Yenni : A Life between Worlds

The dismemberment of Czechoslovakia and the growing tension in Eastern Europe ruptured into World War II in 1939, unleashing a succession of disasters that would redefine the borders, ideologies and cultures of this region for years to come. Against this backdrop, Jenny Williams tells us a story of survival that is vivid, almost cinematic - a child's experience of war, through teenage years and the early days of Soviet control in Czechoslovakia; of the oppression of the Hungarian language and culture, and of socialist youth rallies; to optimism, disillusion and fear of the Prague Spring, Dubcek's reforms and the Soviet invasion of 1968, which led to her emigration to Australia. Yenni: A Life Between Worlds reveals a blueprint for happiness that sustains the author despite decades of disappointment and oppression. She does this without a hint of sentimentality, like a marvellous conversation that goes long into the night, combining the vision and sensibilities of a child with the intelligence, wit and compassion of an adult - human in a way we fear might become precarious.