Book Description
Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange’s bestselling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement.
Unlike previous accounts, Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida’s Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, an uncritical reliance upon which has tainted every previous Western account. It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle. The authors examine the battle in detail and effortlessly place it within the context of the Imperial Navy’s doctrine and technology. With a foreword by leading WWII naval historian John Lundstrom, Shattered Sword will become an indispensable part of any military buff’s library. Winner of the 2005 John Lyman Book Award for the "Best Book in U.S. Naval History" and cited by Proceedings as one of its "Notable Naval Books" for 2005.
Customer Reviews:
Midway seen in another light.......2007-09-10
An excellently researched story of Midway giving a lot of new details and insights, all very well researched and with extensive proof to support the ideas put forward.
I thought I knew the story of Midway by heart, having read every book on the subject I could lay my hands on, who have been copying each other.
This book gives a completely new perspective and with the supporting documentation makes a credible point for a new look at the sequence of events.
The final book on Midway? Not likely, but it will be hard to surpass it in novel approach.
A book to read without stopping.
Only drawback is that (at least at the time I bought it), there was no paperback version, but that probably wouldn't have lasted long anyway because the book is begging to be re-read over and over again.
Solid history, but somewhat over written.......2007-08-17
Shattered Sword is an excellent, but somewhat over written work that is really two books in one. The first is a solid, well documented account of Japanese operations at Midway. The other is a reassessment of certain events that been centerpieces in most popular depictions of that battle.
The former is a foundational piece that should be included in any serious historian's bookshelf; a five-star work that provides considerable insight to Japanese strategy tactics and operations. The latter is an interesting, but ultimately over-advocated piece that deserves credit for correcting the historic record, but ultimately does not contribute nearly as much new knowledge as the first. A three-star work.
Parshall and Tully fill in a huge gap by providing a soup-to-nuts assessment of Japanese planning and operations that made up the Midway and Aleutians campaigns. Their meticulous analysis is remarkable, and seemingly consists of about two pages of analysis for one page of narrative. The end result is a keen understanding of how Japan conducted the campaign, and the fatal flaws that were both latent and all too visible.
It seems that the Japanese Imperial Navy was wholly unprepared to conduct a major war like the one they initiated, and not from a logistical/industrial standpoint either. The picture the authors paint (perhaps unintentionally) is of a military organization that is highly polished but extremely brittle. When they faced a surprised or weaker opponent, the Japanese dominated. But if the Japanese faced a foe even close to parity, their planning and organization would unravel, resulting in a high loss of life and material. The glaring flaws in their strategic and tactical planning, operations, and command structure seem to suggest that even if they won the Battle of Midway, it was only a matter of time before their organization failed and they would suffer some catastrophic disaster at the hands of the Americans.
As for the authors' reassessment of Midway, they try too hard to push these revelations. While I laud them for rectifying these errors, most of these issues are far less important than other topics the authors brought up. For example, the authors go to great lengths to explain how Nagumo's reserve strike were actually in the hanger rather on the flight deck, when the Americans made their decisive strike. It really seems to be a relatively minor detail, since (as the authors stated) the Japanese carriers had unarmored flight decks, and the American strike would have blown the carriers to smithereens in either case. What is of more importance, but is given less promotion, is that the Japanese were unable to launch an attack in the face of uncoordinated but persistent American attacks. This essentially says the Japanese never really had control of the battle from the very beginning.
Nevertheless, Shattered Sword is a fabulous and serious historical study. I look forward to future works from the authors.
Excellent WWII book........2007-08-06
Shattered Sword was a most interesting and informative book covering this famous battle as well as events leading up to it, primarily from the Japanese perspective. This in itself is unusual. The narrative was very detailed yet fast paced, even difficult to put down. What I enjoyed most, though, was that the authors related the events at Midway to strategic decisions made many years earlier. Thus, the battle of Tsushima in 1905 would ultimately affect placement of gun batteries and other such things which would determine the outcome at Midway in 1942. IMHO it is the good historian who is able to connect such distant dots.
So very revealing and in depth abot the Psyche of the Japanese Navy.......2007-07-13
I bought this book based on the writer's excellent website. What I expected was detail and facts. What I got was much better.
Shattered Sword not only totally covers the events of the MI raid but it looks back to the start of the war and how these successes actually laid the groundwork for the total failure of the Japanese Navy both at Midway and beyond. The authors reveal Yamamoto as both brilliant and a bully. His plans were shown to be flawed but pushed on the Navy by threats. The actual minute by minute account of the battle goes into incredible detail (based on many survivor accounts). The technical sections show how the carriers were attacked, damaged and how their poor damage control finally sent them to the bottom. Perhaps the most interesting were the debunking of the Myths of Midway. Read the book to find out what I mean.
It is a great book filled with detail, vivid descriptions, stories and analysis of the battle, its causes and its ultimate failure for the Japanese. Just for fun there is a what if section. Again read the book and enjoy.
Alan
Fascinating and indispensable........2007-07-09
The most important contribution to the literature on Midway in decades. Engagingly-written, convincingly-argued, resting on an extremely solid foundation of research, and profusely illustrated with rarely-seen photographs, illuminating diagrams and maps, and interesting technical drawings.
That "Shattered Sword" is something of a "revisionist" account of one of the more legendary battles of of World War II should not deter the potential reader. If anything, the truth is far more dramatic and compelling than the myths that have grown around this battle in the last 65 years.
