Mila 18

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Summary: Mila 18 and its predecessor The Wall
Review: Mila 18 is very readable and its good to see it back in print. The book not only teaches a very important lesson about the Nazi program of genocide in WWII, but through the power of the word images, forces the reader to consider how they would have reacted. It is important to remember that its predecessor was The Wall by John Hersey of Hiroshima fame. Mila 18 and The Wall both deal with the Warsaw Uprising. Evil does live in our world and every individual must determine how they will deal with it. Ignoring it is not an option.

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Summary: a high and a low
Review: On one level, there is no denying Mr Uris' achievement with Mila 18: that of taking such a poignant and tragic (for want of better words) historical event and making it accessible to the general reader. But beyond that, unfortunately, the book suffers from several weaknesses. Characterisation is weak, with virtually all the characters being one-dimensional and lacking in depth. Perhaps because of the scope of the book (from 1939 to 1943)and perhaps because Mr Uris wanted to show as many different facets of the event as possible, depth had to be sacrificed for breadth. But good charactersiation is what makes a great book and here, Mila 18 fails. Details are glossed over and given cursory description and mention, thus lessening the horrors of war. More unfortunately, emotions are not explored in depth. Mr Uris' style, while easy reading, unfortunately lacks variety so that Monti's entry seems no different from Brandel's entries. In fact, beyond merely stating the facts of the events unfolding, Brandel's entries do not seem to reflect any emotional changes within himself. Entertaining yes; popularising history yes; but as a testament or tribute or even an attempt at good ficition to the Warsaw ghetto uprising, disappointing and over-rated.

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Summary: I'm impressed
Review: At age 12, my mother pulled this book out of a Barnes & Noble bookshelf and handed it to me. She told me that she had loved this book when she was young, and I probably would too. I am 13 and have read everything from Tolstoy's War & Peace to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, but this remains my all time favorite. I am not athletic, so I spend most of my spare time reading, and I have read this at least five times cover to cover. It is extremely touching, and the first time I read it I cried. The Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars are books recommended to people my age, but they didn't even compare to this. I felt like I knew the characters, and I could see each scene as if I watched a movie, but I also knew the character's thoughts and sympathized with them. The dialogue and actions are dramatic and exciting. It arose in me such hatred of the Nazis that it took my breath away. It was truly an amazing experience. This book is a definite MUST!

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Summary: Life-changing
Review: This book was introduced to me by a high school English teacher about 6 years ago. I read it in just a view days. It is captivating because the reader feels they know the characters and can relate to one of them or atleast know a person one of the characters resembles. The book is very much about the people involved along with their respective relationships and struggles of being in the ghetto. I know I was mesmerized by this book and am looking for a copy because I lost mine in a move about 2 years ago. If I was only allowed one book to have, this would be it. I have searched high and low and this is the only place I've been able to find a copy. Please read it. It will change your life and if it doesn't, it will change your perspective on life. Very powerful!

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Summary: A book that helped shape my life
Review: Today I read in the paper that Schindler's List was named by some group as the best film of the decade. I told him that the movie was very good, but but did not compare with a book I read about 30 years ago. And that was Mila 18. I now can look back and say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. I plan to find a copy and reread it.

Rating:
Summary: Another Leon Uris Treasure
Review: Leon Uris is the undisputed master of fictional historical novels. Exodus, Mila 18 and Armageddon give us a view of WW-II that no other author has been able to bring to light. His characters are ordinary people set in historical times and situations. He brings you into the ghetos of Warsaw where the Nazi regime was planning the systematic removal of the entire Jewish population. For the first time in history, the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto said no! They fought back with anything and everything they had. The realization that men fought German Panzers with bricks is one of the bravest resistance movements anyone has ever seen. If historical drama, told with a personal touch is your liking, this is truly one of the best works ever. Read it, and your life will change.

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Summary: A novel worth reading
Review: I first read Mila 18 when I was 10 years old. It touched me so deeply that I continue to read it once a year. Emotionally, it can be difficult to read, perhaps more so for me as I come from an Eastern European Jewish family who lost much of her family in the Holocaust. However, it is most definitely worth reading. Within pages, you feel that you know the characters, and you begin to care deeply about them and their lives. Leon Uris did not glamorize the people or events- one heroine, a married woman with two children, is carrying on an illicit affair- but clearly defines them as heros in an impossible situation. This novel is well- researched and well- written, and will touch your soul.

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Summary: this was one of the best book i have ever read
Review: there aren't words to describe mila 18. it was wonderful! it told the story of the Warsaw ghetto in an interesting, high-pace way that kept me turning from page to page. i just couldn't put it down! i would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Much, much more than a novel of wartime struggle
Review: Mila 18 was one of the best novels I have ever read. As common as this phrase may sound, this novel is anything but uncommon. Trying to reach an audience that has little, if any, knowledge of the actual non-fiction events that led to the destruction of the Jewery of Warsaw, Poland is a monumental task within itself. As for someone who has read a considerable amount on the actual events that led to the uprising of the Jews of Warsaw, this work of fiction symbolizes the sheer humanity and will to live that every fighter posessed in a wonderful, historical manner. On a recent trip to Poland I found myself searching for the places Uris described so often in his book, only to be confronted with the disdain of many Warsaw Poles who wish to bury the existence of nearly 300,000 Jewish inhabitants (pre-war estimate) and shy away from the memory of the largest European Jewish community's destruction. The strangest thing about Poland is that children, when trying to insult one another, or adults, wishing to claim one soccer team's dominance over another's, use the word "Jew" to signify cowardice. Mila 18 is one work of fiction that should be read by the people of Poland as well as those in the United States in order to see the significance of struggle and to understand who the real cowards are. Finally, as an important side note, once you pick up this novel, the thought of putting it down will not occurr to the reader until the last page is turned. It was; it is an excellent work of historical fiction that is a must read.

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Summary: A searing account of monstosity and heroism
Review: Like Exodus, Uris uses flashback and a series of historically based but fictional characters to tell an excting story, in this case the story of the Warsaw Ghetto. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to truly understand the Holocaust. I have studied the Shoah all my life and have never felt the reality so clearly as in this book. Unlike Schindler's list, there are few happy endings. But this is what happened. A must read!