“[Dr. Reicher] lived through the Second World War in Poland; dodging bullets; uprisings and deportations—not to mention betrayal; starvation and airless hideouts—in a manner more reminiscent of a talented outlaw than a mild-mannered dermatologist . . . It is the impressive simplicity of the good doctor’s writing that makes [t]his book resemble [Victor] Klemperer’s; and the detailed observations of its report that makes it emotionally memorable. . . . William Carlos Williams once said that people who prize information are perishing daily for want of the information that can be found only in poetry. By the same token; there will never be a time when we will not need the information that an important; evocative book like Country of Ash provides.†—VIVIAN GORNICK; Moment magazineCountry of Ash is the starkly compelling; original chronicle of a Jewish doctor who miraculously survived near-certain death; first inside the Lodz and Warsaw ghettoes; where he was forced to treat the Gestapo; then on the Aryan side of Warsaw; where he hid under numerous disguises. He clandestinely recorded the terrible events he witnessed; but his manuscript disappeared during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. After the war; reunited with his wife and young daughter; he rewrote his story.Peopled with historical figures like the controversial Chaim Rumkowski; who fancied himself a king of the Jews; to infamous Nazi commanders and dozens of Jews and non-Jews who played cat and mouse with death throughout the war; Reicher’s memoir is about a community faced with extinction and the chance decisions and strokes of luck that kept a few stunned souls alive.Edward Reicher (1900–1975) was born in Lodz; Poland. He graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Warsaw; later studied dermatology in Paris and Vienna; and practiced in Lodz as a dermatologist and venereal disease specialist both before and after World War II. A Jewish survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland; Reicher appeared at a tribunal in Salzburg to identify Hermann Höfle and give an eyewitness account of Höfle’s role in Operation Reinhard; which sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths in the Nazi concentration camps of Poland.Country of Ash; first published posthumously in France; was translated from the French by Magda Bogin and includes a foreword by Edward Reicher’s daughter Elisabeth Bizouard-Reicher.
#2850250 in Books Ooligan Press 2007-06-01Original language:ChinesePDF # 1 11.00 x .43 x 8.50l; 1.28 #File Name: 1932010130109 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A fair coffe table bookBy Gussy SharpFor a coffee table book to meet both Chinese and American audiences; it is a fair introduction to the topic. More in depth; scholastic books like Judy Yung's Unbound Feet are available; though of limited value to local history buffs.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Enlightening!By Harold D. CoxAn excellent introduction to the Chinese immigrants that became part of Oregon and how they persevered.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A beautiful book with a lovely layoutBy J. BebbA beautiful book with a lovely layout; generous and fascinating photographs; and the sophistication of a volume you want in your library; this impressive publication tells a story that’s important to Americans. Immigrants shaped the West; including significant contributions by men from China. Let’s add some diversity and nuance to our understanding of the short history of the Wild West. Yes to gunslingers and the Pony Express; but also to Chinese miners; railroad and cannery workers; and early practitioners of sustainable agriculture. In 1870 more than half of miners in Oregon were Chinese. At the peak of the canning industry; more than two thousand Chinese worked at the trade. “Celestials†were important to industries including iron; paper and textiles as well as infrastructure development. They were often persecuted; lonely and separated from their wives and culture; and at risk for their safety. Let’s acknowledge their hard work.Dreams of the West is both dramatic and respectful of the lives of the people who helped shape Oregon. The book is a strong and unusual collaboration between the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; which has its origins in 1860s; and Portland State University’s Ooligan Press. I hope there are more efforts like this to add richness to our understanding of our past as well as our respect for the present and future strength in diversity. This is a timely book to read today and include in your library.
