Day 95
I love reading biographical novels, stories of people who have gone through unbelievable experiences. My two favourite ones are ‘The Glass Castle’ and ‘the Pianist’.
In ‘The Glass Castle’, the main character grows up in a more than dysfunctional family. She lives in poverty, parental neglect the greater part of her childhood and still ends up becoming a successful journalist and writer (the author is the main character). The story of ‘The pianist’ takes place during the Second World War and shows how a Jewish Polish pianist, through luck, courage, the support of friends and the kindness of an anonymous German officer, manages to survive as the world around him collapses. When I read these types of stories, somehow, my own problems seem trivial.
Recently, my friend Christina’s mom, Aggie, has handed me a memoir. I’ve known her since the age of 12. However, in the past few days, I have discovered a person I really didn’t know. Aggie was born from Hungarian Jewish parents. Her story is captivating. One of the elements that troubled me the most was the description of her escape from Hungary in 1956. At that time, the Russians had besieged Hungary. Her family and her left their hometown hidden in a truck full of potatoes and, on a cold winter night, crossed over to Austria by foot, through a guarded forest. At the time, Aggie was 15 years old. I can only imagine the intensity of the fear and the relief when they finally realised after hours of walking, that they had made it to Austria.
These stories have many things in common. First, they all have a happy ending. When a biography ends in tragedy, I personally don’t enjoy it as much. I guess it’s my sentimental side. They also show how overcoming fears along with resilience are essential when you are looking to better your life. Finally, reading about the courage of others who were confronted with such adversity somehow gives me hope, courage and strength to pursue my own goals.
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