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Eleni

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 719 ratings · 114 reviews

"A devoted and brilliant achievement." The New York Review of Books

In 1948, as civil war ravaged Greece, children were abducted and sent to communist "camps" behind the Iron Curtain. Eleni Gatzoyiannis, 41, defied the traditions of her small village and the terror of the communist insurgents to arrange for the escape of her three daughters and her son, Nicola. For that act...more

Hardcover, 470 pages

Published April 12th 1983 by Random House (first published 1983)

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Jun 20, 2012 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jason by: Nadine

Shelves: devil-made-me, 2012, reviewed, thrill-me-chill-me-fulfill-me

Although there is no shortage of books that describe the personal and familial turmoil that results from civil war, Eleni has to be among the most devastating accounts ever written. Civil war is the nastiest kind of war, a war in which one’s own brethren becomes his enemies. The disjointed sense of loyalty associated with these internal struggles only fuels the chaos. Without that feeling of national unity that would otherwise pervade a conflict against a foreign entity, civil war becomes nothin...more Although there is no shortage of books that describe the personal and familial turmoil that results from civil war, Eleni has to be among the most devastating accounts ever written. Civil war is the nastiest kind of war, a war in which one’s own brethren becomes his enemies. The disjointed sense of loyalty associated with these internal struggles only fuels the chaos. Without that feeling of national unity that would otherwise pervade a conflict against a foreign entity, civil war becomes nothing more than a vehicle for senseless killing. In other words, civil war sucks, and we’ve seen it suck in just about every corner of the globe. It sucked in Iran, it sucked in Afghanistan, it sucked big time in Sierra Leone, and in this book we learn just how much it sucked in Greece.

Eleni Gatzoyiannis was a Greek mother of five who lived in an obscure mountain village near the Albanian border. After the Germans who occupied Greece got their asses kicked in 1945, the country found itself entirely surrounded by the newly formed Soviet bloc to its north. Stalin’s influence heavily penetrated this part of Greece and empowered the country’s Communist Party to form its own military wing, the inaptly named Democratic Army of Greece. Essentially a band of thugs, these communist guerrillas terrorized the northern mountain regions in which Eleni’s village was nestled. With aspirations to take over Greece and create a classless Marxist society for which their Russian heroes would be proud, these guerrillas were ultimately responsible for the actions that gave rise to the Greek Civil War (1946–1949).

This book follows the story of Eleni as she struggles to maintain a false sense of camaraderie with the guerrillas who have infiltrated her village while at the same time trying to protect her children from conscription, abduction, or worse. This is not an easy balance for Eleni or for anyone else in her situation, for to be caught trying to protect others from the guerrillas is to be yourself exposed as a traitor to the cause. It is disheartening, also, to discover how many times Eleni misses an opportunity to escape her predicament. Although some of the doors of opportunity close by no fault of her own, others remain open and are simply ignored by Eleni due to a fear of social repercussions. Greek village life in the 1940s adheres to a strict moral code that prevents Eleni from making decisions that could have possibly averted her fate.

In some ways, the most frightening aspect of this book is the transformation of the village itself during the guerrillas’ occupation, especially once the secret police are unleashed. Before the war, the banality of life is broken occasionally by the innocuous practice of neighborhood gossip. But as pressure is mounted by the guerrillas to weed out any “traitors” in the village, this gossip takes on a much more sinister and menacing role. A meddling busybody who is once thought harmless by her neighbors now wields the power to end one’s freedom, or worse, one’s life! The guerrillas, of course, take advantage of the villagers’ proclivity to turn on each other in the name of self-preservation, and that Eleni suffers this additional burden of suspicion and gross mistrust of those around her makes her situation all the more grievous.

