Pandemonium: A Journey To The New World (Paperback)

"Within the first few pages, I was engrossed and deeply moved by Apina Hrbek's eloquent writing skills. Tears of compassion were in my eyes at several points in this moving story of survival.

The main character, Edita, was raised by a heartless mother who became twisted after helplessly watching the communist government steal her family's vast fortune. Her nonconformist father was her only source of comfort and it was from him that she learned about these forbidden things called "choice" and "freedom".

The setting is a land under strict Soviet rule where people are in a constant state of fright and can not afford to trust anyone ­ not even their own kin. To trust was an invitation for disaster.

The story of their escape to a land of freedom was wrought with circumstances going wrong ­ and yet it all worked out in the end. Resettling in a place where they must learn new customs, new languages and find employment to support their small family was no easy task for Edita and her husband. Through poverty and displacement, the family struggled to find their dreams and learn how to deal with this new idea - the freedom to make choices.

Pandemonium is certainly an educational book that may be beneficial for children and grand children of immigrants who wish to understand what it was like. It also could serve as a useful reminder to appreciate, protect and expand upon the rights of all mankind."

~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment ­ Author of Towards Understanding, a book of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

By Apina Hrbek

Before we enter the world that author Apina Hrbek has spun for us, let us consider the title of her book.

Pandemonium, according to Webster's Dictionary..."The abode of all demons...hell...or any place or scene of wild disorder, noise, or confusion."

With that definition in mind, enter the world of a young girl suffering a humiliating existence created by a narcissistic mother, who constantly reminds Edita that she will never be good enough, smart enough nor pretty enough to be acceptable.

Add to this, the horrendous conditions of living in Communist controlled Czechoslovakia at the end of the second WW and you begin to see the stark realities this young girl faces as she matures into womanhood.

If not for her father's love and opened-minded tutoring, she would surely have not had the courage to try to escape this living hell with her husband and two children.

After many mishaps, she and her family do escape and eventually make their way to the shores of the United States where freedom from oppression and fear of false imprisonment is given to all who enter.

After arriving in New York City, however, reality rears its nasty head when this immigrant family find that, indeed, the streets in America are not paved with gold. Sadly, their first exposure to life in "the land of the free" is a seedy, cockroach-infested apartment in the slums of the city that they endure until her husband finds work.

After a time of struggle and with the help of friends and government agencies, Edita and her family begin to live the American dream and she realizes her dream of being able to raise her children in a country where they can be free to think their own thoughts and live as they choose.

All is well with our heroine as her family members begin to visit and she renews relationships with her mother and sister...or is it? Does her mother have one last insult to hurl at her eldest child when her lost fortune is restored in a Communist-free Czechoslovakia?

As I read this novel, I had to bear in mind that this "work of fiction" was a true story and I was quite taken by the love this author displays for America.

I believe you will find Pandemonium by PA author Apina Hrbek a thought-provoking story and that you will enjoy her writing style as much as I did.

It's a five star read by anyone's standards...

Saundra Julian

The opening chapters of the book give a detailed account of life in Czechoslovakia after the take-over of the Czechoslovak government by Soviet forces in 1948. Anyone who dared to speak out against the State was quickly and harshly punished, as careers were put on hold and dissidents were either isolated or imprisoned.

In light of such a climate of terror and intimidation, it is with irony that the author reflects on the punishment doled out by a mother to her disobedient daughter. In an enforced, controlled society, disloyalty to the family was treated with the same disdain as disloyalty to the State and nothing was more disloyal than defection to the West.

In their quest for freedom, the family that took flight in the hope of finding a better life in America gave up more than just their Czech citizenship.

But, as the author knows from experience, freedom always does exact a high price.

Apina Hrbek has written a thoroughly absorbing book that will enlighten and entertain her readers. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone.

Shelagh Watkins author Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine