In early September 1862 thousands of Union soldiers huddled within the defenses of Washington; disorganized and discouraged from their recent defeat at Second Manassas. Confederate General Robert E. Lee then led his tough and confident Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland in a bold gamble to force a showdown that would win Southern independence. The future of the Union hung in the balance. The campaign that followed lasted only two weeks; but it changed the course of the Civil War. For the sesquicentennial of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign; D. Scott Hartwig delivers a riveting first installment of a two-volume study of the campaign and climactic battle. It takes the reader from the controversial return of George B. McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac through the Confederate invasion; the siege and capture of Harpers Ferry; the day-long Battle of South Mountain; and; ultimately; to the eve of the great and terrible Battle of Antietam.
#747525 in Books Ann Kirschner 2007-06-12 2007-06-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x .80 x 5.50l; .70 #File Name: 1416541705320 pagesSala s Gift My Mother s Holocaust Story
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A major contributionBy Trudie BarrerasBecause I was so intrigued by Kirschner's research ability and writing style in her biography of Josephine Earp; and because I am convinced that the stories of the Holocaust MUST be told before all the eye-witnesses and primary sources are gone; I was delighted to be able to obtain this book. I have not been disappointed.It is of course quite different to write about one's own mother from direct interview; and to draw a biography from secondary sources. And yet; in many ways; Kirschner experienced some of the same challenges. Her mother's long-time reluctance to share her story; broken only when she was facing major surgery and finally decided to allow Ann to read all the correspondence from the time in the labor camps; was in a way the precursor of the difficulty the author later encountered obtaining the carefully hidden stories of the Earps in her subsequent writing.One vitally important insight that this narrative has confirmed for me is the incredible damage that can be inflicted by suppression of information. Obviously; the Nazi atrocities would never have been possible if there had not been a conspiracy of silence in which; sadly; the victims as well as the perpetrators were complicit. As Sala was writing to; and hearing from; her friends and relatives; the tendency from both sides was to gloss over the horrific details; not only to avoid censorship; but also to "spare" loved ones from anguish. Yet the end result was always that the situation simply got worse and worse. Truth at the beginning might well have prevented catastrophe at the end.It is my profound hope that not only the sharing of personal stories like Sala's; but also the wide availability of instantaneous news sharing that was impossible in the 1940's; will allow all of us to confront dangers and challenge tyranny with much greater effect. Kirschner has made a major contribution to this effort.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Letters received in Nazi work camp; revealed almost 50 years after the fact.By Edward MarritzThis is a great story; and it's told beautifully by Ann Kirschner. She combines her formidable researching skill with an unsentimental and heartfelt tale about her own mother's Holocaust story. Because Sala; wasn't imprisoned in a death camp; we learn a largely untold story of Nazi work camps and how slave labor fueled the Nazi war machine. We learn about Sala's protector; Ala Gartner; being hung in Auschwitz for her role in the Sonderkommando uprising which resulted in the decimation of a crematorium. Just when the world was ready to write off the Holocaust; we're given valuable insight into actual lives. Sala's gift refers to the 300+ letters Sala managed to retain throughout her imprisonment over a 5 year span. Sala never saw herself as anything special; but the testimony of the letters she preserved and protected mark her as an extraordinary woman.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. "Sala's Gift"By CustomerThis is a very moving depiction of the life of a very young girl caught up in the holocaust. The book provides an outstanding description of life in the ghetto for a young girl who is somewhat of a cannon ball. I found some of the letters sent to Sala from her sister to be repitious and didn't seem to "move the story line." Also; I noted a few inconsistencies in the book. On one occasion it was noted a particular German family didn't know any Nazi's and didn't even know what the movement was all about. Two pages after that; the book refultes this. Later on in the book it is revealed that the son of this German family was actually a Nazi officer. Now; if this family had no knowledge of the Nazi movement; and their son was serving as a German military man - something is convoluted. I must however say; that the end of the book was actually the most significant and moving part as Sala revisits her homeland with her family five decades later. It is a very good book and I recommend it; but be expected to get a little bored with some back and forth letter writing. E. A. Slanga
