.....In browsing through bookstores today one sees that there is no shortage of biographies or autobiographies available. Most of the subject's names in the books have become household words and so one can readily conclude that this category of writing has largely become the province of celebrities or well-known personages, the so-called rich and famous. .....There are a few who unabashedly attribute their success to fortuitous circumstances such as being in the right place at the right time or perhaps facetiously crediting the "Man Upstairs." On the other hand, in many of these accounts amazing feats of derring-do have been conjured up by ghost writers who had been given a free hand, thus lending a new shade of meaning to the phrase, "creative writing." .....This writer states that Nicholas J. Besker's story is literally the truth and nothing but the truth, that he had no need to resort to fiction. "Just the facts," as Sgt. Friday would say. Not only was I an eye witness to these events but was also a fellow-victim for eight years. Fortunately, I was not numbered among the Beerinsky group, the bedwetters, and consequently escaped the inhumane treatment and humiliation of those unfortunates. .....Despite my statement verifying the authenticity of Besker's book, I can well understand if skeptics regarded Besker's account as a figment of imagination. I consider it is an illustration of the old adage that indeed, "truth is stranger than fiction." Except for the grammatical violation in using the term, it might well be said that his description of life in this childrens' warehouse, aka orphan home, is most unique. .....The time, setting and circumstances of Nick's "sojourn" in the orphanage have long since been obliterated by the sands of time and, like much of the long-ago past, cannot be recreated or duplicated today. To begin with, the location of the orphanage. It was situated on the shores of Lake Michigan on several acres of otherwise clear land, and was one of six Catholic institutions clustered in loose fashion in an enclave of a square mile or more. .....This community was fenced off by brick walls, wire fencing and dirt roads. While access to outsiders was not rigidly controlled, it was unlikely that one would stray onto the premises of this "Forbidden City" unintentionally. These buildings within were cold and soot-encrusted. For all intents and purposes, they were as isolated as though patrolled by armed guards. There is little doubt that this absolute isolation and shielding from public scrutiny were major factors in developing the peculiar lifestyle and sadistic methods of discipline (torture) practiced by these "Brides of Christ." .....This memoir book is an account of child abuse, oppression, bestiality, discrimination, humiliation and fear which was compounded and sugar-coated with religious gobbledegook and/or superstitions of the infallible Holy Mother Catholic Church. It held the same credibility and validity as that offered for the torturous abuse of the various Inquisitions, that indeed, "the end justifies the means." .....By the time Nick was unceremoniously drummed off the premises of the orphanage into the realms of the unknown to wit, the normal but mysterious outside world, he was little more than a shell of a fifteen year old boy, a caricature. To all outside appearance, except for the clothes on his back, he was indistinguishable from any other teenager. However, the exterior was little more than camouflage, offering no clue to the confusion and disorientation raging inside. At fifteen years of age, he was inured to a robot-like state of lethargy, devoid of initiative, stripped of any self esteem and submissive to any vestige of authority. In a word, his entire physical and mental makeup was adapted to one environment, life in the orphanage. This is hi

.....A rescued Beerinsky shares the conclusion of his memoirs in a second volume. It is the story of an intelligent, sincere and noble man who began his self-taught journey of life after 20 years of loveless living. He learned the value of work, thriftiness, joy of love and laughter, the pursuit of knowledge and the importance of being an honorable individual; such things that are normally taught by parents and loved ones. This is a exciting trip by a resilient orphaned Beerinsky who had to learn it on his own. It is a joyful ride by a resourceful, organized and energetic man named Nicholas Joseph Besker. .....During his time in U.S. Navy Reserves he began to gain some self confidence and some time later realized the opportunity to become an individual person was his rescue from his feeling of worthliness as taught by the orphanage/foster home. He is forever grateful to the U. S. Navy for this awakening and assistance in becoming his own man. .....Because he lived in a rooming house near Marquette University in Milwaukee which catered to medical students, he developed a keen interest and fascination with medicine. The students encouraged him to study their books, which he did with a voracious appetite. This became a lifelong habit to study for pleasure. The medical knowledge served him well when called to active duty. Again the Navy allowed him to be a person, follow a happy path by going to school to become a Navy Corpsman. An eager student kept him busy learning and after serving successfully as a medic he was again called on for additional training - this time to dental tech school. Once that was in place, he left San Diego to serve his country for three years in the South Pacific as the second member of a dental team assigned to care for Navy, Marine and Army personnel. He was one of the lucky ones to return from those islands and recounts some of the humorous events of those military years. .....Post war adjustments did produce some unexpected temporary unhappiness in his life. His resiliency was such he was slowed down but not knocked down. As was the case for quite a few returning military personnel, he ran into a "Dear John" situation where his wife had found what she considered to be greener pastures and had chosen not to tell him while he was out of country. Here again, he is suddenly without family because of the divorce. He did however, retain custody of his son for which he was ill equipped. Never experiencing a real functioning family unit caring for each other, he did his parenting by instinct which he much later felt was probably not good enough. He spent four years alone with his son as he used his laborious skills to provide for that son while he continued his pursuit of achievement and knowledge. It was not a loving relationship because he did not yet know how to feel or show that kind of love. .....The first time he thought he could afford to take a vacation, he and Nickie went to Catalina Island. The vacation ultimately netted them a wife, mother and the opportunity to become a family. Nicholas met Alice, fell in love again and they were married. She adopted Nickie and he now had someone to make it a home in a house he bought upon returning from war time service. Alice was experienced in operating a rooming house so they bought a very large, older home in Los Angeles and rented the home in Redondo Beach. Alice ran the rooming house while Nicholas continued his wood working job at Hughes. It was during this time, through his boss at Hughes, Nicholas became interested and hooked on rockhounding. Such an artistic craft would someday provide much pleasure and some monetary benefits. This good life lasted for a number of years as they worked towards building a nest egg and providing for their son. .....Because work involved in operating a rooming house was never ending, Alice grew weary of it and Nicholas was antsy for a new challenge. Hi

Originally published between 1920 and 1970,The History of Civilization was a landmark in early twentieth century publishing. It was published at a formative time within the social sciences, and during a period of decisive historical discovery. The aim of the general editor, C.K. Ogden, was to summarize the most up to date findings and theories of historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and sociologists. This reprinted material is available as a set or in the following groupings: * Prehistory and Historical Ethnography Set of 12: 0-415-15611-4: £800.00 * Greek Civilization Set of 7: 0-415-15612-2: £450.00 * Roman Civilization Set of 6: 0-415-15613-0: £400.00 * Eastern Civilizations Set of 10: 0-415-15614-9: £650.00 * Judaeo-Christian Civilization Set of 4: 0-415-15615-7: £250.00 * European Civilization Set of 11: 0-415-15616-5: £700.00

Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You destroys our complacency about who among us can commit unspeakable atrocities, who is subjected to them, and who can stop them. From age four to eighteen, Sue William Silverman was repeatedly sexually abused by her father, an influential government official and successful banker. Through her eyes, we see an outwardly normal family built on a foundation of horrifying secrets that long went unreported, undetected, and unconfessed.

Up until the late sixties in Ireland, thousands of young children were sent to what were called industrial schools, financed by the Department of Education, and operated by various religious orders of the Catholic Church. Popular belief held that these schools were orphanages or detention centers, when in reality most of the children ended up at the schools because their parents were too poor to care for them. Mary Raftery's award-winning three-part TV series on the industrial schools, States of Fear, shocked Ireland when broadcast on RTE in 1999, prompting an unprecedented response in Ireland-hundreds of people phoned RTE, spoke on radio stations and wrote to newspapers to share their own memories of their local industrial schools. Pages of newsprint were devoted to the issues raised by the series, and on the 11th of May, the airdate of the final segment of the trilogy, the Taoiseach issued an historic apology on behalf of the state to the victims of child abuse within the system. Now, together with Dr. Eoin O'Sullivan, Raftery delves even further into this horrifying chapter of Irish life, revealing for the first time new information from official Department of Education files not accessible during the making of the documentaries. It contains much new material, including startling research showing a level of awareness of child sexual abuse going back over sixty years, particularly within the Christian Brothers. The dissection of these official records, detailing sexual abuse, starvation, physical abuse, and neglect, together with extensive testimony from those who grew up in industrial schools convey both the extraordinary levels of cruelty and suffering experienced by these children, and their tremendous courage and resilience in surviving the often savage

Little Timmy is a shy, insecure, nine-year-old boy when he meets Brian Gunther, a third-grade teacher in his elementary school. Nothing awaits him at home except a physically and mentally abusive mother and an absentee father. But when Timmy appears at school one day sporting bruises and a fat lip, everything changes between Mr. Gunther and him. As Mr. Gunther showers Timmy with affection and gifts, he becomes the friend and male role model Timmy has never had in his life. The teacher has evil intentions for befriending Timmy, however, far beyond simple molestation. As Timmy is unwittingly lured into the lonely, dark world of child pornography and orgiesin which he is tortured and forced to perform sexual acts on other boys and menhe becomes not only a victim of rape, but also of blackmail and deception. Unfortunately, his nightmare is just beginning. Silent Victim touchingly illustrates one boys shattering childhood journey as he learns to rely on sheer will and determination to survive the horrors of sexual abuse.