The narrative explores the poignant journey of violins that survived the Holocaust, highlighting their transformation from symbols of loss to instruments of hope and beauty in symphony halls. It delves into the historical significance of these violins, their restoration, and the emotional resonance they carry, connecting past atrocities to present-day performances. The book captures the resilience of art and its power to heal and inspire, showcasing the profound impact of music on culture and memory.
“Riveting . . . Well-written and highly compelling. "— Wall Street Journal“Truly thrilling. Daniel Levin brilliantly conveys both the menace and the evil of Middle Eastern intrigue, and some victories of human kindness over cruelty and despair.”—Daniel Kahneman, New York Times bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Levin was in his New York office when he got a call from an acquaintance with an urgent, cryptic request to meet in Paris. A young man had gone missing in Syria. No government, embassy, or intelligence agency would help. Could he? Would he? So begins a suspenseful, shocking, and at times brutal true story of one man’s search to find a missing person in Syria over twenty tense days. Levin, a lawyer turned armed-conflict negotiator, chases leads throughout the Middle East, meeting with powerful sheikhs, drug lords, and sex traffickers in his pursuit of the truth.In Proof of Life , Levin dives deep into the shadows—an underground industry of war where everything is for sale, including arms, drugs, and even people. He offers a fascinating study of how people use leverage to get what they want from one another and of a place where no one does a favor without wanting something in return, whether it’s immediately or years down the road.A fast-paced thriller wrapped in a memoir, Proof of Life is a cinematic must-read by an author with access to a world that usually remains hidden.
Written by the author of The Zen Book and Zen Cards, Zen Life is a compilation of 108 Zen stories and aphorisms, ancient and modern, which are meant to be opened at random and consulted for their wisdom and insights.
"A stunning firsthand account of the creation of a modern cult under conman Larry Ray and the horrifying costs paid by his young victims: his daughter's college roommates. In September 2010, at the beginning of the academic year at Sarah Lawrence College, a sophomore named Talia Ray asked her roommates if her father could stay with them for a while. No one objected. Her father, Larry Ray, was just released from prison, having spent three years behind bars after a conviction during a bitter custody dispute. Larry Ray arrived at the dorm, a communal house called Slonim Woods 9, and stayed for the whole year. Over the course of innumerable counseling sessions and "family meetings," the intense and forceful Ray convinced his daughter's friends that he alone could help them "achieve clarity." Eventually, Ray and the students moved into a small Manhattan apartment, beginning years of manipulation and abuse, as Ray tightened his control over his young charges through blackmail, extortion, and ritualized humiliation. Daniel Barban Levin was one of the original residents of Slonim Woods 9. Ray coached Daniel through a difficult break-up, slowly drawing him into his web. After two years of escalating psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, Daniel found the strength to escape from Ray's influence and take control of his own life. In April 2019, a New York magazine cover story, "The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence," exposed Ray's crimes to the world. In February 2020, he was finally indicted on charges of extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering. Beginning the moment Daniel set foot on Sarah Lawrence's idyllic campus and spanning the two years he spent in the grip of a megalomaniac, this brave, lyrical, and redemptive memoir reveals how a group of friends were led from campus to a cult without the world even noticing"
"In this eye-opening exploration of the human weaknesses for power, Daniel Levin takes us on a hilarious journey through the absurd world of our global elites, drawing unforgettable sketches of some of the puppets who stand guard, and the jugglers and conjurers employed within. Most spectacular of all, however, are the astonishing contortions performed by those closest to the top in order to maintain the illusion of integrity, decency, and public service. Based on the author's first hand experiences of dealing with governments and political institutions around the world, Nothing but a Circus offers a rare glimpse of the conversations that happen behind closed doors, observing the appalling lengths that people go to in order to justify their unscrupulous choices, from Dubai to Luanda, Moscow to Beijing, and at the heart of the UN and the US government."--
Basierend auf persönlichen Erfah- rungen, gesammelt im Laufe seiner weltweiten Beratungstätigkeit für staatliche Institutionen während zwei Jahrzehnten, vermittelt der Autor auf Schauplätzen von Washington über Moskau und Peking bis Dubai und Luanda einen scharfen, bittersüssen Blick hinter die Kulissen der Macht.
Er führt ein in die verschlossene und absurde Welt der Mächtigen und ent- hüllt mit viel Humor ihre rechtferti- genden Verrenkungen für eigennützi- ge und skrupellose Handlungen.
Die Archäologin Emili und ihr Freund Jonathan suchen die legendäre Tabernakel-Menora und geraten dabei in die Fänge einer islamischen Verschwörergruppe, die die wertvolle Reliquie um jeden Preis erlangen will.
Řím. V dutině antického sloupu nalezli archeologové mumifikované tělo mladé ženy, jejíž záhadné tetování odkazuje hluboko do starověku. Jeruzalém. Pod Skalním chrámem, přímo v lokalitě, kterou tři světová náboženství považují za nejposvátnější místo, probíhají nezákonné vykopávky. Mohly by spolu tyto dvě události souviset? Ve stejné době přijíždí do Říma mladý americký právník Jonathan Marcus. Kdysi zde studoval klasickou historii, ale slibnou kariéru musel nedobrovolně opustit, přesto dnes patří k nejvyhledávanějším konzultantům mezi obchodníky s uměním. Má pro svého zákazníka prozkoumat fragmenty starověké kamenné mapy, ale při práci narazí na nečekaný objev: do kamene kdysi někdo vytesal tajné poselství. Vzkaz z dávných věků mu připomene zmařenou kariéru a osloví ho natolik, že se vydá na nebezpečnou pouť, aby objevil předmět, po němž dvě tisíciletí prahly nejmocnější říše světa. V labyrintu pod římským Koloseem i ve starověkých tunelech biblického Jeruzaléma postupně nalézá stopy starověké špionážní sítě, jejímž cílem byla ochrana onoho artefaktu, ale také stopy bezohledného spiknutí z dnešních dnů, které naopak usiluje o zničení vzácné památky a potažmo o vymazání veškerých důkazů o historii židovství a křesťanství v okolí posvátné Chrámové hory.
Das hochkarätige Roman-Debüt des US-Schweizer Autors und Anwalts Daniel Levin kombiniert ein raffiniertes Justizdrama mit einer Generationen und Kontinente übergreifenden Familiengeschichte – ein philosophischer Roman von intellektueller Schärfe, in dem das Denken selbst zum Ereignis wird. Sie ist scharfsinnig, warmherzig und umschwärmt, und sie hütet beharrlich ein furchtbares Geheimnis. Als die brillante Juradozentin Milena Frank trotz Mangel an Beweisen für den Mord an ihrem Ehemann verhaftet wird, hüllt sie sich zum Erstaunen aller in entschlossenes Schweigen. Viele Jahre später führt die Suche nach den Umständen des Verbrechens zwei junge Menschen zusammen und schon bald in einen leidenschaftlichen Schlagabtausch über das Verhältnis von Wahrheit und Gerechtigkeit, Schuld und Verantwortung, Treue, Liebe und Verrat. Im Ringen um Antworten kommen sie der Lösung des Falles beständig näher, bis sie auf den mächtigen Pakt von einst stoßen, den Milena noch immer mit ihrem Schweigen schützt …