The level of detail and sophistication of the analysis of a wide variety of subjects, from the narrow (Japanese carrier design, flight operations, and damage-control procedures) to the broad (the repercussions of the Japanese defeat at Midway, its ideological, doctrinal, and cultural roots, and the significance of the defeat to the outcome of the war generally) is of the highest caliber.
It is difficult to imagine this book being superseded on its topic for the foreseeable future, and equally difficult to imagine that both professional military historians and adventurous general readers interested in the subject would not take away a great deal of insight after having read this superb book.
Deeply satisfying, and strongly recommended.
Book Description
Broken glass, twisted beams, piles of debris--these are the early memories of the children who grew up amidst the ruins of the Third Reich. More than five decades later, German youth inhabit manicured suburbs and stroll along prosperous pedestrian malls. Shattered Past is a bold reconsideration of the perplexing pattern of Germany's twentieth-century history. Konrad Jarausch and Michael Geyer explore the staggering gap between the country's role in the terrors of war and its subsequent success as a democracy. They argue that the collapse of Communism, national reunification, and the postmodern shift call for a new reading of the country's turbulent development, one that no longer suggests continuity but rupture and conflict.
Comprising original essays, the book begins by reexamining the nationalist, socialist, and liberal master narratives that have dominated the presentation of German history but are now losing their hold. Treated next are major issues of recent debate that suggest how new kinds of German history might be written: annihilationist warfare, complicity with dictatorship, the taming of power, the impact of migration, the struggle over national identity, redefinitions of womanhood, and the development of consumption as well as popular culture. The concluding chapters reflect on the country's gradual transition from chaos to civility. This penetrating study will spark a fresh debate about the meaning of the German past during the last century.
There is no single master narrative, no Weltgeist, to be discovered. But there is a fascinating story to be told in many different ways.
Customer Reviews:
Revisionist History?.......2007-07-17
In Shattered Past, the authors argue that there is no "master narrative" that appropriately describes the history of twentieth century Germany. Instead, they attempt to convince the reader that it is necessary for future historians to construct new narratives to tell the story of the Nazi era.
In a peculiar vein, Jarausch and Geyer make suggestions that are wickedly reminiscent of present day anti-Semites that doubt the accuracy of the Holocaust: "The fictitious and occasionally fake personal recollections of war and Holocaust will require much more serious debate because, for better or worse, they have become part and parcel of historical memory." (p. 113) They continue by subtly planting seeds of doubt in the reader by suggesting that Western scholars have encouraged[...]on a grand scale, and they campaign for the historical equivalent of a blindfold: "Would it not seem to be high time to leave this entire catastrophe behind ... Why stay marooned in so sinister a nightmare?"
In reply, we remain because the nightmare in question was so sinister, and history that is "left behind" is forgotten and doomed to repeat itself.
The authors propose a fair characterization of the Holocaust as an evolution from a "long history of European-Christian anti-Semitism," (p. 121) as opposed to being a uniquely German phenomenon. They correctly claim that several factors - the "war-guilt" clause of the Versailles Treaty and the widespread starvation and suffering of the German population post-World War One, etc. - attributed to the eventual popularity of the Nazi Party. Yet, if all of Europe harbored a deep-seeded historical hatred for Judaism (which they did), the authors never attempt to explain or speculate about why Germany would be the nation to take that fateful step towards the 'Final Solution.' Instead, they are content to ignore the "outdated" master narrative and focus on less signifcant aspects of German life during that period.
Obviously, I do not agree with the main idea of this book. In addition, the writing style is dry and bulky, as the authors have the tendency to squeeze an obscene number of words into most sentences to the point where they lose meaning - and the reader. For example, in regards to approaching history from different angles, they write: "But if one looked for the various intersections of different trajectories, an awareness of their complex interrelatedness might render it possible to reconcile the representation of a higher degree of diversity with a discussion of broader patterns of development." (p. 59) Thankfully, the entire book is not quite this cumbersome.
In closing, this book tries so hard to distract readers from the relevance of the Holocaust in the 21st century, it almost reads like an advanced propoganda tool specifically designed for the college graduate.
Customer Reviews:
Fine but not what I expected.......2007-09-09
The author reviews the history of lebanon with all the actors involved. You need to need to know its history, and groups previously in order to understand it. In whole it is a good to start studying lebanon's history.
A subtle treatment of a complex, relevant conflict.......2006-08-03
Like the country and conflict it chronicles, Picard's book is in many ways difficult to grasp and may seem, at the outset, hard to follow. However, a thorough reading reveals a remarkably subtle treatment of the civil war in Lebanon and its myriad causes and effects (the latter of which ramify the situation occuring today).
The "causes" underlying the war will never be settled and any claim will be controversial. Many scholars have taken this as an excuse to make safe claims (e.g. blaming the Palestinian refugee crisis out of hand) or simply lament the situation. Picard, on the other hand, probes the historical depth of "Lebanon" itself, leaving the reader wondering whether the word "state" can even be accurately applied to this troubled region. She argues that the civil war was both the result and the manifestation of Lebanon's factionalist "confessional" political system and outside forces, ranging from French colonialism to Nasserist pan-Arabism. Everyone -- rightfully -- receives a portion of the blame: her analysis stands in direct contrast to stereotypical Western analyses that blame the Palestinian resistance to stereotypical Arab ones that blame the Maronites and/or the Israelis. The fact is that every major player/group involved was incredibly multifaceted (and, sadly, quite duplicitous and ruthless), and that the scars of the civil war in Lebanon are not likely to heal easily.
