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Pandemonium: A Journey to the New World
A Journey to the New World is a true story about the impact of the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia on three generations of a prominent Prague family. Told from the perspective of Edita—a physician’s daughter, a scientist’s wife, and a mother of two young children—the story describes the insanity, frustration, and desperation associated with living under a corrupt socialist regime. There was the ingenious rearranging of the family apartment to hide Chippendale furnishings and family affairs from the jealous neighbor. There are the devastating details about how Edita’s father, a world-renown surgeon, was denied a livelihood because of his refusal to conform to the world that does not make sense to him. Finally, there was the revelation that even family members cannot be trusted. The scenes range from comic to heartrending to bittersweet. In the end, Edita and her family triumph over the system and escape oppression.
205 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2005
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June 23, 2010
Within the first few pages, I was engrossed and deeply moved by Apina Hrbek's eloquent writing skills. Tears of compassion were in my eyes at several points in this moving story of survival.
The main character, Edita, was raised by a heartless mother who became twisted after helplessly watching the communist government steal her family's vast fortune. Her nonconformist father was her only source of comfort and it was from him that she learned about these forbidden things called "choice" and "freedom".
The setting is a land under strict Soviet rule where people are in a constant state of fright and can not afford to trust anyone - not even their own kin. To trust was an invitation for disaster.
The story of their escape to a land of freedom was wrought with circumstances going wrong - and yet it all worked out in the end. Resettling in a place where they must learn new customs, new languages and find employment to support their small family was no easy task for Edita and her husband. Through poverty and displacement, the family struggled to find their dreams and learn how to deal with this new idea - the freedom to make choices.
Pandemonium is certainly an educational book that may be beneficial for children and grand children of immigrants who wish to understand what it was like. It also could serve as a useful reminder to appreciate, protect and expand upon the rights of all mankind.
Review by Lillian Brummet
Article Source: Pandemonium - Book Review
The main character, Edita, was raised by a heartless mother who became twisted after helplessly watching the communist government steal her family's vast fortune. Her nonconformist father was her only source of comfort and it was from him that she learned about these forbidden things called "choice" and "freedom".
The setting is a land under strict Soviet rule where people are in a constant state of fright and can not afford to trust anyone - not even their own kin. To trust was an invitation for disaster.
The story of their escape to a land of freedom was wrought with circumstances going wrong - and yet it all worked out in the end. Resettling in a place where they must learn new customs, new languages and find employment to support their small family was no easy task for Edita and her husband. Through poverty and displacement, the family struggled to find their dreams and learn how to deal with this new idea - the freedom to make choices.
Pandemonium is certainly an educational book that may be beneficial for children and grand children of immigrants who wish to understand what it was like. It also could serve as a useful reminder to appreciate, protect and expand upon the rights of all mankind.
Review by Lillian Brummet
Article Source: Pandemonium - Book Review
Displaying 1 of 1 review