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  * PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEWS *
“My Second University will take readers back to another place in
time, in another country, seeing life through the eyes of a courageous man
and others who chose to suffer rather than give up their freedom. . . . It
is a piece of history necessary to consume, necessary to remember.”
—Times Mail (Bedford, Indiana)
“Stanciu Stroia’s fortitude is astonishing. . . . My Second
University has an important place in the prison literature published
since 1989.”
—Keith Hitchins, Professor of
History, University of Illinois, and
author of Rumania 1866-1947, and The Romanians 1774-1866
“My Second University is an utterly impressive prison memoir. . .
. a most necessary and valuable contribution to our understanding of the
survival of human dignity under conditions of abysmal pressure.”
—Vladimir Tismaneanu, Professor
of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, and author of Stalinism
for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism
“I have a single wish: Never again shall a generation live through what
mine has. Documenting the truth is the first preventive step. Therein lies
the value of My Second University.”
—Lena Constante, author of The
Silent Escape: Three Thousand Days in Romanian Prisons.
“My Second University contains moving passages and concentrated
teachings.”
—Lidia Bradley, Founder, Aspera
Educational Foundation of Boston
“My Second University is a labor of love.”
—WBIW (Bedford, Indiana)
“My Second University is a genuine lesson in life; a treasure of
information; a testimony for future generations.”
—Ioan Ciupea, Professor of
History, National Museum of Transylvanian History
“Publishing My Second University is not only a good deed, but
represents a historical necessity.”
—Ion Gavrila-Ogoranu, former
anti-Communist partisan, and author of Pine Trees Break, They Do Not
Bend
“Dr. Stanciu Stroia’s Communist prison memoir is a welcomed addition to
the American publishing landscape.”
—Floricel Marinescu, Professor of
History and Romanian State Chancellor
“My Second University is written with pain, not abhorrence, and
with the serenity conferred by suffering and love.”
—Euphorion (Sibiu,
Romania)
“My Second University is a publishing event that restores
precious files of history.”
—Tribuna (Sibiu, Romania)
“The passage of time is modern man’s worst enemy; anyone in possession
of similarly valuable material should follow Dr. Dan Dusleag’s example and
publish it.”
—Alexandru Ionescu, former
political prisoner.
“My Second University is an appealing, touching, loving story. It
is a Cold War story, but also a timeless story of people caught in the
crossfire of large movements, a memoir that speaks across the breadth of
human experience. . . . This work is Kafkaesque [1]
and compels attention to the age-old questions of oppression, betrayal,
collaboration and endurance. . . . My Second University gives a
historical perspective on a country by exploring the connections of a
sensitive, imaginative, professional man to his national and familial
roots. . . . The author’s voice is temperate and loving, even somewhat
naïve. A spiritual quality comes through, one that has mastered the rage and
thirst for vengeance that such an imprisonment experience might provoke. .
. . Dr. Stroia is not lost in his own misery; he sees and describes his
fellow inmates and their relationships and circumstances, and perhaps that
is how he survived as well as he did. . . . My Second University is
worthy of a broader audience and a place in the literature of the troubled
and romantic Balkan countries, of which Romania is the largest.”
—iUniverse Editorial Review
(Editor's Choice)
My Second University has been awarded the iUniverse Editor's Choice by its
publisher: “Only those titles that have scored exceptionally high in the
Editorial Review process are chosen to be part of the coveted Editor's
Choice program—the stamp of proven quality.”
* POST-PUBLICATION PRAISE *
My Second University is the Winner
of the 2006 Writers Notes Awards
(Culture Category)
“Dr. Stroia's diary forms a record of woe and perseverance that is both
personal and universal. In his own clear and searing words, we learn that
he is guilty of truth, integrity and fortitude, and we are compelled to
draw witness to this stunning testimony. His ordeal is as uncertain as his
days, but as he gains release from his needless hardship, he draws upon the
phrase: 'Patience. Little is left of this life, lived in honesty, work, and
kindness...' Bravo, Doctor!”
—Writers Notes Magazine
My Second University is the Winner
of the 2005 Observatorul Award
“Of an excellent design and print quality, My Second University
is a documentary that deserves to be read.”
—Observatorul (Toronto,
Canada)
My Second University attained the iUniverse
Reader's Choice and Top
Performer designations—“a recognition of both editorial
excellence and sales success.”
“My Second University is not an ordinary memoir; Dr. Stroia’s
words give voices to those who cannot speak—those who died as a result of
persecution, and those today who still cannot bear to talk about it. . . .”
—The Herald-Times
(Bloomington, Indiana)
“My Second University is a fresco of Transylvanian society in
transition from the dawn of the Habsburg empire up to the Soviet occupation
of Romania during WWII. The book spans a period of some 150 years and seven
generations. The whole panorama of post-war Romania is unfolded before our
eyes.”
—Salisbury Review (London,
U.K.)
“My Second
University is a great source of knowledge, and a unique contribution to
history . . . . Stroia’s passion is contagious, and his obvious expertise
and familiarity with the subject make this book a success.”
—Writer’s Digest
“My Second University is a book of memoirs with
great historical value.”
—Bucharest Daily News
“My Second University is the moving story of a courageous man.”
—Radio
Romania International
“My Second University is the review of a life crushed by mute
suffering, a journal of humiliation endured with dignity. . . . Dr. Stanciu
Stroia was thrown in prison for the offence of being moral in an immoral
world. He was a victim of our own guilty silence. Thus, his story becomes a
triumph of life, a lesson of history and one in humanity. . . . My
Second University should be for all of us not only a memento, but a
handbook against totalitarianism as well.”
—Romania Literara
(Bucharest, Romania)
“Dr. Stanciu Stroia finds himself thrown in the inferno of the Communist
repression in an absurd manner reminiscent of Kafka’s [2] The Trial. . . . My Second
University is a precious historical source, a moving, honest and
accurate testimony about the Communist prison environment.”
—Dosarele Istoriei
(Bucharest, Romania)
“What is striking in this narrative and photographs as well is that,
despite the horrific experience, Stanciu Stroia maintains a very positive
outlook on life, one that is neither cynical nor embittered. Reminiscent of
Art Spiegelman’s [3] Maus, My Second
University is a history of amazingly resilient people. . . . A
remarkable book!”
—Will Murphy, News Director, WFIU
(Bloomington, IN)
“My Second University is a tribute to the spirit of survival
under the most inhumane conditions. . . . a gripping diary worthy of
reading.”
—Barbara Spencer, News Director,
WBIW (Bedford, Indiana)
“My Second University will broaden our students' global
perspectives, offering greater insight into the tragedies of the past, and
averting future generations from repeating the mistakes of their fathers. .
. . A priceless work!”
—Dinah Cox, Regional Director,
Indiana University International Experiences Program
“My Second University marks a distinct departure from other,
similar stories. This is a very Transylvanian book, not just for its
contents, characters and situations it describes, but especially for the
directness and forcefulness of its presentation. It is not because one may
have read about Solzhenitsyn’s [4] gulags
that these memoirs may be less poignant, quite the contrary. The difference
here lies in the tone of the narrative, which is neither strident nor
bitter—it is instead quietly factual, almost clinical, as the medical eye
surveys the human sufferings. For this prisoner’s enquiring mind, this
experience became a learning curve, not so much his Golgotha, for he was
far too dignified to present it as such, rather something, which he
describes metaphorically as his “second university”. . . . This book lets
the world at large know the real face of Communist brutality. It is a
memoir with a special relevance, bringing a new angle—that of a medical
doctor and a fine observer of human frailty—to the prison literature. . . .
It is a real blessing to have such work made available to an Anglo-Saxon
readership. My Second University should be read by everybody young
and old, as a sobering tale of our luck in the West for having missed such
experience.”
—Constantin Roman, Founder,
Centre for Romanian Studies (London, U.K.), and author of Continental Drift: Colliding Continents,
Converging Cultures
“My Second University is an excellent and moving contribution to
the history of Communism in Romania. Stanciu Stroia’s stature in the face
of such a calamity is inspiring.”
—Corina Suteu, Director, Romanian Cultural Institute
of New York
“Dr. Stanciu Stroia was a symbol of his generation. A militant for the
cause of the Romanian people, he dedicated his body and soul to this noble
goal, only to discover that other forces governed his own fate. . . . My
Second University is an interesting, attractive and well-documented
book, with a great impact in the press and on the political scene.”
