I had to read this autobiography for my CF class and I do not usually enjoy reading long books for school, however this book was so intriguing and captivating. It even brought me to tears at one point. The women who wrote this book suffered so much in her life and it just seemed unfair.
Below is an excerpt of what I wrote after reading this great book:
Heda Margolius Kovaly writes in her autobiography that “truth alone does not prevail. When it clashes with power, truth often loses. It prevails only when people are strong enough to defend it.” In her life as a Jewish woman, she witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust in the concentration camps. She also lived through the post war time in Prague where Communism seemed to be the most appropriate solution to the economic conditions of the time. Through all this, there was always a figurehead as “the leader” in power. First it was Hitler, a fascist, and then Stalin, a communist. Moreover, Under a Cruel Star offers its readers a better understanding of what can happen to the truth under authority and what must be done to restore truth for humanity.
It is important to be challenged to read books like this one in school in order to better understand history so that we do not repeat it. After reading this book, I am thankful for freedom and the progress that we have made in the US as a society. However, I do also realize that the human race is inevitably going to be violent, or emit unfair suffering to people.
I hope that someday we can all find peace, but who knows if we can maintain that?
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