Like a Haystack: Life from My Perspective

by Margaret Smolik

When Hitler marched into Yugoslavia in 1943, my family became refugees. With many others, we were herded like cattle from camp to camp. After living in Austria for seven years as unwelcome foreigners, we sailed to the United States and faced many challenges in a new culture; however, we found peace.

Like a Haystack focuses on several crucial dynamics: The contrast between life in WW II Europe and twenty-first-century America The endurance needed to survive war, cruelty, and suffering The tensions that result in adjusting to new cultures and values The willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve the ?American dream.?

While different from The Diary of Anne Frank, my story is similar in its insight into the devastation and suffering of Hitler's war. I hope readers will empathize with refugees and seek ways to understand and accept them.

?Never did I realize when Margaret first taught English at Osage Junior High that her life had been so exciting and interesting until I read her story. I enjoyed the book, and I am sure other readers will too.?

Keith Duncan, retired junior high principal

?This account is a fascinating memoir of the author's life in Croatia in WWII and her family's adjustment to life in America.?

Lynn Haakenson, English teacher

?As a storyteller extraordinaire, Margaret writes of surviving life in mid-twentieth-century Europe. The author's true character develops as she becomes a stalwart person worthy of today's happiness.?

Ramona Morse, author, moderator of Mitchell County Alpha Writers

108 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2014

Reviews

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of this book from a GR Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book is like listening to a family story of immigration, change and adjustments. It's a lovely, warm story of memories and impressions during change.
I enjoyed the stories of the places, the traditions, the "old" ways.
An interesting read. Not literature but a friend sharing a story over a comfortable cup of coffee.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

THis book is interesting to read, but doesn't have great literary merit. THere are no passages of description or interpretation of the author's life that are memorable. It is a basic story of her journey with her family from Croatia, to Austria, to the United States. It is made interesting to many people in the Osage, IA area since she ended up there as a teacher, mother, and wife.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short touching memoir which shares the struggles, challenges and joys of an immigrant Croation family's road to a new life in America.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer is telling of her own experiences coming from WWII Europe to the US. It's interesting to read how her perspectives changed from her parents as she spent more time in the U.S.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the author's reminiscences of growing up in a family from Croatia (then a part of Yugoslavia) that was displaced during World War II when the Nazis invaded. They (her parents, herself, and two older sisters) ended up after the war living in Austria with other refugees, at a subsistence level, just barely getting by, until they were able to leave for America in early 1952. The second part of her story is how she and her family adjusted. Her father got a job working for a farmer in Iowa. They moved a few times, in 1955 to Des Moines, IA where her father worked in a slaughterhouse and she attended a Catholic all-girls school, after which she attended and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines. A heart-warming story of survival and courage, and ultimately flourishing in their new country.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads.
The true story of a family from Croatia who fled to Austria after WW II. Eventually they emigrated to the United States, where they settled in Iowa. The author describes what life was like in each place and how they were impacted by the war; the adjustments they made, and how they were affected by different cultures.
A very interesting memoir.

[Joy Kidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author likens the foundations of her life to a Balkan haystack, formed by pitching dry hay onto and up a tall pole with several "arms" sticking out to hold the layers more securely. It took many people to form it, just like the people and events that shaped her life. A wonderful memoir of tough years as refugees during WW II, then the challenges as American immigrants. An amazing woman.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads
This is a true story about a family during WWII moving from Croatia to Austria and finally the US. It's like sitting down with your grandma to hear about her life. It was very a very interesting memoir.

[Ruth Tucker]

I enjoyed this book very much. I was a small child during WW II and I remember hearing of events from my parents and grandparents as they occurred. Learning of the many challenges faced by the refugees was enlightening, even though I had heard of some of the struggles through other sources. Having a first-hand source was very good.