Many years ago I lived in Romania for 16 months as a young American volunteer. It was in the mid-nineties; communism (as it only shortly before existed in Romania) was a thing of the past, but its shadows still loomed large. Huge, half-built ‘hunger domes’ — that had been intended as neighborhood mess halls — … More Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
While study of the 1956 Uprising is particularly intriguing to those interested in European history and politics, the casual reader–or museum visitor–or film viewer–can also benefit from a better understanding of what happened. … More Hungary for Freedom
Eight years ago, Ukraine was a country on the brink of losing its hard won independence, due to the treachery of its President. The corrupt political class that controlled the government quickly reversed decades of progressive political reforms in two years time. Bad habits of government officials, learned during seventy years of communism, proved harder … More In Memory of Liberty -Part 2: Ukraine
It’s October! This month, our ‘Travel Europe Through Books’ online book club will be traveling to Moscow by way of the popular novel, A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) by Amor Towles. A Metropolitan Novel The first stop on our trip to Russia is Moscow, and more specifically the Metropol Hotel, pictured above. Just across the … More Gentlemen in Moscow
This week we are highlighting the novel, From the Rooftops by V M Karren, which is set mainly in the eastern European country of Romania. We thought you might enjoy taking a brief glimpse at what everyday life looks like in Romania as an introduction to the book. Although the book is set in the … More Everyday Life in Romania
For a Westerner, Romania is a fascinating place to travel, with fantastic skiing and hiking in the Transylvanian Alps, the richly ornate architecture of Bucharest and other cities, and the well-preserved peasant life in the rural villages. But beyond this, Romanian culture is rich with tradition, patriotism, and high artistic achievement. The struggle of the … More Author Interview: American Novelist Writes About Modern Romania
