Light One Candle: A Survivor's Tale From Lithuania To Jerusalem is the autobiographical story of Solly Ganor, a man who survived the unspeakable holocaust of the Second World War when he was 13 years old through the intervention and rescue of a Japanese American soldier in 1945 (who himself had been releases from a U.S. internment camp for Japanese Americans just a few months earlier. Light One Candle is a powerful and vividly told memoir of struggle, starvation, and the brutal tolls of concentration and extermination camps. Light One Candle is a welcome eye-witness testimony and a very highly recommended addition to personal reading lists as well as academic and community library Holocaust Studies reference collections.

i have read well over two hundred memoirs. This is worth crying over (not that other ones aren't also) and listening to very carefully. without sentimentality - without profession of feelings that may or may not have been felt but remembered...solly ganor brings the reader inside his mind and heart.

In LIGHT ONE CANDLE, Solly Ganor takes the reader into that nightmare world of the Holocaust--I could practically feel the harsh elements, the constant danger of the camps. This book isn't anther rote recitation of death counts. There's so much heart and compassion for all those sweptup in these horrors. The insights into camp life include the primal nature of life stripped to itsbasics--such as the "storyteller" who keeps the outside world and traditions alive. Particularly poignant is Cooky, Ganor's childhood friend whose account of the slaughter at the Ninth Fort is more compelling than Dante's own descent into Hell. Ipersonally feel Ganor's book is deserving of some national/international award. Actually, reading the book I wonder how Ganor got it all done. It must have been so painful to revisit these terrible, incomprehensible, sublime, poignant memories. To me it's the best book on the Holocaust, personal or otherwise--certainly it should be a companion to any serious study of this subject. To me it hits at the heart, gets into the soul. It's the humanity of the account,particularly those heart-rending final glimpses of the condemned trying to smile as they wave good-bye.

This most serious book is very effective at sharing events that happened during the Holocaust - particularly in Kovno / Slobadka. It enables the readers to get a glimpse of the savagery of the Nazi butchers. Rabbi Oshry tells first hand accounts of their brutality and it clearly instills the fear of G-d in the reader.

This book consists of two parts. The first 60 % is about Rabbi Oshry's experainces in the Kovno ghetto. This part of the book can be broken up into four periods. The Nazi arrival and initial attrociates, 'normal ghetto life', the liquidation of the ghetto, and the period of time that they lived in a bunker. Their also are two chapters about the post-liberation period under Soviet rule. Though according to Jewish folklore, Lithuianian Jews are sterotypically 'cold interlectualls', this book is very passionately written. Because it was written shortly after the events occurred by an important figure of the Kovno ghetto, it is certainly an important book for those who want to learn about the Holocaust.

Originally written in 1951 in Yiddish, this is an eyewitness account of how the Nazis and their local supportors killed the Jews, rabbi by rabbi, village by village.

Perhaps there may be too many names for a reader unfamiliar with the setting and the plot, but the main character, the Lithuanian people, could not have asked for a better story teller.
I was in Vilnius in August, September, October and part of Novembember of 1990, and met many of the individuals mentioned in the book, as well as others, yet unnamed. Perhaps I should have kept a diary and recorded some of the events that should be known. I would be glad to share them with Mr. Krickus, if he chose to contact me.

Krickus, who was on the ground in Lithuania for much of the period, offers a well written and insightful account of the Lithuanian independence movement during the later Gorbachev years. Unlike many foreign observers, he is sensitive to the differences in personality and tactics that emerged in the Sajudis movement. The description of the Soviet attempt to take the TV tower is particularly moving (I know some people who were there that night). I suspect Krickus is slightly overestimating the effect of Lithuanian resistance on the outcome of the August coup attempt, but this is a minor quibble.

Krickus' work in this area is told in the format of a novel, not dry history. The people involved in critical moments are real. It is a compelling story and one that puts into perspective why the expansion of NATO should include the Baltic states.

Lithuanian Wood is this moment resting on my coffee table. The edges show a little comfort of wear and tear. I couldn't resist turning these pages... As Lithuania is neighbor to my own Latvia (I hold dual citizenship for Latvia and USA), Mayo's tales charmed me with similarities to the culture in which I was raised and nurtured. I am astounded that a non-Lithuanian could capture the essence of another culture so well.

