In This Hospitable Land Written By Lynmar Brock, Jr

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A spectacular history lesson telling how families in Europe, specifically those from Belgium and France, existed during WWII. The story is fiction but based on true facts and true people in their desperate struggle to keep their families alive and safe. The struggle to keep ahead of the Nazi's when the war started for those living in Belgium became an hour to hour situation, never knowing for sure which way the German's were heading, but always knowing that their search for Jews was the German's utmost goal. Hitler had spread the word down to all his commands to capture anyone that was Jewish or even part Jewish. They would then transport them to interment camps where, depending on their age, sex, and value to helping the Nazi's, they were killed or kept to work for the Nazi's.

Andre' Sauverin was a professor at the Free University in Brussels. Andre' and his family were from a Jewish family and he knew they would be targeted by the Nazi's because of their looks. Immediately the bombings started forcing all that could reach a shelter into the nearest place of safety, even though it might be only a crude place. In those first days the rush to flee the city became of the utmost urgency. Andre' and his brother Alex gathered their families and started the exodus towards France where they thought they would be safe for a while. All modes of transportation were jammed as were the roads with many fleeing their homeland to keep their families safe as long as possible. Andre' and Alex gathered their families and took their old Buick with a trailer attached behind for all their goods for which they had space. Their long travel was extremely difficult as they negotiated many mountain passes and trails. The days were long and the nights longer. Andre' and Alex laid out the best possible methods of travel to get their families through each day hoping for a safe place to stay at night and for some food to keep them nourished. They took what little food they had but it didn't last long. Some nights they were fortunate to find shelter, and even more rare, some food. Churches along the route helped tremendously as many pastors were a part of the resistance slowly being organized to resist the takeover of their nation. The problem was knowing who to trust and who would turn you in.

The trek by any means available from public transportation where available, to scarce automobiles, to horse-drawn carts, to walking was used while trying to avoid the German's and those that the German's made part of a controlling police force to assist in capturing Jews. Those in local governments were told they must help enforce the German law in all of Belgium, some willingly and many not so. The travels through Belgium and eventually France were long and hard.

They took the less traveled roads to avoid capture. Andre' had to leave to return to check on the Free University and his fellow professors. When he got there he was told that the university was closed for safety sake and all were to leave the area. The family had a stash of diamonds that they hid not knowing if those diamonds might save their lives some day or obtain food when all other sources were depleted.

Eventually they had to hide the Buick in an old barn and they continued on to race against time. They were advised many times where to go and who to trust but life was so hard as they, and many other refugees from Belgium felt insecure as they were continually notified that the German's and those helping them were searching the areas near where they traveled. The families were split apart, even some of each family had to go elsewhere thus breaking up Andre' and Alex's families even more.

The story has to be read fully to understand what these brave people went through in wartime. So many times when you thought you were safe you would hear of atrocities in nearby towns that thankfully you escaped this time. I thank Lynmar Brock, Jr. so much for giving us this story of brave people and how they existed as a family. As with every family there are deaths, illness, growing pains, maturity, reaching out to each other for help, and all other things that normally occur in lives but these were not normal lives at all.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

(A) the Seventeenth Century Trade-En Tour of Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook

Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook is not really about Vermeer, or hats, or art for that matter. It's a book about sixteenth century-style globalization. Using elements from a few of the Dutchman's "-plus some others from the period, the author identifies evidence of global trade, of the economic history of a century that saw the opening up of the commerce on a scale the world had previously not known. And unlike the more academic studies of Wallerstein or Gunder Frank, Timothy Brook's book is accessible even to the casual reader. Its approach is highly original; its style is lucid and clear; its scholarship is nothing less than phenomenal.

Early in the text the author reminds us of the fundamental difference between the image and the passing narrative of art. "" Are not "taken", like photographs; " Timothy Brook writes, "they are" made ", carefully and deliberately and not to show an objective reality so much as to present a particular scenario. Objects in a painting are there for a reason. They are part of a narrative or comment that the artist chooses to relate, perhaps consciously. Our tasks as observers are mostly to interpret as well as images, as well as merely see. And make no mistake, the process is intellectual, not just aesthetic. With an admirable eye for detail, Timothy Brook thus analyses seventeenth century "for evidence of international trade. But this is only a starting point for a truly global tour.

(A) in the case of the beaver hat, for instance, leads him to relate the story of how French expeditions into Canada sought pelts to feed demand for high fashion in Europe. It was the beaver's fortune or misfortune to be born-perhaps with a fur that, when transformed into felt, remained waterproof, and hence not available its shape in the rain. The consequences of this trade-apart from the obvious ones for the beavers, included conflicts with indigenous people, followed by subjugation and, in some cases, annihilation.

