Natalie Rothstein captures the essence of the American Jewish Immigrant experience with humor and passion. While the story is her own personal one; she tells it in a way that resonates for thousands of second and third generation American Jews..._x000D_ In the summer of 1942; when Jews throughout France were being rounded up and sent to concentration camps; twelve-year-old Simon Jeruchim; his older sister; and his younger brother were sent into hiding in separate foster homes around the countryside of Normandy. Their parents; unbeknownst to the children; were arrested and deported to Auschwitz; where they perished.Thus the young refugees avoided arrest; but they were still not safe from the ravages of the war. Staying alive meant affecting a gentile identity; even going to Mass on Sundays. Living conditions were harsh; and the far work was heavy and difficult; but even worse were the loneliness;; isolation; uncertainty; and fear that dogged young Simon day and night.After the war Simon was reunited with his siblings. They were placed in a series of homes for Jewish children;and in 1949 they were sent to begin news lives in America. Here is a story of the courage of children and compassion of strangers; and a view of the barely comprehensible events of war from the vantage point of shattered innocence. Hidden in France"is; above all; a story of survival and perseverance against all odds.
#2002203 in Books Roger E Bilstein 2001-09-17 2001-09-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .50 x 6.00l; 1.08 #File Name: 1560989645300 pagesThe Enterprise of Flight The American Aviation and Aerospace Industry
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. BookBy Matthew MoonGreat book.12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. An Outstanding Overview of a Complex Sector of the EconomyBy Roger D. LauniusThe aerospace industry has been essentially a "black box" little understood and magical in operation. Historians of flight tend to concentrate on invention; research and development; test and evaluation; and the details of military or civil operations. Accordingly; there are good histories of the development of certain aircraft; such as the F-4; and good histories of its use as an instrument of air power in the American military. There is a failure; however; to explore and understand what really took place on the shop floor of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as it built the F-4 fighter.Roger Bilstein; retired from the University of Houston-Clear Lake; pulls back the curtain on this process in "The Enterprise of Flight" and offers an outstanding overview of a whole industry. He traces its rise from the first companies that designed and built canvas and wooden biplanes in the first part of the twentieth century to the behemoths that dominate the industry at the beginning of the twenty-first century. All the household corporate names in the community are discussed--Boeing; North American; Consolidated; McDonnell; Douglas; Martin; Curtis; Wright--as well as the tycoons that made this industry arise in the United States.Bilstein also traces the many entrances and exits; mergers and corporate takeovers that have changed the landscape of the industry since the Wrights first flew on the beach at Kitty Hawk in December 1903.Taking center stage in this synthesis; which is by far the best overview available on the subject; are the twin events of World War II and the Cold War. Both energized the industry as nothing has before or since. The United States military realized early on that while air power did not assure victory; its absence could assure defeat. Accordingly; government investment in the technology of flight has been both significant and persistent. Bilstein does an excellent job telling this story with grace and insight.This paperback is a reprint of Bilstein's "The American Aerospace Industry: From Workshop to Global Enterprise;" published by Twayne Publishers in 1996; but now out of print. This reprint edition; as well as the 1996 version; are outstanding and may be read profitably both by scholars and those with a general interest.
