Notes From the Other Side of Night: Communism to a Fragile Freedom

A lyrical memoir of living under, and escaping from,anti-Semitism and the tyranny of communism. “There are scenes in this book that the reader will neverforget.”—Mircea EliadeWith a new Afterword by the author and a new Introductionby bestselling historian Wilfred M. McClayIn Notes from the Other Side of Night, Juliana GeranPilon provides a beautiful memoir of a return to her native Romania in 1975,which she left with her family when she was just fourteen. Poetically weavingtogether hard-won adult insights with her childhood perceptions, Pilon tellsthe haunting stories of her parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends. Sherecounts the chilling realities of anti-Semitism, political imprisonment, andjudicial execution under Romania’s ruthless communist authorities. And sheremembers those few who managed to retain their humanity despite the horrorsthat surrounded them. Told with detached melancholy, the result is a book full ofpolitical and spiritual wisdom. At a time when the totalitarian crimes of thelast century are being minimized, if not entirely ignored, Pilon’s meditationon evil, hope, and love is profoundly moving.