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How does one adjust to undeserved captivity, survive, attempt to return to normalcy, and succeed? My Second University tells that story, one with universal resonance, reminding us of the strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity. . . . Following the Communist takeover of Romania in 1945, Dr. Stanciu Stroia refused to join the party, suffering professional humiliation and political persecution. He was arrested in 1951 and sentenced to seven years in prison; his estate was nationalized, his family exiled, and his practice confiscated. Ill with scurvy, he survived the prison ordeal and wrote his memoir, despite the risk of being detained again. . . . In addition to Dr. Stroia's memoir, My Second University contains a historical introduction edited by historian Florin Constantiniu; thirty-six pages of original photographs, documents and maps; a never-before-published list of one thousand names of political detainees; as well as excerpts from interviews conducted with other victims of the Communist purge. . . . My Second University serves as a voice for the entire Stalinist generation and adds to the body of evidence against the Red Holocaust. It is a documentary written in memory of all of the forgotten victims of Romania's Communist prisons, who never had the chance to tell their stories. . . . "Stanciu
Stroia's fortitude is astonishing. . . My Second University has an
important place in the prison literature published since 1989." "An utterly
impressive prison memoir. . . a most necessary and valuable contribution to our
understanding of the survival of human dignity under conditions of abysmal
pressure." Stanciu Stroia, M.D. (1904-1987), was president of his medical school class, a pioneer in internal medicine, and a hospital director. He wrote his prison memoir between 1979 and 1986. Dan L. