this is a continuation and new topic as discussed in the books topic "what are you reading now"...or something like that :) as i said in that topic, i am ready for more info. as a child of a WWII produced German Mother, all the stuff that went on intrigues me. i wonder how much of it she endured (born in 1950) and how much my own Oma and Opa endured. it had to have been tough for them. Opa worked in the Black Forest after fighting in that war (which cost him a leg--the war, not the forest). so Mr. Neuman, please come in and join us (mainly Marcia and i) as we discuss your book and the events that passed therein.

I will inform the author that he site is up and running. Ok Wolfie, how come you can create topics in books and I can't? Keeping the Hawaiian riff-raff out again or is it something I am just not old enough to understand yet? ;) My review of the book for Amazon.com (I REALLY liked this book) "Bastards, Bitches, and Heroes" touched me on so many profound levels that I am in the process of sending copies to friends. It is not a wallow for sympathy but rather, a bemused sardonic narration of survival. It is told in the most palatable way possible to enable those who will to see and understand.... ...I am grateful for his sharing this harrowing and eventually triumphant memoir with us. That he has, has brought a new dimension and appreciation to my life. This book belongs in every school and in every home. Too many generations have forgotten the horrific price war exacts from the innocent. In every way, this is an important book through the eyes of a survivor. My grateful thanks to Mr Herman I Neuman for taking the incredibly difficult task in hand; to remember and share this book with us. BB&H is a book not only of great courage, but in true survival and creating Heroes where none wanted to exist. " M. E. Hemming, Hawaii

marcia, i dunno why it let me create a topic. you mentioned in the "what are you reading now" topic that you didn't see the buttons but they're there now. maybe that was it. wonder why they didn't show up for you? that's really strange. i really liked this book too.

Thank Marcia /\~~~ (little Kilauea) and Wolfie for starting this thread, for your great interest in my memoir, and in promoting it to others. Here's a link to it http://herobooks.com/. My book's title is somewhat controversial; I had to deliver it to one lady in a plain brown wrapper. I could have asked her what she would call her father if threatened to kill her? What would she call having to squat in an attic, against the owner's will, for a year without sewer, water, power, heat or hope? And what would she call those people who sent my little brother, brain-whacked mother into this little wonderful abode by making us homeless? And then sent him and me into exile and slavery? I live in an isolated small town and yesterday held my 3rd day of book signing here. People bought many more books than I had hoped for. Many of those who have read it, feel much the same about it as Marcia and Wolfie, but from their own perspectives (backgrounds.) A number of them bought 2 or 3 copies. This town is abuzz. How can I keep a low profile? For years I have been searching for someone who endured as much as we, for such a long time, alone, and unnecessarily so, because of a few people who were in denial that they were creating reluctant heroes? We triumphed greatly, Siggi and I. Life is a blast!

What town are you living in now, Herman? What's the population there?

Before reading my eye-popping memoir, BB&H, please read the poem September 1, 1939 Thank you, Herman

Southern Idaho. Population 815. People who like four seasons, fishing, hunting, skiing, golfing and other outdoor activities retire here: http://www.northrim.net/parkplace/ Herman

i printed a copy of that poem to go with the book. you're never going to keep a low profile in a small town! do your book signing in the big cities and live in the small town *laugh* i'm glad you're book is well-received. your book prompts others to want to share their histories but one may be reluctant because theirs might not equal the magnitude of yours. but, different things affect people differently--what may have been traumatic for me may not have been for you. even in my family, children were not allowed to think for themselves. no wonder we didn't have the first clue what to do when we were old enough to leave!

Aloha Herman! *hugs* for posting here! I am remiss in not posting the link to teh Auden work you posted above. As for the second link, I did go there and I am so envious. You have FOSSILS!!! You even have a Fossil Gulch I see. Wow! I'm gonna hitch a ride on the next whale eastbound to see for myself. Wonder if my rock hammer will get me into trouble staying afloat?! Back to the book. Lots and lots of war footage going on this weekend and I can hardly stand to watch it. It is not just planes and dropping bombs. There are innocent people down there getting the *bleep* scared out of them in rumbling shaking dark bunkers. I shall think of you in your book forever when I see these old movies and newsreels. My reaction is now to recoil in horror. It is a hollow victory in any case. Your book has brought the true cost of domination of one over another.

I printed out the poem and made it part of me before my first copy arrived. (So far I have purchased three but sent Wolfie one). Good for you, dear, Kilauea Iki (little Kilauea in Hawaiian) is grateful for your success. It is about time you had your share of adulation. Suffer us kindly - I will try to be modest about my hero Worship as much as possible. The most difficult part of the book for me was when you were sent to America. I was devastated by what happened to you here. I closed the book - it was late evening and thought I cannot get through this part... then remembered you had. So I sat in the night reading until you emerged out of your tunnel into the light again. Anguish was knowing you personally and caring about your life. Relief was knowing that your told me it ended happily. I got a very cold stare from the house male when he saw the cover, so I read him the definitions you wrote in the front of the book. He said no more. Have tried to get him to read it but... he does not read books or much of anything. A waste of time! No plain brown wrapper for me. Anyone who dares ask about the cover will get a book to read pressed into their hands. Good for you! In fact, I will past the cover here if I have Terry's permission. It is stark but so is the life inside the covers. Open your eyes and read and learn lest this happen again!

Yeah, I think you blew your anonymity. No putting this genie back inthe bottle!

caught Angela's Ashes tonight which made me think of this book. it's about an Irish family come to America only to go back to Ireland. like Marcia said, Mr. Neuman, please suffer us kindly and nevermind our probing and questions and discussions...we are honored to have you here with us.

I recently found this site: http://www.publink.net/. I hope that this link will display correctly after I send it. It lists many, if not most of physical bookstores in the USA. They all seem to be listing BB&H, including "Christian" and "feminist" ones. It seems that the publisher's editor was correct in her assessment that BB&H ("Fatherless Children, Female Dogs, and Heroes" for this book conference)would have a broad appeal. Yippee! I also read Angela's Ashes. Frank has an amazing humor and a real sparkle in his eyes. His writng style is unusual in that he wrote it in the present tense and used no quote marks for his dialogues.

Dear Kilauea Iki and Wolfie, I enjoy your company and am honored by your interest in my story. You already know about all of my skeletons, and so do many in my village. I am poud of them, of most of my skeletons.

To find my memoir at physical independent bookstores, go to BookSite Stores in the upper right corner of publink.net. Click on the bookstore you want to visit and cut and paste: "Bas*, *itches, and Heroes: A Memoir" into the search field.

I've not read AA but the movie was so well done that I am interested in the book as well. Am glad that you have reached an agreement with the skeletons. That is a difficult task at best. Too many people allow their skeletons control and forget who's really responsible (i.e., the devil made me do it).

Wolfie, "...But we did not think of it..." is more appropriate for Herman. I love the guys who use "The Devil made me do it" then smile unremorsefully and usually in more than a little bit naughty manner. Ami and Siggi did not think of trashing, shooting, arson or any of the seven deadly sins because they had character! Heroes all do, you know! By the way, I have to say at this point that this is not only a fantastic read, it is also funny in the oddest places. The events surely are not always pleasant, but the author's telling of the tale is what makes this book wonderful to read. It elicited laughter on many occasions and I felt a little guilty about it. This is by no stretch of the imagination a depressing book. It is uplifting and illuminating in ways I did not begin to understand until I got into it. (I do like this book!)

Herman, send any further skelatons around to see me. I have a handy volcano just for such occasions. It even hides the evidence!

Dear Marcia, You have read about all of my skeletons. My comm problems must have been somewhere else, they seem to have been resolved. Herman

Good to hear on both parts. If any of them hang around send them to me! Re the article below, too bad they cannot give you back your childhood! Unfortunately, it is not the perpetrators who will be paying the bill. It is the tax payers, as usual... German Parliament Clears Nazi Payments BERLIN (AP) - Extending a historic gesture to a long-ignored group of Holocaust survivors, German lawmakers on Wednesday removed the final obstacle to payments compensating men and women forced into labor by the Nazis during World War II. After months of wrangling over a $4.6 billion fund sparked by U.S. lawsuits against German companies, payouts are now expected to start next month to what could be more than 1 million forced and slave laborers, most in eastern Europe. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, speaking before Parliament voted, expressed satisfaction that a new Germany - symbolized by Berlin's revival as the capital - had stepped up to show responsibility for its past even 56 years after the war's end. More... http://my.aol.com/news/news_story.psp?type=1&cat=0600&id=0105301525561648

Dear Marcia /\~~~, I queried that Bell Website for the author who wrote about his indentured servitude but received no response. I may need to build up a case for the time when the Schitzmas might come out the manureworks to further enhance my life. So I'll keep searching. Hugs, Ami

the Schitzmas are still on your case? oh dear!!

Dear /\~~~ iki, No, but they might. An aside: Sadly, from my perspective, ever more people are becoming ever more clueless about more and more "whatevers."

Please let me know how to help you in the search for your ammunition and armor against the possible eventuality of the Schitzmas hitting the fan. You know I am four-square in your corner and have the time to devote to it. Let me know if you wish any more information. meanwhile I will hunt up more on "involuntary servitude" to see what I can find. I would fight a thousand times more on your behalf than I would on my own. Ok, what's the deal on the T-shirts? Where do I buy one? /\~~~ iki building up magma for the eventuality.

This has been one of MY many experiences: As an architect during reconstruction of Germany after WWII, my father made a lot of money. After many court processes, he managed to divorce my mother leaving her, my little brother and me homeless. We had to squat in a stranger's attic without ANY utilities. This in spite the law.

Why? Maybe because one of father's lawyers for ten years was a good friend of the famous Chancellor Adenauer. Mother's lawyers were assigned to her under the poverty right laws.

That was a little too much justice for him and not enough for the three of us. Father remarried. My second mother then divorced him, taking his stuccoed and plastered, three-story concrete block and baked clay tile house, his architectural practice and his Mercedes with her. That was a little too much justice for her and not enough for him.

Why? Maybe because one of father's lawyers for ten years was a good friend of the famous Chancellor Adenauer. Mother's lawyers were assigned to her under the poverty right laws.

For my family there were more, many more such wonderfully interesting injustices under the laws. In desparation our mother sent my little brother and me to our relatives America. They enslaved us in involuntary servitude.

Involuntary servitude sounds way too good for what they did to you. Their animals were treated better, and that is not saying much! I am not a milk drinker, and now I definitely am not. That they separated you from your brother was the worst of all. This had to be the most difficult part of the book for me. It seemed totally devoid of hope and you were in America existing this way.I wonder how many creative minds are wasting away in this sorry state even today in our land of the free and the home of the brave. *HUGS* Totally off that part of the book, I remembered going back to the student union cafeteria where we all ate and listened to music and had fun. It seemed lifeless and full of strangers, just as yours had been. I guess we have to take all the people we knew back then with us. Fun seems to have gone out of college life - at least, the innocent sort. How very sad! Thomas Wolfe said you can't go home again. In my case it is true. Still, college has always had a very strong appeal to me since I have spent all of my grown life in academe. My best to you and Siggi...

*HUGS* Ami and Siggi.... i really don't know much about how Germany operates and i lived there til i was 9! my grandparents and parents believed in the rod and used it at will. (although we weren't beaten, just welted once in a while). from a couple of conversations with my mother, she had her share of the rod as well...hairbrushes, wooden spoons....opa was a hard, proud german, oma was soft and warm. they treated me better than they did my mother, i think. and yes, i got money for christmas, easter, birthdays, etc. my mother told me it would stop when i reached a certain age but never told me what that age was. oma still sends money but mainly for my kids (though she sends some for me at christmas).....what i found interesting, Ami (if i may call you that), was at one point in your book, you said that parents were required to support their children monetarily (pay their kids) or something like that. makes me wonder if these gifts were because of that. gosh, i hope it was out of the goodness of their hearts. and you talked about the cranes rebuilding. i went over last summer and the cranes of my childhood were still there! *laugh*

Those cranes reminded me of the Temporaty buildings they put up at Penn State for the influx of new student GI's returning to college after the war. They are still there and still called "Temp" Wolfie, you said your kids were delivered through the grace of German engineering. May they last 1000 years like the buildings Ami commented on seeing in post-war Germany.

I should ask my prospective daughter-in-law if the cranes are still in her part of Bavaria. Very near Regensberg, actually! Speaking of Gernamy and my ignorance of 3/4 of my genes' origin, I thought High German was spoken in the area at the top of the map when I was a kid. When I re-read this book with map in hand, it occurred to me the Alps might have had something to do with it... This book is educational in so many ways!!!

I thought that too! I thought Swabish was southern german and hoch deutsch (sp) was for the northerners. My relatives (this past summer) were surprised that I spoke broken Swabish!! I would never survive in a German college course! (Ami, everyone on Opa's side came from Stuttgart-I was born there too. Can't remember where Oma's family came from-I thought it was Stuttgart as well. Members of both families live in Nurnberg (sp)--my apologies for mispelling)

Wolfie, please don't apologize for speaking broken Swabian. Imagine how you could confound the traffic guys if they ever pull you over. The likelihood of your meeting up with a police officer who also speaks broken Swabian is about nil. I wish I could speak anything else. I can read a few languages poorly, but that is just about it. Besides, you're prettier than any other Swabian-speaker that I know! *Hugs* Ami and Siggi.. I need them even if you don't!

High German is taught in all schools, even where Low German is spoken in North Germany. Low German seems to be more closely related to Dutch than to High German. There are many dialects or colloquial variations of High German, among which Swabian is but one. These are only spoken and rarely if ever written. But the German language has mutated so much that I would not be able to speak it very well any more, even if I could recall many of the "old" German words. This language is now riddled with English because of TV and frequent world-wide traveling by many Germans, an activity far fewer Americans seem to be able to afford.

(marcia, i was apologizing for not being able to spell!) i can pull the basics out of a conversation but to quote word for word, nope, lost all that. i wish my mom had taught it to us but she believed that we're in the states and will speak german. guess she forgot i would talk to or write to my grandparents one day!

Your Mom did you a service in integrating you into the American mainstream. We are now a nation divided by many languages and it is getting worse. It is sad that there was not some way to speak your mother tongue at home and still retain it. I know a very bright man who heard only a foreign language at home. It so impeded his learning of English that it kept him out of college on the basis of English alone. That is very sad. (Marcia apologizing for dyslectic fingers)

America is the only country on earth that does not require at least one other language on the elementary level. That is unfortunate!

i meant to say, way up there, that we will speak English. and that's fine, i understand that perfectly, but, at the same time, it would've been nice to have been taught our native language so that we could converse with our relatives over there. then, i wouldn't have lost so much that i can barely write letters (via a translation software program which doesn't put sentences in proper syntax so i sound like a cave woman)

Yes, Wolfie, I know... and understood that nothing works like learning a language as a child. I would have loved to have learned another language. (yeah, Waaaaaaaaay back there before I got messing around with the posts. *sorry smile*

Happy Birthday, Wolfie!!! Hauoli Na Hanau *Hugs*

thanks sweetie! *HUGS*

It warn't purple but that one WAS centered! *Hugs* back

Herman, avoid at all costs seeing "Pearl Harbor". It also contains air raid sirens (the hand cranked variety of which you were so familiar) and you don't need to see the rest. I could not help but think of you all during the movie. No matter the foe, unless we strip the war lords naked and make them negotiate in a room all by themselves, the future generations will continue to die and the old men will wage war for self-glory and control.

Thank you /\~~~ iki, I think that at this point in time such sirens would be more agonizing for me than the festivities they announced. What a vision! Fat old men, grunting and groaning, wearing only "athletic supporters" and diamond rings on their pinkeys, the military-industrial complex that Ike warned us about, pummelling each other with pisspots, roadkill sailcats and other ersatz war materiel. A frenzy of voters, taxpayers, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters cheering and jeering from the sidelines. Last man with his toupee in place, wins.

I worried about you through the entire movie. Ended up hugging myself for you. What an image that is!!! Beats scaring little children and killing off the best and brightest of our next generations! I have found another reader of your book for you as soon as I can get it to her!

Dear Readers, I have a question that I have been trying to get anwsered for years. I was bombed, beaten and starved into submission, so much so that I used to stutter. But now I want to shout about what my experiences have taught me, and why I remained so sane, even without "parental guidence," counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists or self-help books. I am still too humble to shout about myself, but fortunately, evermore people are doing so on my behalf. Here's but the latest example of this from my publisher's message board about my memoir, BB&H: "...Move over Frank McCourt. This has the very strong potential of becoming a best seller and a movie. Don't ever stop marketing it..." Carol Kluz, Author of three suspense and mystery novels. I would like to thank, from the bottom of heart, all of those who are helping to promote my memoir. I especially want to give many hugs to Marica (kilauea iki) who is my most enthusiastic fan. Please help her triumph over the B's and B's in her life. My question: Why did I remain so "normal" and enjoy life so much, when I should be a raving maniac?

You probably have some innate resiliency and toughness to make it through all these events. Do you work on promoting the book full time? What are your main pastimes?

Herman, your character had everything to do with your tenacity and sanity. Your ability to be resiliant and educable when others would have crumbled and given up. Why do some apparenly healthy people commit suicide? Personality is a complex thing. Character is even less quantifiable. Your had your father's intelligence and your mother's tenacity. Some where in the mix each one's bad characteristics were left out of your genes or whatever it is that makes us what we are. Some lean on religion for the reason. I truly don't know, but Tery's suggestion that your innate resiliancy is what brought you to where you are. Happily for us, you are willing to share this remarkable life with us. Had I any less chatacter, I'd become a "groupie" and follow you around. Beware, they are bound to be out there! I think you are more than capable of defending yourself. If not, I will come to your rescue. Now, to get the book mailed to the next regular poster of things interesting. She is most eager to read it. Terry, he was up to here in Strawberry jam when last I spoke to him on Instant Messages. There is no end to Herman's resourcefulness. *HUGS*

that's wonderful about your reviews Herman! goodie goodie!! i am glad you survived the B&B's and came out of it scarred but otherwise unscathed. it just shows that the human spirit is strong. and, perhaps, because you didn't know any better? because when you were small, you thought everyone had a life like yours? that's what i thought anyway and a strong faith is what got me through my B&B's and is still doing so. i really didn't know any better and when i did find out, i knew, inately perhaps, how to survive it until i would be free of it. i can definitely see your memoir become a movie. i was imagining that the whole time i was reading it!

I am still waiting to see who get to play Herman's part riding into the sunset of a life restored and fulfilled! Cheryl, your book is on its way to you!

Do you work on promoting the book full time? What are your main pastimes? Dear Terry, Promoting BB&H: At this time only as time allows and mostly over the Internet. I have four book signings scheduled in July, one of which is in Sun Valley/Ketchum, ID, where Bruce Willis will be soujourning at that time. A few years ago he filmed a movie in our area. Hopefully he will take notice of my memoir. It seems to be true that good books sell themselves. Locally BB&H is a run-away seller with many people buying multiple copies, and it hasn't yet been written about in any newspapers. However, one of our area newspaper editors requested a copy to read so he can do a feature article. Main pastimes: Have not much time for that during summer months because of other commitments. But I have climbed Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and others. My wife of almost thirty-six years and I have toured about forty countries and cruised up the Rio Dolce to Guatemala, and last year I rafted down the Colorado River with friends and relatives. We have a big garden, and I run with my dog up and down the Snake River and other cayons during the winter months; we love it. My wife and I have been horseback riding there and as well as in other places. Two years ago I finished the 7 1/2-mile SF Bay-to-Breakers run in the top 10% of male runner of all age groups, even though I jog only a few months each year. Life is a blast!

