A literate and beautifully written account of a Jewish girl growing up in Stalin's Russia and Castro's Cuba. Her creative approach to the problems of survival and achievement under rigid dictatorships is an example of women's determination and achievement, if and when they take themselves seriously and pursue their objectives with conviction.
Paulina's personal crisis came after a violent rape attempt by her Soviet supervisor at work. This moment became a powerful motivator to overcome obstacles and demonstrated the power and potential of the human spirit. Finding herself embroiled in a Cold War drama on the Island of Cuba where Soviet and American military forces are vying for supremacy during a secret nuclear confrontation, Paulina decided on a dangerous escape to freedom with her two small children rather than become an obedient slave and an informant for a cruel and rogue tyrannical state. When in 1970 the KGB attempted to conscript Paulina as an informant, she defected with her two young children to Canada in a bizarre feat of courage and audacity. This episode is sure to elevate your heart rate. Who said that women are the weaker sex?
She enacted the assertion of "I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore" and despite the long odds, succeeded. She became the only defector from a communist country that made such an escape with small children in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. A seemingly discouraging and difficult situation for a young, penniless immigrant with two small children did not prevent Paulina from rapidly adjusting to a new country. She re-established herself professionally and even brought her parents to Canada 4 years later. Paulina's family proudly integrated into Canadian society. Her boys graduated from Canadian universities as scientists. They became confident, responsible, and independent individuals in the entrepreneurial hi-tech sector. Paulina's memoir provides a highly motivational reading for young girls who are considering a professional career.
It is remarkable how this first-hand story of a young female Soviet defector is relevant to the current global situation regarding the Russian Navy, which replaced the Soviet Navy with the obsessive aim of nuclear dominance in the Atlantic ocean, as well as in the Arctic.
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