In addition to her treatment of the war itself, Picard offers interesting discussions of several Lebanese political cultural phenomena. Many paradoxes come up over the course of her discussion that resonate today. For example, were Lebanon transformed to a majoritarian democracy in the vein of France, the Shia might dominate the country. On the other hand, maintaining a "pluralistic" (in the sense of "confessional") democracy strengthens factionalism -- and Lebanon's greatest enemy (or benefactor?): political clientelism.
Readers from novices to university professors will learn something from this excellent book. However, novices may have to take things a bit more slowly, especially as there is quite a barrage of place names and historical figures at the beginning. The theoretical component is not too challenging, but it is quite rigorous, and familiarity with comparative politics is helpful. Beyond that, one need only know that Picard herself does not fall into any of the traps set by writers like Said -- or writers like Nietzsche ("we need history..."). She makes a valiant effort to present every facet of the conflict, and if her explanations seem labyrinthine as a result, it is simply because the conflict itself is labyrinthine.
As far as that goes, she still might have made more of an effort to outline some clear theses. The book is littered with great ideas, and the chapters themselves are well-organized, but a primer in the introduction would have helped. As another minor complaint, the book could use more maps and diagrams, and a timeline or two, in face of the sheer breadth and depth of the conflict.
Finally, the negative review of this book by L. Akl is baseless: if anything, Picard goes out of her way to apportion blame to every faction! The vast majority of books on Lebanon are bland histories or traditionalist interpretations of the war that eschew thorough, unforgiving (for lack of a better term: just as Samir Geagea was the only militia leader punished for his actions, few involved in Lebanon's conflict were blamed accordingly) analysis. Picard does not make excuses from any participants, from the Druze to the Maronites to the Palestinians. As a result of this courageous effort, she will be lambasted by blind supporters of any given group involved, but will be admired by those desiring a truer, if somewhat difficult, picture of Lebanon and its civil war.
False Impressions.......2006-07-03
This book covers information from a particular faction. It lacks fundamental concepts that underlie the `whole' Lebanese situation.
Customer Reviews:
The Brain, Brain Injuries, and Brain Functioning.......2000-02-28
This book is actually a collaboration between a famed psychologist and a Russian socldier who experienced a devastating head wound in battle in 1943. The soldier in vivid detail expresses how the head injury has permanently affected his life as well as how he processes perceptual information and communicates with the world. Very easy to read, I was clearly struck by the heroic measures made by the soldier to enlighten Luria and other readers on how his functioning was irrevocably altered by his brain injury. Normally complicated discussions on the brain are rendered easily understood in this book. I highly recommend this for anyone who works in the mental health field.
Book Description
In October 1955, three Chicago boys were found murdered, their bodies naked and dumped in a ditch in Robinson Woods on the city’s Northwest Side. A community and a nation were shocked. In a time when such crimes against children were rare, the public was transfixed as local television stations aired stark footage of the first hours of the investigation. Life and Newsweek magazines published exclusive stories the following week. When Kenneth Hansen was convicted and sentenced for the murders, the case was considered solved—until questions were raised about Hansen’s presumed guilt.
Shattered Sense of Innocence: The 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children tells the gripping story of the three murdered boys—thirteen-year-old John Schuessler, his eleven-year-old brother, Anton, and thirteen-year-old Bobby Peterson—and the quest to find and bring to justice their killer. Authors Richard C. Lindberg and Gloria Jean Sykes recount the bungled police investigation, the failures of law enforcement, and the questionable conviction of Kenneth Hansen, and present new information concerning two suspects overlooked by police for five decades.
The authors deftly examine all sides of this tragic story, drawing on exclusive interviews with law enforcement agents, with horse trainers affiliated with the so-called horse mafia, and with the man convicted of the murders, Kenneth Hansen. Like Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, this intensely intimate account offers a rare glimpse into one community and examines how these atrocious crimes altered public perceptions nationwide. Shattered Sense of Innocence, which is also a story of political controversy, a determined federal agent’s quest for justice, and a community’s loss of innocence, includes fifty illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Suffer the children.......2007-03-25
This book completely held my interest and that of several friends who read it at the same approximate time. We spent hours discussing it. After fifty plus years, the triple homicide described in "Shattered Sense of Innocence: the 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children" is still chilling and disturbing. The book established a strong sense of time and place. The authors succeeded in recreating the fear and dread that gripped an entire community that will bother you long after you have finished reading. These things were not supposed to happen here, not in a quiet residential district bordering upon the suburbs.
As a person who drives through the Jefferson Park/Norwood Park area of Chicago on a regular basis, it is impossible for me to pass certain intersections now without thinking of the three victims: that was the location of the police station where their parents looked for help; that was the bowling alley the boys visited; the three youths were last seen on that corner before accepting a ride from a passing vehicle.
Portions of the immediate neighborhood are largely unchanged. The former police station on Gale Street is still standing, but it houses other city offices today as a newer and larger police headquarters has replaced it. The forest preserve opposite East River Road where the three naked bodies were discovered still draws stares from passing motorists who can remember the banner headlines and the startlingly graphic images broadcast on local television during the nightly news (the book contains these photo images). Some older adults can recall being kept inside their homes for several days by parents who were afraid to allow their children to play outside until the unknown criminals were arrested by the police.
