insight and avoids falling into the the various traps of tourist brochure over-identification preaching etc. If there is a fault it is that is somewhat fragmentary. a set of excellent snapshots or shorts rather than a feature film.
A wonderful memoir.......2007-02-18
I'm sad to say that I had never heard of Kapuscinski until his recent death. I've known several foreign correspondents in the past and I was surprised that they had never mentioned his work. All of this makes the "The Shadow of the Sun" all that much stronger for me. Kapuscinski was unique in that he worked for a Soviet Bloc country and had fewer resources than his North American or Western European counterparts. There is little, if any, ideology in his writing, although he clearly views slavery and colonialism as having many negative impacts on the continent. Instead, there is an acute sense of observation and an empathy for everyday people that comes from getting out of the expat ghetto and exploring the daily world of ordinary people, as well as the major stories of the day. Kapuscinski clearly learned a great deal about African history, as well as politics. He chronicles the lives of the prominent and the ordinary and is able to write in a way that is dense, but not overwhelming. Kapuscinski is able to concisely summarize and integrate history, politics, economics, and his knowledge of the various societies he encounters with relatively little recourse to stereotype, although he tends to generalize about people's natures a bit too much. Kapuscinski shows great respect for the subjects of his journalism, particularly those who lack power or influence.
The closest comparison to this book is Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari" which covers a similar span of time and also includes encounters with the high and low ends of the social spectrum, and many of the same disappointments about the post-colonial era. Where Theroux tends to be grouchy and sardonic, Kapuscinski invests rather less emotion. He clearly loved the adventure of his work but doe not skirt the drawbacks like malaria and threats to his life. This is a great book for people who want to understand recent history and what a real journalist's eye can capture in an age when far too many in the media seem to be suckers for fame and position.
The Gestalt of Africa.......2007-01-02
Understanding the societal structure and the psyche of Africans can help explain their actions. This very well written book gives one the gestalt of Africa. After finishing this then read "A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa" by Howard W. French to bring you up to date (through the 1990's). Highly recommended!
Average customer rating:
- This book covers it all
- Excellent Resource
- Excellent information; not enough to fight addiction
- Help With Online Pornography Addiction
- Good book, terrible problem.
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In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior
Ph.D., Patrick Carnes ,
Ph.D., David L. Delmonico ,
M.A., Elizabeth Griffin , and
Joseph Moriarity
Manufacturer: Hazelden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Substance Abuse | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Abuse | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Pornography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Internet | Home Computing | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books | Internet & Education | Online Searching | Web Browsers | Web for Kids
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ASIN: 1592851495 |
Book Description
It's 3:30 a.m. and Kevin is still online, absorbed in pornographic images flashing across his computer screen, and searching for more. Hours ago he tucked his children into bed and said good night to his wife, retreating to the computer to "finish up some work." Although his late night ritual leaves Kevin ashamed and exhausted, he is too embarassed and guild-ridden to seek help. He tells himself that no one would understand anyway. Anonymous and accessible, the Internet offers an alluring arena for compulsive sexual behavior. Destroyed marriages, career loss, and financial ruin are common outcomes. Revealing how desperate life can become for someone addicted to online sex, In the Shadows of the Net brings hope and healing to mena dn women struggling to understand and overcome this compulsive behavior. Drawing on their collective clinical expertise as well as current research, the authors equip readers with specific strategies for recognizing and recovering from compulsive online sexual behavior. "A valuable road map for understanding and healing cybersex addictions." Windy Maltz, M.S.W., author, The Sexual Healing Journey, and coauthor, Private Thoughts "In the Shadows of the Net shines a hopeful light on the dark side of cyberspace. It is certain to become a valued resource in dealing with a new frontier of addictive disorders.Kenneth M. Adams, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, and author Silently Seduced "The authors Present a positive and effective approach to dealing with cybersex, a rapidsly increasing problem. In the Shadows of the Net is sure to become a classic in its field." Gary Blanchard, B.A., A.A.C., Addiction Counselor, and author, The Positive Path of Recovery "Very powerful. In the Shadows of the Net comes at a time when the need is great for understanding and exploring cybersex treatment possibiliites. Today Internet pornography is more powerful than Viagra for many persons. I shall definitely recommend this book to my patients." Ralph H. Earle, M.Div., Ph.D., Prseident, Psychological Counseling Services, Ltd., coauthor, Lonely All the Time.
Customer Reviews:
This book covers it all.......2007-08-25
As the spouse of an internet-porn addict,this book explained exactly how I felt and helped me to understand how my spouse felt when he was trapped in the Net. The best part about this book is the explanation of how the difficult journey to freedom will be worth more than the temporary and ultimately devastating "high" that users are addicted to. It also shows users how this seemingly harmless pastime can lead users to become someone they don't know or never thought they could become-doing things that stand against their own moral standards. It is brilliant.
Excellent Resource.......2007-05-29
This is a great resource for people dealing with online sexual compulsive addictions. Whether its you or someone you love, this book helps navigate through the confusion associated with the addictive behaviors. Many books just touch on the subject, but this one really focuses solely on the topic. It covers everything from diagnosis to recovery. Patrick Carnes is a straight forward, no nonsense Dr. The book is well written and a fast read, no need for a PhD in order to understand it. Finally a book that offers hope and relief! I'm greatful to have found it.
Excellent information; not enough to fight addiction.......2007-03-09
This is a fantastic book that takes the reader into a detailed explanatation of what this addiction really is. Mr. Carnes explains the factors and processes that affect the addict by also giving examples of behavior and describing patient's stories. For those trying to get a more comprehensive understanding of the addiction as well as the issues that prevent an addict from freeing him or herself of it, this book is excellent.
Just one note of caution: As much as this book as well as others by the same author are great resources, they are not enough. As with every addiction, there is a "cleansing" process that must be followed, and should be guided under the supervision of an experienced professional. Also, people in this addiction should seek a support group, such as the SLAA.
