An Amazing Story, That Deserves to Be Better Known
348480
This book is essentially the picture book that is a companion to Robert Edsel's film, The Rape of Europa.  It tells the story of a small group of young soldiers who were art historians prior to enlistment.  Following the siege (and destruction) of a 500 year old monastery where the Germans held forth for months, the Allied Forces realized that it was imperative that they know more about the religious and cultural heritage in the line of fire, so the Monument Men were pressed into service to identify churches, museums, etc., and also help return artworks stolen by the Nazis.
  The photos in this books are priceless, showing things like an aerial photo of the city of Florence, with important sites identified, to steer bombs away from them while attacking the city.
  Other photos show things like Michelangelo's David being "boxed" and encased in sand to protect it.  And there are heart wrenching photos of ancient churches that were destroyed either by accidental bombing or by retreating Nazis.

  For those interested in other aspects of this story, Edsel had now written two subsequent narratives about the work of the Monument Men in other parts of Europe and more recently a narrative about their work in Italy.

  Soon (Dec. 2013) to be a very fictionalized film starring George Clooney and other A Listers...but the true story surpasses anything Hollywood will create.
4462957
From the first sentance, you know the outcome. But what keeps you reading is the author's wonderful ability to write about such a hard subject. The  writer writes with such passion that you wonder if this story has been  based on true experience.
We just read this story for Honors English,  and when I was finished I found myself crying. The symbolism in this book  is a bit heavy for children, but it's a deeply moving story. The story is  about a little boy who has been wishing for a younger brother. But when he  comes, he's not what he expected. The unnamed author's younger brother is  nicknamed Doodle and he is physically handicapped.
The incredible life  force this story carries is just amazing. This is the sort of story that  makes you feel everything ten times more. When I set down the story, I  thought about it for another hour, seriously. It is such an amazing story  and you cannot go through life without reading this book!
I propose they  make it into a movie, a good one hopefully, because I kept invisioning  cutie pie Frankie Muniz as Doodle. Anyways, read this story because it will  change your view on everything, definately!
2674997
Everyone I ask, never heard of  Nancy Wake, the most heroic honored woman from World War II. Her story should not be forgotten. From the beginining the writer skillfully details her troubled youth, and young adulthood in the turbulent decade leading up to World War II.  Seventy years ago does not seem so long now,with all the crisis and similarity in world events today. Nancy Wake's amazing story is something everyone should remember. The news today says women should be trained in combat. Nancy Wake was a pioneer. She lead men and earned their respect, sometimes by being the "last man standing" in a drinking bout. Then by providing the Fr. resistance fighters with weapons and money. Men and women  today should read her biography. She was a true heroine and her story, as told by the author, is riveting.
1955091
I feel humbled by this book.  It is an amazing, incredible story, beautifully written, and I do not have the words to describe it.  The fact that I stayed up way too late last night because I couldn't put it down also has left me a bit blurry-eyed and foggy.

I suppose you could superficially call it A Tale of Two Mothers, but that is only one view.  We do have two very different mothers and their teenage children.  We also have minor characters who demand we consider what is a mother, a woman who gave birth or a woman who has nurtured and love?  And we have the teenagers, in all their variations and angst.  And art.  One of the mothers is an artist, and she inspires one of the teens, and we learn a lot about how she creates her art and what it means to her.

There are many layers to this book, and they are expertly and carefully woven into an unforgettable narrative.  We read about Mia carefully cutting and scraping and adding pieces to her artwork, and so the author has shown us a wonderful assortment of characters with depth and feeling.  Even the person I saw as the villain could be seen as the heroine by other readers.  There are shades of right and wrong and I chose which side I was cheering for, but you might totally disagree.

I had previously read Everything I Never Told You, and I thought it was an excellent book, but Little Fires Everywhere is even better.

If you enjoy beautifully written, thoughtful books with three-dimensional characters with complex emotions, you might add this book to your best of 2017 list, as I have.
2236608
Amazing stuff, I have no idea why this unforgettable book is not more widely recognized and praised as a masterpiece, comparable only to G.R.R. Martin's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dying-of-the-Light/dp/0553383086/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dying of the Light</a>&nbsp;in my opinion:  less lyrical and tender, but more raw and gritty because grounded in political reality and the conflicts and imperfections of human nature.

