Hard Passage: A Mennonite Family's Long Journey from Russia to Canada

by Arthur Kroeger

In the 1920s, 20,000 Mennonites left the newly formed Soviet Union and emigrated to Canada. Among them were Heinrich and Helena Kroeger and their five children. After living for 120 years in the comfortable surroundings of a Russian Mennonite community, the Kroeger family experienced war, revolution, a typhus epidemic, and hyper-inflation in quick succession. In 1926, they left their homeland to settle in an arid region of Western Canada. Based on Heinrich's diaries and letters, and archival research, Hard Passage speaks to the indomitable spirit of Mennonite immigrants to the Canadian West.

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2003

Reviews

[Evonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a painful read but I couldn't put it down. On every other page I could hear my mother telling her or my father's family stories. Because my mother is in the grip of Alzheimer's she is losing those memories and those links with the past. Several times I had to stop and breathe a little bit because of the ache that the stories produced.

Beginning with the exodus of the Mennonite people out of eastern Europe and into Russia in the late 1700s, Kroeker tells the story of the people who made a good life for themselves in Russia only to find, after a hundred-ish years that the government they'd trusted was dead, and the new governments didn't want them there. The local Russians who resented the success of the Mennonites turned on them and by the late 1800s and early 1900s Mennonites were yet again on the move to find a new land.

The Kroekers came to Canada and lived in Alberta, struggling to make a life for themselves. Again and again I could hear my mother saying how eternally grateful she has always been for the unbelievable sacrifices her parents and grandparents made so that she, and we (my generation), could have the good life we enjoy. So true.

Kroeker's narrative is very factual, but there are a few places where his writing livens up a little. Mostly he puts the story together systematically, and based on records and research, then brings those narratives to life by connecting them with his family's history. A good read. A better read if it sounds just like your own history.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur Kroeger details his parents' journey from Ukraine to Alberta in 1926. Mennonites in Ukraine faced increasing pressure from Russian government officials following the Revolution. Many chose to emigrate. The Russlander, as they were called in Canada, faced great hardships on both ends of the journey. Given that my family emigrated from this area in the 1890s, I found it particularly interesting to read about life in the Rosenthal area after my ancestors left.

Arthur Kroeger went on to be a Deputy Minister in the Canadian government and his brother was a Cabinet Minister in Alberta. This family overcame extreme poverty and deprivation to be quite successful and influential.

My one criticism of the book is how it ends. It seems to just peter out with no final assessment.

[Dan Bergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have been researching my family genealogy during the past decade, this book seemed like a natural for me to read, the author's parents fled the same village in Russia ( today Ukraine) as my own grandparents, and settled in eastern Alberta less than an hour's drive where my ancestors settled in western Saskatchewan, near the Alberta border. The author does a great job of describing the hardships and also achievements of his family, both in Russia and later in Canada. One of the best books I have read on this subject. Highly recommended for those interested in the subject matter.

[Mark Wurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author weaves together forty years of history that includes his Mennonite parents meeting in Ukraine at a time of prosperity. That turned to a struggle to exist with the First World Way, Russian civil war, raids from rebels, immigration to Canada, and the dirty thirties. It is hard to believe that his parents were able to live this hard, long journey and then he was born in the thirties to parents that were in their forties. An incredible story of the tenacity, perseverance and resilience of humanity.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather emigrated from Russia to Canada the same year (1926) that Kroeger’s parents did, so I felt I was almost reading about my grandpa’s experiences. This account of the Kroeger family’s life is skillfully woven with an overarching telling of Mennonite history, and is fascinating to me because these are my roots as well as the roots of many people I know in the area.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the story of the Kroeger family and the Mennonites from Russia. A riveting tale about both life in Russia in the early 1900's as well as the Canadian prairies in the 30's and beyond.
I'm from the area described and am amazed how the Kroeger family (and many others) survived there during a challenging time.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot, and it was interesting. I loved the use of historical records to document the family's journey and settlement in Canada.