Help With Online Pornography Addiction.......2007-01-21
This book is up-to-date on a topic that until more recently went unrecognized as problematic. It can be beneficial for professionals working with a client population that participates in a variety of compulsive or addictive online sexual behaviors and who would like to reduce or eliminate these compulsions and addictive behaviors. It can also be recommended to clients for their own use. It helps in determining if a problem exists with use of a screening test, how to set up healthy boundaries, and help with relapse prevention. It can be especially beneficial when paired with a workbook on breaking free of compulsive online sexual behaviors. This book, by reputable authors, provides information & help designed especially for this population and for professionals attempting to help.
Good book, terrible problem........2005-11-18
This is a very useful book if you have a problem, or even think you might, with regard to compulsively searching for and/or using internet porn, chat rooms, etc.
I would also like to mention, in light of the fact that one of the authors, David Delmonico,Ph.D., lives here in Pittsburgh, that there is an active SLAA (Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous) that can help individuals break this addiction and find a new, happier, healthier way of living. It can be contacted through http://www.wpa-slaa.org
Readers in other areas can contact Fellowship Wide Services at [...]
To everyone reading this now, I'd just like to leave with the thought that life CAN get better. And you don't have to try and change for the rest of your life. You only have to try to do better for today....
Book Description
In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s
Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s
The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.
For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.
But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.
No identifying marks were visible on the submarine or the few artifacts brought to the surface. No historian, expert, or government had a clue as to which U-boat the men had found. In fact, the official records all agreed that there simply could not be a sunken U-boat and crew at that location.
Over the next six years, an elite team of divers embarked on a quest to solve the mystery. Some of them would not live to see its end. Chatterton and Kohler, at first bitter rivals, would be drawn into a friendship that deepened to an almost mystical sense of brotherhood with each other and with the drowned U-boat sailors–former enemies of their country. As the men’s marriages frayed under the pressure of a shared obsession, their dives grew more daring, and each realized that he was hunting more than the identities of a lost U-boat and its nameless crew.
Author Robert Kurson’s account of this quest is at once thrilling and emotionally complex, and it is written with a vivid sense of what divers actually experience when they meet the dangers of the ocean’s underworld. The story of
Shadow Divers often seems too amazing to be true, but it all happened, two hundred thirty feet down, in the deep blue sea.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
CHAPTER ONE
THE BOOK OF NUMBERS
Brielle, New Jersey, September 1991
Bill Nagle's life changed the day a fisherman sat beside him in a ramshackle bar and told him about a mystery he had found lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Against his better judgment, that fisherman promised to tell Nagle how to find it. The men agreed to meet the next day on the rickety wooden pier that led to Nagle's boat, the Seeker, a vessel Nagle had built to chase possibility. But when the appointed time came, the fisherman was not there. Nagle paced back and forth, careful not to plunge through the pier where its wooden planks had rotted away. He had lived much of his life on the Atlantic, and he knew when worlds were about to shift. Usually, that happened before a storm or when a man's boat broke. Today, however, he knew it was going to happen when the fisherman handed him a scrap of paper, a hand-scrawled set of numbers that would lead to the sunken mystery. Nagle looked into the distance for the fisherman. He saw no one. The salt air blew against the small seashore town of Brielle, tilting the dockside boats and spraying the Atlantic into Nagle's eyes. When the mist died down he looked again. This time, he saw the fisherman approaching, a small square of paper crumpled in his hands. The fisherman looked worried. Like Nagle, he had lived on the ocean, and he also knew when a man's life was about to change.
In the whispers of approaching autumn, Brielle's rouge is blown away and what remains is the real Brielle, the locals' Brielle. This small seashore town on the central New Jersey coast is the place where the boat captains and fishermen live, where convenience store owners stay open to serve neighbors, where fifth graders can repair scallop dredges. This is where the hangers-on and wannabes and also-rans and once-greats keep believing in the sea. In Brielle, when the customers leave, the town's lines show, and they are the kind grooved by the thin dif
Customer Reviews:
You Feel Like You Are There.......2007-10-05
Others have gone into detail about this book, and it is true. This book combines a mystery worthy of a Sherlock Holmes novel with the details of technical diving and written in such a gripping manner that it could be a work of pop fiction (not in a negative way, just that it flows so well and put together so well that it could have been made up, if that makes sense.)
And the author does a great job of not leaving you "hanging" with an abrupt ending.
Highly recommended and has set the bar for other books in this genre.
J ohn Sutphen MD, ex navy diver /submarine medical officer .......2007-09-21
Tantallizing and heart pounding tale based on incredibly researched information about u boats and diving with an accurate, simple description of practical diving, diving medicine and physiology.
Compulsion to know the answer........2007-09-13
A fascinating saga about 2 deep sea divers and their 6 year odyssey to uncover the identity of a sunken German U boat. A captivating story, and you'll learn a lot about deep sea diving.
Deep Thrills.......2007-09-05
An absorbing account of the discovery and identification by veteran divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler of a sunken Nazi U-boat 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Kurson skillfully weaves together several threads into a very readable narrative, including the evolution of Chatterton and Kohler's rivalry-turned-friendship, the technical hazards of exploring a mangled wreck in 230 feet of water, and the duo's maddening, seven-year long ordeal to obtain positive evidence -- both on the wreck and in official but flawed US and German naval records -- of the boat's identity. As the tale draws to a close, Kurson also draws a moving portrait of the U-boat's crew, who went to sea in the final days of the war and knew that they likely would not return alive.
I started diving when the final pieces of this mystery were falling into place, and can remember following the story of New Jersey's mystery U-boat in the papers. However, none of those articles was anywhere as involving as Kurson's account, which I devoured in four days. Sure, there's some overheated prose here and there ("in a shipwreck, where every danger is first cousin to every other, a diver's desparation makes an open house of his bad situation."), but that's a minor strike against this otherwise excellent and comprehensive work.
Rare Intimate Journey To The Shadows.......2007-08-28
Sometimes the flaws make a thing so much more than perfection could ever achieve. The imperfections in this literary account of the exploration of a WWII submarine discovered in 1991 off the Coast of New Jersey are well documented. Those imperfections didn't bother me.
