"LEAVING PICO . . . LEFT ME UPSET . . ." It was not because of the title, which, in my opinion, has nothing to do with leaving Pico, nor the suggestion of someone who read the book and told me that "A dysfunctional family" would have been more appropriate. What left me upset in "Leaving Pico" was the misspelling of 99% (of what I read ) of the words in Portuguese. Portuguese, such a beautiful, romantic language is definitely butchered, dwarfed and murdered by Frank X Gaspar in this novel. I am not even talking about the accents that some of the Portuguese words required and were omitted. I am sincerely glad that neither aunt Teophila nor Sheika Nunes had a cágado for a pet . . . I confess that the English in this book, to the best of my knowledge, is impeccable. But in my opinion, Frank Gaspar an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Long Beach City College made a very big, inexcusable and unforgivable mistake not to have researched the correct way of spelling the Portuguese words inserted in his novel. Even if he were making use of artistic or poetic license, or writing the words as he may have heard them, he should either at the beginning or the end of the book have mentioned such and given the right morphology therein so that if any English speaking person for any reason whatsoever had to refer to such passages, he or she would at least spell the words properly. I only hope that if the novel is translated into Portuguese, or if it is reprinted that all those words would be corrected.

Jose M. Raposo

"Leaving Pico" is more than just the coming of age story of a young, second generation Portuguese immigrant boy. It is a desperately needed fresh look at the story of America. No judgement call here. Just the real inside stuff that can't be found on a map. The heart of this country and what makes her swagger. Displaced characters, fully realized in the author's capable hands, trying to catch a toe hold on some reason to raise their heads up when they are well beyond down. And surviving, growing more confident with each generation, learning the new tricks for adaptation. Yes folks, the AMERICAN novel IS alive and lives without shame in this amazing first novel by this poetic American voice. Buy it, read it, and put your name on it before you lend it out!

This book is a beauty -- the mix of realistic background and almost surreal imagination is both energetic and emotionally satisfying. The portrait of the Portuguese community in Provincetown during the 50's rings true -- resounds in fact for anyone who loves the place -- while the boy's need for connection and release find their match in the wild, loving, untameable mind of the grandfather. I love this book.

After reading only five pages of this small children's novel by the reknowned fantasy writer Frank L. Baum, I felt only one thing: the need to make a dentist's appointment. Baum crafts a sugary tale without anything to really distinguish it, and it's the literary equivalent of eating a mountain of candy and not brushing your teeth.

This is the story of Santa Claus -- here portrayed as a human baby adopted by a wood-nymph named Necile in the human-free forest of Burzee. The baby is the first and only mortal adopted by immortals, and is given the name Neclaus, or Claus. For several years he leads a pretty idyllic life, and all the immortals just adore him.

But then Claus takes an interest in human beings, and ends up leaving so he can "make thousands of little children happy." So he ends up making various beautiful gifts for children both rich and poor. However, plotting his downfall are the hideous Angwas, since "one of the principal sports of the Awgwas was to inspire angry passions in the hearts of little children." So Claus and his little friends have to resist the Angwas so that little kids can have toys...

This is not a Santa Claus story based in any way in fact; rather, this is a tale suited to the mass-produced, plastic Santa Claus images that pop up every Christmas. The sugar level is mind-blowing. The idea of the bad guys, whose sole focus is making kiddies misbehave, is incredibly bad. The forest of Burzee is almost hilarious, with its inhabitants living in a sort of immortal hippie commune, with the kind of uninterrupted, continuous bliss that can only be found in certain controlled substances.

The characters have no real personalities: either they're sickening good or hideously bad. It feels less like Baum is telling a story than Making A Point, with the characters as his means of Making That Point. But even if the Angwas evil, they're not really evil -- instead they have a vague I-know-it-when-I-see-it badness, which mainly seems to consist of depriving the poor wittle kiddies of their toys and make them misbehave. Their idea of a hideous act is to steal and then hide toys (Oh horrors!) and they hate the good guys because... well, because they DO. Baum's idea of war is outrageously bad, and it's hard to take seriously because Baum takes care to tell you that it's impossible for the bad guys to win.

Claus himself is so good and noble that he is literally impossible to connect with, as are all his various nymph, Knook, Fairy, Ryl friends. The children that Claus befriends read like Shirley Temple parodies; lines like "I wants a tat" are too common to contemplate. The dialogue in general reads like a screenplay written by a first grader. If you can read lines like "I will overwhelm them with our evil powers!" without giggling helplessly, then you are a stronger reader than I.

I don't recommend this book for anyone over the age of eight who still retains full brain function, and I definitely don't recommend it for diabetics.

In author L. Frank Baum's book, nymph Necile finds a tiny babe in the forest of Buzee and raises him along with the help of the great spirits, elves, nymphs, knooks and ryls under the wisdom and guidance of the great Ak (Leader of all the great Spirits). She names him Claus who later grows up asking what is his purpose in life, and then decides to make toys to deliver to all boys and girls on one special night out of the year. But as time passes he soon he discovers that he is growing old. . .

A great book by L. Frank Baum that explores the fantastical life of Santa Claus-a real joy and gem to read, especially when you come to realize how many years ago this book was written. Baum's work here is so imaginative that many of today's stories of Santa Claus in my opinion pale in comparison.

L. Frank Baum was one of the great fantasy writers of the early 20th century -- in fact, were it not for Tolkien, I'd be tempted to call him the greatest in 100 years. His Oz books created a beautiful, vibrant land that still draws readers a century later. This book, his twist on the legend of Santa Claus, is part of that wonderful tapestry he wove.

Forget all of the Santa Claus legends you've read before -- there's no North Pole, no elves, no Bergermeistermeisterberger -- the story starts with a baby found in the woods by the fairy Necile. She raises him as her son, Claus (or "Ni-claus," meaning "Little Claus"), until the child begins to wonder about his own people. Shown the dangers of the human world by the great Ak, Claus decides to venture forth amongst the mortals regardless.

Claus gets a lot of credit in this story, from inventing the first toy to inspiring a war amongst immortals to retrieve them, and all of it is done in Baum's clear, clean style that is as easy to read today as it was in his time. It might not be the best book for a small child, who may ask questions trying to reconcile this unique version of Santa with the one he knows, but for an older child who understands that the spirit of Santa Claus is what's important it is a wonderful book. I re-read it every December.

While charming enough to delight children, The Lost Princess Of Oz is not one of the more exceptional books in L. Frank Baum's Oz series. The problem lies with both writer and illustrator; Baum's cast of characters has been poorly chosen, and John R. Neill's usually masterful, visionary illustrations are in many cases merely serviceable.

The book features four child protagonists - Dorothy, Trot, Betsy Bobbin, and lone male Button-Bright - which is three interchangeable child protagonists too many (in several chapters, Trot and Betsy, though ostensibly present, do not speak and play no part in the action). As in most of the Oz books, the plot revolves around a journey, and those chosen in this case to undertake the search for the kidnapped Ozma are simply too bland a group. Colorful eccentrics the Woogle Bug and Jack Pumpkinhead are missing, and while Scraps the Patchwork Girl is included, she ambles about on the periphery of the story for most of the book with little sign of her trademark intrusive spark and spunk. There are also too many talking animals -whether of 'meat' or magical origin - the Cowardly Lion, Hank the Mule, Toto, the Woozy, and the Sawhorse (and later, the Big Lavender Bear and the Small Pink Bear). Though several interesting conversations arise from their differing philosophical viewpoints, the characters - which also include the 'Little Wizard' of the original title - are portrayed too homogeneously, and thus the tension and flair usually found in Baum's stories and dialogue are absent. Baum does score with the introduction to the series of the Frogman, a fun, imaginative character rivaling the Woogle Bug, the Gnome King, Tik-Tok, and Jack Pumpkinhead in pleasant absurdity, vibrance, and potential. But Baum's descriptive portrayal of his fairyland is sadly pedestrian throughout, as if these as - yet undiscovered kingdoms in the marvelous landscape of Oz are simply to be taken for granted.

All of which may explain Neill's largely uninspired, functional illustrations. Neill's usual genius is almost entirely missing, though careful readers may notice the dramatic and humorous illustration of the wizard standing before a walled city, addressing the heads of numerous giants who stare him down from the other side. All are grisly, bearded, and fierce, except one, who resembles a breathless, slightly overweight, slightly effete matinee idol of the period. Another chapter features a mechanical, jeweled dragon, which Neill inexplicably ignores.

Baum surprises with a hilarious scene in which the traveling assembly is anxiously ushered past a gauntlet of giants to meet a king rumored for his cruelty, only to find him delicately combing his eyelashes. The evidence and subtext in The Lost Princess Of Oz suggest, as many other titles in the series do, that women are by far the stronger and more spiritually refined sex. The Wizard is a well-known humbug, the Lion is a coward, the Frogman is a pompous fabricator, and Button-Bright, in behavior and dress, is in no way significantly different from Dorothy, Betsy, and Trot, who form a kind of juvenile triple-faced goddess. Glinda the Good, Oz's lone sorceress, and Ozma, the kingdom's child ruler, are strong, wise, and fundamentally incapable of error or even ungracious behavior. The Patchwork Girl is clever and indomitable under any circumstance. Was Baum slyly poking fun at his adult audience and critics? Considering Neill's strangely out - of - place, sissy-faced giant, is it an accident that the kingdom of the bears is ruled by the Big Lavender Bear and his constant companion, the sooth-saying Little Pink Bear?

Adults desiring to introduce children to the Oz series should start with the first three books, The Wizard of Oz, the better The Marvelous Land Of Oz, the odd, sometimes bizarre Ozma Of Oz, and then progress through the rest of the titles. Little Wizard Stories Of Oz, beautifully illustrated and colored by Neill, and specifically written for a younger audience than the regular titles, is also an excellent choice. The optimistic series, with its beautiful evocation of a better world and happier days, are perfect for today's children, who, as the success of the Harry Potter books show, are starved for imaginative, magical, and archetypal fare.

Although it is really hard to decide on a "favorite" of the series, everytime I have read (or early on, had it read to me) this book I have been delighted by the quality of the story and the writing. I highly recommend this, as well as all the other Baum books, to anyone with an active imagination.

The Lost Princess of Oz is one of L. Frank Baum's most imaginative books. It begins with a serious problem, Ozma's disappearance, and with many of the favorite characters. Yet in a parallel story, an early chapter takes us to the Winkie Country and introduces us to some delightful new characters, The Frogman and Cayke the Cookie Cook. We know that Cayke's stolen magic dishpan is somehow related to Ozma's disappearance.

I love the role that Scraps, the Patchwork Girl, plays in this book. We meet some whimsical new villages and the beings who inhabit them. We pay attention to small details that are nonetheless important to those most affected by them, such as Toto's missing growl. Illusions are turned upside down and inside out, making us think. It's a delightful journey, all in all, one that I highly recommend.

Before I start to criticise "Lucifer's Legacy", I should add that I am a trained physicist, and wanted to brush up a bit about ideas of symmetry/asymmetry, which have become essential to our quest to explain the physics of the universe. Having clarified this, I must say the first part of this book was a real disappointment: it seems to be intended for people who have not heard much about physics since they left high school. There are some nice detours about the history of physics about the turn of the century. But apart from that, the book often is annoyingly trivial. Towards the end it gets more interesting, and some ideas about symmetry and symmetry breaking are nicely presented. But if you look for more than light bedtime reading, look somewhere else.

This book is a pleasant, painless introduction to particle physics and the applications of symmetry in the universe. I could see how it might annoy an experienced physicist with entire chapters full of metaphors and analogies intended to solidify the reader's understanding of the concepts, but for a beginner these are quite helpful. It also includes a long and detailed history of the major discoveries in atomic physics, which is a tiny bit too long, but still informative and well written. I am a junior in high school, and I enjoyed this book immensely.

Frank Close has written an accessible, entertaining essay on "matter/anti-matter" theories--and implications--soon to be tested at the CERN high-energy particle research center in Switzerland. The giant atom smasher, LEP(Large electron/positron (anti-electron); and super vaccum, magnetic "bottles" needed to contain anti-matter are clearly described. Their purpose:A SIMULATION of the BIG BANG in 2005. "LET THERE BE LIGHT! Can man do what God did ex nihilo? LUCIFER'S LEGACY is a fun book that will help interested non-scientists tune-in and find-out.

If my enemy's enemy is my friend, I should have loved this book. Like Pittman, I abhor the effect of pop psychology and much psychotherapy, valorizing as it does self-absorption, hedonism, and immaturity. But this book offended me deeply.

Consider this example: Of Black people who believe that their current difficulties have something to do with being the descendants of slaves in a racist country, Pittman says that attitude is "not helpful" because "that was then; this is now." (p. 33) Unfortunately for Pittman's pompous pronouncing, a fair body of very, very solid research--represented by, say, Dalton Conley's "Being Black, Living in the Red"--shows that he is just flat wrong. And if Pittman had spent some of his career teaching at a historically Black college that serves mostly poor students, rather than treating individuals affluent enough to pay private practice fees, or reviewing the effectiveness of social welfare and remedial education programs instead of reviewing movies, he would have a greater appreciation of how ludicrous attitudes like his are.

The same attitude shows itself in his condescension toward a woman whose economic woes probably do, in fact--despite Pittman's preachments--reflect the fact that when she was of an age to undertake professional education, sexism kept her out of medical school.

It would be nice if Pittman helped us understand how to deal with the real and dire effects of legacies of oppression, instead of blaming victims for the inevitable disadvantages they suffer. Of course, if he did that, and really had some experience and knowledge of what it's like to try to help overcome such baleful and ugly effects, he might not be so happy as he so proudly and frequently tells us he is. He might sometimes suffer despair that, in fact, horrible things are simply beyond the power of anyone to change quickly enough. (I'm a white guy, by the way--who has enjoyed all the cultural advantages thereof. I just have some sensitivity to, and experience with, and knowledge of the research on, what oppression does to communities and their members.)

Here's another Pittman pronouncement; "The rules of appropriate ways to act and treat other people aren't very different from culture to culture, century to century, or even millenium to millenium" Wow. What have all those cultural anthropologists and cultural historians been wasting their time on? Why have policy makers been in such a tizzy about what to do over female gential mutilation among certain minorities in ths country? Why have so many philosophers wasted so much time trying to figure out we can even justify any notion of objective, imperative morals in the face of the extreme differences between moral codes in diverse times and places? Why do we in America consider infanticide evil, if rules haven't changed much? Why, in some cultures (even some subcultures within America) is incest considered no big deal, and certainly no one's business but the family, while elsewhere we see it as an absolutely horrid issue that calls for social intervention. Why do we no longer hold slaves? Why is it no longer honorable for men to take teen-aged boys as lovers? If Pittman were right, I guess I could go get a harem and some slaves, and some teen-age boy friends, and I could kill off any inconvenient children--since rules of how to treat each other allegedly haven't changed much.

Well, these examples reflect the level of scholarship and careful thought contained in Pittman's book. This book is just dogmatic. It suggests that Pittman lacks respect for serious scholars and analysts--who are quite grown up--whose views do not agree with his.

I'm not quite sure why Pittman thinks people who live other ways than he suggests aren't grown ups, or why he thinks he has, from his therapy room and pop psych advice columnist chair, divined the essence of maturity. His views just won't hold water, when compared to responsible research.

I don't know how Pittman votes, but this is pretty thoroughly a 1950s-style Republican panegyric, a paean to "culture is nothing, context is nothing, history is irrelevant, anyone can be happy if he or she just quits whining and gets busy" ideology. It is neither well researched nor responsive to mainstream scholarship and research.

America's current love affair with self-absorption, served by its hirelings in the psychotherapy and self-help industries, should certainly be opposed vehemently. But it should be opposed with careful research, sound analysis, and responsible thought--that is, responsive to the respectable views of others, especially more well-informed, others. With its lack of such attributes, this book strikes me as simply an author's self-indulgence.

If you are looking for a thoughtful analysis of the ill effects of pop psychology and kindred businsses, if you are looking for a well-informed analysis of how America got so screwy about rights versus responsibilities, if you want to know why it is wrong to put your personal happiness first and foremost in your concerns, if you want a better understanding of how to live as a responsible person in community with others--well, don't buy this book. That's what I was looking for, and this just absolutely is not it.

There's a good reason why I rated this book down despite my own feeling that Frank Pittman is right.

Dr. Pittman fails to take into account the religious philosophies of his readership. I agree that the trend toward higher and higher numbers of divorces is wrong. I agree that we shouldn't be paying so much attention to cultural gurus such as Martha Stewart (in his chapter on women, he states outright: "Martha Stewart? Who's Martha Stewart?"). I agree with most of what Dr. Pittman (a practicing psychiatrist) says.

BUT - what is the role of God in Dr. Pittman's philosophy? One of the few things that has helped me cope with the family I was raised in is Jesus' words about "I come not to bring peace, but a sword." In other words, how does one cope if one's moral system comes into direct conflict with the system advocated by a dysfunctional family? What if you're being forced into a life of crime or domestic violence and you know that's just plain wrong? Are we forced to interact with a family like that despite the inherent danger? Dr. Pittman would seem to think that we are, and I wish he wouldn't have been so adamant on that.

That philosophy - one of following Jesus rather than my family - has been the only thing enabling me to let go and not get all tied up in family disputes. But Dr. Pittman would apparently have me go back into a system like that if only to forgive or let go of the tar baby, not realizing that the tar baby is sticky and will entrap us. And that is why Dr. Pittman gets only three stars from me.

As a layman reading this, I thought there were several concepts of interest;

Adult Children - some of us are stuck in our adolescent ways, never growing up, even as adults.

Collapse of Patriarchy - in today's world of social upheaval, where anything goes (and it ususally does), we and our children live in a world where traditional concepts are challenged. This applies to gender, age, etc etc. (Pittman compares this to the decline of Windsor) Our world is increasingly becoming narcisstic, we're trained to consume more and more.

In this post patriarchy world, we are even more challenged to grow ourselves and that of our children.

Pittman's message is simply Grow Up! Take responsiblity for yourself, your choices, your relationships, and forgive your parents.

Still a good read that most people should enjoy, even if they don't agree with everything he says.

This book is not for advanced users wanting to learn more about V8 or its working as it deals very sparingly with V8.The book should rather be called "Outside Microstation V8 Looking In"

I pre-ordered this book since this is about the only V8 book out there. When I recieved it, the name was different than advertised but the ISBN number is correct. Apparently this is not a new book but an update to the old one. What a waste. Someone should fire the editor of the book because many of the things that have been updated like pictures do not match the text or vice versa. This book glances over all of the new V8 items instead of going into them in depth. This book is good for beginers using J (v7) but I don't recomend it for someone using v8. I have been using v8 since it came out and I must say this book taught me almost nothing that I didn't already know. There are many customization things I would like to know how to do and this book doesn't even mention this. Like another reviewer said, this isn't a cover all bases book like the many books available for Autocad. Most of those book are also twice as thick.
I had high hopes for this book since Frank Conforti works for or with Bentley and he has answered many questions on the bentley newsgroups. Apparently neither him nor anyone else has time to fully explain all of the added functionality of V8.

As a new user of Microstation (but already familiar with AutoCAD), I've found the book presented in logical order and in an understandable fashion. It has a simple step-by-step approach for studying. As I go through page-by-page, I'm gaining compentence in the use of this program.

I laughed so hard at the highschool reunion story. Loved the scene where the wife is sitting right there and a former classmate puts his foot in his mouth. The Handkerchief Mouse was fun and sad, too. A variety of stories, a nice read.

Recently had the pleasure of walking thru the gallery of Phoebe Frank's collection of short stories "Light That Bends When It Passes: And other short stories and poems." Phoebe's word paintings sparkle and span a broad range of topics. The stories are the work of a truly creative person. Recommend reading her book.

Phoebe Frank's short stories and poems run the gamut. Just when you are convinced humor is her forte, along comes a poignant tale or poem: "A List with My Name on It" and "Medium Rare". She turns many nice descriptive phrases throughout and there's some truly imaginative stuff. Her imagination and talent for the comedic come uproariously together in "Origin of Kashrut According to Rabbi Nachmand Brachman of Bratloff".

"The Road to Oz" is the fifth book in what is perhaps the greatest fantasy series of all time.. however, it's not really a book I'd recommend to show people how wonderful the series really is. At this point it seems that Baum was getting a little weary, and it shows, as this book has almost no discernable plot or conflict at all. Dorothy, again, gets lost in a fairyland, and again makes her way to the Emerald City, assembling a small band of strange and endearing characters along the way -- the same as she'd done three times before. What made this a weak entry is that there was no sense of urgency here. Dorothy was never worried, she knew as soon as she found Ozma she'd have a way home, there was no villain... by the time she made it to the Emerald City the book had been liberally dotted with references to how everyone in Oz loved one another and nobody was ever mean -- unless, of course, you're a wicked witch, but they had both long been vanquished at this point.

The land of Oz is built on strange situations and characters, but also on story. In the original "Wizard of Oz," Dorothy and her friends faced the witch, hoping to send her home. In "The Land of Oz," Pip had to deal with an entire invasion of the Emerald City. In "Ozma of Oz" there was the wonderful story of the rescue of the Royal Family of Ev.

By book four, "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz," Baum seemed to have run out of plots and contented himself, in these few volumes, with just bringing in new characters and not bothering to craft a story around them. In book six, "The Emerald City of Oz," he took the step of placing Dorothy in Oz permanently, which was probably the best thing he'd ever done, because later volumes no longer needed to concern themselves with finding ways to get to Oz and just told really wonderful fantasy stories. ("Tik-Tok of Oz" is still my favorite in the series.")

The Oz books, in toto (no pun intended), are wonderful for people of any age, but this installment is really for completists only.

Everyone has their favorite Oz novel, but of the 14 which Baum wrote, this one is, in my opinion, the weakest. Unlike other Oz books there is little in the way of plot. This makes reading it uncomfortable as the reader spends most of the book waiting for somehting to happen, only to realize at the end that nothing happened. Also, I loved the tense yet humorus situations Baum masterfully set up in the other books. I rorared with laughter in the second book when Jelia Jamb "translated" for the scarecrow and Jack Pumpkinhead. The trial from book four and Dorothy's capture by the people of Utensia in book six also made me laugh while also clutching the book with fascination. There are no comperable scenes in "Road to Oz" and this is sorely missed.

However, the book is still worth reading. For one thing it introduces the Shaggy Man, who proves to be a most enjoyable character. The Shaggy Man carries a device called the love magnet, which causes people who see it to love him. This subplot introduces a very mature and though-provoking conflict. Is it right to enchant people into loving? Is this a power that one person, even a well-intentioned one, can hold alone? What are the drawbacks of being loved by everyone? This subplot held my interest and made the story readable.

Finally, there are cameo appearances in the end from many of Baum's non-Oz books. Clearly these appearances are a plug for his other works. One cannot fault him too much for doing this though. Baum wrote many fine books which had nothing to do with Oz, and this needs to be remembered.

Despite this book's weakness, it did not signal the decline of the series. Most of the later books were quite good, and I found "The Tin Woodsman of Oz" (number 12) to be one of the best. Keep reading, as altogether there is nothing like the Oz series.

...but it's an Oz book so in comparision to other children's novels that aren't from the Oz series it still gets a 4 out of 5. Worth reading, but don't expect the excitement of some of the earlier and later works by Baum and Thompson.

i liked this book and lucy frank's description of emily's mother. i was dissapointed that sarah's cute guy turned out to be kind of a jerk.... i was so proud of sarah when she stood up to her parents :)

I read, "I am an Artichoke" when I was in seventh grade(I'm in tenth grade now) and I absolutley loved it! It was one of my favorite books and I would always get it from the library. I was not at all disappointed when I first read it because the writing was so much more different than any other book. It's one of those cozy books that you can read over and over again! It takes place in New York City and has a sense of depth and reality which is refreshing. Read it and you will enjoy it.