The initial police investigation was badly botched by the political hacks competing for jurisdiction over the crime scene. The murderer and his accomplices took care to dispose of the bodies in a location where multiple agencies and officials could quarrel over who was in charge of the investigation. For decades afterwards, the murders would remain unsolved. The determined efforts of an arson investigator seeking to determine who the culprits were in a series of fires at various riding stables set in motion the revival of the murder inquiry decades later and resulted in the controversial trial of the one the surviving suspect.
The book contains some conjecture as to what transpired on that fatal night. Some facts can only be guessed at, but the authors review several theories and offer plausible interpretations of the possible chain of events. The actions of several of the now deceased accomplices can only be imagined.
Be forewarned, this is not a pleasant book to read nor will it be easily forgotten once you have finished it. Readers will be introduced to sexual predators, petty thieves and pornographers who gather in amusement parks and recreation halls where children and teenagers loiter. There is danger to be found near the merry go round and the pony rides. Some of the smiling monsters walk amongst us in the bright sunshine, dressed in casual clothing and projecting a false facade of friendliness and respectability. The unspeakable evil committed in 1955 continues to reverberate today. I cannot begin to imagine how many lives were damaged by the accomplices and the perpetrators of these three murders.
Shattered Sense of Innocence.......2007-03-14
I found this book to be very interesting as I was a kid in that time. I remember the murder case very well as I know a lot of the places they stopped at and where they lived.
Chicago Murders in the 1950's.......2007-01-12
I bought this book as a gift for my husband. He saw a write-up about it in the newspaper and wanted the book. We were kids ourselves when these murders happened. The price charged on Amazon was about 33% less than the book store and it arrived in less time than indicated. My husband has read the book and now my daughter is reading it. Highly recommend.
Fascinating Murder Mystery Set in 1950's--fabulous read!.......2006-11-22
The book is an amazing murder mystery set against the backdrop of 1950's Northwest side of Chicago. The neighborhood tales and stories tell of a fascinating slice of the 1950's with accurate details, so that even if you are not a murder mystery buff, the book is still extremely interesting. The book carefully relates the bumbling, inept police work which is grossly inadequate due to the lack of forensic science development at the time, and most notably, DNA testing. Although tons of people power and money were thrown at the case, nothing much develops from all this into hard evidence. The only trial that took place was decades later and even that was based upon circumstantial evidence and weak confessions, although the reader was left with a sense at the end that justice was served. Perhaps the book is a bit choppy and many questions are left unanswered, but that is the crux of the entire book--the police work was choppy, fairly uncoordiated, major suspects and clues were not followed up on well, or even at all. So the book style follows the uneasiness of the police work, the uneasiness of a neighborhood left with a triple murder of 12 year old boys found naked, dead, with their lifeless bodies shown on the TV news that evening. But most importantly, the book is reveals stories, tales and legends and a style of life not really known outside the NW side of Chicago, but which can be easily appreciated by anyone. I believe most people would find that they simply cannot put the book down and will feel compelled to read it in a day or two. The writing is an excellent quality, and the investigative work was extremely good and very believable.
Lost.......2006-10-21
The Schuessler-Peterson murders, the long unsolved deaths of 3 boys in 1955 Chicago, have inspired three books; "Unbridled Rage," "Three Boys Missing," and "Shattered Sense of Innocence."
All are highly recommended. This is the one that may keep you awake all night.
The authors are brilliant writers and the book is exhaustively researched. Many new questions are raised:
Were the victims looking for someone the night they died?
Why did two of the boys, Bobby Peterson and John Schuessler, report being afraid of someone?
Who was the mysterious "Mr. Potato Head?"
Who was the source of screams heard in a remote area that night?
What is the meaning of the puzzling forensic evidence?
Who is the elusive pedophile Ken Hansen? He was convicted of the murders, but some still have doubts.
Did a mystery witness secretly confess to being the real killer?
Did missing heiress Helen Brach know too much? Is she the Jane Doe in the unmarked grave?
Did the same killer murder Judy Andersen in 1957 and the Grimes sisters in 1956?
This book is like film noir in book format. (There a a few graphic photos.) It is unquestionably one of the greatest true crime books ever written. Read it even if you have to leave the lights on all night.
Book Description
The most thorough account yet available of a revolution that saw the first true agrarian reform in Central America, this book is also a penetrating analysis of the tragic destruction of that revolution. In no other Central American country was U.S. intervention so decisive and so ruinous, charges Piero Gleijeses. Yet he shows that the intervention can be blamed on no single "convenient villain." "Extensively researched and written with conviction and passion, this study analyzes the history and downfall of what seems in retrospect to have been Guatemala's best government, the short-lived regime of Jacobo Arbenz, overthrown in 1954, by a CIA-orchestrated coup."--Foreign Affairs "Piero Gleijeses offers a historical road map that may serve as a guide for future generations. . . . [Readers] will come away with an understanding of the foundation of a great historical tragedy."--Saul Landau, The Progressive "[Gleijeses's] academic rigor does not prevent him from creating an accessible, lucid, almost journalistic account of an episode whose tragic consequences still reverberate."--Paul Kantz, Commonweal
Customer Reviews:
An ammunition ship blows up and causes 1600 deaths........2007-07-22
Until I visited Halifax, this was a little known tragedy. It was probably Canada's biggest disaster. A French munition ship taking ammunition from New York to France is sent to Halifax to link up with an outbound convoy. As she enters the inner harbor, a Norwegian relief ship rams her and starts a fire. The ship blows, leveling half of the city. The size of this explosion was great. I saw a large piece of the ship thrown 3 miles distance. To compound the disaster, on the next day the city is savaged by a fierce blizzard.
