Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Paint It Black Review of The i Tetralogy Poetry Zoology By Patricia Murphy Framed Gift By Sheila McLaughlin Sikorski Friends 'n' 'at or Ode to Pittsburghatory By Betta Risa In My Father's Shoes By Richard Fein Freedom By Skip Shea Fiction Quitting Time By Barbara Archer Tumbleweed By Thom Brennan Maternal Instincts By Diane Kimbrell You Should Write People Dead By T. M. Warfield Spring Fling By Patricia Murphy About the Contributors © 2007, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Vacant Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Blog Contributing Editor - Maggie Koster Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Review of The i Tetralogy By Mathias B. Freese ISBN: 1-58736-404-2 If the thesis could be made that the Holocaust is beyond the imagination of man, Mathias B. Freese has proven that supposition false. The i Tetralogy is a highly descriptive account of the Holocaust that should be disturbing to even the most callous reader. Freese begins with the story from the perspective of the Jew imprisoned in the concentration camp. The repetitive nature of both prisoner and guard life is explored in painstaking detail. Stockholm syndrome style rationalizing allows the Jew to grant some level of humanity to one guard in particular, but is quickly withdrawn when the same story is told through that guard’s eyes. Any defense on the lines of “just following orders” is blown away through the severe bigotry depicted in the two sections from the concentration camp guard’s perspective – the first during the holocaust, and the second in America from the aged guard. The revolting nature of the prison guard is slightly redeemed by the response of his children in the final section, after they find the true identity of the man they thought they had known. The i Tetralogy will be useful in WWII history, and related subject areas, as well as abnormal psychology and sociology. It is not recommended for use in high school classes with one exception – advanced placement history with parental notification/consent. This is due to the graphic nature of the writing, and the severe bigotry depicted. |