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I tend to check out what a new writer who interacts with me in some way has been sharing...
Especially when he posts a book titled How to Overthrow a Government...but then, I went on to read his extended title: An Historical and hypothetical survey of revolution, civil and sedition. And then, I recognized 3 out of 4 of the pictures included on the cover. Some individuals who haven't discovered that you can't tell a book by its cover had reported this book (or perhaps some computer programmed to spotlight certain words tossed it out, I don't know). Nevertheless, it was removed...
My first reaction? If you are individuals who try to hide the truth of our history, then no wonder our country is in such a mess... Second, I wanted to read the book. I found it very informative. It is presented as would any individual who was researching his subject... Indeed, he purposely used Wikipedia, at the beginning, which most of us routinely use; and, in referencing his point, he included a link to where further information could be found if readers wanted to learn more. I felt this was an excellent inclusion by the writer...
Another comment before I review the content. Often an author will choose a "catchy" title in order to appear intriguing or eye-catching. At this point in America, this probably isn't a good idea... However, let me assure any potential readers: This book doesnot tell you how to overthrow the government. In fact, in the end, he showed that it was practically impossible in our nation...
The first question should be why a government should be overthrown.
Well, of course, my answer in relation to America, was that it should not be overthrown, even though our past president and his followers have been and clearly are continuing their efforts to do so...See why I wanted to read the book!
Uprising and revolt typically is messy and leaves everyone sullied. In hindsight, if the revolutionaries win, they can and often do rewrite history to make themselves look more honorable and noble than they were during the actual fight. But the reality is, they more than likely had to engage in dishonorable and unsavory tactics to achieve the goal. With this in mind, the prospective revolutionary must grapple with his or her conscience. Will they be able to live with themselves after the war is won? Whether it is seeing actual bodies strewn on the battlefield or the undeserved destruction of your enemy’s reputation, will you be able to live with yourself? And if you can, should you be able? Did you become a monster to remove monsters? Do the ends really justify the means?
When a writer takes the time to point out the, in my opinion, most important issue--the moral question-- then he will be working to share both pros and cons, and since this was right at the beginning, it showed that his intent may have been even more biased--to show that the morality issue should be foremost! I agreed...
So, idealistic concepts of an uncorrupted, “pure” society has always been a delusion. The just cause ends up being more of a “just because...”.
Certainly there are those in America who are, even now, being harrassed, threatened, and attacked in violence, even though innocent. Mr. Pelosi is a perfect example where an elderly man in his own home was attacked and seriously hurt... The reason? Just Because MAGA Talk against his wife was heard and he felt incited to act...
And then there are those three Palestinians who were gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving--coming from the three different colleges they were attending--only to have a white man come out of a neighboring house, with a gun, and start shooting. Was it because they were speaking a different language, they looked "different?" and therefore should be killed???!
Of course, the larger wars initiated by Hamas, Russia, and MAGA on January 6th are totally open in their reasons of hatred--to kill their enemy...
And, even thereafter, the republicans started to rewrite exactly what had happened on January 6th, even as Congress had tried to hold a congressional hearing where many republicans would not even respond to subpoenas! Yes, it is IMPORTANT to examine exactly how and when and why a government should or could be overthrown...
Civil war is defined as a “war between citizens of the same country” – Google Historically, civil wars break out when the ruling government attempts to impose something on either the people directly or upon a semi-sovereign region such as a state or province. This is exactly what happened during the American Civil War. When the federal government tried to force several states to change not only their position on slavery but also on their Constitutional right to secede from the “union”, these states rebelled. The civil war was less about citizens fighting amongst themselves and more about the stronger, a more organized federal government trying to disallow individual states their right to self-govern. As I say this, please understand I am not advocating for slavery. The civil war was not initially about slavery so much as it was about sovereignty. Until the American Civil War, most battlefield wars were fought as soldiers lined up on a field and each side would attempt to overwhelm the other until one retreated or surrendered and then it ended. The American Civil War was different in that it established total war, or total defeat where one side attempted to cut off supply lines, destroy cities, chase soldiers around the countryside and even employ the tactics of Guerilla warfare; where armed citizens fought soldiers. Many of these elements were present in previous wars but never so many of them in one conflict. While civil wars initially are contained to fighting between citizens of the same country, this doesn’t stop other countries from taking sides and support one or even both sides. The interests of the third-party country might be met by fomenting an arms race that it can supply or establishing a proxy nation once the winner has so enmeshed itself with the support of the outside nation that it becomes beholden to it. A history of the most pivotal civil wars bears out that civil wars became less about fighting between citizens and more about third-party involvement.
It is sometimes beneficial for third-party nations to foment or encourage civil war among its neighbors. It prevents the nation engaged in civil war from becoming too powerful. It allows for the potential of arms sales from the third-party nation. It usually prevents the nation involved in civil war from uniting with other nations in the region. In this way, the third-party nation can somewhat controls the nation embroiled in civil war. Understanding this may help us realize why there has been so many “civil” conflicts in the world, especially in modern times when so many nations are interdependent on others.
Cold War--A “cold war” is when conflict between the “warring” nations is either non-existent or minimal and is more about tension and competition between the nations. Perhaps the most infamous cold war was that between the United States and the U.S.S.R. also known as Russia. The cold war began almost immediately after the end of World War 2. USA and the Soviet Union had reluctantly worked together to defeat the Nazis. USA and Russia had conflicting political and social structures that would inevitably cause tension. U.S.S.R. was socialistic and authoritarian whereas America had always been capitalistic and freedom advocating. As the Soviet Union began to rebuild after World War 2, it began to expand its influence and territory; among which was the newly acquired eastern portion of Berlin Germany. America and its allies controlled the western portion of Berlin as per the agreement to divide the former territories of the Nazis. This geopolitical tension within Berlin is the epitome of the larger cold war tension that would exist between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. for almost the next fifty years. The cold war was like a chess game where the U.S. and the Soviet Union moved pieces around the globe which antagonized the other. This “game” came to a head when the Russians tried to move missiles into Cuba which is only 103 miles from Florida. While the U.S. already had missiles near Russia, this move would be the first time Russia would openly place weaponry this close to the U.S. The United States responded by blockading Cuba. As Russian ships approached the blockade, the potential for all out nuclear war increased. The situation was eventually averted when the Russians agreed to not attempt to place missiles in Cuba and remove the ones already there in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and to remove its missiles from Turkey which neighbors Russian territory. This encounter was pivotal in that both Russia and USA now understood they needed a “hotline” of communication between them so that future escalation could be defused.
Like civil war, cold wars on smaller scales are often fomented between nations to destabilize them. This distrust and tension prevents cooperation which may be detrimental to a third-party nation. In fact, as the colonial European powers and especially Britain began to withdraw from nations occupied as territories, the powers would often divide the nation along ethnic lines which had the effect of precluding national unity. This is evident in how India was divided into three parts; India proper, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. (See Mountbatten Plan) Pakistan and “East Bengal” were one province under the division whereas as “West Bengal” would become a state in India proper. Eventually, East Bengal fought a war against Pakistan and became independently; Bangladesh. But the point is, these tensions were caused by England dividing the region up along ethnic lines; Hindus versus Muslims. This tension still exists today.
Perhaps had there been one “super” India instead of three distinct nations in the region, India would even be more powerful than it is. So, it is often advantageous for some nations in the short and long terms to keep conflict or tensions among other nations.
Superpowers--The word superpowers may immediately invoke the idea of some person in tights and a cape but what is meant here are the nations that control most of the world’s weapons and financial might. A superpower nation also may be one that is in a sort of perpetual cold war with other superpowers. This competitive cold war exists between the USA, Russia, China, and the European Union. However, after the fall of the U.S.S.R. in the 1990s, it might be argued that the USA is the sole remaining superpower and that the other nations are emerging or potential superpowers, since the USA has more influence on a global scale than many of the other nations. Superpowers engage in activities such as space exploration and foreign aid on a larger scale than non-superpowers. They tend to involve themselves or are expected to involve themselves in conflicts around the world that really do not directly affect them. Superpowers also become the targets of conflict in that they not only are expected to set the tone and example to other nations, they also will be criticized more aggressively for the actions they do or do not take. Their social, financial, and military decisions are scrutinized to the point where their own sovereignty becomes almost secondary. They are treated like an “international” country where their business is everyone else’s business.
I say to you, potential readers, this book is simply a well-researched look at the things that are happening right now in the world...the overthrow of a government... Putin is trying to overthrow a democratic nation! And, this writer, is looking at the past history of such actions, to provide any possible insight we may garner to try to stop this war as well as the one in Israel/Gaza...as well as in the United States. For, surely, this country is divided and we all need to know exactly WHAT has, is, and could be happening in the future.