Kitz set up the exhibit in the Maritime Museum about December 6, 1917. She has both a personal and professional interest in this tragedy. She writes from experience. In her book, she details both the tragedy itself, and the relief efforts. She spends more time on the relief than on the disaster itself. This is a good and interesting read.
A Personal Treatment of Canada's Greatest Disaster.......2003-11-07
Virtually unknown in the United States, the Halifax explosion of 1917 was the largest man-made explosion prior to the atomic age. Devestating Atlantic Canada's largest city, the human impact is well traced in Kitz's book.
unrealistic expectations..........2001-04-17
I guess I should have read the title more carefully. I went to school in Halifax (1990-94) and having seen among other things, anchors embedded in sidewalks, was curious as to the 'why'. The Halifax explosion was the answer I got.
The book covers the means to the end (the explosion) in the first 30 pages or so, and the rest of the book is about recovery and how it was dealt with and stories of individual survivers. I really wanted to know the details of what led to the explosion and had my answer after the first 30 pages. I never bothered to finish the book, wasn't interested in the survivors stories.
Jason
Engaging overview of this little-known historical episode........1998-08-24
Ms. Kitz offers an exciting and balanced view of this little-know event in Canada's history. The tragedy that was the "Halifax Explosion" comes to life and gives another view of the home front during the Great War. Seldom do we catch such a glimpse of the dangers of life away from the frontline. This is a "must read" for those who wish to know the rest of the story - about Waorld WarI, Halifax AND the transportation of munitions. I am amazed, as a history teacher, that so little is known of this incident and that this books ranks in the 42,000s among Amazon readers.
Customer Reviews:
Well Written History.......2004-08-13
This book does a superb job of placing the legal decisions of the Civil War era within the complex and exciting times in which they took place. Samuel Freeman Miller is a fascinating and important figure.
A splendid biography.......2004-07-21
The appointment of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller by President Lincoln was perhaps his best decision before the Civil War. Miller's life story is well written by Dr. Ross and perhaps will be the definitive study of the man for generations to come.
Ross provides new insights into Supreme Court cases, such as the Slaughter House rulings and other important judicial issues of the Civil War and Reconstruction. But perhaps what is Ross's finest work is his ability to articulate Miller's character. The author's background on the Justice fully prepared the reader for understanding why Miller voted on a certain issue. In doing so, the reader can clearly comprehend the various court decisions of that era.
Clearly, the judicial system of the Civil War is one of the few areas of that time period with insufficient attention. Ross's book will hopefully ignite a spark to this unknown subject of American history.
More than a biography of Miller.......2003-12-16
Justice of Shattered Dreams is a well-balanced blend of history, law, economics and biography. The author provides a succinct and well-written summary of such topics as popular sovereignty, the tension over the Kansas/Nebraska issue, the recalcitrance of the South during Reconstruction, and the legal battles between capitalist bondholders and small town populists. Ross, who has a J.D. from Duke, provides insightful legal summaries of Dred Scott, Ex Parte Merryman, the Prize cases, Ex parte Milligan, the Legal Tender cases, as well as the Slaughterhouse cases for which Miller is most remembered. Ross's analysis of Ex Parte Milligan resonates today vis-a-vis the legal arguments over the status of the internees at Guantanamo Bay. There is just enough legal analysis to explain the theory of the decisions without overpowering the non-lawyer reader, and just enough facts to convey the essence of the case and its background.
The book is interesting because it is not a true biography of a Supreme Court justice. It blends the economic background and the societal tensions that were present during Miller's lifetime. Additionally, Ross makes some very good points on Reconstruction and reinforces why Reconstruction, in some ways, was just as decisive as slavery in fracturing the country - a legacy that continues today much to the dismay of the modern Democratic party. Ross's analysis of how railroads and railroad bridges destroyed the small western towns is very informative; again, Ross provides a good, cogent synopsis of an economic issue. Overall, this is an interesting and informative book that ties together divergent strands of history and presents a cohesive snapshot of our country between the 1850's and 1870's.