I was facinated by the detailed account of the personalities of the divers in "Shadow." Its easy to identify a future SCUBA diver - someone who is comfortable putting their face under water. Even better, because it will sometimes trump the 'face' test, is whether a person's curiosity is so intense that they are able to project their consciousness entirely onto something outside of themselves to the virtual exclusion of other thoughts. Divers want to investigate, explore, see something extraordinary, find out whats under that rock, go someplace very few people have been, find something unique, etc. The experience is so strong, you may forget to be worried about all the risks.
My enjoyment of "Shadow" was absolutely enhanced by my experience as a diver who is both Nitrox and advanced open water certified. I have never gone deeper than 110 ft - The U-boat 85, off of Nags Head, North Carolina, which is 20ft shallower than the recreational diving limit of 130 ft. So far, I've never wanted to see anything deeper, but I suspect I'll pass. Surface light begins to diminish rapidly. It usually gets alot colder.
At the depths routinely visitied by the divers in this book, 230 ft., nitrogen narcosis is an inevitability, and helium mixes carry their own risks. Water pressure increases to seven times what it is at the surface. Just when you need all your mental faculties and judgement, you can be assured they will be impared to an extent that cannot be anticipated from dive to dive. Even more frightening is that getting to the surface to resolve any problems that may arise (my mask came off once at 80 ft), must now include a life-saving decompression stop. When you head for the surface with less than 30 minutes of air for your stop, you're in trouble.
Diving can put you face to face with three realities that I don't sense as readily on land: 1.) the incredible spiritual beauty of the natural world, 2.) how alone we really are (I've never felt more alone than those very few times I've dived without a buddy), 3.) Death is always hiding within convenient reach.
The insatiable curiosity of the two lead characters, Chatterton and Kohler, also drives them above the water, as they travel to Europe to learn as much as they can about the submarine and its crew. There was no 'gold' involved, just an incredible mystery to solve.
"Shadow" was one of those books I read in one sitting (I missed dinner). I would compare it to Krakauer's works in power and drama, if not as well written. But again, in a way the rough nature of the text enhanced the story, as if I was sitting across the table from the author.
NOTE TO FELLOW DIVERS: After reading this book I have found my goal for my diving trips next summer - get my "Rescue Diver" certification.
NOTE TO THOSE PEOPLE trying to get young men (ages 9-15) into reading - I know of two young men who hated to read until they picked up this book. Not that they love reading now, but the 'no trespassing' sign is now down in front of the library.
Average customer rating:
- Historical fiction at its finest
- A well told story for any age
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Megiddo's Shadow
Arthur Slade
Manufacturer: Wendy Lamb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Fiction | Horses | Animals | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Military & Wars | Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385747012
Release Date: 2006-10-10 |
Book Description
Fueled by anger at the death of his two brothers in World War I, 16-year-old Edward abandons his ailing father on their farm and leaves Canada to enlist. After proving that he can tame any wild horse, he's is sent to Jordan to fight with the Cavalry.
Luckily, his horse is the extraordinary Buke; in battle, a trooper's horse is the key to life and death, and his true companion. In the harsh desert, Edward is grateful for the camaraderie of his tent mates, Cheevers and Blackburn,and letters from Emily, a nurse he met at base camp. As they close in on the enemy Edward finds that the glory and noble vengeance he seeks is replaced by the horror of war and the realization that he must fight not only to survive, but also, to kill.
Customer Reviews:
Historical fiction at its finest.......2007-07-30
Arthur Slade dedicates this novel to the memory of the five Slade men who served in World War I, his great grandfather, grandfather and great uncles. The dates of the youngest one jump out at the reader, "Private Percy James Slade, 1897-1918 (KIA.)
If my memory serves, I do not think there is a village or town in France and England that does not have a memorial to the fallen of The Great War. World War I does not loom as large in the memory of Americans. In Megiddo's Shadow, Slade takes the reader to a lesser known front of that war, to Palestine in the Middle East.
Sixteen-year-old Edward Bathe leaves his farm in Saskatchewan, Canada and joins the army after receiving the news that his beloved older brother Hector has been killed in France. All he wants to do is get to the front and kill the Hun who took his brother's life but upon arrival in England he is transfered to the Fifth Imperial Remount unit to break horses. He chafes at the assignment but does meet a horse who will be part of his future when he is reassigned to the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. Slade describes the role of these units on his website :
"Yeomanry were different than cavalry--they were trained to be foot soldiers and mounted soldiers. The idea was that they could ride quickly to their destination and dismount and fight. Or they could charge. They were even taught to get their horses to lay down, so they could use them as cover. The regiment was also trained to use the sword or lance in a charge."
Edward and his horse, Buke become part of the British Expeditionary Force in Palestine. The description of desert warfare is unforgettable.
"A month later, in July, I was sent to hell...
...We fed and watered our horses, working through the night because the day would be too hot for us to lift a finger. As the sun rose, it revealed a desolation only the Devil could've dreamed up: a low, flat valley of white marl and salt, spotted with swamp, stony plain, patches of dense scrub, and a thin layer of dry grass. The land had never know rain. Lumps of dried flesh--dead camels--lay here and there as though dropped from the sky, a sky that had never seen a cloud. A hot breath of wind drove the salty dust into my eyes. Occasionally, a thirteen-pounder gun would roar just to let the Turks know that His Majesty's troops were still here."
Very much a classic boy-goes-to-war novel in the tradition of The Red Badge of Courage (Tor Classics), All Quiet on the Western Front or Fallen Angels, Edward experiences the comradeship of soldiers, a first love and the grim reality of warfare. He faces the loss of those he loves and his faith in God as he struggles to find meaning and survive.
Slade relates his grandfather and great uncles' true stories on his website. They are as gripping and heartfelt as the novel and are very much the inspiration for this book. The letter Edward and his father receive about Hector is taken almost verbatim from the real letter the Slade family received about Percy Slade.
Moving, emotional and wrenching at times, this is historical fiction at its finest. I will be reading more of Arthur Slade's writing in the future.
