Sheldon Greene
Author of Lost and found
About the Author
Sheldon Greene is the author of one previous novel, "Lost & Found" (Random House, 1980). He lives in Berkeley, CA where he practices law. (Bowker Author Biography)
Works by Sheldon Greene
LOST AND FOUND 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Short biography
- Of Sheldon Greene's six novels, five draw strongly upon his experience with and knowledge of the Jewish faith. Ranging from fact-based history to flights of imagination, he uses his novels to explore such subjects as Jews in the American Revolution, Jewish influence on pre-Colombian culture, the Israeli War of Independence, and the impact of the Holocaust on creativity. Greene was appointed Warden of Insurance of the State of Ohio at age 23. A public interest lawyer, he pursued seminal issues such as the United States' flawed health delivery system, the impact of illegal immigration on the economy, renewable energy, and public land policies decades before they achieved national attention. He was a participant in the first Obama national policy team for both immigration and energy. He was one of the founders of the New Israel Fund and helped formulate its unique structure, drawing on his experience as General Counsel of California Rural Legal Assistance. He is an executive in a wind energy development company and has been actively engaged in renewable energy for over 25 years. He advocates the formulation of a God concept derived from the life process, stripped of anachronistic anthropomorphic characteristics. He has developed personal guidelines for a balanced, seamless life with spiritual, intellectual, social, and creative dimensions. Learn more about Sheldon Greene and his work at www.sheldongreene.com
Members
Reviews
Lost and Found is a quietly dazzling novel that blends warmth, wit, and the weight of history in a way that feels timeless. Set in the fictional town of Bolton, Pennsylvania, the story follows Mendel Traig—a Holocaust survivor navigating post-war life with quiet resilience and sharp humor. What stands out most is the narrative’s gentle magic: small-town rituals, quirky miracles, and human contradictions rendered with elegant understatement. It’s a story that lingers, not because of show more grand spectacle, but because of how deeply it understands people—their fears, their kindness, their stubborn hope. This book doesn’t shout to be heard, but it echoes. show less
Jan Goldberg a.k.a. Horst Vogel is a Polish Jew who was a resistance fighter against the Nazis. We meet up with him about 5 years after the end of the war and he is masquerading as a German art specialist trying to separate out the seized war booty from legitimate art holdings. He also keeps an eye out for known stolen works. What most don't know, he is also an assassin who brings 'justice' to Nazis who were instrumental in the party's purge but have escaped the notice of the War crimes show more tribunal.
The story opens with our protagonist committing a grisly murder in an alley outside a seedy bar. We don't know who either of the players are but one was permanently removed from the game. He follows this closely by taking out another Nazi trying to escape to Argentina via Switzerland on a train. The book starts out gritty and it looks like it it going to have a high body count, then Horst has a chance meeting with Greta, a beautiful blond German pianist, as she was staring into a stream looking for a ring she had dropped. Horst is able to retrieve it for her and she repays him by having coffee with him. This starts our protagonist down the road from hardened, embittered, assassin to a caring man who wants to settle down and raise a family.
About a third of the way into the story we finally do a flash back and learn about Jan's past and how he became the man we meet in the beginning of the story.
I found this to be a very engaging book and I wanted to keep reading it. I thought it was well written but the end just seemed a little too 'storybook' perfect in my opinion, I liked the ending and I certainly can't think of a way to make it better, but it seemed to be missing something. Overall, a good book worth reading, but don't mistake this for a hard core spy novel, it's more a light love story and about the wounds a war causes and how they heal. show less
The story opens with our protagonist committing a grisly murder in an alley outside a seedy bar. We don't know who either of the players are but one was permanently removed from the game. He follows this closely by taking out another Nazi trying to escape to Argentina via Switzerland on a train. The book starts out gritty and it looks like it it going to have a high body count, then Horst has a chance meeting with Greta, a beautiful blond German pianist, as she was staring into a stream looking for a ring she had dropped. Horst is able to retrieve it for her and she repays him by having coffee with him. This starts our protagonist down the road from hardened, embittered, assassin to a caring man who wants to settle down and raise a family.
About a third of the way into the story we finally do a flash back and learn about Jan's past and how he became the man we meet in the beginning of the story.
I found this to be a very engaging book and I wanted to keep reading it. I thought it was well written but the end just seemed a little too 'storybook' perfect in my opinion, I liked the ending and I certainly can't think of a way to make it better, but it seemed to be missing something. Overall, a good book worth reading, but don't mistake this for a hard core spy novel, it's more a light love story and about the wounds a war causes and how they heal. show less
Pursuit of Happiness By Sheldon Greene is a well-told revolutionary war tale, and, as the title might lead one to believe, there's romance involved too. But the most prominent parts of the tale involve the machinations of none other than General George Washington to convince blockade runners to retrieve a desperately needed shipment of French arms from a secret location somewhere in the Caribbean islands, and the completion of that task, at a considerable risk to the particpants.
This tale is show more well researched as the historical bits fit nicely into place, and the fictional bits seem authentic enough that they could have happened. The author grabs the reader from page one, never letting go until the end. A nicely placed historical note reveals that a few, slight liberties were taken with certain historical events and some of the area's geography. A list of sources are provided afterwards which the historically-interested reader may wish to consult.
Recommended to readers of historical fiction and those who just love to read a book full of action, adventure and thrills... Oh yeah... the romance. For those who don't like much romance in their literature, there's not a lot here, but it does add a bit of interest to the tale at parts that might sag otherwise.
