Most people are familiar with World War II and the Holocaust. However, the same cannot be said of what happened in Eastern Europe almost a decade before the war. Gabriele Goldstone, the author of "The Kulak's Daughter," mentioned the problem in a recent interview: "People often say they had no idea. Everyone knows about Hitler. Less is known about Stalin. [...] What happened over in the Soviet Union in the 1930s has not received enough attention."
Spring 1929. Olga could be like any ten-year old girl who receives a beautiful doll from her aunt and new uncle. She could be happy and enjoy the present. However, her uncle and father do not seem to get along.
Olga lives with her hard-working parents, siblings and dog on a farm in Federofka, Ukraine. Life would be great if Stalin's Five Years Plan was not looming in the background. In a matter of months, the young girl's world will change for the worst. Kulaks will lose everything they own and will be relocated to camps in Siberia. And if they cannot work, they will have to starve.
When I read Primo Levi's "If This Is a Man," one of the most horrendous testimonies of the world of concentration camps, I remember feeling powerless. Then, I realized that the most important lesson of the book was that it is never too late to make amends. "The Kulak's Daughter" forced me to come to the same conclusion. "If you feel that pain, I have succeeded," Goldstone says in the Acknowledgement section. When I closed the book, I felt more than pain. I wanted to find Olga, hug her and tell her that she is loved.
This book is a humbling narrative that should be on every family's bookshelf. Stories like Olga's need to be read because they help us understand why the past should never be forgotten. In a few words, we must learn our history. And if we do not do it for ourselves, at least, our children should be given the choice to grow up in a free and peaceful world.
I strongly recommend this book.
Read an extract HERE.
"The Kulak's Daughter" is available for purchase at Amazon.ca, Chapters/Indigo, McNally Robinson Booksellers and Borders.
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Cendrine Marrouat is a freelance writer/reviewer, published author and translator living in Canada. Official Website: http://www.cendrinemarrouat.com
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