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Michel Thomas: The Test of Courage
[0340812451]

Michel Thomas: The Test of Courage
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Michel Thomas survived French concentration and slave labour camps, endured interrogation and torture and after the war became a Nazi-hunter, capturing important war criminals.

It was through these remarkable and terrifying experiences that Thomas came to develop his revolutionary language learning system - a system that is currently taking the world by storm.

This is his remarkable story, told by his friend and biographer Chrsistopher Robbins.
  • A remarkable story of courage and determination.
  • Perfect for the millions of fans of Michel Thomas's language courses.
  • An ideal complement to the language products, for personal use or as a gift.
  • Strongly branded to tie in with and complement the hugely successful Michel Thomas audio language courses.

Michel Thomas Michel Thomas French
Michel Thomas Michel Thomas: The Test of Courage
Michel Thomas 0340812451

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 15 May, 2007.
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Product Reviews
Fantastic book  
Michel Thomas' life was extraordinary, but more so is his ability to step back from the horrors of the Holocaust (which caused him to lose most of his family) and from the evils of Nazism, to, carefully and intelligently, examine the real causes of antisemitism. His identifying the Catholic Church as a source of much of the pre-war antisemitism in Poland has clearly upset religious Christian reporters when one would think they reserved their hatred for Nazism, not its survivors.

Nonetheless, you'll judge for yourself the accuracy of this book. For my part, I accept its veracity, allowing of course for the passage of time, and the traumatic circumstances under which most of the contents of this book were lived.

I do not accept that this book should be taken with a "pinch of salt". A claim which, as far as I can see, was not made while Michel Thomas was alive (and therefore able to bring proceedings).

Further, it is worthy of not that in the libel proceedings that were brought, the publishers decided to rely not on the merits of their article, but on a procedural bar imposed on public figures (anti-SLAPP). They could, of course, have chosen not to plead this act.

The debate about this book will rumble on, but it is, in my opinion, a "must read".
Controversial . . . unsurprisingly!  
This book includes much about war criminals being given new lives in other countries rather than being held accountable for their atrocious crimes - and sadly, those who won the war are in many instances responsible even when it went against official policy. So is it any wonder there is some controversy here? Any man who managed to survive the war by moving from one country to another, one camp to another, one language to another and one identity to another is bound to have some issues around being able to fully prove everything that happened.

The book is incredibly engaging, informative and inspiring. Rather than being overly reverent, it is as direct about Michel's stubborn personality as his legendary talent for languages and visionary hopes - only partially realised.

Michel's innovative (and rather wonderful) language teaching methods met with a hostile reception from many educational institutions because they outstripped current methods dramatically, but not by stressing out students. Instead the theory was that students should relax while teachers took greater responsibility - obviously that wasn't going to be popular, and that response encapsulates the controversy about Michel's war years: The most accepted or promoted version of anything is not necessarily the whole truth.

This book reveals some very uncomfortable details about many war criminals who were given rewritten war records, new identities, emigration and in some instances even returned to power almost immediately . . . usually in return for favours.

Of course such a book will be controversial. Of course it's details will be picked at. Of course some individuals will not want this book to be read. Of course records might contain contradictions - such is often the case when national security or personal security are at stake. These are not reasons to avoid reading this book.

Why pick over whether the guy was in a battalion officially or not if he was there and working closely with them, anyway? Why worry if he gave various accounts of where he was born in earlier years (the man was on the run for so long . . . is it really fair to even expect the total truth from him during years in which he was still adjusting). And of course, since when is the press the ultimate truth-teller? Surely more than enough lies have been printed for us to know that verdicts and reports can be distorted to political ends on occassion and to varying degrees. Indeed, isn't discrediting an opponent one of the most powerful and often used political weapons. I fully respect anyone researching such matters, but also know that the truth can be twisted in SO many ways. And let us not forget that wiping the records of war criminals clean in return for favours or wealth is a matter of international tension.

In the end it is up to the reader to discern what feels right and true. What matters is the overall picture and journey that comes across and make no mistake, Michel's story is utterly riveting and inspirational.

Crucially, this new edition is backed up with a chapter and final words from Michel detailing how a Journalist by the name of Rivenberg hounded Michel, failed to understand or distorted all of the documentation provided, very insensitively insisted on opening an envelope whose contents informed Michel that his family had all died in the war, but which Michel had never been emotionally able to open, how numerous witnesses verified Michel's whereabouts but were misquoted in the original Rivenberg article (much to their anger) and how Michel's final emotionally charged court appearance (after years of visualising facing torturer Klaus Barbie once more) was actually a farce when Barbie failed to even appear. Oh and a brief look at the cover will reveal a medal received from the US Army.

It's a magnificent read.
Take this book with a grain of salt  
Don't trust this book. It makes claims about the World War II feats of Michel Thomas that are completely at odds with military records, newspaper articles from that era and other reliable sources.

Some examples:

1. Author Christopher Robbins claims Thomas was an officer in the U.S. Army. In fact, Thomas was a civilian employee, and the L.A. Times, which debunked much of this book, has National Archives military documents from 1946 bearing Thomas' signature over the words "civilian assistant."

2. In the book, Thomas said he was born in Poland. However, for 38 years, he told journalists he was born in France -- and different parts of France at that.

3. Robbins claims Thomas was with the first battalion of U.S. troops as it entered the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945. After the L.A. Times proved otherwise, Thomas tried to backtrack, claiming he never said he was with the battalion, only that he arrived at Dachau sometime the first day. There's just one problem with this explanation: Thomas gave a sworn court deposition saying he WAS with the first battalion.

4. The book says Thomas single-handedly discovered and rescued millions of Nazi Party ID cards from destruction at a paper mill near Munich in May 1945. But this version of events is flatly contradicted by October 1945 articles in the New York Times and London Express.

5. Robbins also claims Thomas escaped Gestapo butcher Klaus Barbie. But in 1983, the U.S. Justice Department's chief Nazi hunter called a press conference to denounce Thomas' Klaus Barbie stories. And when Thomas testified at Barbie's 1987 trial, the prosecutor asked the jury to disregard Thomas' testimony, saying it wasn't made in good faith.

Although the book purports to be thoroughly documented, its claims have been challenged by an Oscar-winning documentary, several journalists and two prominent Nazi hunters.
remarkable  
thomas was clearly an exceptional person. the story of his life is an incredible document, one which is not only one person's story but also an salutory reminder of the worst evils of the second world war, as well as subsequent injustices. recommend this book to everyone: there is so much one can learn from thomas' teachings.
Senators Dole & Warner Present Silver Star to Michel Thomas  
On May 25, 2004, Michel Thomas was given the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor, at a ceremony at the WWII Memorial. Senators Dole & Warner presented the medal, and the Ambassador of France spoke also. Sen. McCain submitted a referral letter to the Army on Thomas' behalf. Sen. Max Cleland wrote a letter of appreciation to Thomas after the ceremony.

The event received international press coverage, including American, French, and Spanish television. Two days later, Thomas was given a special salutation by the leadership of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at their "Tribute to Liberators" as one of the liberators of Dachau. CNN aired a short bio of Thomas on Memorial Day, focusing on his being a recipient of the Silver Star, 60 years after he was nominated for it.

I guess some people really are "larger than life," in spite of their critics...

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