The Accidental Anarchist: A humorous (and true) account of a Polish Jew who was sentenced to death 3 times -- and survived.

by Bryna Kranzler

The Accidental Anarchist is the true story of Jacob Marateck, a Polish Jew who was sentenced to death three times in the early 1900s in Russia (and lived to tell about it.) That was when he decided to overthrow the Czar.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Poland, Amazon

351 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2010

About the author

Bryna Kranzler is a graduate of Barnard College where she studied playwriting, and received the Helen Price Memorial Prize for Dramatic Composition. Her first play was a finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Competition, and was scheduled for production twice: the first time, the theater owner died, and the season was shut down; the second time, the director committed suicide. For the benefit of the arts community, she out of playwriting, and pursued an MBA at Yale University. She spent 15 years in marketing for health-care, high tech and consumer products companies before returning to writing.

The Accidental Anarchist is the Winner of:
2012 Sharp writ Book Award, General Non-Fiction
2012 Readers' Favorite, Non-Fiction: Historical/Cultural
2012 National Indie Excellence Award
2012 International Book Awards BIOGRAPHY: HISTORICAL
USA "Best Books of 2011" Award, Biography:Historical

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Reviews

[William Harmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “The Accidental Anarchist” by Bryna Kranzler reads like a novel, with the adventures of a Jewish man who lived in Czarist Russia and who fought the ‘simian’ Japanese, idiotic and cruel military officers, and the overwhelming anti semitic society, just to name a few. Yacob Marateck, the man from whom the story is based, sticks up for his friends and family and his fellow Jew, no matter the opposition, yet somehow retained a humor that I most certainly would not have had. He truly is a heroic figure and he presents just how good an your average person could be.
Yacob also was engaged in many love affairs throughout the book, and you get an idea of how marriages and love were organized back in those days. The concept of ‘love at first sight’ comes to mind, but occasional the love starts even before the first sight, sometimes it starts at first hearing of. Then, of course, there was the much more common arranged marriage. It also shows you how far we have come since then, too. There were numerous references to wife-beating throughout the book, and the way it was regarded is so nonchalant I was astounded. I won’t give away details, but even people considered to be ‘good Christians’ only beat their wife occasionally. If you ever feel like modern society is bad, just take a look at some of the pages contained within this volume; it is amazing just how cruel some Russians were. It is even more astounding that Yacob didn’t kill half of them on the spot; he was a committed revolutionary for a new just society. You could tell that he truly did have a good heart and must have been a quite wonderful father, grandfather, husband, and friend.
Another amazing feature of the book is how often other Jews pop up. It is much more common than I would have suspected. He even notes in his diaries that he had the remarkable luck of finding a Jew, even in the most unlikely of places; one of the few advantages of the diaspora, he said at the end.
This book is the tale of how the human spirit is truly a beautiful thing, but even further, the book is a testament of the extreme power of the Jewish people. I, like Martin Amis, describe myself as a Semitophile or a Judeophile; as in I love Jews and the Jewish people at large for the extraordinary plight throughout the ages. Although I am a rabid anti-theist and hate the religious impulse, I even find myself having deep sympathies with Judaism the most out of all the religions. This is one of the reasons why I love this book so much, as well. This book, at the tail end, has a glossary of all the Yiddish and Hebrew words, along with a splattering of other languages. If you ever need a couple words to spice up your vocabulary, this book is where you should go. Miss Kranzler and the rest of the authors have a true talent for writing and storytelling.
Overall this book is a masterpiece and truly a beauty. I highly encourage you get your hands on a copy and read it; truly is a worthwhile book.

[Charles Weinblatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A swift, unrelenting trip down a shocking rabbit hole of incredible and frightening reality.”

Reviewer: Charles S. Weinblatt

The Accidental Anarchist tells the intriguing true story of the colorful Jacob Marateck, a Jew conscripted into the Russian Army during events leading up to World War I.

He becomes a leader of soldiers in the brutal Russo-Japanese War, many of whom wanted to murder him for being Jewish, yet he gains their admiration after leading them in ferocious battles.

Marateck is an extraordinary character who faces certain death many times, but with consistently outstanding humor and steadfast faith in God. The reader certainly does not need to be an Orthodox Jew to appreciate the intense commitment Marateck has with his faith and his religious duty. His notes reveal a breathtaking ability to absorb the absurd that life dishes out to a lowly Jew in the Czar’s anti-Semitic army with aplomb and grace.