A true constitution does not attempt to enumerate special rights but instead treats all people as individuals and upholds their personhood. There are not different “rights” for male over female or special rights or protections for skin colors or behaviors, such as sexual practices or self-identifications outside the biological facts. While I’m not saying every successful nation should pattern itself after the USA, a utopian society keeps peace among the factions so that the individual may thrive. For, it is individuals that usually spark revolutions. So, if you anger the wrong individual, you will no doubt be causing the downfall of your own society. Trying to suppress or dismiss this individual will only provoke further determination. You should know, since if you are truly a revolutionary, this is the very thing that caused you to rise up and overthrow your government.
~~~
The writer, rightly states, that if you plan to be a revolutionary, then you must be prepared... Many of us rose up against the overthrow of the Pro Choice Deletion instigated by special interest groups...What this book is all about is to allow you to logically think about, consider the past attempts or those which succeeded, and decide exactly what you need to realize... Many of those who testified on the January 6th Insurrection plainly said that they had acted as the president had told them to...only to then regret, feel the shame, and realize that the attack was... wrong...
This book is written without extensive documentation yet is sufficient for you to understand the past actions and allow you to realize just how delicate is the balance of a sound and effective government...and how those who seek power can act to indeed try to overthrow a government. Some have been for the better... I chose to add my own research and knowledge of the failed attempt on 1-6, albeit still happening, to overthrow our own independence. You owe it to yourself to read this book and start thinking clearly about exactly what is now happening... Soon coming... Liz Cheney, past congressional leader of Republican party who was summarily dropped because she chose truth and the constitution... She, in my mind, is just what we need, a revolutionary who is acting on behalf of America rather than on a potential dictator...
As the coolness started to disappear from the morning air, we knew it was time to get ready for work. I felt for Mama; she had had no sleep for two nights. When she lit a candle and began making breakfast, I could see her wrinkled face and bloodshot eyes. Everything about her was tired-looking. She appeared much older than her young thirty years. Oh, how I wished she could stay back in the cabin and rest. But no, she had no time for that. No time for anything other than grabbing a quick meal, feeding me, changing out of her putrid dress, and dragging her exhausted body to work.
It was an especially warm mid-May day. The hummingbirds had already arrived earlier that year. They usually welcomed in a new year, migrating to Louisiana around the end of January. Mama and I were working near the edge of the sugarcane crop close to some flowers when I saw a tiny bird dipping its long, slender bill into an orange bell-shaped flower. It was a rare treat when I spotted a hummingbird with its vibrant colors. Something about those birds made me feel more alive. I once tried to count the times one flapped its wings. I couldn’t do it; it’s near impossible to see the space between the movements. And oh, how that little beauty invigorated me. I thought the day had started off on a good foot, seeing that beautiful creature covered in the brightest turquoise blue I ever did see. The pretty little thing had splashes of orange on it, too—just like the color of the flower it fed on. I could surely fly off and spend the rest of my life living among such grand appeal. Mama was right when she would say, “It God’s work in nature. You wanna find peace, my boy, God done filled the whole world with it. Just gotta look past all the folk who fuss and fume. God’s creations, they is simple and fine.” She’d smile and shake her head in amazement. “Proves to me,” she’d sing, “there surely be a Lord creating all this.”
But what went wrong when that same Lord who created such magnificence also created men with bitter hatred in their hearts? I never got my answer to that question. And if ever there was a time I needed one, it would be the day I saw the hummingbird...
The Day I Saw
The Hummingbird
By Paulette Mahurin
Slavery is the next thing to hell. --Harriet Tubman
He had been born into slavery and as soon as he was old enough would also be called upon to work the fields, cutting the cane or carrying...his Mama would be teaching him how to do it, for she had carried him, screamed in her birthing and then took him into the fields as she was forced to go back to work... There was no other option. They were bought and paid for, becoming the property of the plantation owner.
But the one they all hated most was the overseer, who carried a whip or used anything else to hurt them, including coming into their shanties late at night...He had been there the night he came to Mama. She had scooted him out to go sleep with his friend... Even then he was old enough to know what happened to the women when he came...With his father gone, there was no way to protect his Mama...
And the hate and anger within him grew deeper and deeper, cutting his heart and soul until he could not contain his outbursts...
I couldn’t shake the distrust that lived in my body.
All the kindness and compassion I’d experienced
from those who helped to free me
never replaced the sour taste left from the torture
and injustice at the hands of the mean foreman
that defined my childhood.