(A) in the case of Chinese vengase, a Turkish carpet and other artefacts around the house lead to the history of trade with the east and thus into how China developed into a manufacturing centre that sucked in Spanish colonial silver from South America to pay for its wares. (A) discussion of the galleon trade leads to Spain's annexation of Manila and later the whole of the Philippines. In order to compete the Portuguese establish in Macau and the Dutch colonise the spiced islands.

What impresses the reader of Vermeer's Hat is Timothy Brook's skill-an artist's skill, no less-in assembling potentially disparate scenes into an engaging and ultimately convincing narrative. Economic history thus becomes an engaging story that makes perfect sense. By the end of the century the British were also on the scene, having taken advantage of victories over the competition.

We follow the spice trade, the spread of tobacco, trade in silk and ceramics and, of course, the lives of people who pursued and controlled the commerce. We learn how administrators and rulers reaped their own rewards, how illicit goods were smuggled in the same holds as declared cargoes;. We see fortunes made and lost, the ships sailed, created and destroyed reputations and sunk. And certainly we recognise the world as we know it, in a modern world where only the technology is different. Vermeer's Hat is a must for anyone who thinks that globalization might be a recent phenomenon.

Philip Spires Author of Mission and A Fool Knoten, African novels set in Kenya http://www.philipspires.co.uk/Migwani is a small town in the Kitui District, eastern Kenya. My books examine how social and economic change impact on the lives of ordinary people. They portray characters whose identity is bound up with their home area, but whose futures are determined by the globaised of the world in which they live.

Book Review For "The Conquering Passion"

Book Review for: "Conquering Passion"
Written by: Anna Markland
Self Published
ISBN: 978-0-9878673-0-8
Avail as: ebook and print book
4 Stars

Markland writes a sweeping epic of Norman with "Conquering Passion." Rambaud (Ram) de Montbryce is a Norman noble and a trusted assistant to William the Conqueror. His own heart refuses to be tamed until he meets Mabelle de Valtess, but dare they give into the passion she invokes?

The story is set against the countryside of Normandy 1066. The Ram is a young man and heir to his lands. His father arranges his marriage to a Norman noblewoman, Mabelle. Unfortunately, the Ram has no desire to marry, especially a woman who hasn't seen. He'd rather follow his lord, William, Duke of Normandy to England.

Is his way home to be married, the Ram finds a woman laying in the grass near a lake, coved by bluebells. It's Mabelle. Both parties mistake the scene. Ram returns to his castle and ' magic of the wedding, and her father insulting Mabelle. Within months he leaves to accompany William to England.

War gives the Ram a different perspective is life and he comes to realize what a gem they had found in the real Mabelle. William gives the Ram in the land in the Welsh Marches. Ram inspects his land and is injured by a Welsh Prince, Rhodri. As Ram, recovers in the home of a Saxon noblewoman, he finds comfort in her arms. Once he's well again, he goes to the Normandie intent is winning Mabelle's heart, but will his past actions and previous reluctance make going forward with his life a duty without pleasure or will they find true passion?

Markland has done her research and it shows. The setting's authentic feel makes the reader believe they're a squire in Ram's care along for the ride. The author uses a good economy of words to paint vivid descriptions of the time. The plot moves at a nice pace, never lingering.

The characters are interesting and likable. Mabelle is loyal and honest and it's easy to identify with her. Ram, a soldier of the time embodies, confident and heroic, but fickle when it comes to listening with his heart. The supporting cast of characters helps to round out the story and give the novel it's epic effect.

For me, the story feels more like the beginning of a family saga than a historical romance, since the Ram is not faithful in deeds to Mabelle. There were some formatting errors with the Kindle edition, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. There are several love scenes, while appropriate to the story, are not for the faint of heart.

"Conquering Passion" is full of greed, betrayal, loyalty, nobility, and love. The novel takes the reader is the first adventure of the Montbryce family.

Reviewed by: s. Burkhart

StephB is an author who likes to read many books and a variety of different genres. StephB is an author at http://www.Writing.Com/which is a site for Creative Writing.

Enterprise, America's Fightingest Ship And The Men Who Helped Win World War II.

An excellent factual book that takes this fabulous ship from day of launching to the day she was scrapped. The Enterprise, as you will learn in this finely detailed book, had a torrid history in the Pacific area with only a few short jaunts elsewhere. If you are looking for a fictional war book, the Enterprise is NOT for you. Barrett Tillman has researched far and wide to obtain the history of the ship, its commanders over the years, the many other officers that assisted her, running the many sailors that available her shipshape, the various airplanes and pilots that lived, and some that died on or near her, the many sorties flown by her airmen, the many air battles against the Japanese in the air and on landthe attacks have many Japanese ships, and the losses of so many good men, the American and Japanese.