Average customer rating:
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Shattered!: 50 Years of Silence : History and Voices of the Tragedy in Romania and Transnistria
Felicia (Steigman) Carmelly
Manufacturer: Abbyfield Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0969952104 |
Book Description
the fist expose in English about the Romanian and Transnistrian tragedy and the post-war cover-up. Over 500000 Jews were killed in the Romanian Holocaust and their story has been one of obscurity in the history of World War II. This book fills a major historical gap in holocaust studies. the historical section of this book is based on research done by Jean Ancel and Dora Litani pioneers in the history of the Romanian Holocaust. Includes survivors' personal testimonies which demonstrate the annihilation suffering and unspeakably traumatic experiences in Romania and Transnistria but also allows us to witness their courage faith and hope for the future. This book contains new revelations from recently released Soviet documents and eyewitness testimonies
Book Description
As Middle-East Bureau Chief of the French Public television network and a resident of Jerusalem since 1968, Charles Enderlin has had unequaled access to leaders and negotiators on all sides. Here he takes the reader step-by-step along the path that began with the hope of agreement but led only to the ultimate collapse of the peace process. The dramatic account moves between the occupied territories and the negotiation tables as it follows the emotional shifts in the conflict from the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin to the years when Benjamin Netenyahu was in power. In a definitive account of the meetings at Camp David in July 2000, Enderlin details what was said between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators brought together by Bill Clinton in the presence of Yasir Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Customer Reviews:
Is it still a dream?.......2007-10-04
I read this book over a three day long-weekend. I could not put it down. I think one of the reasons I found it riveting was that some months ago I had read Dennis Ross's book, "The Missing Peace" and the characters and events were all very familiar. In fact, when reading a book like Ross's or Enderlin's, it is quite likely one would forget some facts or events so, by reading a book with very similar detailed subject matter, the understanding is made easier. Ross's book was more polished and personal and Enderlin's book is more in a style of a documentary. In fact, a documentary was indeed made for Frontline and Enderlin's use of the present tense gives the impression that parts of his book would have been used as the verbatim documentary voice-over. E. Rodin's review is excellent (I concur with 90% of it) and suggest it is really worth reading so I won't repeat what he has written. I would simply like to add that I think blame can be apportioned to Arafat for the failure as they did get very close... and Araft could not accept what was a great offer, better than could be secured today. The book makes one realise why, today, having a peace conference as proposed by Bush could well be counter-productive. if agreement is not managed ahead of a summit, at the working level, another intifada could break out when the talks fail. The book has become quite topical as, this very week, Enderlin and FRANCE 2 have come under the spotlight as an Israeli Government offical has claimed again that Enderlin and his colleagues staged a hoax (being the imgage of a Palestinian boy being shot by Israeli soliders); Just Google news "Enderlin Al Dura" for a complete range of views from press etc. (only two articles below which I think are worth taking the time to read);
In essence, if the shooting was a hoax set up by Enderlin and his colleagues, and the boy was killed by Palestinian gunmen, then Odin's claim that Enderlin's views are unbiased do not hold up.
October 03, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Morton A. Klein, 212-481-1500
Top Israeli lawyer:
"Greatest journalistic hoax of the last century"
New York -- Seven years after the alleged killing by Israeli fire of a Palestinian boy, Muhammad Al-Durah, at the Netzarim Junction on September 30, 2000 during the first days of the Palestinian terror wave launched at Israel, the Israeli Government Press Office has officially rejected the France-2 Television report as a staged hoax. The Director of the Israel Government Press Office, Daniel Seaman, has issued a statement saying, "The events of that day were in fact staged by the network's cameraman in Gaza, Mr. Talal Abu Rahma" (Associated Press , October 1). Seaman stated that France-2 fabricated the events surrounding the death of al-Durah and cited in his letter an Israeli investigation that heard testimony from medical and legal experts and which determined that the events as described by France-2 were fabricated and defied the laws of physics ( Jerusalem Post, October 2). Seaman also wrote, "The creation of the myth of Muhammad al-Durah has caused great damage to the State of Israel. This is an explicit blood libel against the state. And just as blood libels in the old days have led to pogroms, this one has also caused damage and dozens of dead" ( Yediot Ahronot, October 2).
Investigations have shown that the angles of the IDF fire could not have hit Al-Durah and that the cameraman can be heard saying the boy is dead while the boy is still seen moving. During the past seven years, Israel has preferred not to confront the most popular television station in France, but following repeated requests by Shurat HaDin, Israel Law Center, Seaman issued his statement denying Israeli responsibility. The denial comes following a ruling in Paris by an Appellate Court Presiding Judge, Laurence Trebucq, in a defamation appeal of French journalist Philippe Karsenty, whom France-2 sued for defamation for questioning the veracity of its report on the events presented by its Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Charles Enderlin. Karsenty maintains that France-2 and Enderlin staged the incident with the active participation of their Gaza cameraman, Abu-Rahma.
Enderlin, who was not actually present on the scene at the time, produced a report which was distributed free to the international media and which alleged that Israeli fire has killed the boy. However, Enderlin's report utilized 55 seconds of selected footage, shot by a Palestinian Arab cameraman, Talal Abu Rahmeh, none of which shows al-Durah actually being killed, let alone by Israeli fire. The full footage has been viewed by three journalists -- Jeambar, Leconte, and Rosenzweig -- who have testified that it consists of 24 minutes of staged scenes, with no images of the al-Durah boy and his father and no trace of the boy's "death throes" that Enderlin claimed to have been filmed but later edited out because it was "unbearable." As former Israeli cabinet minister and Soviet Jewish dissident, Natan Sharansky, observes, " All three [journalists] concluded that it comprised blatantly staged scenes of Palestinians being shot by Israeli forces, and that France 2's Jerusalem Bureau Chief Charles Enderlin had lied to conceal that fact " (Wall Street Journal , October 2). Judge Trebucq has ruled that France-2 must provide the whole, unedited 27 minutes of footage. ( Pajamas Media, September 20).
The impact of this alleged killing has been extensive. It was cited by the murderers of the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Pearl. Postage stamps bearing al-Durah's crouched image have been issued in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia; a street in Baghdad and a square in Morocco bear his name, while many schools across the Arab world are named after him. His image has even been reproduced on a designer dress in Saudi Arabia. Throughout Europe, and particularly in France, Muslims have used al-Durah as a rallying cry in their attacks against Jews, which broke out shortly after the Durah film was broadcast.
