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Escapes: A True Story
Two Expanding Totalitarian Monsters—Communist Russia and National Socialist Germany—are soon to collide. On the eve of war—at its most devastating in Eastern Europe—a young Ukrainian couple marries, but the two vastly differ from each other. Theo is bookish and brainy, and Steffie is street-smart and world-wise. As World War II begins, Theo is called up during his honeymoon to fight the invading Germans. The Germans massacre his unit and take him captive, but he soon escapes, only to find that the Russians, who’ve taken over, are arresting all escaped military officers. Though Steffie and Theo’s marriage shows early signs of fraying, the challenges they face serve to unite the two and allow them to discover each other’s unique traits and abilities. They may differ greatly in character, but in combination, they find ways to outwit the enemy—they must, or face the sheer devastation brought about by the collision of the two greatest totalitarian ideologies in world history. Author Darian Diachok brings readers an electrifying and utterly captivating tale of one couple’s ability to repeatedly overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. Incredibly rich in historical detail, Escapes illustrates what the gift of family truly meant during a horrific period in history—and just how important it was to establish mutual trust and acceptance.
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 17, 2026
The quality of the initial reviews of this book are testimony to the quality of this book.
Although I am a prolific reviewer, I cannot improve on the way that they capture the essence of the book, or the emotions they evoke.
Many of the reviewers have personal histories that parallel Diachok's. One thing I admire about my adoptive Ukraine is the life force present among these people who have suffered centuries of invasions and suppression.
The essence of the story is simple. Western Ukrainians bridled under the yoke of the Poles, who had regained their statehood via the Versailles Treaty after a couple of centuries of subjugation. As part of the bargain, they got the former Austrian province of Galecia, the area around Lviv.
Rather than being gracious in their newfound freedom, the Poles resumed their traditional disdain for Ukrainians, suppressing their institutions, depreciating their language, confiscating their businesses and making life difficult.
The Molotov–von Ribbentrop treaty of 1939 put the Poles back where they had been. The country was invaded from the west by Germany, then from the east by Russia. The Ukrainians, as always, found they had no friends in any quarter.
This is the story of Diachok's father Theo first finding accommodation with the Poles by joining the Army, seeing his unit decimated and taken prisoner by the Germans, turned loose to confront the equally ruthless Russians, and finally making what would not seem to any reasonable person to be an escape – taking his wife and fleeing west to Nazi Germany pretending to be an ethnic German. That's where the story ends. Inasmuch as the preface styles it as Book I, there is surely more to be told about how Theo and his wife Steffi survived under the Germans.
These times are chronicled in Timothy Snyder's "Bloodlands," a useful background. One of the pleasures of Diachok's account is that unlike Snyder he is not a political advocate.
Diachok captures the linguistic mix fairly well, with dialogue in Polish and German, and Ukrainian and Russian dialogue transliterated from Cyrillic into Latin characters. Just as it took a polyglot such as his father Theo to navigate the treacherous times, it helps to be a polyglot just to read the book.
It is a moving personal story. We are fortunate that Diachok saw fit to capture it while his father was alive. I am looking forward to Book II.
Although I am a prolific reviewer, I cannot improve on the way that they capture the essence of the book, or the emotions they evoke.
Many of the reviewers have personal histories that parallel Diachok's. One thing I admire about my adoptive Ukraine is the life force present among these people who have suffered centuries of invasions and suppression.
The essence of the story is simple. Western Ukrainians bridled under the yoke of the Poles, who had regained their statehood via the Versailles Treaty after a couple of centuries of subjugation. As part of the bargain, they got the former Austrian province of Galecia, the area around Lviv.
Rather than being gracious in their newfound freedom, the Poles resumed their traditional disdain for Ukrainians, suppressing their institutions, depreciating their language, confiscating their businesses and making life difficult.
The Molotov–von Ribbentrop treaty of 1939 put the Poles back where they had been. The country was invaded from the west by Germany, then from the east by Russia. The Ukrainians, as always, found they had no friends in any quarter.
This is the story of Diachok's father Theo first finding accommodation with the Poles by joining the Army, seeing his unit decimated and taken prisoner by the Germans, turned loose to confront the equally ruthless Russians, and finally making what would not seem to any reasonable person to be an escape – taking his wife and fleeing west to Nazi Germany pretending to be an ethnic German. That's where the story ends. Inasmuch as the preface styles it as Book I, there is surely more to be told about how Theo and his wife Steffi survived under the Germans.
These times are chronicled in Timothy Snyder's "Bloodlands," a useful background. One of the pleasures of Diachok's account is that unlike Snyder he is not a political advocate.
Diachok captures the linguistic mix fairly well, with dialogue in Polish and German, and Ukrainian and Russian dialogue transliterated from Cyrillic into Latin characters. Just as it took a polyglot such as his father Theo to navigate the treacherous times, it helps to be a polyglot just to read the book.
It is a moving personal story. We are fortunate that Diachok saw fit to capture it while his father was alive. I am looking forward to Book II.
May 17, 2020
Interesting history interspersed with a biographical narrative. However, ending felt abrupt and story had gaps.
August 14, 2020
Since i am fanatic about WWII, this took me down to memory lane of my parrnts" stories of their escape from Stalin in 1943.
An easy read with some questions, with answers possibly in a sequel?
An easy read with some questions, with answers possibly in a sequel?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews