The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Kindle Edition
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.53180922
Format: Kindle Book
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2006-11-23
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 2006-11-23
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Editorial Reviews:
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"In this ground-breaking book, acclaimed author Kati Marton brings to life an unknown chapter of World War II: the tale of nine men who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by anti-Semitism, fled to the West, especially to the United States, and changed the world. These nine men, each celebrated for individual achievements, were actually part of a unique group who grew up in a time and place that will never come again. It is Marton's extraordinary achievement to trace what for a few dazzling years was common to all of them -- the magic air of Budapest -- and show how their separate lives and careers were, in fact, all shaped by Budapest's lively caf? life before the darkness closed in. Marton follows the astonishing lives of four history-changing scientists, all just one step ahead of Hitler's terror state, who helped usher in the nuclear age and the computer (Edward Teller, John von Neumann, Leo Szilard, and Eugene Wigner); two major movie myth-makers (Michael Curtiz, who directed Casablanca, and Alexander Korda, who produced The Third Man); two immortal photographers (Robert Capa and Andre Kertesz); and one seminal writer (Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon). Marton follows these brilliant products of Budapest's Golden Age as they flee fascism in the 1920s and 1930s en route to sanctuary -- and immortality. As the scientists labor in the secret city of Los Alamos in the race to build the atom bomb, Koestler, once a communist agent imprisoned by Franco, writes the most important anticommunist novel of the century. Capa, the first photographer to go ashore on D-Day, later romances Ingrid Bergman and is acknowledged as the world's greatest war photographer before his tragic death in Vietnam. Curtiz not only gives us Casablanca, consistently voted the greatest romantic movie ever made, but also discovers Doris Day and directs James Cagney in the quintessential patriotic film, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Ultimately, The Great Escape is an American story and an important, previously untold chapter of the tumultuous last century. Yet it is also a poignant story -- in the words of the great historian Fritz Stern, "an evocation of genius in exile . . . an instructive, moving delight." An epilogue relates the journey into exile of three members of the next generation of Budapest exiles: financier-philanthropist George Soros, Intel founder Andy Grove, and 2002 Nobel laureate in literature Imre Kertesz."
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Leo Szilard
Comment: The Great Escape by Kati Marton. The book is about the lives of amazing Jewish Hungarians who fled Hitler and impacted the world. The character that I enjoyed reading about was Leo Szilard because he was one of the scientists that help create the atom bomb. The book also references the dramatic poem The Tragedy of Man by Imre Madach and showed that Leo Szilard could recite the poem word for word which I thought was Ironic because of the fact that Leo Szilard created a bomb designed to help stop Hitler and save many lives but instead caused enormous destruction.
Leo Szilard had much compassion for mankind which is ironic because he creates a bomb capable of destroying lives. Although the creation of the atomic bomb was designed to aid the United States in gaining the upper hand in the war, it was used to kill many people. I believe there is a relationship between the bomb and the meaning behind the dramatic poem by Imre Madach. The bomb is the tragedy because although Leo Szilard created it to save mankind it was used to destroy it.
Knowing this, Leo Szilard tries in the years later to save mankind. "His mission since reading The Tragedy of Man was to save humanity from self destruction." (Kati Marton, pg. 65)
To save humanity from self destruction, Leo Szilard tries to get the brightest minds to concentrate on some sort of arms control. He had American and Soviet scientist meet face to face, an enormous accomplishment. He started the Council for a Livable World. This shows his compassion for humanity and life itself and shows how he wants to stop the tragedy of man he fears so much.
Leo Szilards sincerity is what made Kati Marton's book a wondrous read. His sympathy for humanity since his read of the dramatic poem was inspiring. His honesty and the way he tried to do everything he could to stop the use of the atom bomb showed how compassionate Leo Szilard was. Kati Marton's book and the life of Leo Szilard was influential.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: The Great Escape
Comment: The Great Escape is a magnificent tale about finding one's self. It is a story about the trials and tribulations that immigrants must go through. America, the land of opportunities, is home to an array of many different cultures. It is the story of nine Jews who changed the world. The book, which is excellently written, focuses on the struggles that these nine Jews faced in achieving greatness. The 20th century underwent radical changes in almost every area of human endeavors. Nine men, however, were responsible for most of the advancements and everlasting recollections of it.
The book is the story of nine men who grew up in Budapest's brief Golden Age, then, driven from Hungary by Hitler and his fascist party, fled to the West, particularly to the United States, and ultimately changed the world as we know it. These men were film directors, photographers, writers, physicists, and a computer pioneer that completely revolutionized the fields of science and art. But what can a scientist and an artist have in common? Well, besides changing the world, these men were outsiders in every aspect. As Arthur Koestler said, "Hungarians are the loneliest people on this continent." This was exceptionally true of these nine men, natives of a small, linguistically incomprehensible, landlocked country. They were also Jews living in a time of great anti-Semitism. Above all, what unites these nine men is a small, dynamic café by the name of New York. The New York, right in the heart of Budapest, was a refuge from the outside world for these men and the catalyst that sparked their creativity and mastermind thoughts.
Kati Marton writes of the astounding lives of 4 scientists, Edward Teller, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, and John von Neuman, who helped pilot the nuclear age and the advancement of the computer. Marton also tells of the legendary photographers Andre Kertesz and Robert Capa, film directors Michael Curtis and Alex Korda, and writer Arthur Koestler. Their contributions are everlasting. Teller, Szilard, and Wigner's atomic bomb was one, if not the greatest, scientific advancement of the 20th century. Robert Capa's D-day photographs earned him his reputation as the best wartime photographer of all times. Curtis is accredited for one of best, most romantic movies of all times: Casablanca.
Although The Great Escape is an account of the Hungarian diaspora of the 1920's and 1930's, it is an inspirational tale of hard work, perseverance, and the struggles of isolated, solitary refugees. The novel serves as an encouragement to all, especially immigrants. Given that the United States is primarily made up of immigrants, the novel serves to tell of the importance of such people. Immigrants are generally regarded as unworthy, serving no useful purpose. However, in The Great Escape we see that sometimes the outsiders are the ones that change the world.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Great Escape
Comment: I haven't read a book in about 6 months. It was a refreshing comeback with Kati Marton's The Great Escape. Her use of vivid imagery and lively characters paved the way for an interesting and enjoyable read.
My favorite characters in the book reached the hearts of millions of people through art. Capa and Curtiz had me captivated from the moment my eyes caught their names. Before this book, I hadn't heard of either of them. Now, after reading it, I find myself intrigued enough to perform research on their works. I am partial to art over science, and so the invention of the h-bomb, though a breakthrough in science, didn't spark my interest as much as that of Capa's photographs and Curtiz's films.
Marton had a way of enticing me to play a video in my head every time I turned a page. The idea of Budapest as this spectacular city and the New York Café as the center of the Universe probably caught my attention more that anything in the book. I am fully aware that the anti-semitism should promote a feeling of sympathy or anger in me. It should have touched my heart in some way. Yet, I was distracted by this amazing city in its thriving era. Every time I read about it, images of old-time café's and gentlemen dressed in tan-colored suits relaxing, watching one of Curtiz's films on a pull down screen or a blank wall seemed to dominate my though process.
I envisioned Hollywood in its radiance. The huge studio complex of Warner Brothers, people rolling away sceneries, famous actors being chased by hair and make-up, directors shouting commands. As my eyes crossed every word, the more vivid the picture became. The stronger the smell of cigar smoke and freshly painted sets.
The portrayal of Capa's adventures in photography were fascinating. The Normandy invasion, in its detailed clarity had me feeling the breeze of the ocean as the soldiers hit sand.
Alexander Korda living above his means left a picture in my head of a man impeccably dressed even to sleep. A man seen holding his chin high, a scarf around his neck, a cigar in his had and the world in his palm.
I found myself diving into every syllable of this book. It gave the effect of not only words on a page, but traveling through time, seeing history made through scientific discoveries and the foundation of today's artistic culture.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Great Escape
Comment: When I first read the title of the book, The Great Escape, I thought this was going to be another book regarding the hardships and struggles of Jewish people while Hitler was in power. However, shortly after reading the first few pages I could already notice that Kati Marton was about to prove me wrong, but in a good way. One of the reasons why I liked this book was because of Kati Marton's writing style. I found her writing style to be a bit confusing with all the jumping around between the nine characters and not being able to predict who she was going to write about next. For that reason, it was quite a challenge for me to try and keep up with each character and his story. This was a feat because their stories were written in fragments and would intertwine with the stories of other characters. However, I found this writing style interesting and intriguing because it did not follow the linear path of most books. Marton's writing style reminds me of how our minds work, jumping from one thought to the next. Therefore, I think Marton did an excellent job in writing about these nine characters in a unique manner, which is challenging, but imitates our everyday thought process.
Once I got used to Marton's writing style, I was able to enjoy the individual stories better and really appreciate the boldness and strength of each character. I especially admire each of the characters for leaving his home country and starting new in a foreign place with nothing but experience. I also admire how they did not let these struggles hold them back in any way, but rather incorporated them into their works. Therefore, by including such inspirational and personal experiences, those who witness their works are greatly impacted. Moreover, Michael Curtiz, the film director, is the character that I find most intriguing and motivational. I admire how his passion and drive for film was so great that he would do anything to better his ability in this art. It amazes me how his fervor was so intense that he left his home and pretended to be a deaf-mute in order to learn more about the industry. Aside from his boldness, the thing that stands out to me the most about Curtiz is his approach to film making. I like how he not only incorporated his experiences into his movies, but also how he was spontaneous with the script. This spontaneity gives his movies a more real and life-like quality since he would adjust it as the cameras were rolling. Although his concept of filming might be unusual and at times stressful for everyone involved, I believe it reflects Curtiz's life and that of everyone else in having to adjust in the moment. One example of this technique is given by Marton with Curtiz's classic film, Casablanca. This film resembles Curtiz's life before fleeing Budapest and was reworked as it was being filmed, thus incorporating personal experience as well as spontaneity. Therefore, he appeals to me the most because he gives the impression that he lives in the moment, which inspires me to seize the day. Even though Curtiz is the person I enjoyed reading about the most, I found the other characters interesting as well along with Marton's unique writing style.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Great Escape
Comment: Many different types of people could relate to this book in various ways, whether you like photography, science, writing, films or even just reading. If you have gone through something difficult in your life and you felt that there was nothing left, this book might be able to provide you with the light you need in order to remember that anything is possible. Not only did Kati Marton do an amazing job with this book but she also did a great job in speaking out to her audience. The Great Escape is great for people who have faced a difficult moment in their lives.
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