This book provides a touching and artistic view of post-communist Lithuania. You really get a feel for how the years of communist rule affected the way people think, act, and live. The short stories are creatively interwoven and make this book an enjoyable and quick read.

This book contains selected and annotated documents, in English translation, pertaining to the autonomy of the Jewish community in Poland and Lithuania in the 16th and 17th centuries. The scope of this autonomy, the communal and extra-communal institutions and their modes of operation are covered. Through annotated excerpts from original Hebrew source material, the author describes the structure of Jewish self-government in those countries, illuminating the social and economic problems that Jews faced in everyday life: deserted wives, loans at interest, rights of daughters in their father's estates, organization and maintenance of elementary education, and many other questions. The book includes an in-depth introduction describing the historical period, a lengthy epilogue explaining the workings of the Jewish educational system, and extensive glossaries and indexes to help find individual points of interest. There is a detailed map of Jewish population, showing how Jews were spread throughout Poland and Lithuania during this period, as well as sixteen pages of photographs of Jewish sites. The reader will savor the flavor of Jewish life in the Middle Ages, that flourished despite oppressive surroundings. The book will appeal both to the learned scholar and to the layman interested in Jewish history of the period. As noted, the documents are in English translation, and provide access to information that untill now was available only to Hebrew language speakers.

This book contains selected and annotated documents, translated into English, relating to the autonomy of the Jewish Community in Poland and Lithuania in the 16th and early 17th centuries, its scope, communal and extra-communal institutions and their modes of operation. Through annotated excerpts from original Hebrew source material, it describes the structure of Jewish self-government in those countries, throwing light on the social and economic problems that the Jews faced in their everyday life: deserted wives, loans at interest to Jews, rights of daughters to inherit their father's estates, organization and maintenance of educational systems, and many other questions. There is an in-depth historical introduction, a lengthy epilogue describing the functioning of the Jewish educational system, and extensive glossaries and indexes to help locate individual points of interest. Included are a detailed map of Jewish communities, showing how Jews were spread throughout Poland and Lithuania during this period. Sixteen pages of photographs of Jewish sites are also included. The flavor and intensity of Jewish life in Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, despite the usually hostile and oppressive surroundings, comes through very clearly. The material presented in this book has until now not been available to non-Hebrew speakers, and will be of interest to both scholars and laymen interested in Jewish history of the period. A fuller review of this book was published in the Los Angeles Jewish Times (October 1998).

As a grandchild of paternal Lithuanian immigrants and maternal French immigrants, I was always interested in my heritage. Information on French history abounds but my knowledge of my Lithuanian roots was totally dependent on vague stories repeated by my father that were difficult to put in a historic context. This book clarified and totally collaborated the stories that I grew up with and deepened my respect for this amazing freedom-loving country.

This book is important to Lithuanian historiography because this is the only English title I know that deals with Lithuania in the interwar years. Other titles, like von Rauch's book, group the three Baltic states' history together under one title. This book is solely dedicated to Lithuanian interwar history.

The book is well written by prestigious authors who have done their research. The notes at the end are extensive. The book is clearly written. Even a novice in Lithuanian history would have an easy time following this volume.

The book does an excellent job of showing the pivotal role Lithuania had in the eastern European balance of power between Germany and the USSR versus the Polish, French, British alliance. The book reminds of the title 'Lithuania: The Rebel Nation' by Stanley Vardys. The authors do a great job of clearly explaining the plight of Lithuania in this balance of power.

Another interesting note is that some of the authors in this edited book are from Lithuania. It is interesting to see the view of homegrown Lithuanians on this time period in Lithuanian history. They rate high in their objectivity.

Anyone interested in Lithuanian history should own this book.

Found out about the book - People to People, Poland - by accident. Before we left England on a tramp steamer I phoned a fellow mentioned in the book from Gdansk who offered such hospitality to my self and my friend. We were accepted as guests by his family for two days. Without the book we wouldn't have met some splendid people and wouldn't have had our eyes opened to their warmth and generosity. This experience has been repeated time and again.

I knew I would be going to Lithuania for a dance festival that occurs every 4 years. This was the first time (in 1994) since the country was returned to freedom from behind the Iron Curtain. It was also the first time my mother returned after 50 years! I picked a few people from different cities based on a few characteristics listed in the book: age, what they like to do, and how much Enlish they knew (my Lithuania is quite basic). My longest pen-pal, now friend, have been corresponding for years. She invited me to stay in her empty flat for all three weeks! She even met us at the airport when we arrived with an armload of flowers - a big tradition in the eastern bloc countries. She showed us many places, we met with her family, we went to her beach house on the opposite side of the country. I visited other people I met in the book in other towns. One person gave me ideas of places to go, another I met in the town where my mother grew up. My mother and I met up with some relatives of ours in other towns, went driving to many smaller places and really learned a lot about how life has changed since the forties, and since the Soviets were driven out. I picked people who from their 20s to their 40s. One was an artist, one a translator, a student, a newspaper writer, a homemaker, and a teacher. Two did not write back, but I made many friends a learned a lot about the people of Lithuania and how they lived. To me, that is more important than sitting in a hotel room, or taking a bus tour; it is the people who make up a country. This book provides a way for People to meet People. I highly recommend it, or others in this series. Poland is next for me.

English language scholarship on Polish or Russian history tends to fly past the diplomatic and cultural exchanges of the late 17th century; preferring instead to focus on domestic reforms or foreign military victories. This book, fortunately, doesn't, instead spending time detailing the political and bureaucratic systems of each state, personalities, and intrigues during the reign of Jan Sobieski. The chapter on the unusual Solomon Affair is the best treatment in English of which I'm aware. Kaminski also advances a novel (and very plausible) theory to explain the bizarre behavior of just about everyone during the affair, though I'm not entirely convinced by it. Also interesting are the allusions to popular political philosophers of the period and their influence on the ordering of the Polish government.

I would recommend this title not only to students of Russian and East European history, but to anyone studying European states in the period after the Wars of Religion.

Professor Kaminski's book is an excellent, original, based on primary research comparison of Polisha nd Russian diplomatic services. It challenges many prevalant stereotypes and brings new light on the approach of these two rivals to each other at the end of the 17th century. Brilliant!!!

The best thing about this edition is its stunningly beautiful cover. It goes downhill from there.

The previous edition (was it around 1995?) was really, really very good; ahead of everyone in the business. I wrote a glowing review at that time. Since then, the countries have moved on at an amazin pace, but LP did not manage to catch up.

Cultural information is still good (and that is the area where fewest changes were needed). It is not as good with practicalities: the book is full of small inaccuracies - money, costs, payment options, transport information all suffer from lazy, complacent research.

Another sad fact is that the authors seem to draw upon their one-off impressions: waiters tipping themselves by not giving you the change, what's that about? Credit cards accepted in "main cities and towns" - well, hello, when did you last go to any of the countries? These things go on and on.

As for "Getting There" information, one wonders which planet are Lonely Planet researchers living on. Has anyone told them about the Internet? About cheap offers from the airlines? How long can continue with their ridiculously irrelevant drivel about bucket shops and courier flights?

A good thing that can be said about this Lonely Plant is that it is not of trademark "bleeding-heart" variety and that anti-American propaganda still has not found its way into it. You will have to get the Iceland guidebook if you want some of the most bitter, biased and unwelcome LP campaigning.

Overall, it seems like Lonely Planet is cutting costs, and the most recent thing that they have chopped off is proper research and verification. This is unfortunate, for the start was really good.

I've used this guide to travel from Estonia to Lithuania via Latvia, and I can assure that the coverage of those countries is absolutely great. The stories included in the book are simply juicy drops of culture, and surely they capture your interest and push you to get more deeply in the history of those sites you are visiting. No matters where you go, you will find the essential information and much more than that. This guide worth the money.

As with all of Lonely Planet in Eastern Europe, this book is excellent. The historical background is particularly good, it makes some sense of an extremely complicated, and at times, surprising history. This are in many ways countries, almost of myth and old stamp collections, that have come back to the real world -a fairy tale in more ways than one. This book keeps that spirit alive, and I highly commend it.