Lower your head Oscar, I could still hear my Mama
scream. Don’t be looking where your eyes don’t belong.
Later at night when away from the sugarcane field,
my mama, Catherine Mercer,
her big brown eyes wide as the moon and
her nostrils flaring, would whisper in my ear.
Your curiosity is gonna get us killed.
~~~
Sometimes they had half-days off on Sunday. Oscar and his friend would spend time at the creek throwing rocks to count the times it would jump...Simple fun that took them away from all that was wrong with their world... Oscar is the main character of Paulette Mahurin's latest novel. I met her with her debut book, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap and The Seven Year Dress. Mahurin has a real gift in creating books that are historically significant, but, even more importantly, readers become so involved in her books that we begin to feel as if we were right there within the book, maybe even as one of the characters.... While the story is built around Harriet Tubman's work with The Underground Railroad, she personally is only mentioned in this book as the person who started it...
Oscar was not even ten when, on his mother's death bed, she indicated that it was now time for him to go for freedom. There had been a small group who talked about and planned for an escape, but, in the end, it was only Oscar and his best friend, Sammy who, at the age of 10, sat with Oscar while she went back to work... She had no choice now, they had already killed her husband and she had to ensure her boy was safe... Now, Sammy and Oscar had to leave on their own, never to see anybody again who was left behind. They had learned the routes to follow and had been given a small map but neither had ever been anywhere outside of the plantation... Fear alone walked with them... Oscar was an intelligent young boy and had some basic learning of the alphabet and reading, even though it was forbidden for them to learn how to read. His mother had taught him much about God and life, about nature's beauty and how to survive. But two other women he met along the way continued to teach Oscar... It is in the sacrifices of those who provided support to those who escaped that we learn not only more about Oscar, but also about how those who provided shelter felt as if they were compelled to help! Be prepared for the danger and death as Oscar ran, first losing Sammy and then meeting others who took him under their wings to provide for him. Months and years went by and Oscar celebrated his 10th birthday while he was still running... What was in the future and would he ever be free from running. Did freedom even exist? For during his trip, the Civil War had begun and soldiers were fighting, sometimes forcing them to take a different trail. And as the Railroad became better known, their masters began to put rewards on their heads to bring them back... A possibly well known story to many...and yet, so startlingly different. Seeing everything through Oscar's eyes as he, first, grew up enslaved and afraid, only to be forced to leave his Mama's grave and his few friends and run into the unknown... Readers are faced with the tension, that ongoing fear, the hatred faced by drunken men who delighted in hurting he and others for no reason...and, worse, to see those he loved die horrible deaths...one...by...one... It's time to remember. It's time to consider how Blacks did not immigrate like, perhaps, you and I came to America through our ancestors. Blacks came as prisoners, chained and sold to the highest bidder... You might even think about the recent activity of the KKK and other hate groups and come to see that we still, today, need to ensure that individuals who hate are not permitted to once again require protection from those haters... My recommendation for this latest book, by Paulette Mahurin, is to consider it a must-read...It's an important contribution to Mahurin's own library and I encourage you to consider this as well as her other troubling, powerfully-written stories... GABixlerReviews
Paulette Mahurin lives with her husband Terry and two dogs, Max and Bella, in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science. While in college, she won awards and was published for her short-story writing. One of these stories, Something Wonderful, was based on the couple presented in His Name Was Ben, which she expanded into a fictionalized novel in 2014. Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction of the year 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and made it to multiple sites as favorite read book of 2015. Her fourth book, The Seven Year Dress, made it to the top ten best seller lists on Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K., and Amazon Australia. Semi-retired, she continues to work part-time as a Nurse Practitioner in Ventura County. When she’s not writing, she does pro-bono consultation work with women with cancer, works in the Westminster Free Clinic as a volunteer provider, volunteers as a mediator in the Ventura County Courthouse for small claims cases, and involves herself, along with her husband, in dog rescue. Profits from her books go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.
" A boy from a poor family. He's very handsome, they say. But he won't make his confession. No bells this morning--didn't you notice, maestro? Now they have to wait till the Ave Maria at sunset."
She shrugged. "They'll kill him then even if he hasn't confessed."
"Ho ho, Madonna, Maestro, the boy has a sweetheart. A rich noble girl, Maestro. But one day a big important priest saw her and, Jesu, he wanted her. And you know what, Maestro? She refused him."
"Of course."
"Of course," Maria mimicked him under her breath, then giving in to her impatient nature; she took the fruit basket off her head, set it on the floor, and plopped down next to it. So we're taking a break, he thought. He went over to sit on the small settee he kept in the studio for his visitors. What do you know about Rome?" Maria chided. "As far as I can see you only paint pictures of poor people. We're talking about the rich. The boy shot a priest. And this priest is very important and influential. Some people say he's the Pope's nephew."
"Did he kill him?""She dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. "Who knows? He stole a pistol and fired it. Whether the priest dies or not, you get put to death for that. Then the magistrate found out that the boy was part of the Republican movement, and that meant the boy would get drawn and quartered as well."
"Such barbarism." Freeman shook his head. "Didn't somebody, perhaps the girl's family, try to intervene?"Maris made incredulous eyes at him...
~~~
"And here he comes now, Mr. Freeman look to your left at the heftiest man in your field of vision.
That's Mastro Titta, the executioner crossing the square on that wagon. We'd best follow along--
the guillotine is set up two blocks from here...
The boy kneeled down so promptly that it was heartbreaking. His neck was fitted into
a hole in a cross plank.
Below him was a leather bag. The silver blade sheet fell, and into it
his head rolled instantly like a melon.
His sweetheart on her balcony shouted incomprehensible words. Despite the serpent
coil of six arms she managed a half-rise, enough to launch her spit.
The executioner held up the boy's head by the hair.
After a minute, he paraded with it round the scaffold. The eyes were turned to one side. In the
direction of the balcony, Freeman was sure. The face was already dull wax....
There was no manifestation of disgust or pity in the people around Freeman. None of the
indignation he expected either. They were quiet--that was all that could be said for them--
and many had their mouths open...
Freeman felt exactly how Dickens had said he would. His horror was paralyzing.
He wondered where the writer was and what words he was finding for this moment.
Next to him, a woman pointed out to her neighbor
that the staring, shouting girl on the balcony was being pulled by her shoulders back
through the French doors...
~~
The Secret Price of History
By Gayle Ridinger
Paolo Pochettino
At just under 600 pages, this novel is a monumental tale that moves through time, roaming from the 1800s through to the present decade. The rich abundance of history, however, surrounds one object--a gold medallion. Flashbacks historically carries the readers to what was happening at the time and how the medallion was first discovered... The majority of the treasure hunt adventure takes place in the immediate past, once it is known that the medallion has been with a family for years and is now known as priceless, and attached...to great treasures!
Bassignana
I was quickly caught up in two groups of characters. First the individuals in the 1850s when much war and turmoil was taking place with Garibaldi being the center of most as they fought for Italian unification. Enter a young man, Sandor, who is looking to join up with Garibaldi and comes into a small town, starving and trying to find his way forward. He meets Goffredo, a cheesemaker who hides him, feeds him and slowly becomes close as friends. Goffredo decides to join Sandor and readers join in their difficulties trying to find just exactly where Garibaldi was.
Now during this time, an American artist is also there, who spent most of his time, showing the devastation of the people through his work. It is Maria, his model, his sits for his painting, "An Italian Beggar Girl," and who tells him much of what is
happening and especially when an execution is scheduled.
James Freeman had thought to go and sketch the people who would undoubtedly be collecting, one of which happens to be the writer Dickens, who quickly greets him but moves to get away from what is happening, noting that he soon will too. James had attempted to sketch, but soon was so caught up in the horror of what was happening that he was caught, becoming emotionally involved. It was this scene that also caught me, making me think that this, then, was a major reason for the war, the people joining to fight...
July 5, 2008 We can't quite believe that others may covet some small thing we own. We might realize they are envious of our lifestyle, our spouse, bank accounts good looks, career, well-brought-up kids, pleasant personality, resourcefulness, solid faith in something bigger...but envious to the point of obsession with some little object we possess? With such determination to have it that they might try to kill us? ...No, there is something strange going on. Something twenty-one-year-old Angie Cebrelli isn't aware of as she crosses the sunny field to the grandstand filled with people waiting to watch the Gettysburg Civil War battle re-enactment. When she asks one of the men wearing a baseball cap if the place next to him is taken, he moves his big butt a few more inches towards his child. She sees his eyes go to her breasts under her tank top--the same thing happened with some jerk at lunch. When the man obligingly swings his little boy up on his lap to make still more room, Angie feels a small foot kick her kneecap. A pudgy hand reaches towards her neck piece. "No, honey," she mouths at the toddler with a smile. ~~~
While Freeman was active in helping individuals escape from Italy, the main reason I wanted to include him was to share his painting, "The Princess Prattles With Her Parrot," which is the girl upon which the character, Eleanore, was based... She is also the rich girl, who was raped by the priest and whose lover was just hung...