Dear Terry, Are you at MIT and associated with Phillip Greenspun, progammer, teacher, writer, .... extraordonaire?

Nope, I know of Philip Greenspun and his fine websites/services but I'm not associated. It really does sound like you're having a blast with all these activities, maybe Bruce is looking for books that can be turned in to movie scripts? And you're keeping fit, it sounds like!

No wonder Herman is my HERO in capital letters. The man is good in all departments to which I am privy. Cheryl, you book is on its way. I sent you the tracking information. Oh, I meant to ask... Herman, if I buy your book from http://www.herobooks.com do you get to keep more of it than when I buy it from Amazon.com? I used amazon last evening to expedite the order. I will use Herobooks from now on if you get to keep more of the price of the book - which only makes sense. Sorry I did not think of it earlier! *Warm Sunny Hugs*

Dear Terry, Are you at MIT and associated with Phillip Greenspun, progammer, teacher, writer, .... extraordonaire?

Terry, I am sorry. I don't know how my question to you was sent twice. I was not even online, was one mile away from my PC, at the time that it was sent the second time. Cat walked on my keyboard? Dear /\~~~iki, yes I do earn a bigger percentage if you order from http://www.herobooks.combecause I can order larger quantities. But I think that it helps my sales ratings if you order through any online or physical bookstore. At this time this is more important than a few dollars. Thank you for asking, you are so kind! I'll be riding into the sunset for at least the next forty years; even considering how my horses have stumbled, bucked, and run away with me. A friend gave me a wild mustang. She ran away with me in Ruby Valley, Nevada, when no one else was in sight for miles. What a sweet liitle girl she was! Yehaaaaa!

Herman, Dear one, you were motivated to write this extraordinary book by a stallion, as I recall. He broke a few of your bones on his way to the sweet mare calling to him from the other field and you were restraining him! You do chose the most amazing horses. Or is it some affinity with them they sense?! Maybe it is residual cow-stuff to which they are reacting? *smiling naugtily* Do not be concerned about duplicate posts. It happens as an abberation of the Yapp software being used in this website when there is a lot of activity - all in different places at the same time. At least, that is where I have noticed it most. Is there another cause? Certainly, it has nothing whatsoever to do with you! It has happened tome with great frequency in the past. You are a popular man! You have noe experienced Yapp-Jam. I will be admiring you long into that sunset!

World popularity it is, then. Hit the link on Amazon.com and it will take you there and make you feel at home! It will even greet you by name if you have been there before!

I have the distinct idea that High Gernam speakers do not particularly like Low German speakers (a class thing?) nor the Netherlanders, either. The latter was brought to my attention when I forwarded a bit of humore yesterday. Herman, I did not send it to you for fear it would NOT be funny to you. I would not hurt you for the world; I think you know that! In any case I got this response back from my ex this morning: I didn't realize that the Netherlanders still had negative feelings for Germans. A friend was in the Netherlands in the 50's. He didn't know their language, so he tried German. He got only dirty looks

i had not idea there was any animosity so i almost didn't get the joke marcia sent!

Dear /\~~~, please send me the joke. that way my left half can laugh at my right half, or maybe the other way around. Or top vs. bottom? South Germans have many "Polish" type jokes about North Germans. Not a class thing. Everybody needs to deride of hate somebody, while I like almost everybody. Does that make me weird?

not at all, i get along with just about everybody too. i think that makes us unique, not weird! *HUGS*

i thought germany went from stuttgart to frankfurt and that was it (as a kid) *laugh*

Dear /\~~~, please send me the joke. that way my left half can laugh at my right half, or maybe the other way around. Or top vs. bottom? South Germans have many "Polish" type jokes about North Germans. Not a class thing. Everybody needs to deride of hate somebody, while I like almost everybody. Does that make me weird?

uh oh, the double-post gremlin is at it again! (not meaning you, Herman)

My post was posted twice, again. Hugs to you too, Wolfie. I have a cousin near Stuttgart. For years her family have not driven into that city because its traffic is in permanent gridlock.

Herman, I guess I'd better *HUGS* you first. The 'Humor' is on its way to you. Perhaps if we are going to discuss this I shold post them in here. The Irish hate one another. It was ever thus. As soon as there were two people and one thing they both wanted. Wolfie, I will share Herman for hugging only because you happen to be very special to me, and because we all need REAL hugs and yours are very real as are mine. Traffic has ruined so many lovely old cities in Europe. It is very sad.

Herman, if you are weird in your not disliking anyone, you have very good company. Wolfie, I can assure you is like that, and I am pretty certain she would do the same for me. We are special, perhaps. I do know some others like us, as well as some who seem to like no one. Please let me live my life in the comapny of the former and not the latter! Maluhia and Hugs of Aloha!

Everybody needs to deride or hate somebody, while I like almost everybody. I am sorry, I got carried away with this statement. My excuse: I worked in the hot sun most of the day, then was hit on my head by a couple of cold beers while I was posting this statement. My generalized statement certainly is not true, but I do know a few people who are destroying themselves with anger: the need, the habit to hate.

that's why most stuttgartians take the street cars or walk! and there are a lot of local stores by which to take care of day to day business. i really like that over there. here, you have to drive and drive to get to a neighborhood grocery and then you don't feel like a neighbor, really. yup, i like most people and have disliked only a few but am forgiving. i'd rather not hate anyone, it only seems to make life difficult. *HUGS* to all!

OK, Group Hugs! When I hear the name Stuttgart I think of great music.

Herman, I am curious about the Klumpen (Dutch "wooden shoes")you used when you were young. I had two pair as a little girl and neither one fit. Even though they were long enough they hurt!!! Were you really able to wear them to walk ? I think they made much better canal boats!

Please invite any of your neighbors and friends to join this discussion. Surely with all the fans you have now, some would care to share their thoughts. Or you can talk about the fragrances in your life Right now mine is a volcano. I rather like it even if it is not wonderful under other circumstances. It means there is exciting things happening on the mountain. Since you have lived on more than a few acres lately, did you have any cattle? By the way, my son usually spends his holidays in Spokane (Yeah, totally irrelevant, I know)

We bought 32 mother beef cows after we moved here. They taught me to be a veterinarian, as if I needed any more lessons. In just 2 years I learned about red water, bloat, foot rot, peeling membranes from nose and udder, cuts, crippled calves, pink eye, abortions, etc. Milked a dead cow by hand to get colostrum milk for her just-born calf. Stuck a cow in gut to save her life but bent the knife. In Frisia we ate colostrum milk pudding. Mooooooohhh.

Colostrum, unaesthetic as it seems, has all the antibiotics in it. Not a whole lot of nutrition but it probably kept you from udder destruction (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) One eats what one can find no matter how repellant when one is on the verge of starving. Little wonder you have had such good health of late. You beat the odds at every try! I thought you had seen the indelicate end of a cow when I closed the book. Wrong! Just when you thought you knew everything possible about cows. I had no idea that stabbing a cow could save its life until I got hooked on the James Herriot books and PBC (from the BBC) series. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. Have you hung up your rubber boots yet? Why is it I think you are like a cowboy and will never be rid of them?! Oh another question, did you ever get your cowboy boots and hat and all you dreamed about? Or Siggi? I hope you did - or became an Indian. It is very chic now! I was going to broach something you did not cover in you book but only alluded to. I assumed it too painful for memory so I will not ask, but a lot of people need to know what saving lives in a bunker is like when all Hell is breaking loose around you. Please understand, anything any of us ask you about here is optional for you to answer. Just ignore it as though I never asked, if you wish. I will hold you and ask no further.

Oh, by the way, I have a container of Bag Balm... Just thought you would find that curious!

i've never played in cow muck but pig muck, yup. got stuck in it while helping a friend (as payback for teaching me to ride). all we had to do was get the pigs from one part of the sty to the other. well, my boots were too big and i went one direction while they stayed in the muck. by some miracle, not a drop of poop got on my white socks. my friend said i didn't touch the ground between the boots and the fence! can only imagine what a bunker is like. have sat in a few but not the same thing as wwii. and have played war enough that i don't ever want to be in a real one.

Your "playing" war was supposed to prepare you for one, but I think that never is possible! Pigs STINK!!! Gimme cow muck if I must choose. I hope your ride was as successful as your keeping your socks out of the stuff. Yikes! I am not a big fan of pork, but given the choice of starving or eating, I woud partake to feed my family without a second thought. Survival is a very strong instinct!

well, i fell off the horse and busted my tailbone! but, i got back on him!! *laugh* her cows cracked me up and can be kinda scary if you've never been in a pasture with them. we rode into the midst of these black and white milk cows and they were so curious and skittish. i was intimidated by the herd. can you imagine, afraid of the cows? *laugh*

The only time I was ever in a cow pasture I was about 4 and they were so enormous I was TERRIFIED. I always keep a fence between them and me. Big sheep I can deal with as in Britain to see archaological goodies around which they graze. My 14 yr old son was NOT thrilled by the big sheep - they grow them BIG in Britain!

I am sure that I posted here a few days ago about cowboy boots, etc., but I don't see it now. So I'll try again. Yes, I do have them and hats, but rarely wear them now that we don't have horses anymore. No time to ride them. Yes, we frequently wore Klumpen. Even on brick pavement. They did get uncomfortable because they pressed on top on my foot bones. Wolfie, where and how did you play war? Were you in the service? After many, many tests, burp, I determined that cherry worms taste exactly like cherries.

