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Explosion: The Hungarian Revolution of 1956
The definitive account of one of the largest spontaneous, leaderless revolutions the world has ever seen-- tragically crushed by the Soviet Union in 1956. Triggered by a confluence of fateful events in 1956, Hungarian students led hundreds of thousands of their countrymen in a spontaneous revolt against the Soviet-sponsored government. They succeeded for just two weeks, until the USSR released a vengeful blitzkrieg. More than 200,000 Hungarian refugees fled to Austria; many made their way to the U.S. The true story of the uprising had to await the fall of the Iron Curtain. A Radio Free Europe journalist, the author sensed the importance of that moment in time and saved his notes, articles, and dispatches, and uses it all to create a picture of life in that exhilarating and tragic time. This is by far the most comprehensive account of the revolt.
691 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2007
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November 27, 2009
This is about the people I grew up with. They did not want to share their stories then and it has always been bugging me. It brings tears to my eyes knowing that they, or their friends, or family were there on this day. He writes about it minute to minute, from each part of the country, it is exactly what I was looking for to do research for my novel. Its hard to read though because the emotions it stirs up in me. Yet, I can't wait to learn more. If you have Hungarian ancestry from 1956, you have to read this book. This is all we really have so far. Oh, the writing is terrific. I hate non-fiction books - blah, blah, blah, opinion blah. This is not like that. You feel like you are reading a story. You are connected to the top people.
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