I found this a remarkable book, in every way. Vuillard brings to life the titans of the German business world who made the Holocaust possible. The writing absolutely blew me away - from the vivid and unexpected physical descriptions of the well-known protagonists, to a unique and mesmerizing style that drew me in and never let up. The preternaturally great translation into English from the original French by Mark Polizzotti stuns and overwhelms -perhaps the best translation I have ever read. Add to this, a remarkably astute and VISCERAL account of the Austrian Anschluss and I wouldn't hesitate to call this work genius. I won't ever forget Vuillard's words as he begins to introduce his characters: "And there they stand, like 24 calculating machines at the gates of hell." And what a hell they created....
'A thoroughly gripping and mesmerising work of black comedy and political disaster' - Guardian
Winner of the 2017 Prix Goncourt
Eric Vuillard's gripping novel The Order of the Day tells the story of the pivotal meetings which took place between the European powers in the run-up to World War Two. What emerges is a fascinating and incredibly moving account of failed diplomacy, broken relationships, and the catastrophic momentum which led to conflict.
The titans of German industry - set to prosper under the Nazi government - gather to lend their support to Adolf Hitler. The Austrian Chancellor realizes too late…
I always love it when I learn something new about a person or event I have studied for a long time, and one of the most exciting things about publishing my own recent book is making contact with people all over the world with similar interests. As a student of the Holocaust for 30+ years, I have certainly read a fair amount about Janusz Korczak, the subject of the book. When I was contacted by its author, Mark Bernheim, I was delighted to learn of this biography, first published in 1989! For me, Korczak has always been a figure on a pedestal, an almost sainted individual who put his own interests and life second to the orphans that he cared for, accompanying them to the gas chambers of Treblinka rather than accepting proffered avenues of escape. What I did not know were his ground breaking theories about raising children in group homes, the remarkable structures of self governance he put in place in his orphanages, and his forward-thinking and innovative pedagogical ideas. A remarkable man who deserves this fine biography.
A biography of the Polish doctor, author, founder of orphanages, and promoter of children's rights, whose life, though swept away in the Nazi holocaust, was dedicated to his love for children.
As a professional musician I rarely enter into, or study, the world of business and its denizens. When the Ray Dalio book was recommended to me I was reluctant, at first, to dive into what seemed a foreign world so far removed from my own. Instead, to my delight, I discovered a totally new voice and way of looking at the world and its challenges which can be applied to any one in any profession. It was fascinating to learn of Dalio's successes, and challenges, and more about the trajectory of this extraordinary life. I often found myself mulling over a sentence or statement for several days or weeks. Dalio's "principles" will continue to guide my life from here on out.
"Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving." -The New York Times
Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business-and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in…
A gripping, unflinching biography of SS Overseer Maria Mandl, one of the most notorious and contradictory figures at the heart of the Nazi regime and her transformation from engaging small town girl to hardened killer. By the time of her execution at the age of thirty-six, Maria Mandl had achieved the highest rank possible for a woman in the Third Reich. As Head Overseer of the women’s camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, she was personally responsible for the murders of thousands, and for the torture and suffering of countless more.
In this riveting biography, Susan J. Eischeid explores how Maria Mandl, a “nice girl from a good family,” came to embody the very worst of humanity. Born in 1912 in the beautiful, rural Austrian village of Münzkirchen, Maria enjoyed a happy childhood with loving parents—who later watched in anguish as their grown daughter rose through the Nazi system. Mandl’s life mirrors the period in which she lived: turbulent, violent, and suffused with paradox. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, she founded the notable women’s orchestra and “adopted” several children from the transports—later sending them to the gas chambers. After the war, Maria was arrested for crimes against humanity. Following a public trial attended by the international press, she was hanged in 1948.
For two decades, Eischeid has excavated the details of Mandl’s life story, drawing on archival testimonies, speaking to dozens of witnesses, and spending time with Mandl’s community of friends and neighbors who shared their memories as well as those handed down in their families. The result is a chilling and complex exploration of how easily even the unlikeliest of candidates can be turned toward evil in a climate of hate and fear.