> "I was going to broach something you did not cover in you book but only alluded to" > Marcica, please ask the question. After reading BB&H, several people have wanted to know more about the bunkers. I remember having been in three different ones, one nicely engineered concrete one, one natural cave, and I forgot the other one, but my mother bicycled us there, as if we were in a bike race, cheered on by howling air raid sirens. I remember being in the dark cave during daylight, looking out observing a man dressed in pajamas, waiting at at a corner of a nearby building, trying to make a run for our cave, while someone was waiting to close the big door behind him once he got in. I have blocked most of my memories about such experiences. ...and I don't have time to play video games.

Carol Kluz, who has a very vivid imagination, is the coauthor of suspense, "Countermeasures" and "Perilous Summer" under the pseudonym Carol Randy. She is the author of the fantasy series titled "The Chronicles of Haven�s Hold." They are "The Prophecy Unfolds," "The Prophecy Unfolds: Volume II" and "The Agents of Kedra." She wrote the following review of my memoir: "Bastards, Bitches, and Heroes." What makes this tale of abuse different from so many others is the courage and strength of the two young victims who endured it, learned from it and triumphed over it without the aid of counselors, handouts or parental love. Herman I Neuman�s remarkable memoir talks about the stark realities of Nazi Germany that affected his life and the intense post war poverty that forced him to dig out discarded entrails and pig lungs from manure piles. He tells about the whippings he endured under the strict discipline of his mother�discipline not tendered by love, about the abandonment and lack of love by his father, about being lured to America as a teen thinking that life would be better only to discover that he and his brother would be separated and turned into slaves at their uncles� farms. Once, during the war, he and his brother landed in the hospital with diphtheria. While away, their apartment was fire bombed. This was just a precursor to many such narrow escapes that occurred during Herman�s life. Plagued by a chronic ear infection throughout his life, he lost his hearing completely in his right ear. He and his brother were destined to triumph over their hell on earth because they are heroes. In the second part of his book, Mr. Neuman details his struggles to get an education. He worked hard and paid his own way through six years of study to obtain a degree in architectural engineering. While the wild times of the sixties were spreading, he concentrated on his goals and endured hardships to achieve them. But to him, these were not hardships�he had lived through real hardships. He was immersed in his independence and dreams and nothing would deter him or his brother in achieving them. All this came about from self-resolve without benefit of loans or scholarships. What makes this even more remarkable is that Herman was brainwashed throughout his life to believe he was slow and incapable of pursuing the higher goals of a college education. He found a woman to be his wife and together they have traveled all over the world. He took the abuse of his past, and instead of falling into a pit of hopelessness and despair, he turned it into burning resolve to better himself. He triumphed! This is an extremely well-written memoir. Without a doubt, it is the best I have ever read. It is further enhanced by photographs and by the philosophical comments of the author about the state of society today. He subtly points out that we have become a society of victims depending on help from all directions. I sense that it wasn�t the beatings that hurt him in the long run because the physical pain goes away. It was the lack of love that went along with it. The discipline implanted in him kept him from rage, from disobeying laws and from rebelling because these were things that didn�t occur to him. He always did the �right� thing because he believed it was the right thing to do. He rose from the ashes of hell to achieve his dreams. I highly recommend this book.

Herman! Splendid news and what a lovely compliment she paid your worthy work. It is true - I was convinced before I read her review! Bur, you knew that...

excellent review! and i agree absolutely!

Last night Ma died in her sleep at the age of 94.

*HUGS*

Sorry to hear of this Herman.

*WARMEST HUGS* and condolences, Herman. I will email you.

I meet the most interesting people at my book signing events: One was a man who witnessed the atom bomb test at Bikini from a ship 12 miles away. When I showed great interest in his story, he went home to get photos that he had taken and showed them to me. He said that he was free of radiation and credited this to his faith in God. Only he and 3 or 4 others who participated in this "test" were the only ones still alive. Coincidence? Three days later I mentioned this story to someone, and unbeknownst to me, a lady behind me overheard this. She said to me, "My husband was there too." She continued that he had Hodgkin's disease in the 50's and died of lung cancer 3 or 4 years ago. He refused treatment for this because of his miserable treatment for Hodgkin's. Coincidence? During that same 2-day event a lady bought my memoir. She returned the next day and told me about someone to whom she recommended my book and started crying. That person was officially dead to protect his/her identity from someone who tortured him/her in much younger days. Several days later I mentioned this to someone in another town and that person had met this "dead" person several years ago.

A conclusion to that "test" seems to have been that atom bombs kill, and sometimes slowly. I continue to be amazed at how many people are buying more than one copy of BB&H, and mostly for their children.

