Vera's Story: Escape to Freedom

by J.K. DeRosa

Vera’s Story is a deeply personal one. It is the powerful tale of a Czech family caught up in the storm of history, from the aftermath of World War I through the fall of the Berlin Wall. Seventy-five years later, their wounds have healed, but the scars that remain compel the telling of this story of hope, courage, and perseverance.

226 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2018

Reviews

[Becky Gautreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a true story, Vera’s Story: Escape to Freedom depicts Vera’s ravaged life beginning as a child with the dismantling and takeover of Czechoslovakia by Hitler’s Nazi regime in 1938. When Russian troops defeat Hitler and liberate the country, Communism takes root and non-Communists are charged with anti-state activities. More chaos erupts in 1968 with the invasion of Russia and indoctrination of communism. An atmosphere of distrust, fear, and danger exists. Vera, now a grown woman, is married to an anti-Communist activist. The author, Joseph K DeRosa, writes an exceptional account of Vera and her husband’s bold attempt to escape to freedom with their young daughter. A must read.
Rebecca Gautreaux

[Joseph DeRosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

85-year-old Vera lives in my condo complex in Florida. I was enthralled by her story and encouraged her to publish it. She asked me if I would do it, and I gladly agreed. It became a labor of love. I spent over a year interviewing her and writing her story.

It is the powerful tale of a Czech family caught up in the storm of history, from the aftermath of World War I through the fall of the Berlin Wall. Seventy-five years later, their wounds have healed, but the scars that remain compel the telling of this story of hope, courage, and perseverance.

This is not a political story, but a deeply personal one, and I was privileged to be the one to tell it.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera's Story is a first person historical account of a Czech woman who must leave her daughter when she flees from her homeland. Vera and her husband make a life for themselves in the U.S., but she struggles for years to have her daughter join them. Well written and suspenseful, the memoir is worth reading to remind ourselves how important our freedom is, and how easily it can be taken from us.