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ABOUT THE BOOK
Constantin C. Giurescu, who rose to prominence between the two World Wars, was Romania’s leading historian and author of the seminal The History of the Romanian People. His granddaughter’s fascinating and inspirational story of this remarkable man and his family follows their struggles in war-torn Romania from 1900 to the fall of the Soviet Union. An “enlightened” society is dismantled with the 1946 Communist takeover of Romania, and Constantin is confined to the notorious Sighet Penitentiary.
Drawing on her grandfather’s prison diary (which was put in a glass jar, buried in a yard, then smuggled out of the country by Dr. Paul E. Michelson—who does the FOREWORD for this book), private letters and her own research, she writes of the legacy from the turn of the twentieth century to the fall of Communism. We see the rise of modern Romania, the misery of World War I, the blossoming of its culture between the wars, and then the sellout of Eastern Europe to Russia after World War II—and its effect socially, culturally, and upon lives. In this sweeping account, we see not only the toll but the triumph in its wake: people who reclaim better lives for themselves, and in the process, teach us a lesson in endurance, patience, and will—not only to survive, but to thrive.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author, Marina Giurescu, MD was born on March 16, 1962 and grew up in Bucharest, Romania. Following graduation from high school in 1980 with a bachelor in science (dual degree chemistry and biology) she was admitted to the Faculty of Medicine of Bucharest. After four years of studies (out of a six year program) she defected in 1984 and was granted political asylum in the USA.
She re-did her medical education at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York between 1988-1992, followed by an internship in pathology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, a residency in radiology at the Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a one year fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York.
She has been working as a radiologist for the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ since 2000 and is an assistant professor in their College of Medicine. She is a member of several professional medical societies, has given dozens of presentations at medical gatherings in Scottsdale and around the country, and has coauthored a number of peer-reviewed articles for medical journals.
REVIEWS
"An enthralling book that tells the tale of two worlds."—Edward Simmons, Reviewer
“The inspirational story of a quiet man and his silent defiance in the face of tyranny" —Dr. Connie Mariano, author of The White House Doctor |
