Eddie, this is a review of another of Chodakiewicz’s books on the post war which I have not yet read.
I may be biased in that I personally know Prof Chodakiewicz and have studied under him. That said, I disagree with Goska’s attacks on Chodakiewicz for using a controversial source, his discernment in distinguishing between Jews and Poles, and the fact that he did not denounce people who my use his book for anti-Semitic purposes....
As a historian, Chodakiewicz will look at all sources and discern what is usable and true and what must be discarded. - Just because one source may be controversial or had one something discredited, does not mean they are completely unusable. With ref to the nationality issues of Jewish-Polish relations, there were many Jewish communities in the Eastern Poland (which was a part of the Pale of Settlement) where there was a mix of Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish communities. The Ukrainians and Jews had their own unique cultures and identities and did not consider themselves to be Polish. Many did not even speak Polish. Finally, Chodakiewicz does denounce racism on a regular basis. One of the specific classes I took with him was on Genocide and Genocide Prevention. — It would be a waste of print to denounce anyone you disagree with who might read your book before hand.....
Bill,
Since you know (and studied under) the guy (Chodakiewicz), you’re probably able to assess his work better than I can, in that it’s been YEARS since I’ve done the kind of research to be able to discuss a guy’s work critically (and fairly).
Wszystkiego najlepszego (all the best),
es