Category: history

history

Strange But True, America

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: John Hafnor
Illustrator: Dale Crawford
Publisher: Lone Pine Productions
Genre: History / Trivia
ISBN: 978-0-9648175-5-5
Pages: 160
Price: $16.95

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Strange But True, America is not your typical compilation of “weird” or unusual stories. Many books of this ilk are only interesting if there is some direct connection to the reader. Not so with John Hafnor’s entertaining book of strange tales that highlights each of the 50 states.

The reader will quickly discover that after initially reading the story from their favorite state, any one of the others may be of equal or greater interest. The accounts are not only fascinating but based in historical fact. Hafnor uses only one or two pages to weave each individual tale, but that’s all he needs to fulfill his mission of “selecting the most compelling tale from your home state…and every state.” The vignettes are cleverly supplemented with an illustration by Dale Crawford that neatly augments the narratives.

You can read about an underground mine fire in Pennsylvania that caused almost an entire town to uproot their families and flee their homes. How about the legend of Poker Jim in North Dakota where he “literally dropped in on a game after his death!” Or what could be the connection between “Easy Eddie,” a certain pal of Al Capone, and how O’Hare International Airport got its name?

And when you’re through devouring these, you can turn to the section entitled, Thumbing Through America’s Weird Past, for pages of other little known facts of our country’s history.

The book is an easy and lively read that will appeal to folks of all ages and varying interests. Read it cover to cover or when the mood strikes. Regardless, it will not disappoint.

Reviewer: Gene Berger

history

The Tears of the Prophet

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Frederick Tiemann
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Genre: History / Islam
ISBN: 978-1-4349-0939-8
Pages: 90
Price: $16.00

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Many of us in the United States were raised Christian or Jewish, and have no real understanding of the Muslim faith. Since the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks, we may even look at Muslims as the enemy, despite knowing that these were the acts of radical extremists. In The Tears of the Prophet, Frederick Tiemann provides a concise reference showing how Islam began, and how it spread throughout the Middle East and beyond, with the goal of educating us about this great world religion.

In the first section, the author introduces Mohammad, who is focused on founding a new faith based on the belief in one god. As this new religion gains momentum, Mohammad’s words are recorded in the Koran, which becomes the basis for belief. Then we see the growth of Islam as followers go out to spread the word in an attempt to convert the surrounding pagan people. The last chapters focus on today’s Islam, and how it continues to evolve.

Islam and politics have historically been meshed, and now it seems they could hardly be separated. Having a better understanding of this great religion can only benefit us as the world continues to change around us. The Tears of the Prophet provides a quick and interesting read to help in this understanding.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

adventure, children, history

Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm!

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: David Shapiro
Illustrator: Christopher Herndon
Color: Erica Melville
Publisher: Craigmore Creations
Genre: Children / History / Adventure
ISBN: 978-0-9844422-1-8
Pages: 143
Price: $14.99

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Jenna and Caleb are told not to go into Uncle Al’s desk, but when they find it unlocked, they can’t resist nosing around. Uncle Al is studying the Missoula Floods, which took place during the ice age. An interactive map and travel journal offer them an unexpected opportunity to travel back in time to see it in person.

With Ari, who joins them the next day, they make the journey back to the ice age, and immediately face a preshistoric beast intent on devouring them for dinner. But a friendly thunderbird answers their call for help, and offers them taxi service. As they fly over the area, they see many extinct animals, as well as the effects of the flooding. An ice explosion, waterfalls, and whirlpools are just some of the unique sights they see.

The ice age isn’t something most people know much about, yet this time in earth’s history contributed the most to our modern-day landscape. Terra Tempo explores this era in an interesting and informative way that kids will enjoy. Time travel, adventure and the graphic novel format of this book make it an easy and fun read.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history, Holocaust, Jewish

Arbeit Macht Frei: Work Sets You Free

Bergers Book Reviews


Author & Illustrator: Isaac Millman
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Children / Jewish History / Holocaust
ISBN: 9781456333522
Pages: 60
Price: $15.00

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Isaac Millman found himself alone in Paris in 1942, at the age of nine. Both of his parents had been captured and sent to Auschwitz, and he would never see them again. Now a grandfather, he journeys back to Poland to see the last place his parents were alive.

Bringing his two grandsons with him, he tours the facility known for some of the greatest atrocities ever committed. As the tour guide shows them around, Millman captures the images with watercolors. Some are bright, where flowers have grown to hide what happened so many years ago. Others are stark black and white, depicting prison cells, the crematorium, and his father’s death certificate.