...“As you may know, this painting is entitled “The Princess Prattles to her Parrot.” I personally like the parrot more. We know the painting was inspired by Read’s poem about a poet in an oppressed land. But if, as you say, Freeman knows Garibaldi—.” “Even Mama knows him.” “I do,” said Margaret. “The red ribbon in her hair, the green parrot, the white nightgown slipping down one shoulder. The colors of the Italian flag.” Frances Carter Wilder blinked in surprise. “Yes,” she admitted, stepping closer to the frame, as suddenly behind her, the girl’s mother—Garibaldi’s supposed friend and correspondent—said, “I am that princess.”
Frances Carter Wilder straightened up. So that’s it, she thought. “Mama still….Mama still rather looks like her, doesn’t she?” said Margaret, embarrassed.
!!!
Note: This quote was located quite late in the book, but I thought illustrated how quietly a treasure had been retained by a family, who had once known and participated in a war, but then quietly moved on in their lives..
Eleonora was a nurse at the time she met Sandor and Goffredo. Both men fell in love with her. And Eleonora loved the both of them as well, one more than the other but they spent many hours together as a threesome and so on that fateful day that a small velvet bag came into their possession, they shared the excitement and mystery and each one retained one piece of what it contained. Initially Sandor wore the medallion, so readers will find the amazing story through which it finally reached Eleonora in America quite fascinating, as well as historically significant.
It is hard to break away from that time period, but now we must at least meet the young woman who had begun to wear the medallion early in this decade. Angie Cebrelli is the great-granddaughter of Eleonora. Her mother Margaret had a rough time during her life, but she had hidden that velvet bag away, not to be touched until her daughter became interested in it.
The break between historical times and the present are clear, with readers immediately moving into a contemporary setting totally recognizable... Angie has landed a job, for now, as a TV weather girl. She hopes to move up quickly. In the meantime, she had taken a chance and began to dress up as live characters from history to do her report. Her first event was on the birthday of Joan of Arc and next Fred Astaire... Then she decided to be even more dramatic when, on July 3rd, she had dressed as a Civil War soldier...but... she was dressed as her great-great-great-grandfather...
The cap was all right but Angie didn't like the idea of appearing on TV with glasses. "Isn't there anything else?" Her mother scrounged further. "There're these tweezers with a little Italian flag stuck on them, and a vial of dried dark stuff." ...Then she set the gold medallion on top of the pile. It was the size of a small peach or a largist swimming metal, and it had a lion-man creature and a radiating sun symbol engraved on it... !!!
Showers tomorrow folks. A far cry from the hot sunny weather on this day back in 1863. Does that date, July 3rd, tell you anything about who I am tonight? Does this red jacket from an old family suitcase give you any clue? If you guessed I'm a Civil War soldier, even though I'm dressed in red, you're right. I'm my great-great-great-grandfather, a member of the Italian regiment called the Garibaldi Guards, who found at Gettysburg. And I got to wondering-how many of you folks at home also had ancestors who fought in the Civil War, or even a more recent conflict, and wonder what it was like? Write to our website and tell us a battle they were in, and I'll help you out in that regard. I'll send back word on the weather than day... [pic is actually of Garibaldi, who passed out the shirts in Italy!]
Angie quickly gained fame and also started a blog which supplemented and shared what her history lessons were. She announced she was heading for Gettysburg for a re-enactment. She planned to wear the shirt, the hat...but she needed something else... she would wear the medallion! That was when the first assault happened... Individuals who are interested in the treasure are coming from every direction! There are others, however, who have been involved with historical research as a part of their life
Ostia Antica - Mithraeum of the Seven Doors
interests. Damien was the most well-known and as Angie traveled, she ultimately did get the chance to meet with him. But deaths preceded that and also followed that meeting. Once the first death occurred, the police became involved of course. One officer, somewhat of a rebel in following the rules was soon hooked up with Angie not only because of his case, but because he soon became interested in her (of course, there has to be a bit of romance to lighten the story, right?" The interesting part about the victim was that he was a married priest; and already had enemies because of his role in an advocacy group trying to gain approval for priests to marry! Also of interest was the financial reason submitted for having the rule first put in place. The key difference between this treasure hunt and most we've enjoyed on television is the historical information included. Readers get involved with the early start of the Catholic Church and also in the present time, for instance. Then there are the reviews of the research and how it fits in with reality and potential options. There is no map and Damien's research is "active," meaning that he's piecing the pieces together each time something happens or another location is discovered. The search also leads into research and interaction with at least three sects or cults, with some playing main characters, including a delightful young Sikh boy who first stands up against evil men and then helps Angie and the officer, Dardanoni...find important evidence that helps to lead to Damien...who has by that time been kidnapped! You want action and adventure, you got it! You want to historically track what happened with treasure that Alexander the Great accumulated during his leadership. It's here! We even have Bonaparte III playing a role in that later search! There appears to be a balance of historical data to the crime search that takes place in the present, so, please, plan on spending time with this novel! It moves from action to historical references and is not a book that slowly turns into a page-turner. Rather, it is a close look from the viewpoint of families who joined Garibaldi and happened to pick up a "little treasure" of that time period through generations of family passing what they now considered theirs on to the next generation...Only to discover nobody agreed that it belonged to that family! The history is clear: those who founght for solidarity in the Italian Risorgimento and later also fought in the Civil War! The drama is exceptionally well done and documented. Note that extensive information and pictures of those involved can be found on The Secret Price of History site! The site itself is a true learning experience and should be enjoyed along with your reading to enhance the activity. History Lovers, do check this one out! A truly impressive, brilliantly created literary masterpiece. And, BTW, a thoroughly satisfactory ending! GABixlerReviews
Gayle Ridinger was born in the United States in 1957 and graduated from Oberlin College in 1979. She was a newspaper reporter for two years before moving to Milan, Italy in 1981. Since 1987 she has taught English and translation techniques at an Italian university. For the bilingual anthology,ITALIAN POETRY 1950-1990 (Dante University Press,1996), which she translated and co-edited with Gian Paolo Renello, she received the “National Translation Prize” from the Italian Ministry of Culture in 1997. In 2001, she received a grant from the Raiziss-DePalchi Foundation (Academy of American Poets) in New York to complete her translation of SHAVINGS, prose poems by Camillo Sbarbaro (Chelsea Editions, New York, 2006). In 2003, she was named Knight of the Star Order of Italian Solidarity (Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarità Italiana) by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Her children’s book, A STAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, was published in 2001 in Italian (Edizioni Arka), and subsequently in Greek, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and English (Gareth Stevens-USA). Her novel THE SHADOW WIFE, a tale of twin sisters who find strange ways of ‘helping’ each other, is available on Amazon.
Born in Milan, Italy in 1949, Paolo Pochettino studied the Classics in high school, then obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has worked as a Technical and Production Manager for high-tech plastics companies in Italy and abroad (Netherlands, USA, Germany, France, India). A marathoner who is passionately fond of cinema and history, he has traveled the world, oftentimes in less than ideal conditions. He’s been through a hijacking in Pakistan, survived a couple of uprisings in Yemen and Sudan, and had thrilling close-up encounters with whales, gorillas, rhinos and lions. He’s also done a few other things that he has always wanted to do, like reaching the base camps of Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga, hiking across Iceland, and mixing with Indian pilgrims on their way to the start of the Ganges.
I am privileged to have had the opportunity to read How the Water Falls by K. P. Kollenborn, who says: Submitting to History Allows us to Remember. Although writing can help decipher history, it's our humanity which keeps all of us striving for an improved future... May we share her vision...
"Water is Life. Without the Flow of Water, There Only Can Be Death..."
When you see the people that are
involved....When you look into their
eyes, what do you see?
K. P. Kollenborn has given us
the opportunity to see those
eyes...How will you respond to these
eyes that dare you to
experience what they have felt...
The Internet is full of information about South Africa, Apartheid, Mandela, and all those various opinions about the past, the future, the now... But, for me, nothing better brings the total picture
for me to true understanding, is a novel based upon historical facts. This is a psychological thriller--it really couldn't have been anything else in my opinion. It is in creating characters to illustrate the "reality" of what is going on with the main characters that we truly begin to realize ...and empathize.
Two strong women bring to you the separation issue of color... But in this case, the white female has great sympathy for those who are subjugated by the white population. Joanne is a reporter, while Lena is or was an activist, before she was banned. I don't want to say that her background story is typical, rather that it was entirely what we would have expected from the news...raped at an early age...etc... But when you actually meet Lena and see and hear her interact with others, that's when you will know the psychology of how she became the strong woman who helped to lead the way for others...