Eventually, Eleni is indeed executed by the same communist guerrillas to whom she has pledged her loyalty, but not before ensuring the liberation of her family. Please do not scold me, for this is not a spoiler—Eleni’s death and the escape of her children form the premise of this book as discussed in its introduction. The book is really about her plight, not her demise. Also, what’s fascinating about this particular biography is that it is written by her son who just happens to live two towns away from me. He was a writer for the New York Times who left the paper in 1980 and traveled back to Greece to unravel the story of his mother, the woman who secured his freedom. In this book, he documents Eleni’s life and the events leading to her death so that the memory of her sacrifice and the knowledge of what happened to her and other villagers like her will live on.(less)

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Oct 08, 2011 Chrissie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: greece, history, bio, text-checked, favorites

Finished: Emotionally, this is a very difficult book to read. So don't read it when you want something light and fluffy! It covers lots of issues. The history of the Greek Civil War is clearly and intimately depicted. Cultural issues such as the role of women versus men in Greek society, religious practices and mystical beliefs/customs are revealed. Abuse - there are many kinds. Is it harder to allow abuse to your own body or to abuse your own child in an effort to prevent someone else from abus...more Finished: Emotionally, this is a very difficult book to read. So don't read it when you want something light and fluffy! It covers lots of issues. The history of the Greek Civil War is clearly and intimately depicted. Cultural issues such as the role of women versus men in Greek society, religious practices and mystical beliefs/customs are revealed. Abuse - there are many kinds. Is it harder to allow abuse to your own body or to abuse your own child in an effort to prevent someone else from abusing them? Sacrifice, when is it "easier" to sacrifice yourself rather than another? In a really difficult situation, do you collapse, give in and join the abusers? Where is the limit? Hatred and guilt and culpability, how do they play out as time passes, after the horrible events are over. Who is guilty? Retribution - is that the answer? This book is really composed of two parts - what happened to the author's mother and how the author dealt with this knowledge. As it says in the very first chapter, he needed to find out who his mother was to be able to deal with the question of retribution. When we die, are we gone or do the things we stood for continue to play out and influence those who follow us. No the book has actually three parts - you learn history in a way that you will never forget.

Through page 350: TERRIBLE what is happening. Nothing I say is adequate.

Through page 257: Please read my comments to Lynne under this review. They are just as relevant as anything else I have stated. Here follows an example of the text in the short factual chapters mentioned:

...in March of 1948...the Communist Provisional Government announced a new policy over its radio: all children between the ages of three and fourteen in the occupied regions of northern Greece would be collected and sent to "people's democracies" behind the Iron Curtain that had offered to take them in. According to the announcement this decision was made in order to protect the children in the war zones from cruelties perpetuated by the attacking fascist soldiers: hunger due to crop destructions, bombings and lootings.....By the end of 1948 more than 28,000 Greek children had been taken away from their parents to camps throughout the Communist block.

Did you know this? And then of course, "many Greek Communists insist today....that no children were removed against their parents' will." History repeats itself over and over again. "Oh no, that didn't happen! No way!"

I am about half way through the book. I had to know how the author went about collecting the facts. I don't think it should be read at the end, but when the reader feels he needs to know.

Through page 195: What Eleni and her daughters go through b/c they are women is horrifying. No other book before has ever made me so want to fight for women's rights. What the men were experiencing during the civil war was horrible also, don't get me wrong, but the consequences of what was considered right or wrong for a woman in the Greek mountain villages during the 40s is a real eye opener. This is a book that should be read, not to teach a lesson, but to just make clear what was happening to women only 50 years ago.

Through page 178 and part 2 is completed: The suspense is very hard to take. You know this is real life. These are not fictitious characters. This happened. What happens in a family can be as bad as what outside forces throw at you. Here both are united against Eleni and her children. She is living with traditions that make any choices that perhaps could lead to survival impossible. She is trapped by her love and by village customs. The historical facts of the Greek civil war are clearly told. You get both the emotional ties and the clear facts. Were the book to end now, it would get 5 stars.

Through page 123: History is grippingly told. Historical facts concerning Greek village life during and after WW2 and particularly the growth of the opposing Greek factions that led to the civil war are portrayed through the true accounts of mountain villagers living in Lia near the Albanian border. You go through what these villagers experienced. The men, the women, the children; the young and the old.