As Sharansky notes, "if, as Mr. Karsenty and others have claimed persuasively, the al-Dura incident is part of the insidious trend in which Western media outlets allow themselves to be manipulated by dishonest and politically motivated sources (recall the Jenin "massacre" that never was, or the doctored Reuters photos from Israel's war against Hezbollah in 2006), then France 2 must be held accountable. It is important to note that the al-Dura news report profoundly influenced Western public opinion. When I served in the Israeli government as minister of Diaspora Affairs from 2003 to 2005, I traveled frequently to North American college campuses. I heard first hand how Mohammed al-Dura had shaped the perceptions of young people just beginning to follow events in the Middle East. For many Jewish students, the incident was a stain of dishonor that called into question their support for Israel. For anti-Israel students, the story reaffirmed their sense of Zionism's innately "racist" nature and became a tool for recruiting campus peers to the cause. "
Shurat HaDin Chairwoman Nitzana Darshan-Leitner said that, "This was perhaps the greatest journalistic hoax perpetrated in the last hundred years " (Israel National News, October 3). She also stated that, "Among other things, we plan to petition the High Court of Justice and demand the journalist certificates and other GPO certificates are revoked from all France-2 crew members in Israel -- reporters, cameramen, produces, etc -- as long as the network does not publicly announce that the al-Dura report was staged and was biased. In addition, Shurat HaDin is considering filing a damages claim for the accumulated damage the report has caused, and specifically for the line of attacks and riots it has led to. This modern-day blood libel has led to the death of hundreds of Arabs and Jews and has ignited hatred" (Israel National News, October 2).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "We welcome the Israeli Government Office making an official statement on the case. We are also pleased that the Israel Defense Forces have called for the release of the full footage of the incident. The absence in the past of official statements harmed the cause of seeking the truth. Indeed, the original judgment of defamation against Philippe Karsenty was in great part due to the absence of official Israeli denial and complaint about the France-2 report, something which was specifically cited in the original judgment. The ZOA has been calling for some time for France-2 to release the full footage surrounding the alleged killing of Muhammad al-Durah, and this statement will help gather momentum for uncovering the whole truth about this episode which has inspired so much hatred and terrorism against Israel and Jews around the world. We call upon France-2 to revoke Enderlin's credentials. This event makes it clear that no-one can ever trust any future allegations of alleged Israeli atrocities stemming from PA officials and Palestinian media, all of which are under the direction and control of the PA or other Palestinian terror organizations."
Israeli Official Joins Fight Over Palestinian Image (New York Times, Oct 3, 2007)
There have always been doubts about the authenticity of a video clip showing the shooting death of a Palestinian boy, two days after the second Palestinian uprising began in 2000.
In the Arab world, the original report by a French TV network -- which said that Israeli troops had deliberately shot the boy -- still carries tremendous iconic power. An image taken from the footage, above, has been printed on postage stamps, and the name of the boy, Muhammad al-Dura, has been invoked by suicide bombers and Osama bin Laden.
But the video is dismissed as a hoax in other quarters. In France, a lawsuit continues over the authenticity of the tape, and similar doubts are raised elsewhere. Skeptics argue that artful editing and overreaching reporting obscured the fact that the boy was probably shot by Palestinian gunmen during a street clash with Israeli soldiers.
In Israel, the right-wing Israel Law Center petitioned the Government Press Office to pursue criminal charges against France 2 and revoke the network's press credentials. The petition was rejected recently, but the deliverer of the rejection also happened to be a bold civil servant intent on breaking with the longtime preference of the Israeli government to stay out of the debate.
The official, Daniel Seaman, made clear in his letter denying the petition that he agreed with those who say France 2 "essentially staged" the shooting video to shift blame for the boy's death to Israeli soldiers. Here's one of the emphatic statements, as reported by Ynet, an Israeli news site:
The creation of the myth of Muhammad al-Dura has caused great damage to the State of Israel. This is an explicit blood libel against the state. And just as blood libels in the old days have led to pogroms, this one has also caused damage and dozens of dead.
Another excerpt was published in another account:
This report became the blood libel of modern times that shows that Jewish soldiers kill children in cold blood. This fomented the Arab world and caused many casualties in Israel and the world.
Charles Enderlin, the correspondent who filed the original 2000 video report to France 2, said today that he stood behind it, as does his network. "This is not the first time Daniel Seaman voices these false accusations," Mr. Enderlin told Agence France-Presse. He was not in Gaza that fateful day himself; his report used video images shot by a Palestinian member of his team.
Mr. Seaman's letter prompted Pajamas Media, a right-leaning Web site in the United States that has been closely following the case, to run the headline, "Israel Officially Declares Al Dura Footage Staged." And others were similarly direct.
But Israel has not officially declared anything. The prime minister's office pointedly refused today to endorse Mr. Seaman's letter, according to a statement to AFP:
We were never shown Seaman's letter, we are not familiar with its contents, and have not approved it.
Haaretz added yet another shade of gray to the affair: Mr. Seaman apparently received approval for his letter from the prime minister's legal adviser.
In a phone interview, Mr. Seaman said he's followed this case closely from the beginning, and is completely confident in his conclusion. He said the letter, which was written in Hebrew, supported his argument with information from reports in The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic Monthly, from independent sleuths like Second Draft and from official investigations.
Alas, a final answer of sorts remains elusive, although an official statement from the Israeli government becomes more likely as the Israel Law Center appeals the matter up the Israeli court ladder.
Another holy grail of the controversy is the full, unedited video footage from that day, which a French court has now demanded. In 2005, France 2 showed the original tape to an International Herald Tribune reporter, but did not answer crucial questions:
The footage of the father and son under attack lasts several minutes, but does not clearly show the boy's death. There is a cut in the scene that France 2 executives attribute to the cameraman's efforts to preserve a low battery.
In the 2003 Atlantic Monthly piece cited by Mr. Seaman, James Fallows both rejected the video and acknowledged that the true circumstances hardly mattered.
