Author:Ladislaus Löb
Two months after his eleventh birthday, on 9 July 1944, the gates of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp closed behind Ladislaus Löb. Five months later, with the Second World War still raging, he crossed the border into Switzerland, cold and hungry, but alive and safe. He was not alone, but part of a group of some 1,670 Jewish men, women and children from Hungary, who had been rescued from the Nazis as a result of a deal made by a man called Rezso Kasztner - himself a Hungarian Jew - with Adolf Eichmann, the chief architect of the Holocaust. Twelve years and a miscarriage of justice later Kasztner was murdered by an extremist Jewish gang in his adopted home of Israel.
To this day he remains a highly controversial figure, regarded by some as a traitor and by many others as a hero. He was accused of betraying the bulk of the Hungarian Jewry by hand-picking only those who were politically and personally dear to him, or those from whom he could benefit financially, and the judge of his post-war trial concluded that he had 'sold his soul to Satan'.
Rezso Kasztner tells his story - and also the story of a child who lived to grow up after the Holocaust thanks to him. A compelling combination of history and memoir, it is also an examination of one individual's unique achievement and a consideration of the profound moral issues raised by his dealings with some of the most evil men ever known.
Among the abundant literature of atrocity about the Nazi camps, it is exemplary. The enormity of human loss in occupied Hungary is recorded with a detached calm and appropriate sympathy
—— Daily TelegraphLöb's story is, at times, heartbreaking... It is fair to say that, even though, Kasztner saved more Jewish lives during World War II than any other Jew, the history books have not wholly acknowledged this triumph
—— Sunday Business PostWell written and well researched...gripping
—— Jewish RenaissanceA remarkable book... Löb has painstakingly re-examined the evidence, recreated the dramatic story of negotiation and rescue and paid warm tribute to Kasztner and his father for their courage and resourcefulness in terrible times
—— Times Higher Education Supplement'For insights into the comedy of politics I doubt The Diaries of Charles Greville can be matched. Half Samuel Pepys, half Alan Clark, this inventory of wasted time an assessment of colleagues can't be bettered...The magic ingredient in the Pearces' volume is the candour of the original author...rescued artfully from oblivion'.
—— ScotsmanConvincing and accessible
—— Sunday TimesA scholarly but readable account of the first crusade, refreshingly repositioning it as a successful attempt by the Byzantine Emperor to save Constantinople
—— Katie Owen , Sunday Telegraph (Seven)The best book on the First Crusade ever written
—— Prof. Paul CheveddenPeter Frankopan's re-assessment of the Byzantine contribution to the origins and course of the First Crusade offers a compelling and challenging balance to traditional accounts. Based on fresh interpretations of primary sources, lucidly written and forcefully argued, The First Crusade: The Call from the East will demand attention from scholars while providing an enjoyable and accessible narrative for the general reader.
—— Christopher Tyerman, author of God’s War: A New History Of The CrusadesIn this fluent and dramatic account, Frankopan - quite rightly - places the Emperor Alexios at the heart of the First Crusade and in doing so he skilfully provides a texture/dimension so often missing from our understanding of this seminal event in world history. Frankopan illuminates the complex challenges that faced Alexios and deftly depicts the boldness and finesse needed to survive in the dangerous world of medieval Byzantium
—— Jonathan Phillips, author of Holy WarriorsIt is not possible to do justice to a long and complex argument in a short review, and the author clearly shows that Byzantine politics played a significant part in the formulation of Western attitudes
—— Church TimesFrankopan's creative revisionism pierces the armour of medieval history with a new weapon: the call of the East
—— Oxford TimesSuperb…brilliantly described…I am proceeding to tell everyone I know that they have to buy the book, read it, and change the way they teach the First Crusade
—— Dr. Steve Biddlecombe, Bristol UniversityIan Mortimer puts the little man back into the 14th Century in this sights, smells, sounds and swords-based romp... Fans of popular history and historical fiction will devour it... It is Mortimer's best work to date
—— Dan Jones , The TelegraphIan Mortimer is the most remarkable medieval historian of our time
—— The TimesAs lively as it is informative. His (Mortimer's) work of speculative social history is eminently entertaining but this doesn't detract from the seriousness and the thorough research involved
—— Financial TimesThe most enjoyable history book I've read all year
—— Independent, Books of the YearThis is the history book I've been waiting for: the essential handbook for any would-be Time Lords wishing to travel to the Middle Ages. Thorough, detailed and totally absorbing
—— Jason WebsterA unique and astonishing social history book which is revolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining
—— History magazine
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