Through page 78. I like this book alot. The author is writing about his mother and the family in Greece during the 40s. It is personal, so you care. What she went through proves that although men are physcially often stronger than women, what she achieved, raising her 5 kids single-handedly shows great strength too. There are many kinds of strength. You see this repeatedly; the strength of women is evident in many of the books I have recently read. WW2 is raging, and at the same time the seeds for the civil war that will follow in its wake are being sown. I also find reading about WW2 from the Greek perspective interesting. The history is clearly documented but not in a boring fashion. The maps are pretty good - but I do not understand why they put in maps and do not bother to write in ALL the cities that come up in the text! I also like the psychological explanations that the author adds to explain the relationships between family members. Even though they cannot be proven by actual documents, they are logical and helpful. The author's gruff grandfather, well I will not quote him, but what he says and what he does portray him as being a wise man.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Dem rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended, favorites, war

Every now and again a book comes along that shakes you up and makes you thank god for the life you have lived and trust me this is just one of those books.

I have to admit I have a bad habit of judging a book by its cover and not liking the cover of this book I left it in my bookcase for quite awhile but once I read the blurb on this book(and Goodreads member Chrissie's wonderful review) I knew this was going to be a difficult and harrowing read and yet a deeply inspiring story.

“In 1948 in a Gree...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Zidane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Greeks and those who wish they were Greek

Honestly, one of my favorite books because it is so relevant to the history of my family. It combines a stellar journalist's account of World War II and the subsequent Greek Civil War with the emotional story of the struggle of his family and his fellow Greeks. An awesome, well-written book that I'm proud to say is one of the few books I've read more than once and plan to read over and over again. If you know nothing about contemporary Greek history, buy it. If the story is more relevant to you...more

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May 04, 2011 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My friend Connie loaned me this amazing book. I was forewarned that it would be heavy.

This is a true story that takes place in Greece during and after World War II.

Nicholas Gage’s mother died to save the lives of her children. When he was nine, he and his sisters moved to the US where his father had lived for many years making only brief visits to their tiny mountain village. Prior to that moment, Nicholas had never seen his father.

Gage is a journalist who wanted to understand what had happened...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Nana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: greek, non-fiction, biogr-memoir, history-culture

Διάβασα αυτό το βιβλίο στα έντεκα μου χρόνια περίπου, και σήμερα απορώ πως σε τέτοια τρυφερή ηλικία μπόρεσα να συλλάβω τα τόσο σοβαρά και δύσκολα μηνύματα του. Η ιστορία της θυσίας της Ελένης για τα παιδιά της χαράκτηκε για πάντα στην μνήμη μου και με ευαισθητοποίησε από μικρή ηλικία σε θέματα κοινωνικής αδικίας και καταπάτησης των ανθρώπινων δικαιωμάτων. Πριν διαβάσω το βιβλίο είχα την αφελή εντύπωση ότι "οι φασίστες" ήταν πάντα οι κακοί της ιστορίας και "οι αριστεροί" ήταν οι καλοί (ναι, είχα...more

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Sep 25, 2009 Gregoria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Eleni after reading another book by Nicholas gage, 'A Place for Us.' I knew it would be a hard read, but am very glad I did. I'd heard bits and pieces of stories about the Greek Civil War from my family - about my grandfather walking home to the eastern Peleponnesos from the area around the Albanian border (it's not close at all - at least 250 miles with lots of mountains), about the actions of Communinists and others in the villages. But what I read was incredible, on many levels.

The exp...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arts-and-historical

In 1948, as civil war ravaged Greece, children were abducted and sent to communist "camps" inside the Iron Curtain. Eleni Gatzoyiannis, forty-one, defied the traditions of her small village and the terror of the communist insurgents to arrange for the escape of her three daughters and her son, Nicola. For that act, she was imprisoned, tortured, and executed in cold blood.

Nicholas Gage joined his father in Massachusetts at the age of nine and grew up to become a top New York Times investigative r...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finally finished Eleni! It took me at least two years to read this book.

Because it's fucking depressing, that's why.

Set during the Greek Civil War, Eleni tells the story of a tiny rural village that was taken over by the Communist army. The eponymous heroine, the author's mother, was executed near the end of the war (this isn't a spoiler; it's central to the whole story). Gage himself was an infant during the rest of his family's eventual escape.

