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Camel from Kyzylkum
In this memoir, the author narrates her life journey as an immigrant, a mother, a grandmother, and an independent woman from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan (then a part of the Soviet Union), through Austria and Italy, all the way to the United States. Standing as a testament to her indomitable spirit and sheer willpower, the book tells us an inspiring tale of grit and endurance in the face of unforgettable hardships. Using a simple and engaging tone, Lara speaks about her own diverse experiences and leaves the readers spellbound with her quest for a better life.
Written during the pandemic year, this memoir is a genuinely heartwarming account of the various challenges the author faced and overcame during her life. Although one can argue about the linearity of the plot structure, a rough chronology is followed throughout the story, most of which flows uninterrupted in the form of flashbacks. This particular characteristic of the narrative makes it seem almost like a diary, recording the various emotional upheavals of the author’s journey rather than the individual events themselves.
Lara describes her personal ordeals with surprising candor. Starting with her process of immigration, her struggle to re-establish herself in a foreign country, and her effort to learn the new language. Readers then learn of her constant fight to bring her daughter from the Soviet Union to join her and the painful break from her family. She was left feeling betrayed and filled with grief. To finally accept reality and reach towards other sources of fulfillment, we accompany her on her travels and witness each phase of her life as they shape the person she has become today.
But unlike memoirs of great people, who always seem to be placed on a pedestal and therefore seem detached from our lives, Lara’s story touches us deeply because we can empathize with her. This is the story of an ordinary person like us. A woman who got uprooted from her birthplace and was forced to leave behind everything she knew as her own to try and build her future in a strange land surrounded by unknown people. Yet, ultimately, what makes it inspiring is that it is a story about never giving up.
Pages: 191 | ASIN : B09Y7GTZQS
Journey Between Two Worlds
Growing up under the dictatorship of Hitler, author Karola M. Schuette was accustomed to a life that seemed monotonous at best. Always tiptoeing, always careful of what you say or do. You don’t want to be under surveillance, do you? She stayed affectionate to her aging parents as she developed into a young lady being the model German citizen to not attract attention. Around the same time, Hitler lost the war, and although she did not patronize their ruler’s tyranny, she was still German. The allied forces made sure she never forgot that. To Karola, it was as amusing as it was unfortunate. She relied on humor at times to get through. Even after the war, the hopelessness and destruction it left behind seemed unsurmountable. Life was difficult, but Karola was still grateful even for the smallest things. But right when she least expected it, she met the man who would move heaven and earth, just to make her happy and keep her safe.
Journey Between Two Worlds is Karola Schuette’s auto-biography that started from stories she remembered and the three binders of notes and photographs that she kept growing up. Despite moving across the world, the binders remind in surprisingly good condition. It is from this she started to tell her remarkable story.
It is a retelling of her journey as a young girl who grew up in a nation that Adolf Hitler drove to the ground. Then unexpectedly, she was swept off her feet by a German-born American soldier. Marrying him would mean moving to another country, thus her Journey Between Two Worlds. I found it hard to put this book down for two reasons: one is a realistic account of a woman’s adversities from girlhood to immigrating to another country, and two, Karola is hilarious. Her writing style feels as if you’re reading a letter from an old friend. Talking about the absurd amount of paperwork to get from one place to another, how nosy her neighbors were and how cigarettes turned out to be such an invaluable commodity are just the start of the entertaining topics she remembers.
Journey Between Two Worlds is a captivating memoir that has the perfect blend of history, comedy, and a retelling of a love that is so certain and unwavering. Readers will find her true story an eye-opening experience told with such personality they won’t want to put the book down.
Pages: 186 | ASIN : B097H4YMMD
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