In Civil War Columbia; South Carolina; no women were more gossiped about than Amelia Feaster and her teenage daughter; Marie Boozer. The Philadelphia-born Feaster; a widow three times before her thirty-first birthday; aided the Union war effort from her home; while Marie became infamous for her beauty and vanity. For over a century; scandalous tales of these women have been published across the nation; linking them to rich and powerful men both at home and abroad. Historian Tom Elmore sorts through the many myths and legends--involving such things as adultery; decapitation and the Russian tsar's jewels--about Feaster and Boozer to present the first fact-based biography of these two nineteenth-century tabloid queens.
#108589 in Books 2016-08-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.40 x .50 x 5.50l; .62 #File Name: 1621575152250 pages
Review
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful. √ Auschwitz Prisoner A4406By BassocantorMEASURE OF A MAN starts off with the author; as a boy; in a German concentration camp. Martin was quickly separated from most of his family--and many relatives he would never see again. Martin was sent to the line on the right; where the prisoners were allowed to live. Those on the left--including many of his family--were killed.We've heard the Auschwitz story before; but it bears repeating. The young boy was witness to astonishing acts of human cruelty. He witnesses a friend being used as target practice. Martin's father was a wise man who realized that in order for his son to survive; he and his son must be separated. Thus; early on; his father claimed Martin was a skilled mechanic.Like the other prisoners in Auschwitz; Martin was given a tattoo. In his case "A4406." For some reason; the young man was sent to the camp laundry. There; he learned a little bit about sewing and the power of appearance. Martin had torn a Nazi shirt whilst cleaning it; and after being bloodied by the guard for his error; Martin decided to wear the shirt under his prisoner garb. "The day I wore that first shirt was the day I learned clothes possess power. Clothes don't just make the man; they can save the man. They did for me."Ironically; the hellhole of Auschwitz became his tailoring training ground--but hardly his first choice: "Of course; receiving your first tailoring lesson inside a Nazi concentration camp was hardly the ideal apprenticeship. I would have much preferred to learn my craft on Savile Row."In January of 1945; the Jewish prisoners were forced to march on the infamous "death march." Only 500 prisoners survived. Martin recalls that he was forced to carry a heavy backpack of one of the German soldiers. He and his friends took some food out of the bag to make it lighter; they realized; however; that when the soldier returned for his gear; they would be shot. They looked at the bright side: "At least we won't be hungry when he shoots us." To escape; Martin had his fellow prisoners bury him under some snow.After the war; young Martin came to America with almost nothing: "When I came to America; the only thing I had was the dirt under my fingernails." In America; he was astonished by what he saw; and he was very ignorant about the land. Seeing all the people waiting to get into Yankee Stadium; he thought; "Things must be terrible here. I've never seen so many people waiting in a bread line!"It was in 1947 that the author started work at the famous clothiers; "GGG clothiers;" named after the three Goldman brothers. There; Martin furthered his craft of tailoring and running a business. The author recounts the greatest lesson he ever received was from Mr Goldman: "The key to success in business and in life; is to 'produce quality with intrinsic value.' Its a lesson I've never forgotten." In 1977; thirty years after he started working at GGG; Martin bought the entire company.Martin eventually had the chance to tailor custom suits for presidents--even his hero; President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Martin wanted to offer some suggestions to the president; but he knew that his letters would never reach Ike. So Martin sewed a pocket into Ike's jacket; with a letter of advice for the president inside. Later on; Eisenhower quipped that there was a "Brooklyn Taylor who kept sewing foreign policy advice into his clothes." Time magazine heard the story; and the Brooklyn tailor became famous.Many years later; when Martin was the tailor to President Clinton; Clinton heard about these letters sewed in the clothing of Ike. Clinton took him aside and said; "Martin; just so you know; if you ever have anything you want to talk about; you won't need to sew letters in my pockets. I will just give you my fax number.√ All in all; MEASURE OF A MAN is a solid; inspiring story. Starting with the most horrific childhood experience one can imagine; the author worked hard; overcoming hardship few of us will ever face. In one touching chapter; we hear that because of his tragic childhood; Martin had not been able to have the traditional Bar Mitzvah of young Jewish boys. So at age 80; Martin finally got his Bar Mitzvah. This is truly an endearing story--The boy who learned to sew in Auschwitz ended up being as tailor to the most important men in the world.♫ A Review by Chris LawsonNote: I do not know the author of this book; and no one requested I write a positive review. Review copy courtesy of Edelweiss.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Couln't put it down after I started.By Joachim BoschGreat book. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down anymore until I finished it. I cried; I laughed and I was deeply inspired. a 5-Star recommend!!More detail:This is two books in one. the first part is about the horrors Mrs. Greenfield experienced in Nazi Europe (Hungary; Czechoslovakia; Poland; Germany... and how he survived.The second part is a love story to the United States of America; how he was welcomed; how he was able to strive; learn; and ultimate how his hard work and dedication gave him the opportunity to buy his boss' custom tailor factory for $100;000 in the 1960s and become the tailor for the rich; famous and powerful including many Presidents of the US.Being an Immigrant from Germany myself; the only part I was missing is perhaps more details on how visits back to Germany and to the Concentration camps; which are shown in the picture part of the book; but not mentioned in the text; affected him and how he thinks about those countries today. But perhaps there is a chance to ask him this in person some day as he seems to still be in great health. and he certainly accomplished me wanting to have a suit made by his company - so a great sales job too by showing how much work goes into a truly master custom suit.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A poster book on achieving the American dreamBy E. CorderA poster book on achieving the American dreamI thoroughly enjoyed reading this autobiography about the life of an accomplished human being. Apart from some repetition here and there; the author’s writing style is to the point with crisp sentences and short paragraphs so vivid that the reader can actually imagine being his shadow and living through his experiences.His narrative leads us from a tenacious will of a boy to survive the horrors of the Nazi regime’s concentration camps to an astounding professional career and life in the United States as our country’s premier tailor of hand-made suits for Presidents; Senators; and world renowned entertainers and actors.I wish the book were mandatory reading in high school and college English classes. It would portray to today’s “Me Generation†what the American dream is all about; what it means to survive; the value of an education; work and business ethics; quality of workmanship; taking responsibility for ones actions; and the immeasurable worth of family; faith; and building lasting friendships.
