Story Behind The Book
Today we are offered information like never before. At the click of a mouse we can purchase the latest computer hardware and software, order our weekly groceries, to be delivered to the door. Even more impressive we can now retrieve records of the Uncle Frank we never before knew existed. Genealogy, for most is ingrained within our fabric. The need to know where we come from as never become greater. No more can I ever claim to be the age old slayer of giants to my young audience, nor will I ever be again the fighter of demons. Alas now genealogy has put paid to such claims. Census records, readily available, at little cost, detail the true origins of our birth. Whether we are of true blue blood origins, or the misfortunate product of a bygone shame, the records are now for all to see. Just imagine now, if no records of our existence survived. As we turn around to face the high noon of the sun, no shadow will ever be cast to remind us we are truly alive and always were. DISPLACED tells of such a search of no recordable beginning. Originally penned In Search of the Displaced Persons the story strives to uncover the shrouded blanket, kept in secret for over sixty years, of my own grandfathers life before his appearance in England in 1947. Yugoslavia's bloody and violent times of her past are revisited within my own travels of a modern day quest of understanding.
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<p>This is great, but I knew I didn't have to worry about one of your books! There is a great mystery to it and it keeps the reader following along and guessing. I had to keep checking to make sure it was non-fiction, it didn't read like that to me. It's an amazing story and I think one that lots of people will be interested to read.<br />Very enjoyable!<br />Missy Flemming<br /></p> <p>Andy/Vesna<br />This is fascinating story and your determination to discover the truth about your Grandfather Maksim is to be commended. There are some wonderful images as you describe your childhood recollections of him. The image of the allotment with its inpenetrable hedge and sturdy door, which when opened revealed Maksim's world and character was particularly evocative. <br />The mystery builds throughout as you wonder aloud about who this secretive and proud man really was, and what he and his associates might having been trying to protect with their wall of silence. This is played out wonderfully against the background of the miners strike. <br />Your parents visit to an essentially alien environment and their treatment by the locals, was actually quite scary, and I can understand your mother's reluctance when you decided to return. I wonder what was actually written on the note she was given, which the locals took such umbrage at? <br />So I'm at the end of ch9, you're almost at the end of a remarkable and lengthy search and I realise I'm not going to discover the secret's of Maksim's life...at least not yet...<br />A remarkable tale, which I could see brought to life further in a documentary. I think people would be shocked by the brutality of what occurred in Bosnia and would be captivated by following the story of one "ordinary man" and how his life was affected by it.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing this. <br /><br />Babs </p> <p><br /> </p>