Prague: My Long Journey Home: A Memoir of Survival, Denial, and Redemption

by Charles Ota Heller

Author Charles Ota Heller's early childhood in Czechoslovakia was idyllic, but his safe and happy world didn't last long, Three years after his birth, Germany forced an occupation of his country; afterward, most of his young life consisted of running and hiding. His life, just like those of the other youths who lived in Europe during the late 1930s and early 1940s, was shaped forever by the dangers, horrors, and unsettling events he experienced. In this memoir, Heller, born Ota Karel Heller, narrates his family's story-a family nearly destroyed by the Nazis. Son of a mixed marriage, he was raised a Catholic and was unaware of his Jewish roots, even after his father escaped to join the British army and fifteen members of his family disappeared. My Long Journey Home tells of his Christian mother being sent to a slave labor camp and of his hiding on a farm to avoid deportation to a death camp. With the war coming to a close, Heller tells of how he picked up a revolver and shot a Nazi when he was just nine years old. Heller, now an assimilated American, left the horrors of the past-along with his birth name-behind to live the proverbial American Dream. In his memoir, he recalls how two cataclysmic events following Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution brought him face-to-face with demons of his former life. On his personal journey Heller discovered and embraced his heritage-one which he had abandoned decades earlier.

Genres: Nonfiction, Holocaust, History, Czech Literature, Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2011

About the author

Earned BS and MS degrees in engineering from Oklahoma State University. Received Ph.D. in engineering from The Catholic University of America.

Worked as engineer in aerospace industry and for Bell Labs. Taught aerospace engineering at US Naval Academy. Co-founded, and was CEO of, two software companies -- CADCOM, Inc., and Intercad Corporation. Was Director of Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Was General Partner of Gabriel Venture Partners and Director of Athlone Global Security, both venture capital firms.

Currently, full-time author. PRAGUE: MY LONG JOURNEY HOME, his award-winning memoir, published in 2011, is a story of his life as a hidden child in WW-II and his traumatic reconnection with his native country after the Velvet Revolution. NAME-DROPPINGS: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FAMOUS AND NEAR FAMOUS was published in 2013. He is working on two addtional memoirs: READY, FIRE, AIM! A SURVIVOR'S TALES OF ENTREPRENEURIAL TERROR and COWBOY FROM PRAGUE.

Reviews

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm not a huge fan of historical books, the byline of this one really got my attention. "The true story of a man who, at the age of nine, shot a Nazi." Sound exciting? I sure thought so, and proceeded to dive in to this personal tale of how Charles Heller survived the Holocaust in the early years of his life.

The book begins with a happy and carefree version of the events of Heller's childhood. Surrounded by parents, aunts, uncles, a grandfather, and great-grandfather, he had a warm and loving family that surrounded and protected him. He details the great history of Czechoslovakia, and how it rose to prominence in the years leading up to the great World Wars. However, as he soon points out, things began to change. His family began to visit less, and their conversations became more tense and worrisome. Heller's great-grandfather, who owned the largest and most profitable clothing factory in the country, began to realize that what he had built would soon be put to the test. Not only did his factory employ hundreds of locals, but the proceeds from his work were recycled back in to the community, providing money for arts, culture, and education in the region. All of Heller's family loved their country and were extremely nationalistic, as were most Czechs at the time, and it distressed all of them greatly when their sense of pride for their homeland was trampled by the invading German forces. Heller then goes on to give a harrowing account of the war from his point of view, with near-misses with German forces and Czech-born German sympathizers alike. Although the majority of his family is killed, he describes the herculean effort that his mother goes through to ensure that her son is safe and that they find food and shelter despite the tightening noose around them. Chock full of stories like this, Heller's work continues on to describe the rest of his wartime experience, as well as his life after the war ended. Additionally, he goes on to tell us just how he got involved with that pistol and the Nazi at age nine...

Overall, I felt that Heller's work was incredibly informative, at times reading more like a history book than actual memoir as he described the rich history of Czechoslovakia. The decline of his family after the Nazi invasion was quite sad, especially considering all the good that his family did for their local town and the nation as a whole. Heller is a great storyteller, but on that same note it also provided the only flaw I found in this work: its pace. From the advertising, it seemed like an exciting tale of his experiences with WWII Germany's occupation of his town. Although we eventually got there, it took a while. The first chapters that contained a ton of history on Czechoslovakia were what really dragged down the pace at first. Don't get me wrong, it was quite interesting, and perhaps it's only because I'm not a huge history buff, but it made the pace slow a bit too much for me. Fortunately though, once Heller began with the Nazi invasion, things really took off. I felt for him as we see everything he knows taken from him: his family, friends, home, and pride. He's a lost boy who must learn to grow up way too fast. His tales of his mother's bravery and foresight to protect her son are incredible (even after she is taken to a slave camp she manages to get out and reunite with her son). I could never imagine going through the horrors that he must have. His anger at the Germans, as well as at his own countrymen for their lack of fight during the invasion was definitely understandable. I think it was probably quite therapeutic for Heller to write this work and share his experiences with us. I applaud him on a job well done and a wonderful memoir that many can enjoy for years to come.

