Description

A bilingual retrospective into the dual cultural, political, and philosophical lives of ex-pat refugees:

The 20th Century saw millions escape to the United States for a chance at economic autonomy, self-determination, and individual dignity. These ex-pats found themselves in a nation whose heritage and ethos were vastly different from the lands they original came from, weighing values of sometimes opposing worldviews. This dual focus challenged and tested even the most deeply held convictions. This duality in perspective forged views and convictions in ways they never would have in the echo chamber that are neatly demarcated cultural bounds.

This book charts and communicates the thoughts and sentiments of a Holocaust and political historian whose own lived experience was that of straddled borders. Researching and writing about the Holocaust and the Cold War will challenges any researcher’s views on humanity. Those are emotionally intense subjects on their own. They are doubly so when the research reflects the lived experience of the ex-pat political refugee. The topics become urgently pertinent when current events begin to reflect and repeat the patterns of history.