I agree with them - I have bought I do not remember how many copies. I shall wait till their wedding is over before I give it to my son and his wife-to-be. At the moment they have more things to do than they have time in which to do it. Actually, I cannot imagine keeping a book so important and such great reading to oneself. It seems utlimately selfish - so I continue to send them to others. Now, to get them to post a few comments. The thing that first struck me when I was reading BB&H was the fact that Germans were so angry at what the Nazis had done to them and their country. It should not have suprised me - I was taught early on that war was between generals and not between people, even though the people were the ones to suffer. I can imagine, now, how unpopular being a Nazi must have been after what they inflicted on the world. By the awy, if you ever catch any flack from the Schitzma family just mention it and I will become a fury like they have never seen. Each time I read it they make me angrier and angrier. I want Siggi to have his gold watch back, too. You and I both know they have it! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Dear /\~~~ iki, Please calm down. I don't like you to stress out on my behalf; I like you too much. In any case I thank you for your concern. The following report was posted at the "Studio Literati" book club: "Hello Herman, I had to laugh when I just read your response to lawyer bashing. I understand your feelings towards them. I just finished reading your book and I think I want to join in with the person who said "I did't know whether to laugh or to cry." Your book has deeply touched me and also brought me to places I have known. Despite all the hardship you went through, I was amazed how much humor there is in you. Maybe it is the so-called "Galgenhumor", the gallows humor. Your book was written in a style that really captivated me....but the most I liked was how you really dealt with your life and succeeded. And since you have so much experience with cow shit, I want to share a story here with you. There is indeed a difference between American and German cow shit. I once lived in Imperial Valley,CA and some German engineers tried to built a manure plant there without success as they had problems to move the American cow shit on the conveyer belts because it fell apart. Not so with the German cow shit! Johanna"

aha!!! See how we continue to be edified? What is it about compactions and German cows? I guess in America, everything hangs loose. In any case you can get at least a monograph out of bovine by-products. Hardly your sort of thing, I think. The lawyer "humor" I sent you last week is more in your way of thinking. I answered in my own mind concerning how betrayed the German populace must have felt when they discovered what their country had done. I know a lot of Americans don't like what one or another of their presidents has done, but think how truly angry and indignant you would feel if you discovered what they had done if we had not had freedom of the press andchecks and ballances to prevent just such things from haapening here. We might be appalled at the way the press handles thing, how lawyers distort things, but without them, we probably would never know much of what we need to know to make wise choices. Vigilance is the price of freedom. Never forgt how hard the struggle was to attain it.

that's funny about the cow shit! i've always noticed a difference between the german cows (and their smell) and kansas cows!

Wolfie, you have a far more educated "nose" than do I... This from The Telegraph (UK) - disturbing to say the least. The inmates have taken over! Oldham council bans speech by Holocaust man By Sean O'Neill (Filed: 26/07/2001) A 91-YEAR-OLD Holocaust survivor was banned from speaking in Oldham last night because of fears that his views would "prejudice public safety and order". Leon Greenman, whose wife and child perished in death camps after the family were deported from their home in Holland, was to have addressed a public meeting organised by the Anti-Nazi League. But Oldham Borough Council refused to accept the booking for the meeting, saying it would be "unwise" and "inappropriate" for the event to go ahead. The council was worried that the meeting could spark disorder in the wake of recent racial violence and the strong showing by the British National Party at the general election. Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, wore a gag during the declaration of the count when he won 16 per cent of the vote. Candidates were banned from making speeches. A council spokesman said publicity leaflets for the meeting had concentrated on the activities of the BNP in Oldham and not Mr Greenman's speech. "Oldham council opposes the BNP and all it stands for," said a spokesman for the Liberal Democrat-controlled council. "The council did not think that hosting a meeting of this nature at the present time would be helpful. It wants Oldham to remain calm and peaceful." Its decision was supported by the police and by David Arnold, president of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester. Mr Arnold said it would be wrong to inflame the situation in Oldham when the town was "emerging from a period of wholly unjustified violence and unrest". He added: "I have no doubt that the league's motives are entirely laudable but I think they would be much better advised if they had first ascertained what help the people of Oldham felt they needed." A spokesman for the league said the ban was "an outrage". The group, of which Mr Greenman has been a member for 10 years, was trying to find an alternative venue. "We feel he has been gagged," said a spokesman. "The council should have listened to his experiences as a victim of racism." Mr Greenman, who was born in London's East End, was living in Holland when the Germans invaded in 1940. Between 1942 and 1945 he was held in Auschwitz, Birkenau, Monowitz and Buchenwald. His wife and son were gassed by the Nazis. An Englishman in Auschwitz, his account of his detention, is published this week.

Herman, your book is going to go to the UK if I can find anyone there who will promise to read it. They WILL repeat the same stupidity and venal behavior if someone does not read and learn that NO ONE wins in a conflict like this one is threatening to repeat. Is anyone reading or lurking who would accept a copy of BB&H from me? You must be willing to read it and post here when you are done. This book is not only personal triumph, it is a graphic description of those ordinary people who tried to live peacefully when others would not allow it. Read it or repeat it? Hardly a difficult decision!

Hi All, I am sending this from a local library. I am incommunicado until my PC gets fixed. Someone ran into a power pole while I was reloading Windows. Sorry, Herman