Wulf C. Krueger

I haven't read this book and I won't because it has been thoroughly discredited and, thus, withdrawn by its original publisher. Sadly, the English translation hasn't (yet?) been dropped.

Of course, you don't have to take my word for it (I wouldn't if I were you) so I'm adding two links to the BBC about the book and its issues:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60204868
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60843577

Please stay away from this money-grab.

Last but not least, a short excerpt from the second article:

The new report into the book contradicted its findings, calling its work “amateurish”.

“There is not any serious evidence for this grave accusation,” the experts found.

In response, Dutch publishing house Ambo Anthos said the book would no longer be available and asked bookshops to return their stocks.

The publisher offered its “sincere apologies” to those offended by the book's content, while the granddaughter of Van den Bergh has called on HarperCollins to drop the English-language edition.

I’ve had a hard time reading “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. Walls describes the horrors (and a few good times, few and far between) of her childhood and adolescence.

While I kept wishing someone had intervened, I still felt thoroughly disengaged from the memoir. Walls describes everything without allowing any emotions to shine through. “Glass Castle” reads like it has been written by a detached observer. It’s a sterile, antiseptic report, which is undoubtedly well-written but, to me, not very interesting.

Only during the very first chapter are there any meaningful emotional components and in her acknowledgements, Walls states being “grateful [...] to my father, Rex S. Walls, for dreaming all those big dreams”. These are the dreams of a man who repeatedly tried to sell his own daughter to strangers to rape her. Moreover, he goes on to victim-blame her.

Walls is also grateful to her mother “for believing in art and truth” - a truth her mother gaslit her children away from, and a truth that includes possession of land worth a million that’s being kept in the family for no reason at all while the kids literally starve, freeze, and suffer from neglect, among other hardships.

Don’t get me wrong: Walls, just like anyone else, is, of course, welcome to feel and think any way she likes. Nevertheless, what precedent does that set for other parents like hers?

In different ways, I have my own childhood traumas caused by my father (and was blamed for them by my mother). I breathe more freely since his death in August 2024. Hadn’t it been for the misplaced piety of others, I would have had him dumped into my mother’s grave, alone with an undertaker.

Three stars out of five for the effort.

Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam

I was very much looking forward to reading “[b:Evil Games 25067570 Evil Games (DI Kim Stone, #2) Angela Marsons https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588321125l/25067570.SY75.jpg 44752433]” by [a:Angela Marsons 7942666 Angela Marsons https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419947389p2/7942666.jpg], having just discovered what an interesting detective Kim Stone is. Sadly, this second instalment in Marsons' long-running series didn't hold up the promise of its predecessor.There are actually two mysteries in “Evil Games” and both are completely unrelated, making the novel feel somewhat disjointed. While in the first storyline, Kim and her team have just apprehended a child molester, in the titular storyline Kim is going solo after a rogue psychiatrist.Both storylines leave much to be desired: The case of the child molester is pretty much solved from the beginning and the team is trying to find a secondary perpetrator. There is no suspense in that part, especially since very basic procedures, e. g. comparing DNA found at the crime scene against easily accessible samples, are not even thought of. The solution pretty much occurs to Kim at the last possible moment in the novel and it's kind of a “deus ex machina” moment of dubious probability (just like the culprit themself...).The investigation against the psychiatrist is even worse: Said psychiatrist, Alex, is not only depicted as a genius-level manipulator who in the course of one single session can talk people into committing major crimes. She also seems to have almost everyone in her pocket under threat of revealing dark secrets. Miraculously, Alex finds out everything about everyone in very short periods of time, gets access even to violent inmates of asylums and easily coerces the staff into violating their confidentiality obligations with just a bright smile.I just cannot buy into that kind of super villain outside of superhero stories.Kim herself knows full well that Alex could unravel her completely, and yet ignores the advice of a former psychiatrist and mentor of hers and doesn't make use of his expertise in any meaningful way. Kim keeps getting triggered by Alex in each and every meeting of the two but at a pivotal moment, she seemingly effortlessly ignores even the worst possible of Alex' attempts to trigger her.Considering Alex' super villain status, that completely defied even the already implausible premises of the novel.And there's one more thing that really annoyed me:»Kim refilled her coffee mug thinking, Jesus, I'm trying to nail Mother Theresa.«(The misspelling is the author's.)Mother Teresa's legacy is deeply problematic and undeserving of uncritical reverence. She glorified suffering instead of alleviating it, denying patients proper medical care and hygiene in her facilities. She opposed contraception and abortion, worsening poverty and systemic suffering, and accepted donations from corrupt individuals while mismanaging funds. Her theology prioritized suffering “martyrdom” over real solutions, and her approach to “charity” often perpetuated misery rather than addressing its root causes. Many still view this despicable and disgusting person as a saint, but in reality, her actions often caused harm. Her legacy should be a cautionary tale about blind hero-worship and unaccountable humanitarian work.Overall, this was a mediocre read, earning three stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This is the second time I'm reading “[b:When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 54283 When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Out of the Hitler Time, #1) Judith Kerr https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339840922l/54283.SY75.jpg 1877851]”. The first time was when it was compulsory reading at school more than 30 years ago. I don't remember much of my reading experience back then but that I felt with Anna, the protagonist and narrator, who had to leave Pink Rabbit back in Germany when her family emigrated to escape the rising Nazism...Now, at 45, I'm impressed for different reasons: First moving from Berlin, Germany, to Zurich, Switzerland, then Paris, France and, finally, London, United Kingdom, both Anna and her brother Max are relatively quick to adapt to their new surroundings.While it's rarely easy for either of them, their resilience in the face of difficult circumstances and optimism is deeply inspiring.Nazism always looms in the background; be it through German tourists who prohibit their children to play with Anna and Max for the sole reason of them being Jewish or the Paris concierge.Both children picture Hitler as personally enjoying the toys they had to leave behind - the eponymous Pink Rabbit and a games compendium - and, thus, make the darkest period in Germany's history ascertainable.The book ends abruptly in a cab in London, shortly after Anna thinks...»“What a pity,” [Anna] thought. “I'll never be famous at this rate!”«Dame Anna Judith Gertrud Helene Kerr, Officer of “The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire”, wasn't too far off the mark: It would take her children's prodding about her childhood to make her publish this semi-autobiographical novel in 1971. This publication and the two following novels laid the foundation for Kerr's fame that she had dreamt of as a child.The Kerr family had escaped Germany just in the nick of time - a day later and they would have been arrested by the Nazis who went on to burn Alfred Kerr's books. Alfred Kerr died 1948 by suicide, aided by his wife, shortly after visiting Hamburg, Germany, for the first time after the war. His wife Julia died in 1965. Judith Kerr wrote children's books and illustrated them, married in 1954 and stayed married for more than 50 years.Judith Kerr died in 2019 at the age of 95. She had outlived the Nazis who wanted to extinguish the entire family by almost 75 years. Poetic justice.Five out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

My expectations were naturally high as I ventured back alongside [a:Michael Connelly's 12470 Michael Connelly https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1539114448p2/12470.jpg] Harry Bosch as he re-joins the force in “[b:The Closers 32505 The Closers (Harry Bosch, #11; Harry Bosch Universe, #15) Michael Connelly https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388262627l/32505.SY75.jpg 590167]”. This novel does bring a different tempo, quite unlike the whirlwind of suspense we often associate with Bosch's live-wire cases. Instead, he delves into a cold case, bringing a slower, perhaps more methodical, feel to this venture. Initially, my excitement ebbed slightly as the urgency I'm familiar with in Bosch novels was subdued due to the nature of a cold case. However, as Bosch's intricate world unfurled, the story's pace began to pick up, rendering my initial reservations (mostly) moot. Detours from urgency can indeed provide new spaces for character exploration and narrative depth. This novel proved that slow-burning embers could have the potential to ignite an inferno.The inclusion, perhaps reintroduction, of Irvin Irving added a nuanced blend to the storyline. Though I found Irving's character portrayal to be somewhat dissonant with previous depictions, it provided a refreshing dimension. It's these unexpected character arcs that might polarise views but undeniably stir the plot's dynamic.Also, Kizmin “Kiz” Rider's return from administrative duties to being Harry's partner on “sixth floor” made for a welcome addition. Sadly, she remains somewhat bland and underused but at least she's back.Lastly, the narrative's gradual acceleration led to a climax that, while not as adrenaline-pumped as some of Connelly's others, was satisfyingly appropriate given the plot's trajectory.Connelly proves with “The Closers” that revisiting cold cases need not be a cold affair; rather, it can kindle new respect for nuances in crime-solving that fresher cases rarely provide the space to explore. While the novel initially felt like a quiet murmur compared to the thunderous exploits of Bosch, it evolved nicely into a rhythmic soliloquy, deserving a solid four-star rating.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam