Status Updates From Growing Up in Communist Alb...

A terrifying narrative about growing up in a country that cared nothing about its citizens.

The next time you go to the store to buy cheese and see the array of cheeses before you, consider yourself blessed to live in America. Page 154, How an Albanian spends all day traveling and risking imprisonment for a small piece of feta cheese, which will then be sliced thinly to feed an entire family! The horrors of Communism are brought to light and makes one appreciate the abundance and freedoms we are born into.

Page 142
The horrors  of Communism as described by Nosh Mernacaj brought tears to my eyes. The eighties, during which most of the world took their luxuries and abundance  for granted , Albanians considered a piece of  wheat bread and a second hand tv, luxuries that were hard to acquire. Communism is built to defeat the human spirit, yet we have Albanians like Nosh and his family who push against the evil system.

Page 90
The story of Nosh's uncle, Gjergj was heart rending and brought me to tears. A perilous escape from Albania across the freezing waters of river Buna and losing two friends, leaving behind a pregnant wife, children and disabled , old father. He would never see them again. All this unnecessary sorrow can only be attributed to the plague of Communism and could have been fully avoided in normal society.

A story that needs to be heard. A bit of a struggle to read because of the inconsistent point of view of the author as well as some trouble with editing and general organization. A pronunciation guide would be helpful too, speaking even as someone familiar with Slavic languages.
For all its shortcomings, anyone not familiar with the horrors of socialism and the communist party should read this.

Reading chapters 8 and 9 were an eye opener about the brutality of the Communist regime in Albania. The unjust laws targeted toward the common man, the attempts to silence and terrify, and ultimately exterminate the educated classes  gave me an insight on the ruthless manner of communism. Human rights and dignity are non existent,  families are torn apart, and family land is snatched  by the Government with impunity.

This is a work of non fiction that sounds fictional. Truth is certainly stranger than fiction. I just read the stories of Nosh's persecuted uncles, Kole and Gjeke fighting against a merciless Communist regime. I won't add any spoilers, but the accounts are heart rending.
Nosh Mernacaj is a decent writer, but the book could do with some more editing . Worth the read though.

This is a true account of the author Nosh Mernacaj's life as a young boy in Communist Albania.
Nosh is affected by the news of the North Korean dictator's death on television.  He has obviously been traumatized by his own childhood experiences in Communist Albania, which I'll learn more about as I progress. He describes living in a democracy as a blessing, as enjoying freedoms that an average man takes for granted.