Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Schindler's List Schindler's List is a 1993 film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the book by Thomas Keneally. It tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German business-man who saved over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factory. The film begins with Schindler arriving in Kraków in 1939, hoping to make his for-tune as a war profiteer. He establishes a factory for enamelware, using Jewish labor obtained through connections with the Nazi SS. Initially motivated by profit, Schindler's perspective changes as he witnesses the horrific treatment of Jews by the Nazis, particularly during the liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto and the brutality of the Plaszów concentration camp's commandant, Amon Göth. As Schindler's compassion grows, he uses his wealth and influence to protect his Jewish workers, often at great personal risk. He bribes Nazi officials, ensuring that his workers are deemed essential to the war effort and thus spared from ex...

Man's Search for Meaning By Viktor Frankl 1946/2006 The book is divided into two parts. The first part chronicles Viktor Frankl’s personal experiences in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, during World War II. He describes the daily struggles and atrocities that he and other prisoners endured, such as starvation, forced labour, and constant threat of death. Despite the horrific conditions, Frankl observed that some individuals managed to find a sense of meaning and purpose, which helped them survive. He notes that those who had something to live for, whether it was a loved one or a future goal, were more resilient and more likely to endure the suffering. In the second part of the book, Frankl introduces his psychotherapeutic method called logotherapy, which focuses on the pursuit of meaning as the central human motivational force. According to Frankl, life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones. He argues that people can discover meaning throu...

  The World at War The Ultimate Restored Edition The World at War is a popular documentary of World War II produced by Thames Television in 1973. The war is presented as a series of stories in 26 episodes with narration by Laurence Olivier. The World at War is more than a collection of combat scenes. Interviews with soldiers and civilians offer a glimpse of the effects of war on the people who lived through it in the cities and villages of Europe and Asia. Of course there are interviews with high level American, British, German and Japanese leaders. Some of the featured interviewees include: Mark Clark Jock Colville Karl Donitz Karl Wolff James “Jimmy” Doolittle Lord Eden of Avon Averell Harriman Toshikazu Kase Vera Lynn Lord Mountbatten Albert Speer James Stewart Paul Tibbets Takeo Yoshikawa Stephen Ambrose Of particular note are the insights of Gertraud “Traudl” Junge who served as a personal secretary to Adolf Hitler. She remained in his bu...

  Code Name: Lise:  The True Story of the Spy Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Woman By Larry Loftis Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Lise was the code name for Odette Samson. She's living in Somerset England with her children at the outset of World War II. Her husband is off at war. Because she was raised in France, her language and experience make her a potential candidate to help the resistance organised by Britain's War Office referred to as SOE (Special Operations Executive). The story moves quickly from training to deployment. Relying on a trove of records that include interviews and official communications, Loftis creates a vivid thriller of a determined young woman focused on carrying out her risky responsibilities as a courier under threat of the Nazi boot. As the story progresses, she falls in love with her commanding officer, Peter Churchill. Despite many thrilling escapes, she and Peter are eventually captured by Hugo, Germany's master spy catcher. Disg...

  Citizens of London The Americans Who Stood With Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour   By Lynne Olson   Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton   Lynne Olson tells the exciting story of three Americans in Britain's wore torn capitol whose passionate embrace of the British solitary stand against the Nazis served as a catalyst that would eventually link America and Britain in an incredibly close fighting force against the enemy. Olson’s masterful presentation reveals how three different men— George Winant, Edward Murrow, and Averell Harriman—interacted with Churchill, Roosevelt, and a cast of other Anglo-American leaders on the world stage between 1939 and 1945. As she describes these relationships following the course of the war, we learn the crucial role of close connections and trust in the arduous melding of an international allied force to defeat the axis powers. The three men are different. Winant is a respected diplomat with an amazing ability to emp...