"Even if evidence that could revise the understanding of this particular death were widely accepted," he wrote, "it would probably have no effect on the underlying hatred and ongoing violence in the region."
Excellent unbiased reporting; must read.......2007-10-02
Although Enderlin's book was published in 2003 it is important and timely. Its importance resides in the fact that the author, as Bureau Chief of France 2 (the French equivalent of PBS), had direct access to most of the principal actors in the peace-process and his location in Jerusalem as well as his dual French-Israeli citizenship provide for unbiased reporting.
The timeliness of the book results from two aspects. One: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester with no end in sight and influences U.S. political decisions in regard to the rest of the Middle East especially: Syria, Iraq and Iran. Two: Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, both former prime Ministers, are again candidates by their respective parties for the Prime Ministership in Israel's next election. Knowing a person's past behavior allows, to a certain extent, a reasonable prediction for the future. Enderlin shows us the character flaws of both individuals and how these have led to the collapse of the peace process.
In contrast to the propaganda Americans are still exposed to in regard to the failure of the Camp David II negotiations, which places the blame exclusively on Yasir Arafat, Enderlin shows that the process was doomed from the start. The confidence building measures namely adherence to the Wye River agreement, which had been negotiated previously by Netanyahu, were not observed by Barak who instead insisted that everything would be solved by this final status agreement. Arafat thought that it would be impossible to do so in a hastily arranged two week meeting for a conflict on which the partners show wide disagreements. The most egregious ones were: the borders of the Palestinian state, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, the fate of the settlements and Jerusalem which both sides regard as their capital. The Jerusalem problem is compounded by the question of sovereignty over the Temple Mount which, as Haram al Sharif, is the third holiest site of the Muslim world. The American failure to understand that Arafat could not single handedly make decisions on this vital topic, without agreement by the other Arab nations, was an important aspect for the failure of the talks.
For these reasons Arafat did not want a meeting which was supposed to be the "end all and be all." He agreed to come only after he had received President Clinton's assurance that he would not be blamed if the talks were to collapse. As we know Clinton did not keep this promise.
There were numerous reasons why the actual talks failed: Barak never negotiated with Arafat personally and even refused to engage in private conversations with him during dinner; there was no fixed agenda and no protocols were kept, everything was negotiated orally; the "American" proposals had to be vetted by the Israelis before they could be presented to the Palestinians; sessions went on throughout all hours of the night rather than on a fixed timetable. As everybody knows, when people are sleep deprived tempers tend to flare and agreements become difficult to achieve. The fact that the American negotiators were for the most part Jewish was also a hindrance. Although Enderlin doesn't mention it Swisher's book The Truth about Camp David, which should also be consulted, pointed out that Hillary Clinton was during that time locked in a race for the vacant New York Senate seat. This was an additional factor which prevented Bill Clinton from "leaning" on the Israelis even if he had wanted to do so.
Under these circumstances it is remarkable that a considerable rapprochement of views was actually accomplished upon which further negotiations could and did in fact proceed. They were however thwarted by the political process. In the U.S. Clinton's term of office was over and the Bush administration was not interested. In Israel Barak ruled with a minority government and had to call for elections against Sharon who was violently opposed to any concessions towards the Palestinians. Within Palestine the people had not seen any improvement in their lives during the prolonged peace process and to the contrary had to watch more of their land being expropriated for settlement building. They had become increasingly furious and the second Intifada erupted which provided the pretext for ending all negotiations.
Since the accuracy of Enderlin's presentation is vouched for by Israeli as well as Palestinian negotiators the book can be highly recommended to anyone who is interested in this vital topic. The book should also be required reading for all presidential office seekers as well as members of Congress.
If you want to understand the situation today, read this!.......2003-07-31
As someone who has done alot of research on the middle east, having read countless books on the matter and journals, I can honestly say that no present account is better than Enderlin's account of the failed peace process. The main reason are his sources. Most of his sources are all the people involved, from Shimon Peres, to the european delegation, Palestinian ministers, transcripts between Clinton and the leaders, even transcripts of Syria's Assad! The book is very fair in the sense that it does not place an emotional blame, just describes what happened and who did what. If you want to understand where we are now and how the tragic mistakes of the past can be avoided, read this book. You will not regret it.
International Negotiations Primer.......2003-05-23
This book is most interesting as it shows you how each side ( US, Palestinian, Israel) approached the peace negotiations process and how misunderstandings, political pressures, fundamental policy differences, promises made by one & retracted by another, the lack of preparation and trust lead all contributed to the failure of the Clinton Peace talks.
It is truely a behind the scenes view of the entire process.
It also covers how each side, especially the Israelis, managed the peace process. The management of press reports(pages 215 to 217)is just one aspect that I found most enlightning.
I would make this book required reading for anyone engaged in the study/practice of international negotiations.
Read this book if you follow Israeli-Palestinian relations.......2003-05-13
Charles Enderlin (a French journalist in Jerusalem) has done a great service not only to Israelis and Palestinians but also to American observers of the conflict. With his inside access to the negotiators, Enderlin gives the reader a vast amount of primary material.
What were the two sides discussing? How did the negotiations work? Why did the summit at Camp David fail? Did either side really want peace? Enderlin has his answers, but he also gives the reader the opportunity to make his/her own judgments.
As Beilin, Sher, Ben-Ami, Ross, and others publish accounts as participants in the process, it is very helpful to have Enderlin's book as a resource. For anyone interested in understanding the failed attempt to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Enderlin's book will be essential reading.
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