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Category: True Accounts

Review: Death in the City of Light by David King

[ 7 ] January 29, 2012

Reviewed by Lauren Cannavino

The amount of research and time needed to construct high-quality historical non-fiction must be staggering and author David King did an excellent job of producing an intriguing, in-depth book.

The story of the shadowy and twisted life and crimes of Dr. Marcel Petiot in Nazi-occupied Paris is detailed, thorough and dark. King mixes police information, conversations, recollections and actual case-related documents to tell the tale. Dr. Petiot used the ruse of a French Resistance escape route to lure victims to his home and dispose of them, while hoarding their clothing and keeping their riches. Once discovered, his victim count continued to rise and his twisted mental state and behavior would become exposed over a long period of time.

Police were called to a home at 21 rue Le Sueur after reports of a heavy and pungent smoke coming from the building. When the police arrived and entered, they were immediately faced with charred human remains, suitcases, scattered clothing and a strange room that resembles a torture chamber. When it was discovered that Marcel Petiot was the owner of the home, the search for the doctor began. What unfolded was a search that involved the Resistance, family members of Petoit, the Gestapo, local authorities and the underlings of Paris.

Petiot, while not mentally stable, was quick, very intelligent and created a story and an escape that made his capture hard to come by. His victim count was potentially over one hundred and when he was finally apprehended, the trial of the doctor was sensational. The details that were revealed were extremely sinister and often hard to believe, especially when the dark past of Petiot’s life came out. As a reader, I could only wonder how he had evaded arrest for so long, at any point of his life.

Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris is a well-researched and exciting book that focuses on a dark event within an already dark period of time. King does a nice job of filling in tiny details, names and places without becoming boring or tedious with his descriptions. King was also able to compile a lot of information into a fast-paced narrative that never seemed to lag or read like a textbook.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Lauren Cannavino is a graduate student, freelance writer, wine lover, and avid reader. Random musings can be found over at www.goldiesays.com.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Crown. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

[ 9 ] November 13, 2011

Reviewed by Wendy Fitos

From the time I saw the initial reviews of In the Garden of Beasts, I knew it would be a book that I couldn’t put down. Erik Larson wrote a book that doesn’t disappoint. The time and research that he put into the book makes it worth reading as the story he tells is fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

In the Garden of Beasts opens in 1933 as Hitler is rising in the German political ranks and the undercurrents of “The Jewish Problem” are starting to be exposed. William Dodd is selected as the first American ambassador in the Franklin Roosevelt administration to reside in Germany and provide answers to the American government on his findings of the Hitler uprising.

When Dodd arrives with his family, he discovers that although his government does have an interest in the ongoing attacks of Jewish citizens, the bigger concern is the billion dollars that America is still owed from World War I. Dodd also realizes that his support from the government – with the exception of Roosevelt – is very minimal as he does not come from a wealthy background and does not know how to play the Boys Club game. He is consistently undermined as he reports his findings on the Third Reich; his reports are very accurate and if listened to earlier, could have saved the lives of millions of people. His colleagues continue to spend more time trying to remove him from his position as they realize that his outspokenness and interest in finding a solution take Germany farther away from settling their debt.

As In the Garden of Beasts is a work of non-fiction, Larson does a fantastic job of showing the true sentiments of the American government and public as they begin to hear about the plight of the German Jews. He found that Americans often had anti-Semitic views in the 1930’s and had little sympathy for the situation. William Dodd’s own daughter Martha found the rise of the Nazis glamorous and became a part of the culture until she saw the true focus of the regime take the lives of many in her circle.

Larson also does a great job of working in the class differences that existed in America, and which continue to be a problem today. William Dodd, with his common background, was shunned because he didn’t fear speaking his views against the Germans and in 1937, Roosevelt was forced to remove him from his position. Within two years of Dodd’s removal, all of his predictions came to life as the Germans began what was to be the murder of ten million people and the beginning of World War II.

Review: 5/5

Wendy Fitos is a makeup artist and esthetician with 22 years of experience. Her goal is to educate women on how to create looks that will meet both professional and personal styles. Wendy lives in Cleveland, Ohio and enjoys reading and exercising.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Crown. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres

[ 8 ] October 26, 2011

Reviewed by Vera Pereskokova (Luxury Reading)

I was born in 1983 and therefore, did not know much about the Jonestown massacre of November 18, 1977 prior to reading A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres. Drawn in by my preference for true accounts, I was at once fascinated by the history of the Peoples’ Temple and horrified at the inevitable disaster; I could not stay away from this book.

Jim Jones was attracted to organized religion from a young age and found acceptance there that he lacked elsewhere in his life. He began preaching early on – on street corners to whomever would listen – and eventually opened his own church in Indiana. People flocked to Jones’ charisma, perceived healing powers and message of equility that rang true with many African Americans in the 1960′s.

Jones’ popularity grew as did church attendance, and he later moved most of his congregation to Redwood, California and then San Francisco. Jones’ still preached equality and acceptance, interweaving his own socialistic ideals. However, his charisma was increasingly buyoed by his drug use, making him more and more paranoid and critical of his followers perceived faults.

While in San Francisco, Jones began encouraging communal living and shared resources; many of his followers were required to sell of their belongings and surrender their earnings. Concocting conspiracy theories – and maybe believing them himself – Jones rented land in the South American country of Guyana and began the process of moving his congregation to the middle of the jungle. Some went willingly, others were not given a choice; Jones separated families, violated custody agreements and brought many children to the newly named Jonestown under the guise of taking them on short trips – few ever came back.

As more members of the Peoples’ Temple arrived in Jonestown, the conditions continued to worsen. There was never enough food, every moment was tracked by Jones or his cronies, and people were subjected to long days of hard labor as well as cruel punishments for any small slights. While some still believed in their leader, others simply stayed quiet; some tried – many unsuccessfully – to escape. Jones, always under the influence of one drug or another, ruled with terror, fabricating stories of American conspiracies against Jonestown.

While some members still dreamed of better days at Jonestown, Jones had only one goal in mind: to go down in history as a revolutionary who died along with thousands of his followers. On November 18, 1997, he carried his dream to fruition when Jonestown became the site of the murder-suicide of 909 people. Surrounded by armed guards, people drank Kool-Aid mixed with deadly cianide; some were forcibly injected. A third of those who died that day were children, many under the age of 10.

Julia Scheeres’ account of the Jonestown massacre is based on a mixture of tapes retrieved from Jonestown, members’ diaries, articles, etc. And yet, A Thousand Lives reads as one fluid piece and as well written fiction that is sadly the grimm reality of recent past. Prior to reading the book, I could not imagine how anyone could force nearly a 1000 people to commit suicide, unless they were willing participants. After learning about the individual members of the Peoples’ Temple and the control Jones exuded over his followers, I can understand how most of them so no other option.

Rating: 5/5

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Free Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: 60 Miles from Salt Water by Bill Minot

[ 4 ] September 18, 2011

Reviewed by Joanne Lakomski

60 Miles from Salt Water introduced me to Bob Lane, author Bill Minot’s main character. Bob is a successful investor living the life of wealth and privilege, beachside in Malibu. He is in a deepening relationship with Joanna down the beach and in occasional contact with friends with whom he went through school: Billy and Jimmy. They are both on the East Coast and successful in their careers. Hockey had been their shared sport in prep school and then college.

Bob is a happy man – until he has visits from the FBI and calls from the IRS. Something is amiss in his golden world.

At 186 pages, 60 Miles from Salt Water is a very fast read. The author’s reliance upon the reader to fill in the blanks of his characters and details of the story allows its brevity. Using my assumptions about the wealthy elite, I colored in the sketches the author provides around prep school friendships that last for years, the trust engendered as the ‘haves’ generate money together, and the risks the innocent have of getting sucked in by the power elite. I felt as though I participated in the creation of the story!

The author’s depiction of Bob seems to me to be the fantasy life of a successful heterosexual American man. Bob awakens and steps outside his Malibu house and swims in the ocean. Bob has well-developed pecs and abs, lots of money, a sexually- adventurous, smart, and beautiful girlfriend (not pressuring him for commitment), and a stunning and capable female assistant who shares work-related information with him by talking dirty:

“He loved her early morning reports. Always accurate, on target, and filthy. Just what the doctor ordered.”

I really liked the title of this book. I found the sub-heading to be more pertinent to the story line: A Tale of Wall Street Lies, Lust and Redemption. I read about the lies and the lust – I missed the redemption. Redemption might have helped me care about the characters. Instead, they just seemed a bit embarrassed that they were stupid. I wonder, is this an accurate portrayal of those who are working on Wall Street?

I hope not.

