Picture of author.

Theodore Odrach (1912–1964)

Author of Wave of Terror

6+ Works 95 Members 10 Reviews 3 Favorited

About the Author

Includes the name: Fedir Odrach

Image credit: Reproduced from http://theodoreodrach.com/

Works by Theodore Odrach

Associated Works

The Ecco Book of Christmas Stories (2005) — Contributor — 73 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Theodore Odrach
Legal name
Teodor Sholomitsky
Other names
Fedir, Sholomitsky
Birthdate
1912-03-13
Date of death
1964-10-07
Burial location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gender
male
Nationality
Ukraine
Belarus
Canada
Country (for map)
Czarist Empire/Poland/Belarus
Birthplace
Pinsk, Belarus
Place of death
Toronto, Canada
Places of residence
Poland
Ukraine
USSR
England, UK
Canada
Education
Stefan Batory University (now Univ. of Vilnius)
Occupations
teacher
editor
writer
Relationships
Nagorski, Klara (wife)
Short biography
One of several children, Theodore Odrach was born in 1912 near Pinsk, Belarus. He studied ancient history and philosophy at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. With the Soviet invasion in 1939, Odrach returned to his native Belarus, where he secured a teaching position. Persued by the Bolsheviks and deemed an "enemy of the people", Odrach fled and escaped via the Carpathian Mountains. He found his way to Toronto, Canada. It is there that he did the bulk of his writings. Odrach died in 1964.

Members

Reviews

Wow. That's what I say. I am amazed that a book written more than fifty years ago could be so relevant and thought provoking today. I am blown away and a little sad that there isn't more of his work to enjoy.

You can read my full review here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-48436-Toronto-Publishing-Examiner~y2010m6d30-...

Thank you Erma, for sharing your father's work with us. I'm glad you did.… (more)
 
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ReneeMiller | 9 other reviews | Feb 25, 2016 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
A depiction of the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the brutal Stalinists in 1939 is filled with trenchant observations of real people behaving realistically during times of real crisis. Theodore Odrach depicts the lives of rural peasants with sensitivity and an awareness both of their independent spirit and of their shared values.

The novel is best at portraying the people and their behavior as they struggle to adapt and survive under changing and unjust conditions. Particularly well done is Ivan's infatuation with the lovely Marusia, and her uncaring response as she tries hard to adjust to the new Russian social environment that Ivan disdains.

I enjoyed this book. I found it an engaging read and recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about history.

I recieved this book for free and am not bound to give a positive review of the book nor was I paid for my review of the book.
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Kristina150 | 9 other reviews | Jul 4, 2011 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
Wave of Terror by Theodore Odrach is set in the region of Ukraine in 1939 at the very start of the reign of the USSR. The book follows a number of different characters as they all try to come to terms with the regime and as they struggle to survive in the very fragile world they they find themselves in. The book chronicles their fear and horror as they see their family members and others in their community disappear.

I really liked this version of the story of the USSR. I have read other versions and what they tell about Stalin and the USSR, and none of them have captured the fear of the time such as Odrach has. One of the main characters, Kulik, really shows the thought process of the people who lived under Stalin. It also shows the thought process of the people in power, the men who are responsible for "re-educating" the population. To me, what was really interesting was seeing the people who rose to power, the type of person who inevitably rises in such a regime. It really really made it interesting for me.

This was an amazing novel, and it is something that everyone should read as it shows a different perspective of the USSR takeover.
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bethieng | 9 other reviews | Mar 16, 2011 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
Wave of Terror is set in 1939, in a backwater town of the Pinsk Region marshland where, like everywhere, Stalin's regime is spreading fear like the plague. Only this one is filled with communist propaganda and transforms it's victims into mindless servants who are worked to death to fuel a war they know or care little about.

This one is quite different from other similar books I have read. Of course it focuses on the fear and confusion involved during such trying times, but it focuses less on the fear and more on the confusion. Kulik, the main character, is a school headmaster who under law must force his teacher to teach in Belorussian despite not being able to speak it themselves, let alone the children. The poor are offered the possessions of the rich as a showing of generosity yet they accept such gifts while watching the previous owners carted off to be tortured (I mean 'interrogated') in prisons and camps. Some peasants try to conform to the ideas of communism to the displeasure of others, and some are simply paranoid that everyone around them is an informer out to find them guilty of a crime they didn't commit.

The author's ability to capture the mass disarray and frenzied panic of the people is what sets this book apart. The author lived through this, so it makes sense. This isn't some historical fiction novel written by someone who wasn't there, who read about the subject and who chose to emphasize the horrors of Stalin's heinous acts. Instead it is the bewilderment of the peasants that is the heart of this novel, because the writer lived through it himself. It shows, and it makes for an incredibly engaging read.
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6 vote
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Ape | 9 other reviews | Jan 4, 2011 |

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Works
6
Also by
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Popularity
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Rating
4.1
Reviews
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ISBNs
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