Peter Urban: Without Illusions, A Life Journey from Hungary to Canada

We in the West like a good craze. Lately, Socialism is a craze that has caught the youthful imagination. To many, Socialism sounds like a great idea. Western kids have been taught to share, to be naturally charitable and considerate of others. From there, it’s a short mental trip to thinking that Socialism is good and fair, and that’s about as far as casual thinking goes. But the dream of Socialism belies the reality of oppressive Communism; so it is helpful for Western intellectuals to get some perspective on what it’s like to actually live under Communism, to escape from Communism; and to appreciate what it means to be able to live and to be free in the West, in the lands of opportunity. In his book, Without Illusions, A Life Journey from Hungary to Canada, Peter Urban brings us this first-hand perspective. Through Peter’s eyes, we get to see what it’s like to live under Communism, to escape Communism, and to appreciate the liberty that is often taken for granted. Peter was a teenager in Budapest, Hungary during the populist uprising of November 1956. He was one of the 250,000 or so who fled the retribution and repression of the murderous Soviet regime. Fortunately, Peter kept a diary, and the excerpts are fascinating. Escaping Hungary through the Iron Curtain, Peter and his friends were granted asylum in Yugoslavia....

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