Millman takes this journey for emotional healing, and he pays his last respects to his parents at Auschwitz before he leaves. And in honoring them and attempting to let go of the past, he shares his story with others, making sure that no one ever forgets the horrors of the Holocaust.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Christian, history

A Wretched Man – A Novel of Paul the Apostle

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: RW Holmen
Publisher: Bascom Hill Publishing Group
Genre: History / Christianity
ISBN: 978-1935098218
Pages: 420
Price: $16.95

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No one did more to spread the gospel among the Gentiles than Paul. After his road to Damascus experience changed everything, he was willing to be a slave to Christ until his final days. But reading the Biblical accounts of his travels is not the same as taking the journey with him.

In A Wretched Man, the reader is offered an invitation to join Paul as he attempts to win as many Gentile converts as he can. We see Jerusalem and Rome in the midst of political and religious unrest, as well as the struggles between the men charged by Jesus to spread the word. Although much of this account is speculation, it’s clear that the Bible is a primary reference source in crafting this novel.

Paul often speaks of a “thorn in his flesh” that he prays God will take from him, but he never mentions what this affliction might be. The author’s surprising interpretation of this thorn initially made me wonder, but the more I read, the more I came to believe his ideas may have been correct. We may never know for sure, this side of Heaven, but Holmen’s theory is certainly likely, given Paul’s own words on the subject.

A Wretched Man is well-written and solidly Biblical, while also being immensely dramatic and human. One can’t help but feel a new and higher regard for the apostles who faced persecution but risked it all in spreading the gospel message. It will be impossible to read Acts or Paul’s letters without seeing them in the context of this period of intense unrest, and marveling at the sacrifices these men were willing to make. I highly recommend this moving tribute to the man most responsible for spreading the good news of Christianity.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history

Miles and Zoey: The Family Tree

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Kimberly Mayhoe
Publisher: Butterfly Ink Publishing
Genre: Children / History
ISBN: 978-0-9745423-3-1
Pages: 144
Price: $7.00

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Miles and Zoey have just moved to Texas after their parents’ separation. While Zoey is grateful for a fresh start, Miles misses his father and friends back in California. But the family tree book in the attic and the old oak tree outside will bring surprises to both.

Suddenly, they find themselves transported back to Virginia in 1857, helping a runaway slave reach freedom. As black children, they may also be mistaken for slaves, and they’re forced to run with him. Luckily, they know enough history to be a help rather than a hindrance to the man they’re assisting.

History books can’t capture what black fugitives faced in their daring escapes to freedom. In Miles and Zoey, kids get a first-hand look at the fear and the danger of being on the run, and the exhilaration upon reaching the Canadian border, a free man at last.

Kids will relate to the siblings bickering with each other, but pulling together when it really mattered. They’ll even learn some history along the way. My one small nitpick is the use of he/him and she/her interchangeably, not according to the proper rules of grammar. But overall, Miles and Zoey is an exciting, fast-paced book that really draws the reader into the story and historical setting.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

fiction, history

The Amen Heresy

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: W.H. Muhlenfeld
Publisher: Bascom Hill Books
Genre: Fiction / Suspense
ISBN: 978-0-9820938-4-9
Pages: 340
Price: $15.95

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Dvir Gottlieb was about to disclose a secret that would stun the religious community. But fearing his untimely demise, he sent word to two of his closest colleagues to be sure his message would not die along with him. Jack Fisher and Sami Salaa are both mystified by the unusual message Gottlieb sent them, but they join forces, along with Ariel Hadar, in solving this ancient puzzle.

Gottlieb had discovered an ancient scroll which would reveal that the Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhenaten, had been the first monotheist, and that he had in fact been the founder of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. But religious leaders in Israel are determined to squash this information before it undermines their hold on their people. And a wealthy Egyptian wants this scroll for himself, so he can start his own cult of worship.

As Jack, Ariel, and Sami search for the copper scroll, they are hunted by those who seek to keep the knowledge secret, or use it for their own gain. Their adventure is fraught with danger and intrigue, but as they get closer to their goal, there’s no longer any option to turn back.

One can’t help but admire these three unlikely seekers. Jack Fisher is an ex-priest and a man with a painful past. Sami Salaa is a Palestinian boy of the streets, with keen intelligence and loyalty. And Ariel Hadar is a beautiful woman who’s tired of men who love her and leave her, and wants something more satisfying and permanent.

The Amen Heresy is well-written and fast-paced, drawing the reader in and hooking him quickly. The plot is interesting and plausible, though one can’t help but wonder if Akhenaten’s religion was actually influenced by Joseph, rather than the other way around. Only your own faith will provide the answer.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history

The Astonishing Journey of Teddy Bodain

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Melissa Forney
Illustrator: Dave Olson
Publisher: Buttery Moon Multimedia
Genre: Children / History
ISBN: 978-0-9790094-5-7
Pages: 214
Price: $17.95

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Theodosia (Teddy) Bodain and her family are moving from Mississippi to Florida. They’ve joined a wagon train, and their 1,000 mile journey will take about four months, if all goes well. The year is 1892, and Florida is a vast wilderness, just waiting to be developed.

Teddy decides to share her adventures with her best friend, Martha, through a series of letters. She tells of the people she meets, the sights she sees, and her experiences in traveling such a vast distance. But along the way, her family runs into trouble when illness strikes the wagon train and everyone is separated in the confusion.

Once Teddy finds herself alone, she must rely on her wits and the kindness of others to survive and ensure she makes it to her destination safely. But will evil strike Teddy along the way?

Melissa Forney has nicely captured the lure and excitement of this dramatic family move across the country. Although the Bodains seek their fortune and a happy future, nothing is certain when crossing such dangerous and unfamiliar territory. History, family and friendship are seamlessly woven together in this well-written and interesting tale. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, history, tween

Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Rona Arato
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Kids
ISBN: 978-0-88776-967-2
Pages: 192
Price: $9.95

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Moshe Kapustin has no idea he’s just traded his family’s firewood for a pet dragon, when he receives the mysterious egg from the peddler. But when the dragon, Snigger, saves them from the Cossacks and allows them to leave Russia for a new life in America, the family decides he will have to come with them. So they depart for New York on a quest to find their father, who has already arrived in America five years earlier.

A mistake at Ellis Island changes the family name to Kaputnik, and life becomes challenging as they adjust to life in New York. In 1898, immigrants faced hardship and struggle in their new country, but when you also have a dragon, things get even more complicated. Somehow, just as in Russia, Snigger seems to have a knack for making things better.

Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium is a light-hearted story of a Russian Jewish immigrant family to New York. Shoshi and Moshe want to help their mother be successful in their new country, but they also struggle with what they left behind. Living in America is so different from Russia and at times they miss their old country.

Many kids today have no idea what their immigrant ancestors faced when they came to the United States. Although this novel doesn’t paint the dire situations many had to deal with, it doesn’t show life as all rosy either. In a fun and humorous way, Rona Arato has shown us life at the turn of the last century, and given us a glimpse into our own history books. I highly recommend this delightful story.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

history

From That Flame

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: MaryAnn T. Beverly
Publisher: Kallisti Publishing
Genre: Historical Fiction / Biography
ISBN: 978-0-9761111-8-4
Pages: 348
Price: $19.95

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In September, 2001, just two days before terrorists struck the United States, Ahmed Shah Massoud was assassinated. This great Afghan military leader, known as the Lion of Panjshir, had been fighting the Taliban and Osama bin Laden before most of us in the US even knew of that terrorist’s existence.

When MaryAnn T. Beverly read about Massoud, she was instantly captivated by the heroic actions he had been taking in valiantly and steadfastly fighting for his country’s freedom. From That Flame attempts to capture the essence of his personality through a fictional account of an interview with a female journalist, Michelle Garrett.

Michelle initially approaches Massoud because of his strong stand in favor of women’s fair and equal treatment. But she switches the slant of her article after being caught up in several battles with the Taliban, as his forces try to fend off their sneaky foe.

As Michelle interviews Massoud, we learn more about him as a person. History will show him as a brilliant military man, but there was a softer and gentler side to him that the author also wants people to see. A devout Muslim, he would pray with his men and alone, and he condemned the radical beliefs of the Taliban. He grieved each man’s death, even after many years of fighting. And Massoud was a loyal friend to those worthy of his friendship.

Although at times I felt the relationship between Michelle Garrett and Massoud didn’t ring quite true, I did agree with the author that a fictional account was the most appropriate means of showing us more about this extraordinary man. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, since I’ve never had much of an interest in what went on in the Middle East, but From That Flame is a surprisingly interesting story. Reading about the struggles in Afghanistan and how the people are affected puts US involvement there in a whole new perspective.

Reviewer: Alice Berger