Good "Asian-American" Books:
I always enjoy reading books that describe the experiences of immigrants to the United States and Canada from Asian countries. I've listed some of the books I enjoyed reading the most. Enjoy. :)
Good Movies:
Here are some of my favorite movies. Enjoy. :)
Holocaust (Shoah) books:
In the last years, we have been reading a number of biographies written by Holocaust survivors. Each one of these books is a chilling tale. Each one is unique! Every single one of them is worth reading. We have listed here some of the books we have read together with a few comments. All comments were written by Dirk. Hopefully, many people will read these books and learn about this time period so that they can stand up for democracy, freedom, and human rights, if they should find themselves in a rising dictatorship. We are not going to mention books and movies here that everyone should know, e.g., "Anne Frank" and "Schindler's List". We are not mentioning controversial biographies, those are the ones in which the narrator was a partisan.
"To Tell at Last: Survival Under False Identity, 1941 - 45" by Blanca Rosenberg.
This is a well written account about Blanca Rosenberg and one of her friends. The book describes their experiences of living as gentile Poles, but always being on the run because someone might recognize their true identity. They finally find a relatively safe place in Heidelberg, right in the middle of Germany (!), where they work as housemaids. You can imagine their joy when finally American troops arrived and they didn't need to fear for their life anymore.
"Alicia: My Story" by Alicia Appleman-Jurman.
The author describes her experiences during that time period from her perspective at that time. She often mentions her thoughts and dialogues, so that one has the feeling of being right next to her and experiencing the same things. She describes how she and her mother are hiding among peasants in a rural area. However, they are always on the move because one of the peasants might report them. She describes five chilling scenes when she is 'looking death in the face.' She also describes her activities after liberation when she is helping young orphans to survive and to bring them to Israel. These events are similar to the ones described in "Exodus."
"A Jump for Life" by Ruth Altbeker-Cyprys.
A very interesting book. The author spent the complete war time in Warsaw and thus gives a detailed account of all events there. At the very beginning of the war she flet to the safety of the Soviet side, but then decided to return to care for her brother. She was very smart and determined. She had a hacksaw blade hidden in her boats. Because of this foresight she and her daughter were able to jump out of box car of a train-of-no-return. That's why the title of the book. Also, she had to hide her daughter with gentiles. Because of this she didn't know for months at a time where her daughter is and how she is doing.
"The Shadow of Death: The Holocaust in Lithuania" by Harry Gordon.
This books presents a detailed description of the events in Lithuania starting in 1939 when Lithuania came under Soviet influence. The author often gives reasons for the actions of the Soviet soldiers and civilians, as well as of the actions of the gentile Lithuanians. This makes the book a valuable resource for the understanding of this time period. Harry Gordon also gives a very graphical description of what he saw when he was forced to remove bodies after an 'Aktion.' The picture he describes is still on my mind.
"Am I a Murderer? Testament of a Jewish Ghetto Policeman" by Calel Perechodnik.
This book describes the motivation, self-justification, and life of a Jewish Ghetto Policeman. The author also describes how he brings his wife and his own daughter to the 'Umschlagplatz,' to be transported to their death.
"Appel is Forever: A Child's Memoir" by Suzanne Mehler Whiteley.
The author describes her experiences as a 5 year old child (in 1940). The title refers to the twice a day, multiple hour, head count in a Concentration Camp.
"I Shall Live: Surviving Against All Odds 1939 - 1945" by Henry Orenstein.
Henry Orenstein describes how his family is hiding from the Nazis, and then, after being caught, the experiences of him and his two brothers in Concentration Camps. On a few occations they were able to help each other.
"East of the Storm: Outrunning the Holocaust in Russia" by Hanna Davidson Pankowsky.
The author describes in a very gripping manner how her family survived this time period by going to Russia. This was possible because of the farsightedness of her father. However, life in Russia (= Sovietunion) wasn't easy. They always had to be afraid of the Soviet secret service. The book also describes the every day life behind the front line in the Sovietunion at that time. There are only very few books that give such a detailed description.
"Exodus" by Leon Uris.
A very well written book that describes the experiences of several Holocaust survivors and their struggle to come to the land of Israel. The book also describes in a gripping manner the struggle to refound Israel. If you want to understand the reasons for the current conflict in Israel, you have to read this book.
"Arzt in den Höllen: Erinnerungen an vier Konzentrationslager" by Fritz Lettow.
The author was one of the few Germans who fought against Hitler's raise to power. He was arrested in the mid 1930's and was a Concentration Camp inmate until the liberation in 1945. He describes many details about the inner structure of a Concentration Camp and how different groups of inmates interacted. Most interesting are his recollections of discussions with Soviet POWs. There are very few books that describe what happened to most of the Soviet soldiers after becoming POW.
"Eva's Story" by Eva Schloss.
This is a well written account of the experiences of Eva and her mother. Eva survived Auschwitz because of the help that her father, who was also imprisoned there, could give her. Her father and brother did not survive. Eva describes interesting details about the actual liberation of Auschwitz and the immediate time thereafter. She also describes how she and her mother traveled to Odessa to go back to the Netherlands. She is also the posthumous step sister of Anne Frank.
Others:
Here are some other books that Dirk and me like. Enjoy. :)
"The Exotic White Man" by C. A. Burland.
This book is really cool. It has many pictures of artwork that show how the people in the countries that were 'discovered' by the Europeans saw the European invaders. Even though the book is hard to find, it should be in your library. :)
 
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