Lucy Frank writes with this amazing, refreshing honesty. Her portrayal of the young anorexic Emily is so real, it is capable of provoking tears from the easily frightened or previous anorexics. The most stunning part of the novel, though, is the innocence the main character, Sarah, has in luring her beloved friend away from the eating disorder. It seems as if she does not realize the effect she has influencing Emily. She is just naturally inspiring... a novel with a frank, fresh quality to each glorious page.

I've read hundreds of books about the Second World War and purchased this book assuming I'd learn alot about something my prior readings had missed: what it was like in Germany after the fighting stopped. I was disappointed. The writing was disjointed and confusing. There was no flow to the story. I learned little about that period of time or what it was like to be there. Ultimately, after reading 40 pages and then skimming the next 50 I put the book away. Don't bother buying this book.

Scenes From The End by Frank E. Manuel, published by Steerforth Press, 2000.

If you are looking for the usual reminiscences where an old soldier describes his Sherman tank cracking a curbstone in Prague in 1945 and seeing the same crack in 1995, then this book is NOT for you. Manuel's present memoirs, on the end of World War II in Europe, are written in a literate style by a man literate, not only in English, but also in French, German and Yiddish. Frank E. Manuel begins his book with the Battle of the Bulge, but he really does not see much action. The central theme of his book is not, however, about military action, but rather the feelings and motivation of the enemy soldiers he interrogated. The POWs ranged in rank from private to general. Mr. Manuel describes their attitudes and personal attributes when captured. A particularly notable chapter is Chapter 8, entitled, "A Houseful of Generals", where , in a the town of Weilheim, many of the German generals and their staff decided to stop running from the advancing American armies. This chapter is a literate rebuttal of the German offer to become allies with the Anglo-Americans to keep the Mongol-Bolsheviks out of Western Europe. Of course, this offer was rejected, and Frank Manuel states, "We wanted the Germans to say that they were ashamed of themselves", p. 97. His next-to-last chapter is on his encounter with Admiral Horthy, Regent of Hungary, when he and the Admiral are transported to General Patch's headquarters. He describes the Admiral's ineffectual attempts to break with his German allies, as the War comes towards its end. The quote Mr. Manuel uses is, "Was konnte ich denn machen?", in English, "What could I do?" These are the words he also uses to end this chapter.

Throughout this book, Frank Manuel is well aware of his own Jewishness and how others could identify him as being a Jew. The author senses that old Admiral Horthy knew that he was Jewish, and Horthy gave a monologue on "...his protection of Hungarian Jews and his refusal to participate in their round-up by the Nazis". P. 120. The author also relates how Polish officers questioned him, in Yiddish, about being a Jew. But, in all of this, Frank Manuel is not, as far as I can read, defensive about being Jewish. In describing the fate of the Poles, he states that "...they would wander the earth like the Jews and the Irish". P. 71. In this single line, the author shows a deeper understanding of the many diasporas (Irish, Jewish or Polish) than many who believe in a monopoly of persecution, suffered only by their own kind. This book is well worth your time.

In the spring of 1945, Frank Manuel was a 34 year old intelligence officer fluent in French, German, and Yiddish as the American Army pushed into Germany. Scenes From The End: The Last Days Of World War II In Europe begins at about the same time as the Battle of the Bulge, and covers the last few months of combat with the German forces until the surrender of Germany to the Allies. Manuel vividly distills the utter chaos and frequent absurdity of war in its final hour. He is able to provide the reader with a clear and candid sense of what it was like, from anonymous encounters with Holocaust survivors, to the interrogations of captured German soldiers, to an unforgettable car ride with Admiral Horthy, Regent of Hungary, at a time when the Allies had not yet decided wether to regard him as a victim of circumstance or major war criminal. Scenes From The End is a unique and invaluable contribution to the growing body of military memoirs and biographies focused on the World War II European Theater.