A well told story for any age.......2007-01-22
A sobering story, well told. It follows the journey of 16 year old Edward Bathe, from the Canadian prairie, who joins the army to fight the Huns in France in 1917. Instead, he finds himself in the cavalry on his way to the Middle East. The story is well researched, full of details about army life, and also chronicles the emotional turmoil and growth of Edward. There are a few twists in the story and Slade's writing propels the reader forward. While intended for the young reader, Megiddo's Shadow was very much enjoyed by this 'mature adult'.
Book Description
Zainab Salbi was eleven years old when her father was chosen to be Saddam Hussein's personal pilot and her family's life was grafted onto his. Her mother, the beautiful Alia, taught her daughter the skills she needed to survive. A plastic smile. Saying yes. Burying in boxes in her mind the horrors she glimpsed around her. "Learn to erase your memories," she instructed. "He can read eyes."
In this richly visual memoir, Salbi describes tyranny as she saw it--through the eyes of a privileged child, a rebellious teenager, a violated wife, and ultimately a public figure fighting to overcome the skill that once kept her alive: silence.
Between Two Worlds is a riveting quest for truth that deepens our understanding of the universal themes of power, fear, sexual subjugation, and the question one generation asks the one before it: How could you have let this happen to us? BACKCOVER:
Praise for Between Two Worlds:
"...a torrent of vividly recalled memories [that] reads with the sort of artless verve that can come only from one who's been unshackled from a lifetime of repression."
—Vogue
"A remarkable, astonishing memoir...more can be learned about Iraq from this book than from all the newscasts."
—Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple
“A country unravels and a loving family dissolves in Zainab Salbi's riveting, beautifully observed memoir...This is the exquisite if often painful story of Salbi's own emergence from victim to global activist on behalf of women survivors of violence and war everywhere. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down.”
—Ellen Chesler, author of Woman of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America
“A personal, intimate look at the soul-crushing impact of Hussein's Iraq. . . . Salbi deploys a straightforward, easy prose that is powerful in its simplicity. . . . Now, with her chilling memoir, the lies end.”
—The Washington Post
“Salbi has direct personal knowledge of Hussein that is both insightful and disturbing.”
—Ms. magazine
“Engrossing. . . . a unique insider perspective . . . an evocative and haunting memoir that proves that one courageous woman can rise above her own painful past in order to make a difference in the lives of others.”
—Bookreporter.com
“A remarkable tale of emotional and mental resilience.”
—Bookpage
“. . . a steadfast visionary spirit prevails, rendered with remarkable literary skill and complex personalities.”
—Bust
Customer Reviews:
review.......2007-08-05
it took a while to get here, but it was in good condition when it did.
Between Two Worlds.......2007-07-13
Zainab Salbi's life seems idyllic, but even as a child she senses the tension felt by her wealthy parents as they entertain and are entertained by Saddam. Salbi's story shows two sides of Saddam: the cruel and abusive despot and the genial manipulator. In spite of the web Saddam spins around her family, Salbi experiences adolescent rebellion, ignorant of the danger her parents see threatening her, just as it threatened her mother and eventually ruins her parents' marriage. Salbi's story is a fascinating portrayal of a family living in luxury under tyranny and the dangers faced whether the choice is to endure or to escape.
CAPTIVATING.......2007-07-02
There was not one moment during this book that I wasn't totally captivated. The author puts a human face on the struggle of those in Iraq who lived under Saddam Hussein. And throughout, you are constantly reminded that she was among the "fortunate" by comparison. I found it to be an excellent education in the history of the country and the evolution of it in recent decades as well. I read this book on a recent camping trip in New England when I should have been mesmerized by my surroundings. Instead, I found I could not put this book down.
Outstanding Memoir, Written With Humility!.......2007-04-17
Wow! This book knocked me out. I could NOT put it down. It really helped me understand some of the conflict within Iraq, but more importantly, the author and tone of this book is just very human, real, and accessible. As a youngster, and for all of her formative years, Saddam Hussein is in the background as a family "friend". Though her parents resisted his friendship, they found it more and more dangerous not to be his friend. It's like living with the devil! However, the author eventually gets out of Iraq and away from Saddam Hussien, due to an arranged marriage. I won't say how that goes as I don't want to ruin the ending.
I do feel that this is one of the absolute BEST memoires I ever read and it was written with a lof of grace and humility. For me, it was an important book, and I highly recommend you read it. I think it will become a classic memoire.
Information you don't get from the media.......2007-04-11
Short and sweet.. This is an awesome book. You see so many sides of Suddam. His dark side certainly made him a candidate for his execution!
Book Description
Both on the continent and off, âAfricaâ is spoken of in terms of crisis: as a place of failure and seemingly insurmountable problems, as a moral challenge to the international community. What, though, is really at stake in discussions about Africa, its problems, and its place in the world? And what should be the response of those scholars who have sought to understand not the âAfricaâ portrayed in broad strokes in journalistic accounts and policy papers but rather specific places and social realities within Africa?
In Global Shadows the renowned anthropologist James Ferguson moves beyond the traditional anthropological focus on local communities to explore more general questions about Africa and its place in the contemporary world. Ferguson develops his argument through a series of provocative essays which openâas he shows they mustâinto interrogations of globalization, modernity, worldwide inequality, and social justice. He maintains that Africans in a variety of social and geographical locations increasingly seek to make claims of membership within a global community, claims that contest the marginalization that has so far been the principal fruit of âglobalizationâ for Africa. Ferguson contends that such claims demand new understandings of the global, centered less on transnational flows and images of unfettered connection than on the social relations that selectively constitute global society and on the rights and obligations that characterize it.
Ferguson points out that anthropologists and others who have refused the category of Africa as empirically problematic have, in their devotion to particularity, allowed themselves to remain bystanders in the broader conversations about Africa. In Global Shadows, he urges fellow scholars into the arena, encouraging them to find a way to speak beyond the academy about Africa’s position within an egregiously imbalanced world order.
Customer Reviews:
Ecellent book.......2007-04-04
I love this book
Writing style is amazing and the information is inspiring
I recommend this book 100%
Book Description
Poring over a map one day, Ewan McGregor—film star and bike nut—noticed it was possible to ride all the way around the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait. So he called Charley Boorman, his best friend, fellow actor, and bike nut. From London to New York, Ewan and Charley rode their BMWs through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. Exhaustion, injury, and accidents tested their strength, as did treacherous roads and weather. They were pursued by paparazzi in Kazakhstan, courted by men with guns in the Ukraine, and served bulls' testicles for supper by Mongolian nomads. Yet despite the many obstacles, they managed to ride over 20,000 miles in four months. As they traveled, they documented their trip, taking photos and writing diaries.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome !.......2006-12-15
What an awesome book, recording an awesome experience. As a biker myself, I was attracted to the book just to read about a trip that is beyond my means and abilities, but the book ended up meaning much more than that to me. It showed me, yet again, that wherever you go in the world (And I've travelled a fair bit of it myself in my work as a seafarer !) people everywhere are just people like you and I, when you get past the religious, political and economic differences that can so often divide us. It also highlights the fact that people who make a living in the film industry are not necessarily unapproachable, self centred and addicted to adulation. They can be warm, human and prone to the same joys, fears and desires as the rest of us. In short, they are human beings who just happen to have a good job. This is not just a good read about a motor bike trip of a lifetime, it is a book that rekindles hope that the world, and its varied people, is a beautiful place after all, and not half as dangerous as some would have us believe. Whether you're a biker, an armchair traveller or just someone looking for an exciting and inspiring read, then this book is for you. I can't praise it highly enough.
A vicarious adventure.......2006-11-11
Long Way Round chronicles the around-the-world motorcycle adventure of Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. It's unlikely I'll ever do anything like that in my life, but the book gave me an idea of what it's like. Both of them are entertaining writers and it was a really inspiring book. A great tale of taking an adventure and making it a dream come true; of friendship; and of overcoming obstacles. A great companion to the dvd set.
Save your money.......2006-05-26
I couldn't wait to get this book. It sounded like a great story of adventure across several continents. After the first chapter I deeply regreted my purchase. What had great potential turned out to be two guys boasting about their popularity and how it was going to be difficult being celebrities. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't know them at all, despite their numerous references to the movies they've been in. I thought I was getting a book about the challenges of travel abroad and pictures of these places. What I got was a book with too many pictures of the authors, weak stories of the places they stayed in and the food they ate.
A joke: Rich boys followed around the world by BCC.......2006-05-20
This adventure pales beside the great round the world books on motorcyle like One Man Caravan by Robert Edison Fulton or Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon. There is little sense of real adventure with this banal travel chronology. A major support team follows closely on the tails of these guys who over packed, offer little insight to local cultures, and the worse challenge they face is eating food that they don't normally eat. Surely, the BCC could afford to have the book ghost written for them to improve the interest.
Beautiful story, beautiful photos.......2006-04-13
This is the illustrated version of the amazing story of two friends traveling around the world together. It is a demonstration of the will of individuals to make it to their goal. More importantly it is also an illustration of the generosity, the kindness, the sadness, the humor and the beauty they found along the way. You don't have to be interested in motorcycles, you don't even have to care who Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are! Its just a great tale of two people and an adventure.
As wonderful as it is to read the story, you must also get the dvd. It is as close as most of us will ever get to these amazing locations, and you couldn't ask for better guides!
Amazon.com
Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, began in an entry level position and rose to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations including the fact that 1983 was the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations and that both the CIA and KGB sponsored countless "black operations" designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. Gates also reveals that he secretly met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov on two separate occasions and how the CIA often acted in contempt of Congress. While none of this may come as a huge surprise, it never fails to shock when it's laid out in black and white by someone who was on the inside.
Customer Reviews:
"From the Shadows" by Robert M. Gates.......2007-10-01
Absolutely fascinating! Mr. Gates is an excellent writer and is able to make complicated information easy to follow. And what an insight he gave to the Presidents he worked for; he didn't have an axe to grind with any of them, even though they represented both political parties.
This is a book I enjoyed so completely that I hated to reach the end of it. It will be on my personal "re-read" list. No wonder Mr. Gates was selected to become Secretary of Defense in our nation's hour of need.
Engages the eyes and mind.......2006-11-17
Rarely do you run across a historical book that is so chocked full of names, dates and acronyms that engages your mind as you push to reader faster. Gates delivers great insight wrapped in words that are illustrative of the push and pull of power players - within and between government bodies - domestic and global. If you are curious about the claims of one party or the other concerning the end of the Cold War, then this book will prove to be enlightening. All contributed to the demise, but perhaps none more than the Soviets themselves. Great read. Engaging. Insightful. Illuminating. Perhaps now more than ever before this a read that helps look at the challenges we, as a global community, face today. Buy it. Read it. Gain perspective.
View from the inside.......2006-10-01
The CIA is probably the one institution that the US President controls the most; or so this book argues. Robert M. Gates spent over two decades working at the CIA, and is one of the few career officials who came in near the bottom and rose all the way to the top. This book is his memoir, and recollection of how the CIA served 5 consecutive presidents in the Cold War. Starting with Richard Nixon, and ending with the first George Bush, Gates shows how each president used, and sometimes abused, the CIA to further their policies with regard to the USSR and communist parties around the world.
The major points one gets from this book are as follows. First, Carter was no wimp with regard to the USSR. Second, the most dangerous years of the Cold War did not end with Vietnam; they included some years in the 1980's. Third, the CIA consistently disregards the laws of the US. Fourth, the CIA often gets suckered into doing thing at the whim of the president that it later regrets. Last, the first George Bush was probably one of the best diplomats the US has seen in recent times. Over all, this was a very good book and I am glad I read it.
Intense Reading - great enjoyment.......2002-09-18
Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!
Informative but dry.......2002-07-23
Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.
Book Description
In the middle of the night they quickly build houses and seize land before the police destroy their fragile homes. They're squatters--families that risk the wrath of governments and property owners by building dwellings on land they don't own--and they represent one out of every ten people on the planet.
Investigative journalist Robert Neuwirth lived among squatter communities from Rio to Bombay to Nairobi to Istanbul to give us an impassioned, inside view of squatter life and a glimpse into the urban future. He met people in Nairobi who built homes with their bare hands, Turkish families who plot land invasions, and children in Rio whose parents justify outfoxing the authorities as the only path to a better life. And he shows us that in cities like Rio, squatter settlements have become decent places to live for formerly landless people. Tracing the notion of private property from the enclosure movement in Europe to the settlement of the U.S., Neuwirth shows how squatting rights may actually be seen asmore "natural" than the current laws practiced in the U.S.
In almost every country of the developing world, the most active builders are squatters, creating complex local economies with high rises, shopping strips, banks, and self-government. As they invent new social structures, Neuwirth argues, squatters are at the forefront of the worldwide movement to develop new visions of what constitutes property and community.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing, Of Passing Utility.......2006-10-04
This book was very disappointing. Although at 54 I am getting to the point where I need granny glasses to read those books where the print is too fine, this book goes way in excess to the other side: large print and triple spacing. This book is a 60 page article inflated to 300 pages.
The author has endured privation and offers many useful observations in the book, which makes it one of passing utility, but I put book down feeling somewhat dismayed as well as disappointed. Unlike C. K. Prahalad's "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid," which made the very compelling case for taking the five billion poor's four trillion a year economic needs much more seriously, this book left me with absolutely no sense of "what is to be done."
This is a travelogue, not a policy book. Worth reading, but it could have been so much more than I am obliged to give it my lowest rating for any book that makes my reading list--three stars.
Myths are dispelled and realities outlined.......2006-09-24
SHADOW CITIES: A BILLION SQUATTERS, A NEW URBAN WORLD confronts the issue of nations of squatters. Cities are home to a billion such squatters and that number is projected to double in a generation, so any college-level student of urban planning needs to understand the experiences, issues and results herein. Reporter Robert Neuwirth spent two years living in squatter neighborhoods on four continents, so his exploration comes not just from an outsider's perspective, but from one who has lived amongst them. Myths are dispelled and realities outlined in a hard-hitting consideration of facts and social issues.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Excellent read.......2006-08-12
This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The author - Robert Neuwirth - lived in four slum areas in or near major cities in the third world and then reported what he found. Neuwirth seems to have a unique knack for putting threads of stories together in a way that produces a compelling and fascinating tale. He reports bits and pieces of information received from local squatters, landlords, politicians, social activists, etc., and put together a story that seems so complete that you feel that you have the "feel" of life in these places.
The book does have weaknesses. His historical accounts of slums strike the reader as piecemeal and thrown together. The portions of the book which deal with various proposed solutions fail to even discuss the significance of overpopulation in the etiology of slum development.
But I gave the book four stars nonetheless. Neuwirth's first hand account of slum life in the modern world is almost spellbinding. Contrary to what one would expect, the book is not just an endless recitation of privation and poverty. The "slums" that he describes contain tales of triumph as well as oppression; ingenuity as well as exploitation. The book celebrates the human spirit as well as it pointing out its sins.
Some of things reported in the book will surprise. For instance, the Brazilian "slum" of Rocinha is so vibrantly alive, one almost feels envious of those who reside there. Similarly, the tenacity of slum-dwellers in confronting adversity is often breathtaking. Then again, on the other hand, the brutal exploitation of the poor by people only slightly more advantaged is a disheartening commentary on the human race.
Overall, this is quite a tale. Robert Neuwirth's book is a great read and well worth the time and the price.
Required Reading.......2006-04-25
This is a fine piece of honest, humanitarian reporting. Neuwirth should be admired for living in each of the cities he profiles. He takes a wide view, examining the complicated squatter problem from social, political, philosophical, historical, and personal narrative angles. This book debunks the stereotype of squatters as criminals and illuminates white-collar crime accross the board. The conclusion begins to grapple with issues of property rights, possession, dead capital, and ownership. Overall, the book amazingly maintains a positive attitude toward an increasingly pressing global phenomenon.
A Haphazard Letdown.......2006-04-22
This rather haphazard book functions well as a sociological portrait of four squatter cities as well as a spirited PR piece for the people living there, but fails on other fronts. The best parts are the first four chapters, which outline Neuwirth's field work in the shantytowns of Rio, Nairobi, Mumbai, and Istanbul. This consisted of living in situ for several months and talking to as many people as possible in order to get the pulse of a place. These 150 pages are fairly engaging insider views of places few of us are likely to venture, and are worth reading as a kind of non-traditional travelogue.
The book really loses its way after this. There is a meandering chapter about urban squatting throughout time, including snippets on ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, Victorian London, '20s Shanghai, and various cities in the U.S. This is followed by another meandering chapter about squatters in New York over the last 150 years. Both of these contains some interesting stories and factoids, but fail to cohere into anything more than that. Next is a brief, rather snide chapter skewering the efforts of the NGO Habitat, which takes the rather predictable line that well-intentioned aid from outsiders accomplishes nothing. Then a chapter addressing crime in the four communities he lived in -- why this needs to be broken out into it's own chapter is unclear. Next is a rather muddled chapter on the concept of "property" and the various theoretical tugs-of-war surrounding it, which feels quite like the obligatory "theory" chapter of a Master's thesis.
A rather significant flaw running through the book is that Neuwirth writes as if his readers all hold some kind of ridiculous stereotype about who lives in shantytowns. Few readers are likely to believe that millions of shantytown-dwellers around the world are simply lazy and/or criminal -- yet the writing is rather shrilly pitched as if the reader was some kind of reactionary nincompoop. His profiles in courage of ingenious hard-working and optimistic poor (and a few who aren't so poor) shantytowners are welcome, but get rather repetitive. Furthermore, while these profiles are certainly heart-warming, they are ultimately little more than anecdotal data. They are also ironically similar to the sustaining American capitalist myths of "rugged individualism" and "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." However, the reality is that the vast majority of the people living in the communities he passed through are going to be born poor, live poor, and die poor -- regardless of how hard they work or how ingenious they are.
The book's larger aims fail because Neuwirth tries to uncouple housing issues from broader issues of poverty when the reality is that the one is embedded deeply in the other. Shantytowns have exploded around the world thanks to rural-to-urban migration patterns driven by global capitalism. In his book The Mystery of Capital, Hernan de Soto addresses this larger problem quite specifically and offers a possible way forward (within a traditional capitalism framework). Unfortunately, Neuwirth seems to have not quite grasped de Soto's ideas, and instead offers only sneering potshots at only portions of them. This problem with his dubious analysis is that by singling out specific elements of de Soto's proposal (notably property titles) from his larger framework (which includes addressing corruption, elitism, stagnant bureaucracies and a great many other things), the critique has no meaning. It's especially disappointing because de Soto and Neuwirth are both on the side of squatters, and both want better lives for them. One of the underlying themes of de Soto's book is that when citizens create facts on the ground, their government should change its methods to accommodate them, not isolate them.
Ultimately, this is a rather disappointing work with some genuine bright spots. It's great that Neuwirth went and spent a year of his life in these communities, and he's good at capturing the flavor of them. It's just a shame that his broader analysis is so flighty. There is an running underlying tension whereby Neuwirth provides case after case of how squatters get taken advantage of because they have no legal protections, and yet he refuses to admit that valid, enforceable property titles are part of the solution to exactly these inequities. In any event, worth a quick read by those with a deep interest in the subject, but on the whole it's a letdown.
Average customer rating:
- Didactic
- not my Furst book by this author
- The War Before the Fighting Began
- Taut, well-written yet ambiguous espionage novel best suited for deep reading
- Erudite Exploration of Wartime Hungary
|
Kingdom of Shadows: A Novel
Alan Furst
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0375503374
Release Date: 2001-01-16 |
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Penzler Pick, January 2001: The thrillers of Alan Furst usually take place in the dark days preceding World War II, but while the main participants in that war are of course portrayed, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States do not usually star in Furst's novels. He prefers instead to focus his stories on the citizens of those countries whose allegiances and roles in that particular theater of operations are much more contradictory and conflicted.
Kingdom of Shadows is set in Paris during 1938 and 1939. It is unclear at that time what the fate of Hungary will be if Hitler has his way, but a small group of expatriates would like to insure that events turn out in their country's favor. Nicholas Morath is an Hungarian aristocrat who fought bravely in the Great War. He is now part owner of an advertising agency in Paris, while his uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, is a minor diplomat stationed in Paris. Polanyi calls on Nicholas to take part in missions against the Hungarian Fascists: carrying letters or bringing individuals back across the border in the course of his business trips.
As Nicholas's dinner parties, business deals, and dalliances with his mistress start to take a back seat to the escalating crisis in Europe, his tasks become more complicated, dangerous, and bewildering to him. He knows far less than the reader, who understands that his actions will have far-reaching consequences even beyond the fate of Hungary. Nicholas just does what he can without the luxury of historic hindsight.
Furst has fashioned here an elegant gem that vividly portrays the city of Paris during the last peaceful days of 1938 and the menace of Hitler's ambitions in the Sudetenland and beyond. Nicholas Morath is a charismatic and sympathetic figure who will come to understand, as the war progresses, the consequences, both good and bad, of his smallest actions during that turbulent time. --Otto Penzler
Book Description
In spymaster Alan Furst's most electrifying thriller to date, Hungarian aristocrat Nicholas Morath—a hugely charismatic hero—becomes embroiled in a daring and perilous effort to halt the Nazi war machine in eastern Europe.
Download Description
Paris, 1938. Forty-four-year-old Nicholas Morath is a handsome, sophisticated former cavalry officer in a community of declasse royalty. The co-owner of a small Paris advertising agency, he seems to live for dinner parties and love affairs. But looming over this elegant world is the shadow of Adolf Hitler, and as the small nations of eastern Europe fall under Nazi domination, Morath's uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, recruits his nephew for secret missions to oppose the Hungarian fascists. As Europe edges toward war, these missions grow ever more daring and dangerous, until Morath is risking his life in the fight against the secret police, Germany spies, and Soviet assassins. Breathtakingly evocative and surprising to its final page, Furst's latest espionage thriller is a triumph.
Customer Reviews:
Didactic.......2007-07-10
Sorry -- a quick judgment. I only read a bit. The author seems very inent, and heavy-handedly so, on filling us in on details of Hungarian culture. This gave every sign of weighing the plot down so that it could barely move. Two of the principals are having lunch in a seedy cafe. They talk about a friend who died and they take the opportunity to review Hungarian customs and beliefs surrounding dealing with the dead. Of course, we will pay close attention to their eating habits, too -- equally well researched. If I were very particularly interested in or attached to things Hungarian, I might like this, and I can imagine sensible people who would enjoy it, but it isn't what I was after.
not my Furst book by this author.......2007-05-09
Once I discover an author I like, my life-long habit is to read almost everything that author has written. (This took several years in the case of Patrick O'Brian.) This practice is particularly rewarding with Alan Furst's books, since they provide different perspectives of the same period of time (1933-1943).
I claim to have "read" most of Furst's books but honesty compels me to admit that I had George Guidall read them to me. (Did you know that George has narrated over 800 audiobooks?) I think if I had read the Furst novels the old-fashioned way instead of listening while I drive I might have been more impatient with some of the minor weaknesses pointed out by other reviewers (plot, characters, motivation, abrupt endings etc.)
Furst's books have helped me better understand the events that lead up to the Second World War. This is partly due to his detailed research and partly due to my own research - I always hit the books and the Internet immediately after finishing each Furst novel. After finishing the "Kingdom of Shadows", for example, I read numerous articles on the Sudetenland which made me more sympathetic to its German inhabitants than Furst's pro-Czech point of view. This is not to criticize Furst's research but to compliment him for inspiring me to read more on this subject.
If you "read" the Guidall audiobook version of "Kingdom", you'll enjoy the bonus interview of the author. Guidall asks Furst about the interesting quote "life is like licking honey from a thorn" which Furst attributes to someone else. I poked around on the web and found several versions of this - nothing too definitive - including "Hungarian proverb" "Welsh proverb"(!), and "quotation from the Slovenian-American author Louis Adamic."