You will feel as though you are walking in the footsteps of these battle weary men whether they are on the ship, in the air, or on a brief leave to attempt to settle their minds and bodies. The men of the Enterprise actually never relaxed; they lived in the Enterprise as though she were a part of them and they were a part of the ship. The Enterprise was launched the October 3, 1936 as one of the original "fast carriers" in the American fleet. Compared to today's carriers the Enterprise was a midget but in those days she was a monster capable of holding her own in action. Helpful she was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their attack on December 7, 1941, is a despicable, for those ships that were there suffered slight to mostly total destruction of ships and a huge loss of men.

This is a factual book gives a very vivid detailed description of her, her men, and her airplanes in action throughout the war. It details each battle, each type of aircraft and the updating of them as the war went, while giving the reader a history of the various areas in which the Enterprise was active. You will learn the many battles fought in the land, the sea is the island, and in the air to take back areas that the Japanese had captured in the beginning of the war. The Enterprise had quite a few commanders each with his own temperament and personality and interacted with the ships ' men as different as day and night. Speaking of night, the Enterprise was the first carrier to train and fly night missions, a very challenging act by pilots and directors, both launching and landing deck.

You will feel the hits the ship, both directly and indirectly, took from the depth of the carrier to the top of the ships ' island. Towards the end of the war the kamikazes flew into various ships to inflict the most damage while committing suicide, the ships were generally terribly damaged and suffered much loss of life. The action between ships when a convoy was moving together gave a lot of problems, some because of weather but mostly because of safety from attack is the ships closer together. When an airplane went down either by shooting by the Japanese or because of problems with the plane itself, some crews were rescued by a nearby ship, some were fortunate to be in a life raft and survived for days before help arrived, but some had no chance of survival. A few were captured by the Japanese and most of these Americans suffered through torture. Many of the air battles are described along with the problems with airplanes trying to stay close and be in contact with each other and/or the ships.

I think you have a good idea as to what to expect now in the "Enterprise" but no brief synopsis can do the book justice. You must read it if you are a history Brodin StreamBase, especially the naval and air parts of the military during World War II.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

How to Learn About History and Have Fun

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Would you like to know more about history and do you like reading but you don't want to spend any time studying? Reading historical novels may do just the trick. Bot not every historical novel is suitable for acquiring the knowledge you want to have. In this article we will look at two authors who researched the historical background for their fictional heroes with great care. You can be absolutely sure that the historical facts, personalities and circumstances mentioned in their books are true. The interactions between our heroes and historical figures are pure fantasy of course, but they are so well written that they have a ring of truth about them.

An unlikely couple: Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin.

These men are the brain-children of Patrick O'Brian. Jack Aubrey is the son of a General of the British Army during the time of the wars with Napoleon. Jack joined the Royal Navy and we follow his career, starting as a commander of a sloop and rising to higher ranks during numerous adventures. Jack is a tall and strong fellow, a keen sailor and a warrior to the core. As a sailor his competence and courage are unsurpassed; a clever chap too, but not an intellectual. Of course he is very much a ladies man. All the ingredients for thrilling adventures are there, don't you think? The world in which Jack lives is very richly painted by O'Brian. Life on board of a British warship during the 1800's is so well described that you can find your way from stem to stern in your imagination. You will meet historical personalities such as Lord Melville and Peter Haywood, who served as a midshipman under Captain Bligh, the hapless commander of the Bounty.

Dr. Stephen Maturin M.D. is quite a different character. A scholar, highly intelligent and an endearing eccentric. He and Jack meet each other in the first chapter of saga and are inseparable ever since. Through the acts of Dr. Maturin and the workings of his inquisitive mind, you will get an idea of science in the eighteenth century. The hidden secretive other life of Maturin, of which I cannot reveal anything, is interwoven with the adventurous life of Jack. Jack a man of direct action, Stephen a man of political stratagems. You can't stop reading.

Captain Horatio Hornblower, a lonely hero.

Captain Hornblower is not so easy to describe. His character is a mixture of that of Jack Aubrey and Dr. Maturin. A man who doesn't think much of himself, self-doubting but when the situation requires is he acts swift and decisively. Horatio a man of action, acts not driven by an urge to fight but realizes clever naval strategy. When you can lay a hand on any Hornblower novel, buy it! They are out of print nowadays.

