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Michael G. Kesler, Ph.D.

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Shards of War: Fleeing to & from Uzbekistan Hardcover – November 22, 2010

by Michael G. Kesler, Ph.D. (Author)

4.8 22 ratings

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On June 24, 1941, Michael, 16, and his sister, 19, leave their home in Dubno in Ukraine, just ahead of the advancing German armies. Fleeing by foot and train, deep into Ukraine and beyond, the teens spend a brutal winter in a town near Stalingrad, where they nearly perish from hunger and cold. In July of 1942, they escape again ahead of the Germans' onslaught. The siblings' saga of loss, courage, and endurance is interlaced with accounts of critical events of the war and of the annihilation of the Jews in Ukraine, offering an important historical narrative of the challenges wartime refugees faced in the Soviet Union. "It's very well-written and tells an extraordinary story with much passion, empathy and skill." - Omer Bartov, professor of history, Brown University "Michael portrays in shattering detail the improbable survival of most Polish Jews who eluded the Holocaust by fleeing to the Soviet Union. The memoir offers a novel, absolutely essential perspective on the catastrophic events of World War II." - Atina Grossmann, professor of history, Cooper Union, New York "This unbelievable, yet true, unique story will help teachers meet the NJ mandate that all students must learn about bias, prejudice and bigotry through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide." - Dr. Paul B. Winkler, Executive Director, NJ Commission on Holocaust Education Michael Kesler, a Ph.D. chemical engineer and a graduate of MIT and NYU, has, since retirement, edited and published his late wife's book, Grit, by Regina Kesler, M.D. He is completing a novel, Hurdles, that looks at the lives of family members whose mother and wife falls ill and succumbs to cancer. Publisher's Website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/ShardsOfWar.html

Print length

246 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Strategic Book Publishing
Publication date

November 22, 2010
Dimensions

6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1609769945
ISBN-13

978-1609769949
See all details

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Strategic Book Publishing (November 22, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1609769945
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1609769949
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.17 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.69 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,481,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,490 in Emigrants & Immigrants Biographies
- #9,407 in Emigration & Immigration Studies (Books)
- #10,043 in Jewish Holocaust History

Customer Reviews:
4.8 22 ratings

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Michael G. Kesler, Ph.D.

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Michael G. Kesler, Ph.D., a chemical engineering graduate of MIT and New York University, worked and consulted for the petroleum industry. After retiring in 2006, he engaged in writing of his experiences during World War II. He has edited and published his late wife's book, "Grit-A Pediatrician's Odyssey From a Soviet Camp to Harvard."

His book "Shards of War: Fleeing To & From Uzbekistan," has received acclaim from a number of academicians, was reviewed in an international journal, and appeared for a number of months in 2011 on the list of best-selling ebooks in Europe. His 2013 book "Hurdles - When Cancer Strikes a Family" tells of his late wife's battle with cancer and the family's struggle to cope with it.

He has recently completed “The Remnant: On Burning Wings - To a Displaced Persons Camp, and Beyond” which addresses the experiences of the largest group of Polish Jews to survive World War II - by fleeing or being deported to the Soviet Union. He, his sister, and brother-in-law were part of that group, and he recounts the their treacherous ordeal to shed light on the group’s wartime and postwar plight.

His name has appeared in "Who's Who in the East" and in "American Men of Science."

He and his wife, Dr. Barbara S. Reed, professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University (retired), have six children and 11 grandchildren and reside in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

He can be reached at mkesler7@comcast.net .

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

22 global ratings

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ROBERT L.

GREAT STORY I KNOW IS TRUE

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2010

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I GREW UP FRIENDS WITH MICHAEL AND REGINA KESLER'S CHILDREN AND I KNOW THIS BOOK IS TRUE TO THE MARK. IT IS HARD FOR PEOPLE OF MY GENERATION LET ALONE THE ONES THAT CAME AFTER MINE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORLD REALLY WENT THROUGH DURING THE TIME PERIOD "SHARDS OF WAR" IS ABOUT. MY FAMILY KNEW MANY PEOPLE THAT HAD STORIES TO TELL THAT VALIDATE WHAT MICHAEL'S BOOK SPEAKS ABOUT. NEVER EVER FORGET THE REALITY OF THIS BOOK. JUST THINK ABOUT YOUR HOME IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW. IMAGINE PEOPLE BURSTING IN AND DRAGGING YOU AWAY WITH NOBODY TO COME TO YOUR AID AND THEN SEEING YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY SYSTEMATICALLY EXTERMINATED RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES. IT DID HAPPEN AND THE WORLD WAS HELPLESS AT FIRST TO PREVENT IT. NEVER LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN.

4 people found this helpful

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M. B. Ore

Well written

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2011

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I experienced Michael Kesler's book Shards of War: Fleeing To & From Uzbekistan as a well written and very moving book. It illustrates in a simple, fluent and most interesting way, the experience, difficulties and sometimes horrors certain groups of survivors of WW2 have been through. A book that is difficult to put aside. It's a very personal book telling a personal true story about young siblings' endurance of a tough struggle, describing their strength and determination. A fact that turn them into survivors.

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Heartwarming, moving story of what the war did to families in Eastern Europe

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2012

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I've read fiction and non-fiction books about the experience of Jews in western Poland during 1930's and 1940's, however, nothing like this book. Shards of War gave me a look at the lives of Jews and refugees who fled east to Ukraine and USSR.

A real life story based on the experience of a brother and sister who during World War II fled the German eastward invasion of Russia. The family had previously left Poland for Western USSR. Now with the Nazi invasion, the brother and sister flee farther east. The story takes them through several relocations and tells of their adapting to life and survival in USSR during the war years. The brother and sister support each other, complete their educations and learn vocations to survive and live their disrupted lives. Eventually the brother and sister make it back to their home town only to find their parents, relatives, and most of their community were wiped out in the holocast. The brother (main character of the story) makes his way to America eventually, earns his education, and leaves his mark in the Oil and Gas industry. Late in life he shares this moving story and provides much footnotes and supporting research as to the events and background within which this story occurs.

A very good read and suitable for all ages. As an elementary school student I first read Escape from Warsaw (also titled, The Silver Sword) by Ian Serraillier. I've re-read Escape from Warsaw several times. I'd recommend teachers and students who read Escape from Warsaw follow up with reading Shards of War. I'll be re-reading Shards of War again.

2 people found this helpful

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Ted

A Much-Needed Story

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2010

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Most Holocaust stories tell the plight of Jews who were trapped in Europe. This book is one of the few that tells the story of Jews who escaped eastward and survived in the rustic outreaches of middle Asia under Stalinist rule. So, the story makes an important contribution to Holocaust literature and expands our knowledge of this tumultuous historical time.
Most poignant part for me: Michael's letters to his father at the end of the book.

6 people found this helpful

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JK

Shards of War

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2010

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"Shards of War "by Michael Kesler is an extraordinary account of survival. In 1947, he and his sister Luba, both teenagers, left Poland, barely ahead of the invading German
army.Their flight , over the next 4 years, took them to Uzbekistan, and eventually to Russia. How they survived,is an unbelievable saga. It reads like an adventure novel, gripping.
I couldn't put it down.

3 people found this helpful

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Calgary52Runner

Escape to Uzbekistan

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

With family who survived WWII in Samarkand, it was fascinating to gain insights into fleeing the Nazis and surviving WWII in a place most people cannot find on the map.

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021

Living well is the best revenge.

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2010

This book is essential rading for anyone interested in the Holocaust, the dynamics of survival, or the art of creating a vivid story out of painful memories. Michael Kesler touches on the crucial role family connections in his own survival, along with the guilt he felt when rememering those who did not survive. The book is vivid in its details and invites the reader to accompany young Michael in his dangerous journey.

2 people found this helpful

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