Anyway, "Kingdom of Shadows" was a good read and if in fact Furst mangled some Hungarian poetry as a more erudite reviewer pointed out it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book!
The War Before the Fighting Began.......2007-05-09
The period covered by this novel are the years 1938 to 1939, just before the German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939. While the French and British try to placate Hitler, Hungary under Admiral Horthy is trying to remain an interested friend to everyone. But one Hitler starts to dismantle Czecho- Slovakia, the Hungarians have to decide whose side they will be on. For sure they will be on the anti-Russian side, but who will they be with.
We once again meet the incomparable Janos Count Polanyi who is working out of the Hungarian embassy in Paris. Janos is still doing his bit to try and save Hungary from the next war, by fighting against the facist Arrow Cross. He is now using his nephew (and heir) Nicholas Morath as a go between as part of teaching him the family business. Morath gets involved with various types of intrigue, mostly related to smuggling both money and people across borders.
After Janos sets up the suicide of the embassy fascist in charge of the intelligence service (by shooting him in the head), he disappears. Everything including the title is left to Nicholas. As Count Morath, he is now expected to take over ALL of his uncles duties. Though we get the feeling that Uncle Janos is really somewhere behind the scene watching to see how his protoge is doing. He has nothing to worry about.
All this is done against the backdrop of the German demands for the Sudetenland, the Ansluss of Austria, the take-over of Danzig, the splitting of Slovakia into an independent state, and the Hungarian take-over of Ruthenia. Furst is a master of creating the feeling that you are there in the steamy backrooms with members of the White Russians underground, and those from other empires destroyed by WWI as they bargain to get back to and control of their homelands.
Taut, well-written yet ambiguous espionage novel best suited for deep reading.......2007-03-15
"Kingdom of Shadows" is the first novel by Alan Furst that I have read, and I have to say that I am very, very impressed with Mr. Furst as a writer. Unfortunately, I am not in a position in my life where reading Mr. Furst's kind of writing is easy to do.
Full disclosure - I work long hours and I have two small children. Accordingly, there are very few quiet hours at home for sinking into the armchair for some "serious reading." Instead, I get to do most of my reading on the bus or on the elliptical machine at the gym. While I am able to enjoy most books to their full measure in that manner, this is not the optimum way to savour a dense or subtle book - and "Kingdom of Shadows" is both. (And I mean this as a compliment.)
A lean work at 238 pages, "Kingdom of Shadows" has a lot of story. The hero, Nicholas Morath, is a Hungarian expatriate living in Paris in 1938. Europe has barely recovered from the Great War, in which Nicholas fought heroically, and yet the Nazis loom on the horizon. Working with his uncle, a minor Hungarian diplomat in Paris, Morath is thrust deeper and deeper into an mysterious world of espionage where not only does the right hand not know what the left hand is doing, but the fingers aren't exactly communicating, either.
Furst sets most of "Kingdom of Shadows" in the world of Hungarian pre-war politics, something about which I was completely ignorant. That places me on a good footing with Morath, who has no idea what his missions are really about and surely has no clue as to the coming conflagration that will sweep across Europe. But I loved the book as Furst took me from the streets of Paris to the Carpathians to an idyllic holiday on the shore to a Nazi-occupied hotel in Vienna. Rich, vivid descriptions of both the countryside and daily city life make "Kingdom of Shadows" a wonderful read.
The only thing that makes me give this book four stars is the fact that the dialogue and plotting of the book was so darn subtle that I think I missed at least half of what Furst meant for me to catch. After re-readinng several passages, I still had virtually no clue as to what was going or why. Some will chalk it up to my shortcomings, but to be fair I have read books by John Le Carre, Daniel Silva, and Graham Greene on the bus and at the gym and not felt so stymied.
I am sure that if I can give Furst's words the care and attention they deserve, in an armchair and fortified with a tumbler of Scotch, I would write a rave review. As it is, "Kingdom of Shadows" must content itself with a very good review and a solid recommendation.
Erudite Exploration of Wartime Hungary.......2007-02-26
Alan Furst excels at bringing to life the nooks and crannies of World War II-era Europe. Furst's extraordinary knowledge of the history, politics and culture of that time is brought to bear in "Kingdom of Shadows," his sixth wartime novel. This time, the protagonist is a Hungarian patrician who owns an advertising agency in Paris and spies for a faction of the Hungarian government. And that small country, whose borders seem to shift every few years, contained no shortage of factions: enthusiasts of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Arrow Cross fascists, and those who simply wanted to cut deals with Germany to avoid joining the war.
The more interesting, and tragic, country described in this book is Czechoslovakia. Here was a country that was a liberal democracy and was at one time admired by the West. It also had a strong army bunkered in the hills of the Sudetenland. In order to obtain this prize, Hitler decided to provide justification for ceding the mountainous Sudentenland to Germany, by forming armed groups within the Sudetenland and fomenting riots. The Czechs, of course, were quickly blamed when they tried (with one hand tied behind their backs) to quench the flames. In a vain attempt to appease Hitler and avoid war, the West quickly agreed to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. With its defenses gone, the rest of Czechoslovakia fell quickly. Furst does not overly dramatize this story, but the pain of this betrayal stings.
As always, Furst's attention to detail is impeccable. The normality of pre-invasion Paris (women in bolero jackets and hats with veils) is juxtaposed with the giddy fervor of Austria on the day of Anschluss, when Nazis destroyed the Jewish community overnight. His clear discussion of the complicated details of late-1930s alliances and politics engaging. And Furst again draws sentences that you will want to read twice: a barman in Paris was "A man who hated having to be grateful for a job he hated." The night train from Budapest passes through one of Alan Furst's finest works.
Books:
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- What Smart Students Know: Maximum Grades. Optimum Learning. Minimum Time.
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- Computer Graphics Dictionary
- Dragonflies and Damselflies of California
- Diary of Samuel Pepys Complete 1668 N.S.
