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A Boy Growing Up Under the Nazi Boot and the Greek Civil War
This book is an Autobiography of George Kakridas. How he was growing up during the German occupation and the Greek civil was that followed.
292 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2023
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December 26, 2023
The author’s story is well-written and speaks to moments of history from the perspective of a young boy in Greece. The occupations and wars of his youth were character building, and his first-hand experienes take the reader right into place and times of hardship contrasted with the peaceful years before the occupation.
The mountains north of Sparta sound like a wonderful place to grow up, and yes, I’d never want to leave, but hardship can change everything. Mr. Kakridas account of Greece’s history is like a roadmap of lessons and passages, familiar to so many places and peoples. His stories exposed the Nazis for who they were, brutal occupiers, and a childhood where one never knew who was friend or foe.
The history he includes in the book opens the eyes of the reader to never-ending struggles brought on by war after war, drawing those who’d endured so much struggle to emigrate. His first-hand experiences bring history to life for the reader. I became fond of Truman, a dear and reliable mule. The author’s shared history opened my eyes to the Nazi’s use of drugs to fight a war, and the kidnapping and indoctrination of Greek children in the Civil War reminds me of what the Russians are now doing in Ukraine. How the on-going histories of our world ignore the sorrows of the past.
I appreciated the photographs that Mr. Kakridas included, especially the large weaving machine his mother used and the Elona Monastery. This memoir reveals just how many times the fates were in Mr. Kakridas’ favor for him to grow to adulthood, to leave his homeland for America and live a successful life. I’m certain all his memories fill him with gratitude for the lessons of where he came from and where he is today, and I'm grateful he shared his memories and country's history with us.
The mountains north of Sparta sound like a wonderful place to grow up, and yes, I’d never want to leave, but hardship can change everything. Mr. Kakridas account of Greece’s history is like a roadmap of lessons and passages, familiar to so many places and peoples. His stories exposed the Nazis for who they were, brutal occupiers, and a childhood where one never knew who was friend or foe.
The history he includes in the book opens the eyes of the reader to never-ending struggles brought on by war after war, drawing those who’d endured so much struggle to emigrate. His first-hand experiences bring history to life for the reader. I became fond of Truman, a dear and reliable mule. The author’s shared history opened my eyes to the Nazi’s use of drugs to fight a war, and the kidnapping and indoctrination of Greek children in the Civil War reminds me of what the Russians are now doing in Ukraine. How the on-going histories of our world ignore the sorrows of the past.
I appreciated the photographs that Mr. Kakridas included, especially the large weaving machine his mother used and the Elona Monastery. This memoir reveals just how many times the fates were in Mr. Kakridas’ favor for him to grow to adulthood, to leave his homeland for America and live a successful life. I’m certain all his memories fill him with gratitude for the lessons of where he came from and where he is today, and I'm grateful he shared his memories and country's history with us.
Displaying 1 of 1 review