Nina Lewis

Talk about being humbled.  Here, I sit as I write:  in a 4 bedroom home, 2 1/2 baths, carpet on the floors, with electricity and indoor plumbing and heating.  I have a stove, fridge, microwave and dishwasher.  PLENTY of clothes and shoes.  And food.  All that I want.  Whenever I want.  And if I need more, the store is a short 4 minute drive away.  My house sits on 2 acres surrounded by lawn, trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Compare that to what I read in the book Eleni by Nicholas Gage.  Eleni Gatzoyiannis lived in Greece.  Her husband lived in the United States while she stayed behind to raise their children.  (He thought it was better to raise their daughters in Greece becasue the women in America were so loose!)  WWII came to their mountain village and then the Greek civil war afterward.  In her village, Elani was considered well-to-do because she had a house with 4 rooms (but with a dirt floor) and because she had a ‘rich’ husband who lived in America.

During the civil war, the Communists guerrillas took over Eleni’s village using many of the villagers as slave workers for the guerrillas.  They had to bake food for the soldiers.  Clean the soldiers clothes.  Give all of their food to the soldiers.

Young girls were forced into the army (as was one of Eleni’s daughters).  Younger children were taken from their families and sent into other Communist countries for ’safe keeping’ (indoctrination).

Eleni tried to escape to save her children.  Her children were able to escaped but she didn’t.  She was tortured and eventually murdered.  Her son, Nicholas (who escaped and eventually made it to live with his father whom he had never seen) wanted to bring the person responsible for her death to justice (personally kill him).  But, when he finally had the chance, Nicholas realized he couldn’t kill the man.

A very touching and troubling book.   (Troubling because of the brutality of war and what the Communist guerrillas did to the villagers and the poverty and hardships they had to endure.)

Thank you, Kerilyn, for suggesting I read it.  I’m glad I did.

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