—Liviu Literat, Babes-Bolyai
University (Cluj, Romania)
“My Second University is a lesson of commitment to our
predecessors, to our history and to our forgotten recent past. Stanciu Stroia writes without
rage, with attention to detail and, at times, with humor. His storytelling
gift earns his memoir a special place in the prison literature. This book
is a page turner!”
—Radu Surdulescu, Professor of
American Studies, University of Bucharest
“Publishing a memoir such as My Second University is a moral obligation
toward our worthy ancestors. I thank Dan Dusleag for joining in our effort
to recover the Romanian historical truth, so deficient in the national and
international public consciousness.”
—Mircea Ivanoiu, Transylvania
University (Brasov, Romania)
“The authors’ efforts in exposing the horrors of Communism are welcomed
both by those who survived it, and by those who lived in the free world. At
the trial of Communism, My Second University will be an essential
piece of evidence.”
—Elena Andronache, Founder,
Independent Group for Democracy (Bucharest, Romania)
“My Second University chronicles the life of a martyr. I am happy
that people like Dan Dusleag still exist, to entrust it to the printer.”
—Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu,
President, Romanian Association of Former Political Detainees
“My Second University is a work well done,
illustrated with original photographs and unique documents. Dr. Stroia's
story is a page of authentic history, one that is not found in textbooks.”
—Constantin Diaconescu, M.D.,
former political detainee
“Evoking the memory of Dr. Stanciu Stroia is both a pious and a
scientific endeavor.”
—Romulus Rusan, Director,
International Center for Studies on Communism, and Founder, Sighet Memorial
of the Victims of Communism
“Dr. Stroia was a member of the anti-Communist resistance who prevailed
over the terror and suffering imposed in the Communist jails.”
—Buna Ziua Fagaras
(Fagaras, Romania)
“A leading intellectual. . . . Dr. Stanciu Stroia earned his place in the
history of the anti-Communist fight.”
—Ziua de Cluj (Cluj,
Romania)
“My
Second University is a most interesting reading, calm, dignified and
easy despite the sufferings it is portraying. . . . It is a story that
cried out to be told. . . . Stanciu Stroia did not want to live in the deep
quagmire of compromise; his icon was the truth and he could not see beyond
it. . . . In the midst of all of the blackness, our real,
honest-to-goodness hero, stood tall, took the blows, bent, but did not
break. . . . My Second University
is a story of forgiveness, and it provides insight on how to proceed
forward. . . . This exceptional story shows us that pride, integrity, and
compassion are necessary to carry us through evil times and leave us intact
on the other side. . . . The book is easy to read, has an elegant style,
and the pictures included are a bridge to the past. . . . My Second University is a timely history of governments and their
devastating effects. . . . It
deserves wide distribution in libraries, universities and government
archives.”
—Amazon.com Reviews
Webmaster's
Notes:
[1] [2] "It is in the nature of
this judicial system that one is condemned not only in innocence but also
in ignorance," declares Franz Kafka
's hero (and defendant) in The Trial. Written in 1914, this is one of the
most important novels of the twentieth century. It tells the terrifying
story of a respectable bank officer who is inexplicably arrested and who
must defend himself against an unknown charge. An exercise in the absurd, a
prophecy of the excess of bureaucracy or the madness of totalitarianism,
Kafka's chilling nightmare has resonated with generations of readers.
[3] "These strips are exactly
what they are" said Art
Spiegelman about Maus, the story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s
Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father’s
experience. In an unusual comic-book format, this graphic novel is more
than a survivor’s tale; it relates the effects of a tragic event on the
victim's later years, and upon the lives of the following generation.
Spiegelman received the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.
[4] "All the evil of the
twentieth century is possible everywhere on earth!" noted Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Russian novelist,
dramatist and historian, who was responsible for thrusting awarness of the
Gulag on the non-Soviet world. Drawing on his own incarceration, as well as
on evidence from fellow prisoners and Soviet archives, he revealed the
entire apparatus of Soviet repression in The Gulag Archipelago. Awarded the Nobel Prize
in Literature in 1970, Solzhenitsyn was exiled from the Soviet Union in
1974. He returned to Russia twenty years later.
Updated by Webmaster: March 5,
2007
My
Second University - Click here to reserve your copy!
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