A word of warning for readers unfamiliar with this author who specialized in historical fiction:  this is not a Hollywood all's well that ends well story full of sympathetic heroes.  Like many of Holland's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/other/dp/031286888X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">other</a>&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/stories/dp/039441277X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">stories</a>, it will break your heart without providing any cliched romantic ending - thus the earlier comparison to Dying of the Light -which ends on a beautiful, poetic note- none of that here, sorry.

Like her historical fiction, this one example of Cecelia Holland writing sci-fi is rewarding reading: gripping and terribly real, with no concession to soap opera/space battles cliches or happily ever afters.
4794632
I previously wrote a review for this book when I had only read half of it. At that point, I thought I wouldn't be able to finish it because of the somewhat juvenile writing style. I did, however, truck on through, and am writing now to give it the credit it deserves. If I could, I would edit my star-rating and give this one more star, but unfortunately, that can't be changed.

While the writing is a bit dull at parts, and the editing and ghost writing could be vastly improved, the story itself makes the book absolutely worth reading. The horror that Carolyn and her children underwent is heartbreaking, and a real call-to-arms about this dire situation in our own country. This book will undoubtedly prove valuable in the months and years to come, as we analyze the FLDS situation, the realities of systemic religious abuse, and the difficulties of prosecuting a religious group. Jessop tells her story with heart, and even if you're nit-picky like me, if you have persistence, you'll be glad you finished this amazing story.
957989
This book is a triumph of vision and writing by Frank Herbert, a story in scope and detail that merits being read more than once.  It is not often that I give five star ratings, as I believe they should be reserved for the very best, and this book exceeds that criteria.

Without giving details, I will say the story is a Hero's journey of growth and discovery, but done in a unique and interesting way.  The story builds from the beginning with information on the main character(s) along with the mythology and history of the universe.  Seen through the eyes of the central characters, the small details located throughout the reading, provide clues and knowledge of the world, building slowly to a final crescendo.

If you like science fiction, then this book is definitely worth reading.
3920175
It's stories like this, that seem almost unfathomable, that the world needs most to read and remember. I couldn't put this book down. Such an amazing tale of heroism, of wanting to save lives and be a part of something bigger. I can't imagine the pain that lingered from everything that took place, but I find myself saddened that Pino didn't truly find peace from it all until very late in life. Thank you for writing this book, and thank you to his family for allowing it to be shared.
2978548
This is a really well written book about an amazing true story that few people know about and even fewer have written about.

The book reconstructs the events surrounding a military plane crash
ash in then Dutch New Guinea in May, 1945, and the amazing adventures of the three survivors of the twenty-four aboard and the almost as amazing successful efforts to bring the survivors back to civilization. I say civilization because they crashed in a remote area inhabitated by a tribe of stone age cannibals in a lost valley so beautiful it was named Shangri-La.

This story has all of the ingredients of a first rate novel: A plane crash in a remote jungle; three survivors all of which suffered from varying degrees of injuries; a tribe of stone age natives that were rumored to be cannibals; volunteer rescuerers from paratroopers to engineers and pilots that are the stuff of legend; and an author that did his home work and found, among his research, one sole survivor living in Oregon and still remembered by the native tribesmen and an unread diary that is rich in detail. To read about the ultimately successful efforts to rescue the survivors by using gliders, not in one trip but three, is to again be reminded of the can-do attitudes of our armed forces in wwII. What a feat.

All in all this is a must read for any reader looking for a great story written by a first rate writer. I ended up reading this one in one sitting late into the night. I would not be surprised if a movie was not forthcoming. What a story. Highly recommended.
4344838
An amazing tale that has almost been missed by history. It's hard to believe it's actually true, but apparently it is.
3357147
I must first start my review by giving some of my background. My in-laws were Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors. I started dating my husband in 1969, which in retrospect was only 24 years after their liberation from the camps. Growing up as a Jewish child of a mother who was born in Poland, and emigrated with her mother to Canada in 1926, 2 years after her father had gone to Canada, leaving family members behind who perished, was not the same as having this connection. However, through all these years, many of us only think about the 6,000,000 Jews who died in the holocaust, not realizing how this event affected all of Europe.

The story of Hitler and all his followers is one that has been told by many more recently, and this is an excellent example. All of these stories need to be told, and even though this is a fictional tale of what happened, the basic elements of the story are accurately told, and they are the important ones. What went on in Ravensbruck, the fact that Herta Oberheuser is a doctor who existed, and the experimental surgeries that she performed really happened, is something that people need to know about, and not deny.

Caroline Ferriday is a hero who's story also needs to be told more often. Her efforts may have begun during the war while helping the orphans in France, however her work with the Ravensbruck Rabbits is one that was told very well in The Lilac Girls.