Despite being subjected to court martial several times, Marateck escapes under the most amazing and bizarre experiences. At times, he and his comrades face an enemy within the Czar’s Army more fearsome than the nation’s military enemy at their borders.

Barely surviving terrifying battles, the brutality of his own soldiers, and being sentenced to death by his own officers, Marateck faces it all with humor, faith and courage. He later joins the Polish resistance whose membership desperately wants to end the reign of Czar Nicholas II.

After being captured, he is sent to a terrifying prison camp in Siberia, where very few prisoners survive the brutality of the vile Gulag and the notorious Siberian winters. He eventually escapes with a very colorful character known as “The Warsaw King of Thieves.” Together, with no official papers or money, they travel more than 3,000 miles home.

Jacob Marateck is an ordinary man forced into extraordinary courage by experiences that include a lifetime of dreadful events wrapped into the eventful years of his youth. The incredible tales of war and courage, faith and death reveal unforgettable individuals and astonishing experiences. For the reader, this knowledge is a swift, unrelenting trip down a shocking rabbit hole of incredible and frightening reality.

This story is told by Bryna Kranzler, the granddaughter of Jacob Marateck. Ms. Kranzler’s captivating writing technique envelops the reader with Marateck’s magnetic personality.

These conversations, events that should have been muddied by the ravages of time and history, are rewritten with incredible detail and exquisite narrative that pushes the reader ever-onward, hanging upon baited breath with each sentence. Yet between Marateck’s notes and Ms. Kranzler’s consistent ability to wrap it into moving prose, this memoir reads much more like a thrilling novel. In some cases, truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Marateck bares his heart through his carefully detailed notes. They become a symphony representing a brilliant, singularly valiant human life enveloped within the loving care of the author’s loving dedication. The Accidental Anarchist begins with a powerful allegro of youth, in which Marateck throws his life about in a careless affront to its sacred value.

This is followed by an adagio of pain, suffering, and grief—a period in which death stalks Marateck around every corner. Here, at the bottom of life’s deepest pit, he discovers the lament of a life unfulfilled and the precious nature of his predicament. A rondo completes the package, filled with hope and desire, tempered by experience and chastened by pure faith.

If a reader could ask for anything more from this moving, powerful experience it might include additional maps, pictures, diagrams, images, illustrations, or other cues for visual learners. On the positive side, the book includes an excellent epilogue, superb author’s notes, a fine glossary, and a detailed index at the conclusion.

Having read The Samurai of Vishnigrod would have made this experience slightly more transparent; however, familiarity with that title is by no means is a prerequisite. Through Ms. Kranzler we enter her grandfather’s heart and his life—and what a magnificent experience.

Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob's Courage
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com

[Kate Brauning · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Accidental Anarchist

Bryna Kranzler

Crosswalk Press, 2010

I am usually not drawn to nonfiction in the same way I am drawn to fiction. This is partially because biographies and memoirs fail to communicate human character in the same way that well-written fiction can. To me, they often seem dry and lifeless, like a report of events rather than a slice of life.

This week I finished reading The Accidental Anarchist by Bryna Kranzler. Compiled from the journals of Jacob Marateck, Kranzler's grandfather, this book recounts Marateck's life as a Russian Jew during the Russo-Japanese war. My interest in the book was piqued largely because I had recently finished reading Delin Colon's compelling work Rasputin and the Jews. If you read one, by the way, I highly recommend reading the other. Together they fill out an intriguing cultural and political picture of the era.

I found myself so fascinated by The Accidental Anarchist that I thought about it at work, wondered what would happen during dinner, and picked it up each night before bed. Several nights I went to sleep much later than I had intended because I was simply unaware how much time was passing. One reason for this is that Kranzler does a remarkable job of turning a life into a narrative. The reader knows what drives Marateck and wants to know whether or not he achieves his goal.

The story centers around his three death sentences and his desire for marriage. Marateck endures things most of us can only imagine, and many things we literally couldn't imagine. His remarkable character enables him to survive while so many others around him don't. Living in such a volatile time and place, Marateck endures and embraces extraordinary events with a desire for taking risks and living a life that matters. Many of his near-death experiences are due to the inhumane treatment of the Jews at the time, but many are also due to his inability to sit still and let life pass him by. From a forced labor camp to the homes of the wealthy, from bayonet charges in the Manchurian wilderness to a dangerous trek in search of a synagogue for Yom Kippur, from joining the Polish underground to finding the girl who saved his life, Marateck's faith and resourcefulness enable him to survive.

