About the feature photo: Socialist Cooperative Housing

I used the pic of Southern Slopes, a mega housing complex in former Gottwaldow for 30,000 people from the memoir. At the time, it was considered as one of the many successes of socialism. These were sprinkled around the country, mainly in big cities. In many cases, generations had to wait to get into an apartment. True, compared to condos, they were cheap and affordable. Sometimes, I have nightmares from living in these rabbit boxes.

Thank you reviewers and voters

I would like to thank all reviewers who took the time to write a review of my award-winning memoir since its publishing in 2020, and the voters who voted for me in the International Impact Book Awards in May.

I have just recently discovered the newest review by best-selling author Sue Harrison, who was a guest on my For the Love of Books Podcast show on May 8, 2025 with her book Rescuing Crash.

Harrison’s novels have sold more than two million copies and have been published in more than 25 contries and 13 languages. In 2023, she was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame.

The review written on the great Meditteranen Sea warmed my heart since I have visited the Med coast at least three times in my life. Often, I take my inspiration from the places I visit.

The memoir covers three continents and different countries such as formerJugoslavia, Austria and Germany, we used as means of escape. Other countries like Hungary enabled our cladenstine meeting with my father professor Vaclav Konecny before the fall of communism.

We are deeply indebted to all the countries that have welcomed us on our escape journeys, mainly as we awaited visas to Canada and the U.S. Without their help, we would be lost in a sea of ignorance or indifference to our ordeal that cast a shadow on entire generations after the invasion of Soviet tanks of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

I didn’t write the memoir to glorify the communists or socialists, I wrote it to preserve the stories of several generations. I hope anyone who has second thoughts about penning his or her life story, finds the courage to relive it and put the words down on paper.

Let it be it serve as encouragement and inspiration for other authors, writers and readers, current and future.

S. Harrison

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom and Insight

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2025

Format: Kindle

Definitely a 5-star on this one! Emma Palova gives us unparalleled insight into 3 forms of government: Socialist, Communist, and Capitalism. We view all three through her eyes as a child living in the midst, as a teen, and as an adult. We also see these systems through the eyes of her parents. She presents these points of view unapologetically and without prejudice, which I think is amazing, listing good points and bad of each. The joy of this book is that it is a memoir, not a treatise, and thus is highly readable, actually a page-turner. I’m in awe of this woman who is not only an author, but has her own podcast, within which she gives her listeners introductions to other writers and their work. I wish college students (and high school students) would read this book. It is an eye-opener, and also gives wonderful insight into Eastern European cultures and people, something we Americans often know little about!

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage, perseverance and quest for your dreams…

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2021

Format: Kindle

I Just finished the book on my balcony overlooking the Med sea from the east shores of Napolean’s birthplace…I was waiting for a perfect opportunity to read this book at a moment when I wouldn’t be bothered by everyday hustles and tasks…as I put the book down I can’t stop admiring the incredible courage and resilience of all of the characters in the story…throughout the book we get drawn into their struggles and dilemmas and feel their sadness, joy and frustration…we feel proud of their perseverance in the quest for their dreams…The book pleased me as well by giving a brief look into the timeline of the political events that took place leading to democracy in former Eastern European countries…This is a very easy read, that will please fans of all kinds of genre of litterature…

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