Set around the time of
the 1863 Uprising and World War II, In Search of Staszewski is a
powerful and moving real life account of a Polish family's six-year
ordeal and fight for survival under Soviet Oppression. Focusing on a
family that were victims of Tsarist Russia's oppression, the book also
investigates Stalin's brutal regime and the dreaded Gulag system where,
in addition to millions of Russian citizens, hundreds of thousands of
innocent Poles died as a result. Some survived and escaped the Soviet
'paradise', going on to fight courageously alongside allied forces
during World War II. Investigated and told by the son of a survivor, who
only learned the truth after the sudden death of his father, two
strands of detailed investigation are woven into an emotional journey of
discovery, uncovering the shocking details his father was so reluctant
to speak about. In Search of Stazewski is not only the story of a fight
for survival by four generations of one family, but also of a people's
struggle to preserve their cultural and national identity in the face of
powerful neighbours. Inspired by authors such as Norman Davies, Orlando
Figes, and Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum, In Search of
Staszewski uncovers the truth surrounding a little known and largely
untold episode of World War II history that will surprise and shock fans
of historical and biographical non-fiction works
This was a bit of a hard read. Not because it was badly written, but because of the content. This man was a survivor of one of the most horrific times in history by sheer luck. Very interesting read.
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