Perhaps I have come to expect that the two women would be strong of character and would take leading roles in this and other stories. In fact, I have a preference for that type of female character.
Interestingly, however, it was the main male character with whom I felt the most sympathy and empathy. Jared Borghost came from a family of military men and had himself participated in many battles...until he could no longer live with himself...
His family demanded he accept duty as his guiding light in all actions, as his older brother Hans did...
But Jared's conscience, his morality continuously led him from a mandated willingness to "do his duty" as his family and other white Afrikaners and Dutch ancestors did.
So that, in the end, he was totally alone, rejected by his family, because he was no longer willing to follow the duty assigned to him. It was interesting that later in the story, he was accused of having killed a man's son who was prepared to kill him... What had happened was that his orders to ensure no deaths of children and women was not followed. It was when he had to go try to stop the shooting that he was seen and assumed to be the murderer... How many times are people condemned for having been in the wrong place at the wrong time... But, isn't that one of the main problems when men are forced to fight for something in which they don't believe?
So it was not surprising that Jared, when Joanne asked to meet with him for his story, soon began to fall in love with her...or perhaps not in love at first, but merely was able to see that she was somebody who was willing to keep after his side of the stories that were being spread... For surely, we all need at least one friend who will listen to us, don't we?
On March 21, 1960, South African police officers opened fire on a crowd of black protesters who had surrounded a police station in Sharpeville, killing 69 people.
The Sharpeville protests began over South Africa’s pass laws, which required black South Africans to carry passbooks with them any time they traveled out of their designated home areas.
Rather than providing an excerpt from the book about the issue of passbooks, I've provided an actual result that made headlines in the NY Times... Imagine Jared, whose brother Hans has become Johannesburg's commissioner of police, as he watches scenes like the one above or others which are worse, or continuous... Jared had to face that he would never again really be a brother or a member of his family, if he opened his mouth to talk to Joanne for her newspaper...
Yet he did...
Yes, it is fiction, but readers who want to learn historically about our world's major issues, will find Kollenborn's novel a must-read. Explore each of the characters and find yourself in this book. Would you be a racist and choose sides, or would you be a White who vehemently opposed the white government leaders and police, or would you be a black child who grew up in his own country and hate what has happened to his love and freedom that was once there in his homeland? The key for me was that I could empathize with each. But in the end, I merely confirmed for myself that, I, too, would, if necessary, fight against my white family to do what was right! Do you read fiction which also is a personal and rewarding learning experience? I'm finding that there are many writers out there that take time to research and create fiction that opens up historical books and newspapers or television news in a wholly different and exciting way. This book by K. P. Kollenborn moves deeply into the complex issues that surrounded Apartheid as well as the personal biases or prejudices that often turns out to be the bottomline reason for all wars. Highly recommended not only as an exciting thriller, but as a wonderful illustration of this past and present world-wide issue. And, thank you, K. P. Kollenborn for your outstanding effort to spotlight deceptions and lies in a manner needed to constantly strive to affect change. GABixlerReviews
I am fortunate to have been trained by one the top ten writing teachers in the US, the late Leonard Bishop, and author of Dare to be a Great Writer. I owe my love of writing to him. How The Water Falls is my second novel. Although I’ve been writing since my childhood, I have a BA in history. I love studying history as much as wanting to evoke stories. I like to believe that after decades worth of introspection we have learned more wisely than something that happened yesterday, because what happened yesterday affects how we live today.
Why South Africa? I live in the Midwest and grew-up in a medium size town where cultural diversity is a bit underdeveloped. My reason is simple: I don’t want to continue to live in a conical world. Consciousness does not develop and mature by existing in a frozen pond. That’s why I love history: To learn. To question. To redeem our humanity. Submitting to a moment in time allows us to remember, or to muse even, over our society’s past. Although writing can educate as well as entertain, yet what makes art incredibly amazing, to that of paintings, photographs, and music, it transposes emotion into another form of humanity, and therefore, it is our humanity which keeps all of us striving for an improved future.
My husband and I once owned a music store, a pizza delivery business, and several internet businesses. I also have dabbled with real estate and am grateful I got the heck out right before the crash! Sadly, history tends to repeat itself in important ways. Currently my family continues to live outside of Kansas City and will always have roots tied to Kansas. Follow Blog:
