Karelia - A Finnish-American Couple in Stalin's Russia, 1934 - 1941

by Lawrence Hokkanen

In 1934 Russia invited many Finnish-American couples to accept jobs in Karelia, Russia. In 1941, the Stalin purges resulted in the arrest and death of many from that community. Lauri and Sylvi escaped only to discover distrust at home.

Genres: History, Russia

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew anything about this history. Very interesting ,especially for those of Finnish descent.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Karelian Fever," attempts to recruit Finnish-Americans to a Finnish state in the Soviet Union, is a little known facet of history during the reign of Josef Stalin. The Hokkanen's recount their experiences 60 years removed and do an adequate job of highlighting their story. There are many heart-warming, light-hearted and funny stories. However, they state early on that it was difficult to be able to tell their story, and seem to gloss over bad experiences. There is more to the story than what they are telling, but it still gives a good glimpse into the daily lives of those who went to Karelia. The introduction offers up a goldmine of information which puts everything into the proper context. This is a good starting point to understanding life in Karelia during the Stalinist purges.

[Alcmqt · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating