Free: Coming of Age at the End of History

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Synopsis
***SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION***'Wonderfully funny and poignant. . . a tale of family secrets and political awakening amid a crumbling regime. One of the nonfiction titles of the year' Luke Harding, Observer'Astonishing and deeply resonant . . . Ypi weaves magic in this book: I was entranced from beginning to end' Laura Hackett, Sunday Times'I never asked myself about the meaning of freedom until the day I hugged Stalin. From close up, he was much taller than I expected.'Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe, was almost impossible to visit, almost impossible to leave. It was a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police. To Lea, it was home. People were equal, neighbours helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world. There was community and hope.Then, in December 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed. The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote freely, wear what they liked and worship as they wished. There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears. But factories shut, jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships, only to be sent back. Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country, leading to violent conflict. As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment, and as her own family's secrets were revealed, Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant.Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval. With acute insight and wit, Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past, illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality, and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history.
Copyright:
2021

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
336 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780141995113
Related ISBNs:
9780141995106, 9780141999142, 9780241481851
Publisher:
Penguin Books Ltd
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Lea Ypi
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics and Government, Sociology
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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