One of the things that struck me most about the book was Kranzler's ability to show the reader Marateck's humanity. She writes his voice with such consistency that I was barely aware that it wasn't Marateck himself writing the story. Kranzler pulls together the pieces of his life into a strong central narrative that keeps the reader engrossed. Her writing is infused with Marateck's dry humor and understated compassion for others, while his character is clearly communicated not only through what he does but also through how he thinks. Ultimately, Kranzler has developed the stories of his life into a true human personality.

Kranzler's writing as a whole, in fact, is strong throughout the story. She maintains a consistent voice, compelling sentence structures, and smooth transitions from idea to idea and event to event. Peppered throughout the pages is subtle and helpful historical information that enables the reader to understand a different culture and a different era. Kranzler clearly treated her writing as an art form and uses it to bring to life the story of her grandfather in a compelling and engrossing story.

So much did I enjoy this book, so much did it prompt me to think, that it is now one of my favorites. I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Accidental Anarchist. The book is entertaining, thought-provoking, and unique. You'll find it well worth reading.

Winner of The USA "Best Books of 2011" Award
in the Biography:Historical category

Finalist, ForeWord Review's 2011 Book of the Year: Biography

Honorable Mention, Biography/Autobiography, London Book Festival 2011

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read a diary provides an opportunity to look into the diarist's soul. The Accidental Anarchist by Bryna Kranzler is the story of her grandfather, Jacob Marateck, and the book provides just that opportunity. In the Author's Note Ms. Kranzler writes that "The objective was to create an entertaining and enlightening narrative without changing the story." She succeeded.
Jacob Marateck and his family lived in Russian occupied Poland in the latter part of the 19th century. Most people were poor and his family was no exception. He could either go to school or be sent to learn a trade. He chose school and before his thirteenth birthday he decided studying was not for him. Without telling anyone that he was going home, he ran away from the yeshiva. Around the same time, a boy his age was found drowned. "Using good Polish logic, the authorities put the missing boy together with the dead boy, and wiped their hands of both cases with remarkable efficiency." His parents were notified of his death and mourned him- not for the last time. Upon returning home his family told him he "needed to find a job". He went to Warsaw and worked at unfulfilling jobs for about eight years. It was in Warsaw that he organized a strike that demanded daily work hours be reduced to twelve hours from twenty hours. The end result was not exactly what he wanted but he learned what he was capable of doing. In 1902 twenty-one year old Jacob, who is Jewish, is conscripted into the anti-Semitic Russian army. He survives two death sentences. Upon leaving the military he becomes part of the Polish revolutionary underground and receives his third death sentence. The sentence is commuted to ten years in a Siberian prison from which he and his most interesting friend escape! Their three thousand mile journey home is nothing short of miraculous and full of surprises.
Jacob Marateck was a dignified man who was both courageous and honorable. Through the horrors of war, hunger and all the other hardships he endured his remarkable sense of humor was ever present. To read his story is a privilege. I highly recommend reading it.
I received this book for free through Review The Book and I give this review of my own free will.

[❇Sierra❇ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling true account of a Jewish solider striving for survival in the Japanese-Russian War. Well, that’s a portion of the story. We’ll say a quarter. Marateck not only had to survive the Japanese trying to kill him; but his own Russian comrades. After the war Marateck joins a group containing mostly ‘amateur’ Polish revolutionaries. & through a series of unfortunate events ends up exiled in Siberia. His most extraordinary adventure, finding his way to a life he deserves, finding a way home.

Marateck has such a unique voice, & most of the time an incredible amount of witty humor in the face of such impossible odds. If not for his optimism, he quite possibly could have gone mad. I wouldn’t have blamed him in the slightest if at any point he just gave up. But he never did. & it was his unshakable character that helped inspire & carry his companions onward as well.

I’m not sure if it’s the respect I have for the man, or for the religion, but I actually took the time to read the little footnotes with Jewish phrases or with language translations. I’ll shamelessly admit I usually skim over such things. But I became so invested in this story that I actually cared to learn about the little things. & knowing virtually nothing of the Jewish religion or the Russian or Yiddish language; the footnotes made the story that much clearer.

As I normally do with any book I’m reading; I carried this book with me everywhere. To every class, restaurant, relatives house, etc. & every time without fail the title raised a few eyebrows & questions. But at the first mention of the word ‘Jew’ & ‘true story’ most turned away awkwardly & forgot they had every inquired. But a few brave souls pressed forth with their curiosity & were intrigued to discover this was not a Holocaust story. This was a real account of a man’s adventure in the early 20 century Russia & Poland. A story that took 3 generations to bring to fruition. This is a book that should be re-read every few years. It will not be easily forgotten, but I feel I will never tire of a re-telling. Marateck’s story will stay with me for years to come.

