God's Buried Children

by Daniel Farcaș

In an effort to increase Romania’s population, the communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, authorized Decree 770 in 1967 that criminalized contraception and abortion. Abandoned and unwanted by their parents, thousands of children ended up in state orphanages where they were neglected and abused, and later became homeless on the streets of Bucharest. This book is drawn from the journal entries of one of them. This book is the journal of a Romanian orphan who survived and escaped the street and the communist regime. This book is a healing book. Life itself wrote this book. All I can offer you is my reality, my simple truth. The book burst out of my journal with its own identity after twenty years of weekly confessions. What happened under the streets of Bucharest will sink into your mind and take you back into those dark communist times. This book is dedicated to the 3000 American Families that adopted Romanian orphans after the December 1989 Revolution.

Genres: Memoir

254 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2020

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was powerful story about orphan life in communist Romania. Daniel was one of many orphans ignored and rejected by society. Him and his friends created an underground life for themselves to survive. They lived a life of hell but Daniel managed to hold hope for the possibility of a better future. He managed to escape Romania and make his dreams come true.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely do not judge a book by it's cover in this one, it's an odd cover, but fabulous story. Rather fascinating and terribly sad. Interesting memoir of an event I knew nothing about, but terribly tragic. An orphan growing up in a terribly poor and difficult time, during a communist regime, along with children who also were brought to this orphanage, was absolutely tragic and not so shocking as to what had happened (rape, beatings, beyond sub-par living conditions), only to run away and hide else where. It's good for mature young adults, not too graphic, just a bit jarring and not for those ready for certain themes. Definitely a read one should pick up.

Received this from Goodreads as part of their giveaways, but this had no bearing on my review.

[Jennifer Wrage · Rating 5 out of 5]

FYI: I won this book on Goodreads.com. I was a little hesitant to pick up this book as the illustrations put me off. They are "mind-bending." After I read the back cover I became intrigued. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Heartbreaking and raw. Thoughtful and honest. A lot of food for thought.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is hard to review as it is based on an orphan’s journal. How much of the experiences are real and how much was added to move the story along from tragedy and struggle to freedom? I’m editing a book I wrote about a family’s escape from Bosnia during the fall of Yugoslavia, so I understand that PTSD and years of living with abuse and brutality can muddle the memory. It’s hard to imagine these children having deep analytical thoughts about their actions. It’s more likely the words of an adult reflecting on the consequences of the abuse and neglect. It took me out of the scenes a bit as children would rarely possess that kind of insight into their behavior. Enough said.

Put that aside. The story itself is a powerful portrayal of the horrifically abused and neglected children abandoned to tortuous prisons called orphanages. The dark dictatorship ruling Romania at the time makes circumstances worse and turns people against each other. From my western perspective, I’m always stunned at how inhuman humans can be toward each other. There is very little compassion or empathy given for these children who are in survival mode and form a bond with each other like a family. Most of them cling to hope and that’s what drives them.

Characters are vivid and in spite of the violent actions some take, it’s understandable and I found myself hoping they’d get away with it. I grieved the loss of some and at the same time was grateful they were out of their misery. These children will break your heart and give you a window into their world. One gets out, the author? He is given another child’s journal to tell their story. I don’t want to spend time guessing who really wrote these memories and who added to them. If you suspend your questions about the source and the lack of editing, you will immerse yourself in a haunting story. The children don’t leave you and their experiences are still in my thoughts.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the uncensored manner in which the author described the events as he recalled them taking place.

The book is written with the diction of an adolescent, so it would be a good read for young readers albeit some vulgarities, so be advised (nothing too offensive in my opinion - just some language and adult themes). You are definitely put into the mindset of the author in his youth and how he feels during his experiences. While, personally, I would have liked a more adult version of the political and historical aspect of the events that took place, this down-to-earth approach resonated well and I was able to relate to the characters and the author in the book. The ending has a more mature tone that I found very elegant and it makes me wish the author added commentary throughout the book or had written it in that style entirely, but again, that's just my personal preference. Honestly, it reads perfect the way it is.

After reading this, I find myself engaged enough to learn more about that time period in that region on my own and I'm glad the author took the time to share his story.

[Naomi Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Still, only the ones who lived through the reality of torture knows that sometimes the only way the mind can survive the pain is by physically killing the demon. Not just to quench the thirst for revenge, but for the redemption of knowing that the devil itself is never going to hurt you again. " - Dr. Daniel Farcas, God's Buried Children

The story told about the short traumatic lives of these Romanian orphans is terrifying and heartbreaking. The book also contains a variety of dark, surreal drawings that I found interesting.

If this wasn't labeled as a memoir I would have thought I was reading a fictional horror story. It really was that scary at times. The story starts in a very mentally and physically abusive orphanage where these kids are raped, starved, beaten, and some end up deformed. They do escape and make somewhat of a home under the streets, but in a communist country during a time of political and civil rebellion life for them was extremely difficult. Degraded and continuously abused, they're forced to be criminals, some become murderers, and most of them die young, horrific deaths. Only one of them (the author) miraculously is able to escape to America.

Overall it was an interesting read, but at times the writing style was jumpy and difficult to follow. 3.5 stars.

[Mariana Farcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Edition (New and Improved!)

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in from the beginning, and I couldn’t stop reading. The brutal reality of Daniel’s childhood is heartbreaking. The innocence and simplicity of an idyllic childhood was ripped from his reach. Possibly the worst and best realization is how a lack of memories from before the orphanage is likely the root of Daniel’s hope and naivety for a better future, as he fought to survive in a world that was doing everything to crush the light in his soul and beat him down.

The tentative bonds of friendship and family formed among the children who escaped from the orphanage. Their limited options for survival. The cruel reality that prevented them from ever finding surety, safety, the love of the families they didn’t know if had lost them or abandoned them.

This is an important read. A view at the harshness of life. War. Death. Rape. The forgotten people outside society, the forgotten people within society. I completely recommend this book.

[Kelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through one of the Goodreads giveaways. I’ve been stuck in a lengthy bout of reading procrastination and I think this book finally broke the streak.

God’s Buried Children centers around the perspective of a Romanian orphan dealing with an an endless rotation of cruel and/or apathetic adults. As another reviewer mentioned, it sometimes reads like a horror story. It was dark and depressing but I couldn’t put it down, in part this was due to my love for historical fiction. Another contributing factor was that when Farcas writes about these heartbreaking stories he manages to simultaneously be blunt, but also poetic and fatalistic, but also hopeful.

I found it impossible to choose a favorite quote so I’ll refer back to the beginning of the book for a line that I think speaks to some of the major themes of religion and abandonment:

“We don’t believe in a God that protects the innocents, but we all pray for a mother.”

[Wolfgang Wambach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Romanian Anne Frank Diary

A group of Romanian parentless children make their way to escape from a brutal orphanage to live on the streets of Bucharest (or rather under the streets).

Every child has its own character and its own story, which are described very precisely.

When the 1989 Romanian Revolution takes place over their heads, their lives change again.

A true story, that starts very brutal, but gets better and better. I was dragged into the story!

The author used the records of a Bucharester orphan named Daniel, who had such an extreme life story, that it could be described as a Romanian Anne Frank Diary.

He mixed it with an interview he made with the street child Vlad to create a very intense book.

The audio book's narrator was very good, giving every character its own voice.

I highly recommend to listen to or read "God's buried children" by Daniel Farcas.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thought-provoking reality book came out of the journal that Daniel Farcas kep during the years when he was a Romanian orphan trying to cope with the restrictions imposed by communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The restrictions were imposed in an effort to increase Romania’s population by criminalizing contraception and abortion. But what happened was gross abandonment of thousands of children who ended up in state orphanages where they were neglected and abused, later often becoming homeless on the streets of Bucharest. This book is drawn from the journal entries of one of those abandoned children, and is dedicated to the 3000 American Families who adopted Romanian orphans after the 1989 Revolution.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book thru Goodreads and was reluctant to start it reading after glancing at the illustrations. I’m glad I read it. So many emotions. The book is dedicated to the 3000 American families that adopted Romanian orphans after the December 1989 Revolution.

[Debra Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting story

[zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

no matter how many times i read it, this book always leaves me heartbroken. the grammatical errors honestly don't bother me in the slightest, if anything they fit the circumstances in which the book was written and imo add a realistic sort of depth to it. my heart will never stop aching for all of them, vlad especially 3