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All That I Saw
All That I Saw tells the story of the disruption of the comfortable life of a Hungarian family by World War II and its aftermath, and of Hungary’s slide into totalitarian rule as a Communist satellite under the Soviet Union.
Csicsery’s firsthand accounts of life in postwar Hungary and of surviving both forced labor and prison set up the defining moment of his life: the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The revolution’s popular rejection of the Soviet system shook the world, and when it was crushed, more than two hundred thousand Hungarians, including the author, left Hungary to seek their futures in Western countries. The stories of the harrowing escape from Hungary with his bride, their emigration to the United States, and the creation of a new life as a scientist in a welcoming country provide timely lessons for the conflicts over refugees and immigration that dominate the early 21st century.
Throughout the book, the author expresses a child’s passion for life and a dedication to precision. These provide him with the tools to observe and describe the deprivation and torture experienced in a secret police prison in 1953 with the same fervor he brings to numerous accounts of the climbing and hiking trips he enjoyed after settling in the United States. Becoming a successful scientist gave him the freedom to travel almost anywhere. He grabbed the bull by the horns and trekked everywhere, amassing an enviable travelogue of museums and natural wonders around the world. As he presents these experiences, All That I Saw becomes a compelling testament to the enduring value and meaning the human soul can derive from pursuing the beauty and challenges of the wilderness.
Csicsery’s firsthand accounts of life in postwar Hungary and of surviving both forced labor and prison set up the defining moment of his life: the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The revolution’s popular rejection of the Soviet system shook the world, and when it was crushed, more than two hundred thousand Hungarians, including the author, left Hungary to seek their futures in Western countries. The stories of the harrowing escape from Hungary with his bride, their emigration to the United States, and the creation of a new life as a scientist in a welcoming country provide timely lessons for the conflicts over refugees and immigration that dominate the early 21st century.
Throughout the book, the author expresses a child’s passion for life and a dedication to precision. These provide him with the tools to observe and describe the deprivation and torture experienced in a secret police prison in 1953 with the same fervor he brings to numerous accounts of the climbing and hiking trips he enjoyed after settling in the United States. Becoming a successful scientist gave him the freedom to travel almost anywhere. He grabbed the bull by the horns and trekked everywhere, amassing an enviable travelogue of museums and natural wonders around the world. As he presents these experiences, All That I Saw becomes a compelling testament to the enduring value and meaning the human soul can derive from pursuing the beauty and challenges of the wilderness.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2017
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July 16, 2017
Truth can be as compelling as any fiction. That's certainly the case with Sigmund Csicsery's memoir, ALL THAT I SAW, which follows the often painful saga of his life from World War II through the horrors of Communist rule in Hungary after the war and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, to his escape from the Communist world to the West and his life into the present. Courage, endurance, intelligence, a capacity for hard work, and a muscular moral compass brought him through trials that often must have seemed unendurable.
Written in clear, strong prose that's all the more impressive since English is not Csicsery's first language. ALL THAT I SAW presents a vivid and dramatic picture of his life. In the United States, he became a top scientist, winning awards and publishing widely. I also was fascinated by his second, astonishing, career as a mountain climber into what some people would call old age. This is a man who has ignored virtually all boundaries. An enjoyable, profitable read. Recommended.
Written in clear, strong prose that's all the more impressive since English is not Csicsery's first language. ALL THAT I SAW presents a vivid and dramatic picture of his life. In the United States, he became a top scientist, winning awards and publishing widely. I also was fascinated by his second, astonishing, career as a mountain climber into what some people would call old age. This is a man who has ignored virtually all boundaries. An enjoyable, profitable read. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review