Winner of the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for NonfictionWinner of the 2017 Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize“A monumental achievement…a profoundly personal account of the origins of crimes against humanity and genocide; told with love; anger and precision.†–John le Carré “A narrative; to my knowledge unprecedented. [It] should not be ignored by anyone in the United States or elsewhere.†—Bernard-Henri Levy on the front cover of The New York Times Book Review “Exceptional…has the intrigue; verve and material density of a first-rate thriller.†—The Guardian “Astonishing…An outstanding book…A story of heroes and loss.†—The New Statesman A profound and profoundly important book—a moving personal detective story; an uncovering of secret pasts; and a book that explores the creation and development of world-changing legal concepts that came about as a result of the unprecedented atrocities of Hitler’s Third Reich.East West Street looks at the personal and intellectual evolution of the two men who simultaneously originated the ideas of “genocide†and “crimes against humanity;†both of whom; not knowing the other; studied at the same university with the same professors; in a city little known today that was a major cultural center of Europe; “the little Paris of Ukraine;†a city variously called Lemberg; Lwów; Lvov; or Lviv.The book opens with the author being invited to give a lecture on genocide and crimes against humanity at Lviv University. Sands accepted the invitation with the intent of learning about the extraordinary city with its rich cultural and intellectual life; home to his maternal grandfather; a Galician Jew who had been born there a century before and who’d moved to Vienna at the outbreak of the First World War; married; had a child (the author’s mother); and who then had moved to Paris after the German annexation of Austria in 1938. It was a life that had been shrouded in secrecy; with many questions not to be asked and fewer answers offered if they were.As the author uncovered; clue by clue; the deliberately obscured story of his grandfather’s mysterious life; and of his mother’s journey as a child surviving Nazi occupation; Sands searched further into the history of the city of Lemberg and realized that his own field of humanitarian law had been forged by two men—Rafael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht—each of whom had studied law at Lviv University in the city of his grandfather’s birth; each considered to be the father of the modern human rights movement; and each; at parallel times; forging diametrically opposite; revolutionary concepts of humanitarian law that had changed the world.In this extraordinary and resonant book; Sands looks at who these two very private men were; and at how and why; coming from similar Jewish backgrounds and the same city; studying at the same university; each developed the theory he did; showing how each man dedicated this period of his life to having his legal concept—“genocide†and “crimes against humanityâ€â€”as a centerpiece for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.And the author writes of a third man; Hans Frank; Hitler’s personal lawyer; a Nazi from the earliest days who had destroyed so many lives; friend of Richard Strauss; collector of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. Frank oversaw the ghetto in Lemberg in Poland in August 1942; in which the entire large Jewish population of the area had been confined on penalty of death. Frank; who was instrumental in the construction of concentration camps nearby and; weeks after becoming governor general of Nazi-occupied Poland; ordered the transfer of 133;000 men; women; and children to the death camps.Sands brilliantly writes of how all three men came together; in October 1945 in Nuremberg—Rafael Lemkin; Hersch Lauterpacht; and in the dock at the Palace of Justice; with the twenty other defendants of the Nazi high command; prisoner number 7; Hans Frank; who had overseen the extermination of more than a million Jews of Galicia and Lemberg; among them; the families of the author’s grandfather as well as those of Lemkin and Lauterpacht.A book that changes the way we look at the world; at our understanding of history and how civilization has tried to cope with mass murder. Powerful; moving; tender; a revelation.
#51952 in Books Random House 1960-08-23 1960-08-23Original language:LatinPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.20 x 5.20l; .86 #File Name: 0385029551464 pagesGreat product!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Uncover ourselvesBy Gregory DiSalvioSt. Augustine has written a self revealing account of his past. He is vivid yet discrete in his description of grievous sin. He uncovers his nature and extols his profound wisdom. This is an important read for spiritual minded people.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. His Mother Was A Saint!By Margery LeonardAugustine was such a handful that even his mother Monica is a saint of the Church. It is no wonder that half the boys in my Confirmation class took the saint name of Augustine when they learned of his prayer; "Lord; help me to be good--but not yet." Yet Augustine--womanizer; father of an out-of-wedlock baby--finds faith. Known as the "Poet of the Church;" Augustine's beautifully written Confession is his honest account of his faith journey; demonstrating that there is hope for us all. Recognized as one of the 100 most significant literary works of all times; this edition is leather bound with gold edged pages; a meaningful gift or addition to one's own library.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. 1600 Years Old; and Still Powerful !By Jim MartinTo think this work was written 1600 years ago! The fact that this masterpiece is still in existence is amazing; and also; as you will see; a rare gift.What we find here is a very honest account of one man and his quest to find himself through all of the obstacles that life throws at you on a daily basis. The first thing that struck me is how sincere and honest St. Augustine is. He literally pours out his heart on every single page. Speaking directly with God; he discusses almost every facet of his life from: birth; parents; philosophy; education; mankind; loneliness; despair; gossip; sin; doing right; doing wrong; the joy of doing wrong; and eventually salvation and service.After years of adversity; we see St. Augustine at long last; turns his heart toward God; and he accepts the faith of Christianity as his own. This is a volume that should be read by all; not just by Christians. We can all learn a thing or two from St. Augustine like `no one is perfect'. Only God knows how many times we falter; and how many times we drift even further from doing the right thing. But; the important note is that after St. Augustine realized he couldn't fight it anymore; and that something was missing in his life; he realized that he could never be complete without God in his life. He turned away so many times because he was lost in the lust of all his worldly pleasures; one of them being women. However; when he finally joined with God; he stated that he no longer needed anything; but His words. There are many touching experiences found in this book... Without question; I received more from this paperback than originally anticipated.There is something in this book for all mankind to heed. These are the books that should never be lost for they possess the little secrets that we as human beings can learn from and apply in our own lives so that we can touch others as well. I think I could write a review that is 3 pages long on this detailed material. Within this book; one finds many treasured lessons to apply in everyday life. I wish I could list them all but you will just have to read; and discover them for yourself.