A review copy of Pursuit of Happiness By Sheldon Greene was provided to me free by the author in exchange for this review. This review has been posted on Dragon Views, LibraryThing, Amazon.com and wherever else I may deep appropriate. show less
This tale is show more well researched as the historical bits fit nicely into place, and the fictional bits seem authentic enough that they could have happened. The author grabs the reader from page one, never letting go until the end. A nicely placed historical note reveals that a few, slight liberties were taken with certain historical events and some of the area's geography. A list of sources are provided afterwards which the historically-interested reader may wish to consult.
Recommended to readers of historical fiction and those who just love to read a book full of action, adventure and thrills... Oh yeah... the romance. For those who don't like much romance in their literature, there's not a lot here, but it does add a bit of interest to the tale at parts that might sag otherwise.
A review copy of Pursuit of Happiness By Sheldon Greene was provided to me free by the author in exchange for this review. This review has been posted on Dragon Views, LibraryThing, Amazon.com and wherever else I may deep appropriate. show less
Prodigal Sons
Author: Sheldon Greene
ISBN: 978-1-4392-2627-8, Pages: 342, $15.99, Publication Date: July, 2009, Soft-Cover Fiction, Published by: BookSurge Publishing
Sheldon Greene’s previous books, “Lost and Found” and “Burnt Umber” have been recognized as well done in the literary community. He has written a total of 8 novels. Greene is a good story teller and “Prodigal Sons” continues to display his talent.
This story of a young man starts with a tale of retribution against show more Nazis who have slipped under the radar of the criminal justice system. Horst Vogel a/k/a Jan Goldberg dispatches a former Nazi with cool efficiency by garroting him with a wire around his neck. Thus begins an absorbing post-war story of 1950 in Munich, West Germany. Based upon fact, this historical novel recreates a scenario which could have taken place in Poland, Israel, and Germany. His research depicts real events which he has fictionalized.
Entanglements and suspense are woven into an exciting page-turner. Saddened with the loss of his family, Jan Goldberg embarks upon a mission which leads him into becoming a resistance fighter in his native Poland during World War II. He becomes part of the underground, living in a cavern dug out in the forest near Lodz, Poland; he carries out his mission of saving Jews and killing Germans with zeal.
When the war ends, his home life no longer exists in Poland. His mother, father and sister have been killed by the Nazis. Jan is easily recruited by Hagganah agents to live on a Kibbutz in Israel. He is trained to be an assassin and is sent to Germany using the fake identity of Horst Vogel, a former soldier in the German Army.
Jan/Horst falls in love with Greta, a Christian German citizen, and a virtuoso pianist. Their love leads to more involvement in the Munich community than Horst could have imagined. His work as a curator in a museum enables him to accomplish his primary mission of assassinating former Nazis. Jan’s relationship with Greta provides an added bonus as he discovers a cache of Nazi gold hidden in a sports club. The theft of the gold by the Hagganah and love of Greta make this story more intriguing.
When the book ends, we are left wanting more and author Greene could easily write another book using the same cast of characters to complete this saga. “Prodigal Sons” is highly recommended and will whet your appetite for more. show less
Author: Sheldon Greene
ISBN: 978-1-4392-2627-8, Pages: 342, $15.99, Publication Date: July, 2009, Soft-Cover Fiction, Published by: BookSurge Publishing
Sheldon Greene’s previous books, “Lost and Found” and “Burnt Umber” have been recognized as well done in the literary community. He has written a total of 8 novels. Greene is a good story teller and “Prodigal Sons” continues to display his talent.
This story of a young man starts with a tale of retribution against show more Nazis who have slipped under the radar of the criminal justice system. Horst Vogel a/k/a Jan Goldberg dispatches a former Nazi with cool efficiency by garroting him with a wire around his neck. Thus begins an absorbing post-war story of 1950 in Munich, West Germany. Based upon fact, this historical novel recreates a scenario which could have taken place in Poland, Israel, and Germany. His research depicts real events which he has fictionalized.
Entanglements and suspense are woven into an exciting page-turner. Saddened with the loss of his family, Jan Goldberg embarks upon a mission which leads him into becoming a resistance fighter in his native Poland during World War II. He becomes part of the underground, living in a cavern dug out in the forest near Lodz, Poland; he carries out his mission of saving Jews and killing Germans with zeal.
When the war ends, his home life no longer exists in Poland. His mother, father and sister have been killed by the Nazis. Jan is easily recruited by Hagganah agents to live on a Kibbutz in Israel. He is trained to be an assassin and is sent to Germany using the fake identity of Horst Vogel, a former soldier in the German Army.
Jan/Horst falls in love with Greta, a Christian German citizen, and a virtuoso pianist. Their love leads to more involvement in the Munich community than Horst could have imagined. His work as a curator in a museum enables him to accomplish his primary mission of assassinating former Nazis. Jan’s relationship with Greta provides an added bonus as he discovers a cache of Nazi gold hidden in a sports club. The theft of the gold by the Hagganah and love of Greta make this story more intriguing.
When the book ends, we are left wanting more and author Greene could easily write another book using the same cast of characters to complete this saga. “Prodigal Sons” is highly recommended and will whet your appetite for more. show less
Awards
Statistics
- Works
- 8
- Members
- 41
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- #363,651
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 12