*Received a copy through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you so much!

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read. About a Jew in Tsarist Russia/Poland.

Basically growing up > moves to Warsaw for work > gets involved with unionising > moves back home > gets conscripted > Russo-Japan War > misses the 1905 revolution > survives war > goes home > moves to Warsaw to work > gets involved on the politics side > gets caught in an action > sentenced to death > repealed, 10years hard labour > sent to Siberia > escapes on the way > has to get home etc.

Obviously there is far more to the book than this, there are far more characters and plenty of feeling felt in each situation that is mentioned. There is not too much politicisation in the book it is a far more personal account and is more an account of the Jews under Tsarist rule, the elitism they faced (at all levels) and the pogroms suffered.

A nice read anyhow.

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story of surviving the Russian Empire as a Jew - via the Novocherkasskiye Barracks in St Peterburg, Manchuria in the Russo-Japanese War, Poland's revolutionary underground, and Siberian hard-labour escape. This is a novel quite removed from the original Yiddish-language memoir (which would have been an interesting source) - via translation, rewriting and still more rewriting but it is generally realistic. Of course the Bundists would not be disciples of Kropotkin, but few of the trigger-happy rank-and-file militants of the late 1900s happy to make their contribution in the struggle against the Tsar and police would have cared deeply about the ideological divisions, as the narrator doesn't. Some of the Jewish revolutionaries in the Pale of Settlement were capable of bombing synagogues - if perceived as the bourgeoisie headquarters, but then again, some of the Left SR leaders were reported to be observant even during their Sovnarkom days, thus the narrator's piety is not entirely out of character - all the more so that it's a major plot driver.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, autobiographical story of the adventures of a young Polish Jew around the turn of the century. He serves in the Czar's military. He is sent to Siberia for revolutionary plotting. He hobnobs with the Warsaw King of Thieves. There is even a bit of romance towards the end.

The author's prose is often witty and entertaining even when describing inhuman suffering or grave injustices.

Not actually about anarchism.

[Yulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cried and laughed with the hero of the book. This clever sense of humor and the deep sense of humanity is uplifting. Should be recommended as supplementary reading to any Russian history textbook of tzar era.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read.

The reading captures my imagination. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy another war novel. However I was spellbound by Jacobs adventures.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Marateck's incredible story of survival against tremendous odds must be one of the best and most engrossing such accounts that I've read. Jacob is conscripted or better said, forced into servitude, into the Imperial Army at a time when the Czar is still called "little father." As a Jew, Jacob receives special treatment, meaning he is insulted, bullied, humiliated, given unusually dangerous tasks to perform, accused of insubordination, sentenced to death, but receives a last-minute reprieve. He is sent to fight in the Russo-Japanese War in a shattered, disorganized, chaotic army where senior officers constantly make wrong decisions, carelessly sacrifice both men and ammunition, and treat their troops like animals.

At first, the Russians consider themselves superior to what they are told are the little "half-human" Japanese until reality shows them to be pitted against a highly organized, better-equipped, and almost invisible enemy. Jacob survives under horrific conditions, where food is scarce or nonexistent, sleeping a few hours in the snow, dodging sniper, enemy and Russian fire and his own inept superior officers' decisions, as well as the executioner three times when condemned to death.

Jacob becomes a revolutionary and joins the resistance movement to remove the Czar. Reprieved from the firing squad, he is sent to a prison camp where few survive the brutality and deprivations or the Siberian winters. He and two companions make their escape and traverse three thousand miles of Siberian snow and ice covered wilderness, dotted with both human and natural enemies. The odds are against his making it but he pushes on to eventual safety.

Jacob's irrepressible spirit shines through his many ordeals as his humorous, ironic voice describes the broken system that was the Czar's Imperial Army and Jacob's almost miraculous feats of survival.

The true triumph of Jacob's story is his diaries, kept throughout these years, which were inherited and translated by his daughter. Subsequently his granddaughter, Bryna Kranzler, had the dedication and the talent to turn them into this outstanding book.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Good-Reads "First Reads" Giveaway. The Accidental Anarchist is based on the diaries of Jacob Marateck and his adventures and misadventures as a soldier, revolutionary, convict, and fugitive in the Russian Empire during the early years of the 20th Century. A Jew from Poland conscripted into the Russian Army who was sent to fight in the against the Japanese in Manchuria in 1904, Marateck undergoes hardship after hardship. Yet throughout the book he remains resilient and never gives in to despair, no matter how hopeless his situation appears to be (and at times it seems pretty hopeless).

