To those with an interest in railroad history in the United States; mention of the words "narrow gauge" may bring to mind the extensive three-foot-gauge railroads of Colorado and Utah or perhaps the famous two-foot-gauge lines in Maine. However; few would think first of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless; between 1877 and 1893; an extensive narrow-gauge railroad developed in Oregon" one that had aspirations of crossing the Cascade Mountains and connecting with the Central Pacific Railroad; thus giving Oregon its first access to the transcontinental railroad system. It is this railroad system; from its inception in 1877 to the present day; that Ed Austin explores herein.
#4138849 in eBooks 2015-01-24 2015-01-24File Name: B00SPADAS6
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Surviving Nazi exterminationBy GeneHStory of the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe. I recognize many scenes from "Come and See" and if Im not mistaken this book formed part of the basis for that movie.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Historically accurate; universally trueBy Steve StanleyDisclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.I found this book difficult emotionally.This is a fictional; semi-autobiographical first-person narrative of a Soviet partisan fighter witnessing a less-known genocide from WW II.After its winter defeat at Stalingrad; the German military began systematic reprisals against Soviet villages.The atrocities they committed prefigure those of "pacification" in Viet Nam; the killing fields of Cambodia; and "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia; made more chilling by the Teutonic precision with which they are carried out and documented:"I hereby state the numbers executed. 705 were shot; of them 203 men; 372 women; and 130 children. ... The following were expended ... 786 rifle cartridges; 2;496 machine-gun cartridges ..."Khatyn describes the genocide of Byelorussians in WW II; but as its author intended; it has universal meaning.Although it is fictional; it is very well researched and will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in WW II history.In the end; Khatyn is not all gloom and doom. As editor Camilla Stein writes;"Khatyn is not written to scare away or to only shed tears. The novel is composed from a standpoint of a young person; and youth is daring; youth is dashing; youth falls in love and romanticizes everything; even war. Youth is courageous; youth is bright; and youth is ever present on Khatyns pages. Youth is the future; and the reason why Ales Adamovich did the work - Khatyn is written for the next generation to stand strong."A note on the translation:The language intentionally sounds odd; because (Byelo)Russian idioms and sayings are translated literally into English.A note on this edition:Originally published in 1972 during the Soviet era; Khatyn was only available in a censored form. This first-ever translation into English is based on the uncensored; fully restored version.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Transcendent reading. Period.By ClaudiaJCHow trivial it is to mark a book with five stars as uml;I loved ituml;. This ends up happening because in stars rating system; they are equivalent.This book cannot be loved in the literal sense of the word. It is brutal and it will pierce your heart and make you think deeply about humankind at its worst and about the very nature of war as conceived by its perpetrators and experienced by its victims.At least that was the case when I read it. Yet it will constitute one of the most important readings of my last two or three years. The reason is that; Ales Adamovich was a Belarusian partisan himself; so he knew what he was talking about and portrayed it as brutally as it was. Adamovich allows us to understand as an insider how it is to live at the edge of life; how the death of others and the immediate possibility of dying is experienced and conceived during a genocide and how uncertainty about what will happen the very next minute shapes peoples thoughts and actions.Ales Adamovich is the most influential author in Svetlana Alexievichs career. Alexievich received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.