Rating: 1.5/5

Joanne is an organization development and human resources professional with a business background living in Ohio. She has lived in Europe, Africa (including her Peace Corps service in South Africa), and arround the United States. She loves to plays volleyball, read, write, and has a cat named Ender.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Newman Communications. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Critical Care by Theresa Brown

[ 3 ] September 10, 2011

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

Theresa Brown’s book Critical Care is a great read for anyone interested in learning how a nurse gets through her own critical first year of nursing. Brown was a Tufts English writing professor who gave it up to become a nurse. She writes with clarity and with empathy for her patients. The book highlights several pivotal moments in her career and shows how she had to learn about the profession and about herself in an effort to better serve the patients that she cared for.

Brown understands her role as a nurse and caregiver. Later in the memoir, she shows how the roles are reversed when she suffers a loss and becomes a patient herself. Brown’s writing is candid and the feelings are real and expressed in a way to draw the reader in. It is easy to forget that Critical Care isn’t fiction, but a true account of a nurse as she finds her place in a profession she truly believes she can improve with her input.

Rating: 4/5

Interested in other medical non-fiction? Check out our other reviews:

The Color of the Atmosphere by Dr. Maggie Kozel

Health Scare: The Truth Behind America’s Health Care Crisis by Rene P. Moret

Surviving Your Doctors by Richard Klein, MD

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by HarperOne. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Clara’s War: One Girl’s Story of Survival by Clara Kramer and Stephen Glantz

[ 0 ] July 13, 2009

Reviewed by Claudia R.

“Three centuries ago, Sobieski laid cobblestones in our town with the command that they welcome Christians and Jews equally. Our forefathers walked down these streets with a new hope, a Hatikvah of their own, they could live and flourish and pray and raise their families here in peace. For most of those 300 years, Sobeieski’s legacy was a canopy, a chuppah, which wed us, Christian to Jew, and protected us. And now, blood washed down the same cobbelstoned streets.” ~ Clara’s War

Clara’s story begins in Zolkiew, 1939, during World War II. A normal Polish-Jewish teenager, Clara suddenly finds her life turned inside out as their sleepy town becomes embroiled in a power struggle. They find themselves spending nights outside under the stars with other families as bombs drop from the skies onto the rooftops of their homes.

Eventually being on the street is no longer safe; the Russians have abandoned them to the hands of the Nazi invaders, leaving no protection from the almost ritualistic daily slaughter. Jews are being taken away in cattle cars to concentration camps, killed in the streets, the woods, their houses taken over for NAZI soldiers to despoil, children, men, women tortured, starved to death in vicious, cold hearted acts of hatred and violence.

Only the kindness of the Becks, their German housekeeper Julia, her alcoholic husband Valentine and their pretty daughter Ala, at the risk of losing their own lives, keeps Clara and 17 other people alive. They are given the dirt bunker under the Beck’s house in which to carve out a ‘home’ and place for survival, with only a carefully constructed hatch in the floorboards as contact through which the outside world is filtered through.

In painful detail Clara takes the reader through her life underground. Starvation, dehydration, fleas, heat, bed bugs, near hysteria, all a daily part of their lives, and the struggle to find inner coping mechanisms that will allow them to wait out the war, or death, whichever God brings first. With pallets for beds, buckets for bathrooms, 18 strangers become inseparable and utterly dependent on the others for sanity and survival. Every sound above them, every conversation, reverberates through the bunker, names of loved ones and the atrocities they have endured at the hands of the Nazi regime. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, the list is endless, names upon names, inexplicable horror, death upon death. Hope, as well as food and water, ebbs and flows daily through the small portal of reality for 20 months.

Only with one blue pencil and copy books, does Clara manage to record in infinitesimal detail the travesty, injustices, tragedy and heartaches, and combine them with the triumphs, kindness, bravery, small but crucial victories and power and strength of the human spirit with an indomitable will to survive against all odds into a harrowing tale of survival, where even a sneeze could be the difference between life and death.

Clara’s War depicts in agonizing and honest simplicity a story complex with fear, drama, hatred, determination, trust, love and prayer. Even at the worst of times, Clara takes the reader to a place where family means more than the fear of death, where prayer is power and trust is unconditional. The reader will despair with Clara, anguish over her losses as well as cry out with joy as the story blends the horror of the Holocaust with the generosity of the human spirit.

Beautifully written, heart wrenchingly honest, Clara’s War is a book for any reader interested in the shaping and growth of our world and the strength and perseverance of the people who carved the way for future generations.

Hear about the story in Clara’s own words.

Claudia lives on Cape Cod with her husband and two children. She entertains her passion for reading in between providing services to help empower and improve the lives of low-income residents.
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