Todd(Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-1ds

[Alan Fleishman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Prague" is a compelling autobiography and a satisfying read, informative and well-written. It is the story of a brave young Czech boy, born of a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, who lives through the nightmare of the Nazi invasion and occupation of his homeland. Most of his beloved family is lost to the Holocaust, his mother is taken to a forced labor camp, and his father is off fighting against the Germans in the Free Czech army. As the war nears its end, the nine year old boy shoots a German soldier. After the war he is reunited with his loving mother and father, only to then have to face the Communist takeover of his country a couple of years later. This would make for a great novel if the tragedy and triumphs weren't all true. The love and values of the family into which the author was born obviously served him well through dark times, giving him courage and hope even as a very young boy. I have read widely about World War II, particularly the European theater, and the Communist aftermath. Nonetheless, I knew far less about what happened in Czechoslovakia than I thought I did. That hole is now filled thanks to this book. It is fascinating history. When you get to the end of "Prague," you can't help but be glad you read it. And you will come away just a tiny bit more encouraged about human nature. I closed the book with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. Well done!

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prague My Long Journey Home: A Memoir of Survival, Denial and Redemption by Charles Ota Heller, is an extremely well written and fascinating memoir, filled with so much historical information, on World War II Czechoslovakia, a large percentage of it new to me.

Heller’s memoir is filled with many emotions, from humor to sadness, longing and despair, love and loss, identity and denial, assimilation and religious views, written from his memories beginning with his childhood growing up under the shadows of war, and under the extreme changes occurring in his surroundings in Czechoslovakia. The country was war-torn in many aspects. Not only by the Nazis, but by other factions.

Heller’s father was Jewish, and his mother was Christian. This played a major role in his adolescence, and his ability to be able to survive the devastating events of the Holocaust. His mother tried to shield him as best as she could from the situations arising around them. He had little knowledge that over one dozen of his relatives were murdered in death camps.

Through Heller’s long journey, he not only rediscovered his roots, he discovered himself, parts of himself he avoided emotionally for decades. He was able to somewhat (not entirely) come to terms with his childhood situation, with the ravages of the Nazis, and with the fact that he was Jewish in a world that was filled with antisemitism.

[Monna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly the story Mr. Heller tells is a common one for families with some degree of Jewish heritage who lived under the Nazi occupation of Europe. What is uncommon is Mr. Heller's ability as a storyteller. He has a gift for writing with an easy intimacy that brings alive both the history and the struggle of his family to survive the war years. It is a compelling first person account like this that will most vividly help future generations to remember the madness of humans at war.

[Nadine Keels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at Online Book Club. I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Ota Heller's Czech name is Ota Karel Heller. Born in a village near Prague, Charles experienced WWII as a child. His parents were well-to-do owning a major clothing manufacturing company. His Jewish father left the country to serve in the British Air Force. His mother endures torture by the Nazis and eventually works in a slave labor camp. Charles is hid away by friends in his small village. After six years, the family is united only to flee Czechoslovakia in 1948 with the Communist takeover. Charles's parents chose to completely leave their past life behind resulting in many questions of which his name change is just one example. He eventually learns more from his mother including verification that she too, was part Jewish. The book explores so many circumstances in a country torn by war: Jewish conversion to the Catholic faith, hiding one's Jewish origins, the Czechs who collaborated with the Nazis, the Czechs who passively resisted and the ouster of the Sudeten Germans. It's eye opening to experience a personal story of mistrust of the U.S. for first the abandonment in 1938, then ten years later as the Communists won a free elections (the only democracy in that part of Europe to do so) and finally in 1968 when tanks from the Soviet Union and four other communist countries rolled in to put down the Prague Spring. I can see better how the Czechs and Slovaks thought going with the communists would be a better choice although the vote was not a majority. On the other hand, the Czechs viewed the U.S. with curiosity and interest with its entrepreneurial spirit and freedom for people to do and be what they wanted. Heller details his childhood experiences backing it up with historical data. Some of that detail was lacking for his high school, college and adult years as a successful businessman and academic, but that is probably because his childhood most impacted him. The book was interesting to me because I've read from both the Czech and Sudenten German perspective; Heller's take further shows how complex life must have been for any of the citizens during this terrible time.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this personal story as a way to learn about complex political times in Czech/German/Soviet relations from 1936 to present day. Charles Ota Heller's Jewish father and part Jewish (converted to Catholicism) mother hide this background from their son so that Charles can survive the horrors of the Nazis. The father fights with the British Air Force, the mother is sent to a work camp, Charles is hidden by friends. Amazingly the three Hellers survive, but they have lost their property. They love their homeland, but choose, for the sake of their son, to leave all behind rather than live without freedom under the now ruling Soviet communists. Through hard work, starting at the bottom and frugal ways, the once wealthy Heller family finds success in America. But like all immigrants, the Heller family faces the dilemma of whether to assimilate or retain culture and memories of the homeland. They decide to try to bury the past, a choice that affects Charles later in life and which he grapples with in the story.
I learned a great deal about the Catholic church's ambivalent role in Czech politics, treatment of Jews and also how the Czech population subtly fought their enemies with quiet resistance. Also I found the author's views on life in the United States, both positive and negative, insightful. For example, Heller thought the U.S. offered freedom and equality to all, but was disappointed to learn that black Americans were not so fortunate here. Heller does a wonderful job of affectionately sharing Czech culture and history as he tells his story. Since I have some Czech background, I particularly appreciated that.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

How terribly disappointing this book was! I bought it in Prague airport and the byline on the front sold me but it turned out to be less than a page in the book! The narrative was slow and whiny and all that saved the book was that the story was interesting! Not the worst book ever but much less satisfying than I expected !