peter dohan

The 'BATTLE OF WW2" changed history with the final nail in the Nazi's coffin in the East taking place at the mega-tank battle of Kursk. The book transcends categories as the German soldiers describe the extremes of the fiasco - the cold, the door-to-door combat, the failure of Goering's Luftwaffe to resupply the desperate Germans. It is the personal stories of Wehrmacht Soldiers fighting for an evil regime against another evil regime. The outstanding scene, IMHO, is a soldier playing Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata during the battle. None of this excuses the terrible War Crimes of the Wehrmacht, especially the SS units. Hitler forbade surrender, elevating Von Paulus, the General in charge, to the rank of Field Marshall. He was the first German Field Marshall to ever surrender. Two million soldiers and civilians died in the bloodiest battle of WW2, comparable on to Verdun of WW1. Of the nearly 100,000 German soldiers captured, only 5,000 returned to Germany after the war. This small book captures scenes from hell.

I am a spy/mystery thriller-a-holic. Having read many of Silva's masterpieces, this one is the best I have read. Although set a decade ago, it lays bare the essential truth that kleptocratic/oligarchic Russia is a threat to world peace. Gabriel Allon is brave, disrespectful of authority and lives on his own moral terms - he is an immensely sympathetic character as is that of Ari Shamron, the chain-smoking ex-head of the Mossad who has never retired. I am agnostic about Israel today as I perceive Netanyahu to be a mini-Trump and very corrupt. The Palestinians are pawns in a dangerous game as their home is devoured by American Transplants However, I am not agnostic about Gabriel Allon and "The Office". I read this book in one sitting and look forward to reading the complete set - several more to go. The greatest sadness in the story - which has many many brutal sadness-es - is that Russia stepped off the escalator to democracy and has reverted to Tsarism. Kudos, five stars and bravo to Daniel \Silva and his wife Jamie Peter H Dohan, MD

Having sat thru endless, unnecessary medical meetings before I retired as a physician, I swear by and at this law. My solution: All meetings are held standing up. The meat of the matter, often hidden in verbiage, quickly becomes the top of everyone's list and on the tip of their tongues. . LOL!

Life changing.book - I am the unfiltered type and it was an enlightening read that helped me understand myself.