The Jew with the Iron Cross: A Record of Survival in WWII Russia, by Georg Rauch

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Jan 072014
 

The Jew with the Iron Cross: A Record of Survival in WWII Russia, by Georg Rauch (iUniverse, Inc., 2006).

rauchPaperback: 269 pages; ISBN-13: 978-0595379873; dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches; Price: US$15.00 plus shipping (contact us for details)

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As a teenager, author Georg Rauch helped his mother protect the Jewish couples hidden in their Viennese attic. Officially classified as one-quarter Jewish, Rauch is drafted into Hitler’s army and sent to fight for causes he detests. Rauch finds himself near death many times, but his talents as a shortwave radio operator, chef, and even harmonica player all play a role in his survival. Captured by the Russians in the autumn of 1944, Rauch faces brutality and near-fatal illness as a POW. Recruitment for Russian espionage saves his life this time, but his story isn’t over yet.

Based on eighty letters sent home from the Russian trenches, The Wooden Spoon is a riveting tale of paradox and survival during World War II.

“A fascinating account of what it was like for a partial Jew to serve in the German military during World War II. Rauch’s experiences and hardships dramatically depict the physical and emotional struggles of a ‘Mischling’ during the Third Reich.”—Bryan Mark Rigg, author of Hitler’s Jewish Soldiers

“Not about combat tactics but about what it meant to be in an army at war. Rauch has put a human face on aspects of the war that are usually only referred to in passing.”—Tom Houlihan, WWII cartographer

Georg Rauch was a successful professional artist who exhibited extensively in Europe, the United States and Mexico. Rauch and his wife, Phyllis, made their home overlooking Lake Chapala in the central highlands of Mexico for more than thirty years.

Want to learn more about this very interesting artist?

Burton, Tony

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Mar 222012
 

Tony Burton (1953-) is an author and translator, born in the UK who lived full-time in Mexico for about 18 years and now resides on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada.

His books include Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury (4rd edition, 2013, Sombrero Books); previous editions 1993, 1997, 2001; Geo-Mexico: the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico (co-authored with Richard Rhoda, 2010, Sombrero Books);  Lake Chapala Through The Ages; an anthology of travellers’ tales. (2008, Sombrero Books), El Occidente de México; un tesoro para el viajero (translation by Lorenza Castiello V. of 3rd edition of Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury, 2004, Sombrero Books). His cartography includes Lake Chapala Map Set (2010, Sombrero Books).

He has contributed chapters to many books, including “Recreación y turismo en la cuenca Lerma-Chapala” (Recreation and Tourism in the Lerma-Chapala Basin) in La cuenca Lerma-Chapala. Un Atlas sobre el ambiente, su gente y los recursos (Mexico: INE/UNAM/CONACYT,  2006); “Climate and Geography” in Mexico’s Lake Chapala & Ajijic. The Insider’s Guide, by Teresa Kendrick. (Austin, Texas: MTI, 2000, 2005); “Chapala, Ajijic, Jocotepec” in Traveler’s Guide to Mexico (1997); “Fascinating scenery of Western Mexico’s “Volcanic Belt”, and “Snowbirds and Butterflies” in Mexico Living and Travel by Jean and John Bryant. (California: MRTA, 1994); “Enjoying Jalisco”, chapter 13 of Retiring to Mexico, edited by Nellie and Len Friedman (Indianapolis: ACC books, 1992).

He has also given numerous lectures, workshops and has written several academic papers.

His translations include Paricutín, Fifty Years after its Birth (Guadalajara: Editorial Agata, 1993), which is Simón Lázaro Jimenez’s autobiographical account of the eruption of Paricutín volcano published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its eruption, and several other non-fiction works, including Wolfgang Vogt’s literary study Juan Rulfo and the South of Jalisco (Guadalajara: Editorial Agata, 1995); Espacios del lago de Chapala by Carlos Valencia Pelayo (Editorial Agata, 1998); A Drink Named Tequila. by José María Muriá (Editorial Agata, Guadalajara, 1996), Tonala Ceramics – Living Roots by Gutierre Aceves (Editorial Agata, 1994); Past Times in Chapala by Jesús González Gortázar (Editorial Agata, 1992); Maps and Charts of Mexico from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century. Various authors. (INEGI/INAH, Mexico, 1988)