Rating: 
Summary: Another success by a superb young writer
Review: This is an amazing story about an amazing group of people. The story of Abba, Vitka, Ruszka and their comrades opened my eyes to a world that not enough has been written about. Rich Cohen does a marvelous job of telling their story, just as he did for Pep, Kid Twist, Lepke and their pals in "Tough Jews." In fact, as soon as I finished "The Avengers," I had to go back and re-read "Tough Jews." I enjoy this author's writing style, depth of research, and choice of subject matter. I hope he doesn't make us wait too long for his next book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is an important story to tell. For all who continue to believe that the Jews didn't fight back during the Holocaust, I say, give them this book and tell them to read it to the end before commenting.One interesting point that is also made is that there were so many who believed that if they allowed just one more indignity, their lives would be spared. But there was no bottom to that barrel, and they went from having some rights taken away, to living in a ghetto, to having to select people for transport, etc. Yes, there were many who didn't fight back, and this is, too, their story. How do people behave when civilization crumbles? In the clear lens of hindsight, we might all say, "Oh, I would fight back. I would run. I would hide. I wouldn't let them get me." But if you were there, perhaps you would be one of those who thought - just one more indignity will satisfy our tormentors. The book does not demonize those people, for they, too, are a part of what happened. A truly powerful work. I look forward to other works by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like the book, try the Audio CD and film
Review: While it is an interesting book, the writing style on this book, or the author's previous one, TOUGH JEWS, just doesn't work for me. It is too heroic, and I am too prudish for imagined conversations. But I still recommend the book, and also recommend that you purchase the Audio CD, available on AMAZON, for THE PARTISANS OF VILNA, the music of the partisans about whom this book is about. The documentary film, THE PARTISANS OF VILNA, by Aviva Kempner is also in release. I know that some readers may quibble that his exploration of the lives of Abba Kovner, Ruzka Korczak, and Vitka Kempner, doesn't get psychological (why Kovner blamed victims for their own deaths), sexual (threesomes, etc), or Freudian enough for their tastes, but these are minor issues when placed against the book as a whole
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