This book is a real achievement, no doubt, in...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: greece, favorite-authors

I picked up this book in a small bookstore in Greece. I was on my honeymoon and I had finished all the books I brought with me, so I stumbled onto Eleni by accident. I honestly think I picked it up because I kept making the joke that the actor Nicolas Cage had written it in the bookstore (store owner didn't think it was as funny as I did). I am so glad I found this book, because I couldn't put it down and I learned so much about a period in Greece's history. At a first glance the book seems long...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Don Wallace rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember when this came out, in 1983--there was a lot of discussion, and it became something of a political football, kicked around by left and right. Now this true story of a NY Times journalist's search for his mother's executioners in the 1948 civil war in Greece is simply a masterpiece of detection, reconstruction, and emotional and intellectual honesty. It's also a story of revenge and the cycle it perpetuates--and which Gage must confront in himself. My own takeaway: Next time I find mys...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, historical, paperbackswap-com

This book is great - but has some real lessons to take to heart, such as:
1. Once you're married, don't allow family to guilt you in to staying with them, rather than your husband.
2. Don't make life altering decisions based on whether or not you think the town will gossip about you.
3. When you have the money and you're in a dangerous situation, prioritize. Safety first!
4. Material goods will never be worth more than your safety or freedom.

Not to give the book away, but it was extremely frustratin...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story of Eleni is powerful and fascinating. It is "faction" written by the son of the title character. The in-depth reporting of village life in Greece during WWII and the Greek civil war allows the reader to really understand the hardships associated with conflict and the ways in which families and neighbors are turned against each other. However, there are a few major flaws with this book. First, the narrator grates on my nerves (admittedly it is his story and that of his mother), but I do...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This truly is one of the most heart-rending, brilliantly written stories to come out of the dawning of the Cold War. The setting is Greece on the heels of World War II and the beginnings of Communism's hold in Eastern Europe. A movement that the villagers initially embraced, but which ultimately drove them to ruin and many to their deaths. The story follows the author's mother who bore the brunt of her family's hardships to ensure their survival and who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their salv...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Raymond rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Communist insurgents battled to topple the government of Greece. 1948. People beyond Greece scarcely took note of the struggle at the time and all of it nearly is forgotten today. May, "Eleni," never be forgot. This singular book is so beautiful and so terrifying it must be ranked among the finest writings of the 20th Century in America. Nicholas Gage's tribute to his mother - Eleni - his recounting of the fighting and suffering which attended civil war in Greece needs to have attention called t...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the best nonfiction books I have ever had the privilage to read. Nicholas Gage weaves an intricate, honest, gritty tale of survival and love in the midst of social and political upheaval in Greece in WWII and the following years of civil war thereafter. Through his own childhood experience and the eye-witness accounts of his neighbors and fellow Greeks, Nicholas is able to paint a vivid portrait of his mother, the namesake of this book, and recount the steps that lead her to her untimely...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Janet Wilcox rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wish I'd had more time to read this book quickly, so I could have remembered all the Greek names. However, the story was so stark and tragic, I'll never forget the heroics of this mother and other Greek families and what they suffrered. In later years her young son Nicholas returnes to Greece as an adult to piece together the events leading to Eleni's death. Gage's training as an investigative reporter and foreign correspondent for the New York Times was put to the test in every way, as he tra...more I wish I'd had more time to read this book quickly, so I could have remembered all the Greek names. However, the story was so stark and tragic, I'll never forget the heroics of this mother and other Greek families and what they suffrered. In later years her young son Nicholas returnes to Greece as an adult to piece together the events leading to Eleni's death. Gage's training as an investigative reporter and foreign correspondent for the New York Times was put to the test in every way, as he tracked down participants who knew his mother in the civil war in Greece.
In the decade of war from 1939 to 1949 one out of every ten Greeks was killed -- 450,000 during WWII and 150,000 during the civil war. Of the survivors nearly 100,000 had been exiled behind the Iron Curtain, some by choice, many by force. Families were rent apart, not to be reunited for many years, often forever. Nicholas was only a nine-year-old boy when he arrived in the United States, but knew even then he would one day have to take some sort of vengeance against his mother's killers. This book was his catharsis and mission.
Gage interviewed more than 400 people in seven different countries. He kept painstaking notes, and slowly the pieces began to fit. The final catalyst for quitting his job to devote himself completely to the search was the discovering that one of the primary actors in his mother's death was still alive. He eventually confronts this lead communist leader, with the underlying desire to kill him.
After learning the horrors enacted by the Communists in Greece, in the 1940's he was mortified to learn that in 1974 that the Communist party was legalized, and war crimes forgiven. The Communists at that time were so determined to rewrite history, that they glamorized the role of the guerrillas in the eyes of modern Greek youth. It reminds me of those today who say the Holocaust never happened. That is why we need to read history, and write history...so that the truth will prevail.
He wrote this story, so that the truth would not be whitewashed. This new wave of Communism in Greece even convinced the Socialists party in control to stop all official memorial services for those killed during the civil war, victims which included his mother.
The ending of the book is a testimony to his mother's love and courage. He writes: "Unlike Hecuba, my mother did not spend the last of her strength cursing her tormentors, but like Antigone, she found the courage to face death because she had done her duty to those she loved. Antigone tells the man who has condemned her...'It's not my nature to join in hating, but in loving.'"
"That was Eleni Gatzoyiannis' nature as well, and Katis had not been able to destroy it by killing her. Like the mulberry tree in our yard, which still stands after the house has fallen into ruins, that love has taken root in us, her children, and spread to her grandchildren as well."...My mother's love, the primary impulse of her life, still binds us together, often surrounding me like a tangible presence. Summoning the hate necessary to kill Katis would sever that bridge connecting us and destroy the part of me that is most like Eleni."
What a remarkable book. One of the best I've ever read. Thanks, Bro. Moses for loaning me the book, prior to our trip to Greece. It helped give me a greater appreciation of the country and people.(less)

