Book reviews from huckfinn

Tales From Spandau Nazi Criminals and the Cold War.

by Norman J. W. Goda

What this book does for us, that other books on Spandau Prison don't do, is show us how Spandau Prison became a battleground between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies--The United States, Great Britain and France--during the Cold War. Every detail of prison life--food, reading material, illness and even where and how the bodies of deceased prisoners would be disposed of--became an opportunity for each side to score points against the other. The wellbeing of the seven famous Nazis incarcerated in Spandau following their trials and sentencing on charges of war crimes was secondary. Goda also does a good job in giving an overview of each of the prisoners, including Rudolf Hess, probably the most interesting prisoner and the last to leave Spandau. It is only natural that civilized people feel a sense of disgust with the likes of the war criminals at Spandau. However, Goda does not hide his disgust in his book, and I felt it hurt what is otherwise a great book. No doubt Goda must also have been fascinated by these men or he would not have written the book. Thankfully, his disgust did not stop him from writing the book, which is one of the best books ever written on Spandau Prison

Awakening The Essential Writings of Jonathan Edwards.

by Jonathan Edwards

This 176 page book serves as an introduction to the writings of the Puritan minister, Jonathan Edwards, who was America's first great philosopher and theologian. The difficulty with Edwards' writings is that they have become, like the Authorized Version of the Bible that Edwards' generation read, inaccessible to the modern reader. Bernard Bangley, the editor of this book, has modernized the pieces that he selected so that the modern reader can read them with less difficulty. Bangley has included selections from Religious Affections, Narrative of Surprising Conversions, Personal Journals and Spiritual Autobiography. He has also included seven sermons, five letters and records of the Edwards' family from their family bible. It is highly unlikely that a university professor or a church leader who desires to acquaint his students or parishoners with the writings of one of America's most original thinkers could find a better introductory work than this one.