Have look at my blog about historical books: http://john-historybooks.blogspot.com/

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Zuyderduyn

Book Review-Israel by Martin Gilbert

Authors often struggle with the challenging task of translating the history into a manageable and enjoyable read. When shrinking the years packed with a plethora of events into a book, it's easy to miss details, names and stories that may have transcended the way history "really happened". Sir Martin John Gilbert is no stranger to this challenge, having written over 80 books on a variety of history topics and has become an expert in the trade. His expertise is evident in his incredible book Israel.

Israel is the story of a modern-day miracle. (A) the fledgling country that originally dates back to over 4,000 years, the Israel we know today started with practically nothing, and has become one of the most influential, modern and talked-about nations in only 64 years. A melting pot of people, emotions and beliefs, Martin Gilbert takes an incredibly complex and action-packed the chronicle of events and explains it with precision and intellect. From the first days of the inception of Thermodynamics by Theodore Herzl in 1897 founded on to an overview of the recent Lebanese war in 2006, the book does not miss a beat, covering the names and brief history of every kibbutz ever founded on in Israel-one of the ultimate statements of the nation's soul since its inception.

The greatest aspect of Gilbert's the writing is in his ability to portray both sides of the history, the pros and cons, the good and the evil. Israel does not sugarcoat the evolution of the country of Israel. It talks about the many challenges of the Palestinian conflict, the mistakes the government made as well as the senseless acts of hatred that were performed by both Jews and Arabs in modern history. It is these are the sour notes with the magical entrepreneurial spirit of one of the fastest-growing and innovate nations in the world, the rich religious culture that is relevant to the three most popular religions of mankind and the stories of heroism of an entire people-hood to overcome one of the bleakest moments of the history of the Holocaust. The story is weaved from the ashes of a land and nation that has seen so much war and its constant struggle to transition into a colorful, Dragon country.

Israel should be read by anyone who is interested in the story of modern-day mankind. Unlike many non-fiction history books, the book flows like a novel, highlighting the pivotal characters that played the biggest role in planting the seeds of Israel, while still mentioning the many stories of lesser-known, but not so insignificant tales of international heroes that shaped Israel. Breakout of the stereotypes that are so often covered by the media today and open your mind to understand the real story of Israel, the story as written by Martin Gilbert, in Israel.

Afghan Boomerang, By: Oleg Novinkov-Book Review

We all know a boomerang is a stick that, when thrown, comes back to the thrower. Interestingly, the word is not English, it's derived from the Australian Aboriginals which used the stick primarily for hunting, but has assimilated its use in English as well as Russian. The other definition of boomerang means "backfire." Afghan Boomerang, the title of the non-fiction book Oleg Novinkov's dealing with the parallels between the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan and what is now being witnessed by the USA's involvement is exactly that; an in depth analysis of the backfiring of the events, circumstances and lessons previously learned by the Soviets. If there is any truth to the saying, "History repeats itself," then Oleg Novinkov is not at all a soothsayer, but a scientifically minded articulator, remix the truth by Q.E.D. (quod erat demonstrandum-which was to be demonstrated).

(A) A fascinating individual, Dr. Oleg Novinkov served for just less than two years as a Soviet Military medical officer stationed on in Afghanistan back in the 1980 's. He has since gone on to many achievements within the Soviet space programs and NASA, the martial arts, medical advances, and international business. Now living in the USA, they returned some 30 years after first being stationed on in Afghanistan whereas his thoughts are given the insight from his own experiences; his first-hand observations, the known factual statements and uncanny realizations which only his unique perspective can impart and inform those of us poised outside of these borders.

Fact filled and impeccably written, Dr. Novinkov writes in a candid, frank and incredibly detailed fashion, assimilating a chronicle of the events over the past decades into a densely informative 429 page book. Highlighted with dozens of captioned photographs, prefaced with accolades from a high ranking Soviet military officials, the appendixes with factual summaries of the deaths and wounded, this book is an absorbing read. Written from a posture of a philanthropic humanitarian, Dr. Oleg Novinkov doesn't harp on the political differences of the cultures as being good or bad, right or wrong, but offers a high-level view only capable of being perceived from someone with such a unique heritage. He breaks down to the simplest of reasons why things are the way they are, and why in many cases they cannot change.

Being published at a time of such historical importance, now with the US troops being withdrawn in the region, this book is worthy of being a bit too late for giving lawmakers advice, however nonetheless important for its historical perspective. I highly recommend this to a broad audience of readers, young adults, students, military personnel, government officials, all U.S. citizens and those that wish to be informed around the world. It doesn't get more interesting to hear the events of history written by someone that has lived through the battles, breathed the dust, seen the ramifications of war, and has grown to know the human side of people's cultural differences.

Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

http://www.pacificbookreview.com/