In terms of the narrative, the book reads like an adventure novel. It is briskly paced and the narrator's personality and humor come alive chapter after chapter. In some ways I fear that unfairly worked against the book - Marateck's story is so incredible that when combined with the intimacy and humor of the narrative, I found it hard not to slip into "fiction" reading mode, and perhaps did not always appreciate the desperate circumstances he found himself in as much as I would have otherwise.

My nit-picky comment is on the title of the book - Marateck does not seem to be an "accidental anarchist" to me at all, he very quickly and purposely becomes an organizer of workers in Warsaw and throughout the book refers to himself as a revolutionary who is seeking/hoping for the overthrow of the Czar. Perhaps I am missing something, but I am not sure the title quite does him justice in terms of his beliefs with respect to the oppressive and corrupt government to which he was clearly opposed and actively worked against.

All in all, a compelling book that gives the reader a glimpse into a fascinating place and time.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a delightful read about a Russian Jew's comical flirtation with anarchist terrorism and fighting in the Czar's army in The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905). Captured for his politically motivated crimes and being doubly persecuted as a Jew, the diarist that was the source of this biography teams up with a good-hearted, optimistic thief and escapes from a Siberian prison camp. The story nicely ends with the meeting and marriage to the headstrong woman that delivered his cast off message and saved him from execution.

The Kindle edition has nice hyperlinks to explanations of Yiddishisms and historical facts as clarified by the family members that boiled down the diaries to this book and their small afterword material about that journey really completes this history.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Marateck was born in 1883 in Russian-occupied Poland, and drafted into the Czarist army when he turned 21, just in time to fight in the Russo-Japanese war. As a Jew, he was hated by many of his fellow soldiers, not to mention officers, but his intelligence and courage, plus his luck in avoiding being injured or killed, got him promotion. When he was finally mustered out, he went back to Warsaw and returned to his avocation--trying to overthrow the Czar. Soon he was on his way back to Siberia, after his sentence on an unjust charge was commuted from death to 10 years of hard labor. The diaries he started for his parents and later continued to write when he was in America have been translated and polished by his granddaughter, but still present a portrait of unhappy times and an extraordinary man.

[Delin Colón · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't able to put this book down. Having done a good deal of research on the Pale of Settlement in Czarist Russia, I recognized that Jacob Marateck (the protagonist) voiced the sentiments and relayed the experience of many. His tenuous existence, hair-raising experiences and incredible escapes from the jaws of death, spanning 12,000 frozen and hungry miles are told in the first person. It was as if we were sitting around a fire, in the frozen forest, sharing a crust of bread and he graced me with his story for the moment that we crossed paths. His intelligence, endurance, resolve and dry wit were not only his salvation, but our good fortune. The author is to be commended for preserving his voice and sharing his story.

[Adam Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yakov Maratek was a Polish Jew conscripted into the Russian army in 1904 at the height of the Russo-Japanese war. After two hellish years in service of the Czar, Yakov was filled with dreams of the glorious revolution to come. This book tells the story of his ill-fated attempts at being a revolutionary and the numerous times he faced the death sentence and narrowly escaped by the skin of his teeth.

Before reading this I didn't know anything other than that the title was interesting. I'm glad I read it. This is a truly compelling story pieced together from the real life diary entries of Yakov Maratek translated and conveyed by no less than three generations of his family. I wound up reading the whole thing inside of two days.

A fantastic account of a truly remarkable life.

[Kerry Waller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debated between 3 and 4 stars here. Incredible tale, but the writing is not as compelling as the tale itself. The Accidental Anarchist is the amazing tale of a Russian Jew (Jacob Marateck) who lived in the early 1900's. It is translated by his daughter and granddaughter from his own diaries and contains the stranger than life tale of his journey from his days as a teenage agitator to his stint in the Czar's army to post-war agitation to his eventual arrest, sentence to Siberia, escape and return. Yes, it's that crazy. I knew I was going to like this book when I read an excerpt that contained the phrase "and that was the first time I was sentenced to death."

[Marystasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

The Accidental Anarchist is an incredible story of survival through the most unbelievable of hardships. The book is composed of the translated diaries of a young Jacob Marateck who is a young Jewish soldier during the Russo-Japanese War. Although the book does deal with the day to day hardships that soldiers faced in early 20th century warfare, it is the almost lighthearted way that Jacob describes his experiences that make this book such an enjoyable read. I couldn't wait to find out what would be the next thing he faced on his journey to get back to his family.

This is an absolutely wonderful historical memoir.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pretty amazing story of Jacob Marateck, a Jew trying to survive in Zsarist Russia. As if he doesn't get himself into enough trouble, he then serves in the army during the Russo-Japanese War.

A real-page turner, no doubt, and I read it at almost one sitting. I did find some of Marateck's tales a bit hard to believe, though I do know after reading the background of the book they are based on his diaries. Many of the Zsarist officers seem like parodies. I know discipline was harsh, but a Captain who routinely put his cigarettes out in a soldier's face?

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kranzler does a pretty fantastic job of summarizing her grandfather Jacob's story. The book takes you through the width of Eurasia and draws images in a way that truly makes you feel like it's your own experience. This is perhaps the most adventurous real-life story I have ever read with Jacob's multiple death sentences, his time as a Jewish Russian soldier, and his journey through Siberia: all of it combined with his description of his personal ideas and beliefs. This really makes for a serious and thoughtful, yet entertaining, read.

[Diane Lybbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful compilation of actual diaries kept by Kranzler's greatgrandfather. He is a Polish Jew living in Russia in the early 1900s, fights for the Czar in the war even though he personally has no political views guiding him. Through a series of wildly funny adventures with various comrades, escapes and captures, dinners with the upper classes and unrecognizable 'stew' with the convicts, he keeps his sense of humor and hopes that he will one day return to Warsaw and his family. This book was a wild ride - lots of history, personal anecdotes, and a glimpse into one extraordinary man's life.

[Zohreh Ghahremani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought another war-time book about a Jewish soldier would be so intriguing. Maratek is a young soldier during the Russo-Japanese war. Although sentenced to death three times, he lives to tell, and tell with a unique sense of humor he does! An entertaining way to learn history and a fiction so close to this hero's real diary. Bryna Kransler does a superb job of bringing her grandfather back to life. A must read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but not very believable. Jacob Marateck's war experiences didn't ring true. His journey as a political prisoner to the arctic regions of Siberia by boat then escape by foot to the Trans Siberian Railway and mistakenly going to Chelyabinsk then the quick trip to Irkutsk didn't make geographic sense. I suspect he embellished these stories for his kids then they they got artistic with their editing.

[Megan Moody · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is immensely readable. The humor of the main character comes through loud and clear. The only thing that sits uncomfortably with me is how much if it might have had liberties taken with the truth of the story. If al major events are true, it's an astonishing story. However, the skeptic in me has a hard time swallowing all of it. Assuming events are fairly accurate, it was a good primer on an era and war I knew little about.

[Brenda Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unusual and I almost decided not to read it. However, after the first couple of chapters, I wanted to find out what happened. Realizing after the fact that this was based on a man's true experiences as told in his diaries, I realized that Jacob Marateck had a tremendous amount of optimism to get through the horrendous experiences he must have had. The style - telling very serious events in a humorous manner - was unusual, but intriguing at the same time.

[Greg Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty, albeit bare-boned narrative about a tumultuous life in a harsh and unstable Russia.

Don't expect much imagery, but the story is so bizarre in brute fact that you can't help but let your imagination fill in the gaps.

Most interestingly of all, this is a true story that has been three generations in the making.

I didn't know much about the political climate in Russia around 1905. I still don't; but now I am interested.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and commend the writers for saving and writing the history of their grandfather / father and for his diaries being preserved. He had an interesting life view and somehow managed to stay out of trouble at crucial personal moral/ethical times in his life. It was very upbeat even though the events were often grim.

[Mike Mittlestat · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fiddler on the Roof" meets "Dr. Zhivago" meets --- "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". I loved this true tale of Jacob Marateck's ordeal as a labor agitator and odysseys through Siberia, first as a Jewish soldier conscripted into the Russian army and then as a political prisoner. Great story and great story-telling.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book through a good reads first reads giveaway. I am a huge history person, it was my minor in college. For some reason, I just could not get into this book. I tried giving it a chance but I just did not find it interesting and therefore did not even finish it.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Personally meaningful as my grandfather was also conscripted during this Russian occupation of Poland. The memoir is delightfully uplifting even as the dire circumstances are mostly portrayed in a remarkably positive tone.