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Jun 30, 2009 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in Greek history, travel to Greece

A powerful, absolutely moving read. The author tells the story of his mother's years living in the guerrilla occupied village of Lia in northern Greece during the Greek civil war that followed WWII. I was up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it, even though I knew the ending. That's a good storytelling for you. I don't normally read nonfiction for a variety of reasons, but this had such a wonderful blend of storytelling and fact that I was hooked from the second chapter. I have to adm...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Meagan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, civil-wars, greece, own, 2009-reads

Reading this book was no easy feat for me but it was well worth the time invested. This is true story written by a former New York Times journalist who quit his job so that he could invest all of his time finding the person responsible for his mother's execution during the civil war in Greece.
The goal: find culprit and kill them.

This was not a fast paced book (at least not for me) and the intricate details were never ending. I had a hard time keeping up with the endless supply of foreign names...more

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Jul 15, 2008 Henry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

This is the true story of the author's mother and her murder by communists in Greece in 1948. Sad but wonderfully written and very interesting. I both loved and hated this book. The blurb on the back cover says it well.

"In 1948, as civil war ravaged Greece, children were abducted and sent to communist “camps” inside the Iron Curtain. Eleni Gatzoyiannis, forty-one, defied the traditions of her small village and the terror of the communist insurgents to arrange for the escape of her three daughter...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Tells the story of how a Greek mother saved her children during WWII and the following civil war. The book is written by her son who returned to Greece in the late 1970s as an adult to discover who was responsible for his mother's execution (and to exact revenge). Through hundreds of interviews he learns the truth, but he also gets to know the mother he lost when he was only 9 years old. It's a very dense read packed with more Greek names than I could keep track of, but much of the book reads li...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Lynn Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heart-rending, brilliantly written. The setting is Greece and the beginnings of Communism's hold in Eastern Europe. The story follows the author's mother who had nothing but courage and love for her children to fight the forces of fear, betrayal, and evil that made her choices for survival almost impossible. The forces of political oppression were horrifying, but the stark picture of how envy and resentment caused her own people to turn on her was even more frightening.

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Jun 01, 2010 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The Greek Civil War, and its connection to the larger Cold War, is not a subject most Americans know about, unlike the conflicts in Vietnam or Korea. In addition to being very informative about this period in global history, Eleni is absolutely heartbreaking even though you know how it will end right from the start. Anyone who puts ideology before humanity--on the left or the right--should be required to read this book.

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Jul 15, 2010 Melodi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Very interesting to learn about another culture/civil war time. Based on Greece during WWII and the civil war right after WWII. A period of 10 years of war. A biography of the authors mom. The story is so real and raw, but not overly depressing. I had no idea what happened in Greece during this time. Always good to add to my history file in my head :) I only gave it 3 stars because I felt it was somewhat difficult to read in the sense that he talks about a LOT of people and I had a hard time kee...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Maybe my life in this wonderful country and having been born to goodly parents has set in me the inability to fathom how people, through their daily thoughts and choices, can so readily lead themselves into inhumanity, cruelty, amorality, and a state of lacking any kindness. This book was WRENCHING.

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Sep 28, 2012 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: balkan

I read this ages ago, but the tale haunts my memory.

Set in Northern Greece close to the Albanian border, it is a tale of people, who were kidnapped by the communists just after WW2 and then sent to live in countries such as Hungary.

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Aug 31, 2012 Moira rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is probably the best book I have read all year. If you want a story that you cannot put down, this is it. That is is a true story makes it even more unbelievable and gripping. A mother's love for her children can beat all the odds.

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Dec 05, 2010 Connie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was written by the son of the main character. What a tribute to his mother, because she was the mother we all hope to be. Also, very informative. I did not know much of the situation in Greece at the time of the war.

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Oct 03, 2010 Kimberly Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 21, 2013 Donna Andrews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this 30 years ago while in Greece. It was just as good the second time. This time I skipped some of the grosser aspects of torture - I just don't need to read that. It's an excellent story, well written and very emotional.

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About Nicholas Gage

(Greek: Νίκος Γκατζογιάννης)
Nicholas Gage (born Nikolaos Gatzoyiannis on July 23, 1939 in the village of Lia in Filiates, Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece) is a Greek American author and investigative journalist. Today he and his wife, Joan, live in North Grafton, Massachusetts.[1] He is the father of three children: Christos, Eleni, and Marina. He is most famous for two books of autobiographical memoi...more (Greek: Νίκος Γκατζογιάννης)
Nicholas Gage (born Nikolaos Gatzoyiannis on July 23, 1939 in the village of Lia in Filiates, Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece) is a Greek American author and investigative journalist. Today he and his wife, Joan, live in North Grafton, Massachusetts.[1] He is the father of three children: Christos, Eleni, and Marina. He is most famous for two books of autobiographical memoirs, the best selling Eleni and A Place for Us. Eleni describes the life of his family in Greece during the Second World War and Greek Civil War. Gage’s mother, Eleni, was executed for arranging the escape of her children from their Communist-occupied village. Decades later, as an adult, Gage sought out those responsible for her death. A Place for Us relates the Gage family’s experiences as immigrants in 1950s America in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts.
In 1985, Eleni was made into a feature film starring John Malkovich as Gage. In 1987, Eleni was cited by Ronald Reagan as an inspiration for his summit meetings to end the arms race with the Soviet Union.
Gage first achieved fame as an investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. His acclaimed coverage of the Mafia led to two best-selling books, The Mafia Is Not An Equal Opportunity Employer and Mafia, U.S.A.
He was also instrumental in exposing corruption in the past of Vice President Spiro Agnew, which led to Agnew’s resignation. During the Watergate scandal, Gage was the first reporter to hear any of the Nixon tapes. His experiences as a reporter were the basis for the television show “The Andros Targets”.
Gage was an Executive Producer of The Godfather Part III, co-writing an early draft of the script with Mario Puzo. The movie was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards and seven Academy Awards.
His book Eleni, which has been translated into 32 languages, was awarded first prize by the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain and was nominated in the category of best biography by the National Book Critics Circle.[1]
His most recent book is Greek Fire, an account of the relationship between Aristotle Onassis and opera singer Maria Callas, which will be made into a film and is scheduled to be released in 2011.
Gage is the honorary President of the WORLD of EPIROTES and a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence. He continues to speak throughout the world and writes for such publications as The New York Times and Vanity Fair.(less)

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Books by Nicholas Gage

A Place for Us: A Greek Immigrant Boy's Odyssey to a New Country and an Unknown Father

Greek Fire: The Story of Maria Callas and Aristole Onassis

The Mafia is not an equal opportunity employer

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Eleni

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