  The Woman Who Smashed Codes    A True Story of Love, Spies,     and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies By    Jason Fagone   Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton Elizebeth Smith (1892-1980) is the woman who smashed the codes of Nazis in World War II. Her story, told by Jason Fagone, reads like one of the best mystery novels.  I recommend  The Woman Who Smashed Codes  to anyone interested in the contribution of women to science and democracy. And to anyone interested in the intriguing world of spies, the foundations of Western intelligence agencies, or World War II.  Elizebeth (spelt with an “e” not an “a”) was often overshadowed by her high profile husband, William Friedman, the dean of American Cryptology. Elizebeth is an American Hero--this book tells her story. Elizebeth Smith of Huntington Indiana began her professional career as a Quaker schoolteacher. She, and her husband t...

  The Light of Days By:   Judy Batalion Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton The Light of Days is a harrowing and tortuous journey through Poland under the body and soul crushing acts of vicious Nazi aggression experienced by courageous Jewish women who creatively energized Jewish resistance with presence, weapons, and nourishment. Some were destroyed. Some survived. My interest in World War II stems from the stories my parents told of surviving the Nazi blitz of London. Since then, I have read various accounts of the bloody global war. And my wife and I have visited World War II and Holocaust Museums around the world as we learned about the Holocaust . The Light of Days stands out from the rest because it is about the role of women in the Jewish resistance-- a subject about which I had little knowledge. I found the book difficult to read for more than one reason. Despite previous reading about the horror of the Nazi doctors and the brutality of the Nazi invad...

The American St Nick      The Men Who Restored Christmas A great Christmas story combines warmth, kindness, generosity, traditions, and a memorable event—especially one that brings hope against the backdrop of an evil empire. A true story describing how a few soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division restored Christmas for the children of   Wiltz, Luxembourg   ranks with the best. In late 1944, the allies had the German soldiers on the run. By December, some men were sent to Wiltz, Luxembourg for a much needed break. The townsfolk were grateful for the liberation from five years of Nazi rule including the ban on their Christmas tradition. This year they planned to restore the celebration of  Saint Nicolas  (Klees’chen) on 6 December but they were at a loss for gifts and treats. Jewish Corporal Harry Stutz  meets with the local priest, Father Wolffe, and other town leaders to see what could be done. He then plans a party with help from fellow soldie...

  UNBROKEN A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience,   and Redemption By    Laura Hillenbrand Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton Unbroken is the true story of Olympian Louis Zamperini who survived the crash of his plane in the Pacific Ocean and endured severe abuse at the club wielding hands of his captors. Hillenbrand provides key elements of Louis biography. He was in trouble with the law as a youth but became a track star in High School. Eventually, he was chosen to be on the 1936 US Olympic Team, which competed in Berlin. A few years later, Louie enlisted in the military. Zamperini became an airman. On a mission in 1943, his plane crashed in the Pacific. He and two other men floated on a raft for 47 days punctuated by severe thirst and starvation, sharks aboard the raft, Japanese machine-gun fire, and even a typhoon.  They were captured by Japanese and sent to a POW camp where they were severely tormented until he was near death by the time...

A Woman of No     Importance By     Sonia Purnell Reviewed by     Geoffrey W. Sutton A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II A woman of no importance is more than just another spy story. Virginia Hall was a true hero who battled men’s prejudice against female warriors  as she simultaneously took on the Nazi occupiers of France by organizing resistance fighters and sending vital intelligence to British and Amer ican intelligence planners in London during World a War II. Her contributions were  recognized much later than were her male peers as cultures in the UK and USA gradually changed to appreciate women.  Fortunately the book not only gives Virginia a voice but it educates us about the horrors of war and the importance of small hidden  acts of courage that support the more visible efforts of armed forces.   Virginia Hall's contribution ...

Ravensbrück : Life and Death  in Hitler’s Concentration Camp      by Sarah Helm Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D. Ravensbrück  offers an organized collection of women’s voices documenting the diverse ways individuals and tribal groups of European women responded to Nazi enslavement, violence, and murder. The collection of stories is organized chronologically. But themes emerge because policies and war events change.   Changes in policy sometimes mean changes in leaders. But changes in policy also reflect changes in the war, which in turn, result in changes in the size and character of the camp’s victims. We have heard stories of the brutality of Nazi leaders in the death camps focused on the extermination of Jews. But at   Ravensbrück  we learn that Nazis, governed by superiority myths and emboldened by conquest, systematically destroyed the lives of European women after extracting every ounce of strength as t...