From 1942 to 1944, twelve thousand children passed through theTheresienstadt internment camp, near Prague, on their way toAuschwitz. Only a few hundred of them survived the war. In TheGirls of Room 28, ten of these children—mothers and grandmotherstoday in their seventies—tell us how they did it. The Jews deported to Theresienstadt from countries all overEurope were aware of the fate that awaited them, and they decidedthat it was the young people who had the best chance to survive.Keeping these adolescents alive, keeping them whole in body, mind,and spirit, became the priority. They were housed separately, indormitory-like barracks, where they had a greater chance of stayinghealthy and better access to food, and where counselors (young menand women who had been teachers and youth workers) created adisciplined environment despite the surrounding horrors. Thecounselors also made available to the young people the talents ofan amazing array of world-class artists, musicians, andplaywrights–Euro

From transforming the ways of war to offering godlike views ofinaccessible spots, revolutionizing rescues worldwide, andproviding some of our most-watched TV moments—including the cloudof newscopters that trailed O. J. Simpson’s Bronco—the helicopteris far more capable than early inventors expected. Now James Chilesprofiles the many helicoptrians who contributed to the developmentof this amazing machine, and pays tribute to the selfless heroismof pilots and crews. A virtual flying lesson and scientificadventure tale, The God Machine is more than the history of aninvention; it is a journey into the minds of imaginative thinkersand a fascinating look at the ways they changed our world.