I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time, but my friend Lisa Kassner just jolted me into taking action. In the latest of her series of talks on Strength for the Journey, she speaks of resilience through difficult times, and calls on listeners to submit their own stories of surviving traumatic events and coming out the other side.
I can’t say that I have suffered a situation as traumatic as some others, so I am resorting to telling the story of another, Victor Herman.
I attended a small gathering in the early 1980s at Rutgers College where Victor Herman spoke of his experiences in the Soviet Gulag about which he had written his memoir, Coming Out Of The Ice, An Unexpected Life. I find his tenacity and resilience infinitely inspiring, but also cautionary. In his talk he said emphatically, “Don’t think it can’t happen here.” This warning has never been more relevant than now, and never more plausible.
Herman’s book is out of print, although I think it is a book that should be read by everyone in the world, especially teenagers. It is difficult to recommend a book that is out of print and hard to find, so I am reading it to anyone who chooses to listen. The first installment includes the Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Prologue.
I hope you appreciate Victor’s words.
Just watched your first installment, and your introduction definitely captured my interest. I've never read Hermann's book, so I'm looking forward to hearing more of this incredible story.