For all those who think that the memories that Kasia and Zuzanna lived with should have been things that they could overcome, I can assure you that those who live through this never truly forget. The more I read, the more I realize why my in-laws always reacted to certain things the way they did. Martha Hall Kelly has done an excellent job bringing this story to us in a way that will have you remember it forever.
4753044
Such an important story, a must read. I wish there were a way to make it required reading for all!
1655627
This is an incredibly important, uplifting story of an "average" American who made great sacrifices and risked his life to help others in a land far, far away.  Greg Mortensen is a true hero and has done more to help eradicate the root causes of terrorism (the lack of education and/or the brainwashing of impressionable children in the guise of education) than just about everyone else.  He is a great example of how much difference one person can make in the lives of thousands of others.  This should be required reading for students, politicians, and others around the world.

Having said all of that, I did not like the way that Greg's story was told.  The author, David Oliver Relin, is a journalist and I expected him to be more objective.  It is clear that Greg Mortensen is a hero, but the author feels the need to bludgeon the reader over the head with that statement when is not at all necessary.  Anyone reading the facts will come to that conclusion.

I appreciated the photos which were provided. They put a face to several of the key Pakistani and American people portayed in the book, so they were more real.  The map was also helpful except that several of the towns which were discussed in the last quarter of the book weren't pictured (so it was harder to place them in geographical context).

I recommend this book to everyone, and I plan to donate to the charity which Greg established.
1251351
I listened to this story read by the author.  It is an amazing story, but it is also amazing that she did so well with her rendition.  I am not acquainted with how these stories are made audible, but it constantly amazes (an overused word  maybe, but it is appropriate because I am amazed) me how readers can read in so many voices  the sea captain sounds different than the lawyer who sounds different from the little boy, etc., and Ms Ozeki is able to do as well as any of them.  It was also notable that at the end she gave a review of the differences between the book and the audio, it goosed me to go borrow it from the library for my wife to read, but also so I could look at it as well.
 In the story, Now lives in Tokyo, and starts to write a diary or maybe it would be better termed, a memoir.  Ruth lives on an island off Vancouver's coast.  Ruth is a novelist between projects.  She has come to a point where she does not know how to attack her subject in her next book.  She has moved to this island from Manhattan to be with her husband.  At first, it was also with her demented mother, but she has passed away, so now she just lives here with her husband and cat, Pesto, nicknamed Pest.
 She was walking on the beach and found a package washed up on the shore.  She took it home to dispose of, but her husband opened it and found various objects, one of which was the diary of Now.  The history of the package is unknown (a bit of a spoiler, you never find out how it got packed up so, nor into the sea), but it is surmised that it was flotsam that was the result of the Fukushima tsunami, just caught up in the flood, and washed out far enough to float with the currents.
 Now's story is of a fifteen (15) year old girl who is very unhappy with everything  her parents, her school, her future, etc.  The only thing that makes her happy is her Great-Grandmother, Jiko.  In fact the diary is started out to a biography of Jiko, but as she writes, she does not get around to writing much of her.  Now writes of herself (how odd is that?).  There is a bit of philosophy behind what Now is doing, something about how she writing for the reader in the future, who Now knows is highly speculative, but she writes as if she and the reader are connected and the reader is wondering about Now, so it becomes a book for the time being  Now writing in the present, the reader reading in the future.
 As the story develops, impossible things happen, and you wonder about the quality of the story, ya know, if the impossible can happen, the author can make up any development she wants to.  It just makes the story a bit more weird, but it is a vehicle to get the author's point across.
 The story is steeped in philosophy, Proust especially, but also quantum physics and a bit of psychology.  This is, of course, where I will need to actually read the book.  Listening to it you can gloss over some of the thoughts and philosophy, and it is difficult to go back and re-listen, but in a book  going back a page or two is no problem at all.  I just know I missed a lot.  Maybe reading will not help all that much, but I will try.
691687
Great read, amazing story, it has difficult subject matter at times, but very interesting and a story that should be told.
2878120
Incredible story. I would not be shocked if this is made into a movie. All themes of perseverance, resilience, race, etc... are present. An amazing story that should be shared with young readers today. I am not a sports fan, nor do I really know much about football, and I loved this book. Another reminder of how our country has not been kind to others who are not of European descent.
950507
An amazing movie and story....a testament to ingenuity, personal character and strength, and a willingness to look past the obvious and the given