The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism

I struggled to read the first part of the book on Czechoslovakia, thoroughly enjoyed the second part on Poland, and again struggled with the last part on East Germany. I think the differences between the parts for me was familiarity with key players. For Czechoslovakia, much was kept from the Western media. For East Germany, it seemed clear Gorbachov's USSR was crumbling, like the wall and as much attention was paid to Gorbachov's fall, if not more. For Poland, the efforts of Solidarity played out on the nightly news and Lech Wałęsa was portrayed as a mythic hero. Even those of us in little Idaho were enchanted with this modern patriot fighting for God, Liberty, Democracy, Mom and Apple Pie. Well, maybe not apple pie, show more Jabłecznik.

Rosenberg did an excellent job examining ordinary individuals and their perceived roles in their countries before and after communism. She did make the individuals come alive as people, looking at their whole backgrounds. And they played out against the backdrop of the history they were living through. Had either been left out, the book would have been far less illuminating.

For me, the best part of the book was the final chapter analyzing the moves away from Communism toward a democracy or at least mostly democratic philosophy. She also identified the differences between the totalitarianism of Eastern Europe and Asia vs the dictatorships of Latin America - the first being based on liberalist left-extremists and the other on conservative right-extremists. For the US today, we are facing these battling perspectives play out in real time. For the first time in my life, I truly fear for the liberties our country has espoused and fear that the election in less than a month will either save us for a time or doom us for who knows how long. show less

2928 The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism, by Tina Rosenberg (read 16 Nov 1996) (Pulitzer Nonfiction prize in 1996) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 1995) This is an excellent book. The author interviewed people about their past when their countries were Communist. "Lustrace" is a term I was not previously aware of, but it involves being "out-ed" as to collaboration with Communists. It has been a major problem in the Czech Republic and in East Germany. While obviously ex-Communist Europe has a host of problems, this book leads me to feel they will be surmounted, and Communism is of the past (despite it lingering on in China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam) and how nice it is to reflect that the Whitaker show more Chambers' feeling that Communism was the future was wrong.The author succinctly points out that Communism's major flaw is that it wants to survive and to do so it must employ tyrannical repression. show less

Facing Europe's ghosts after communism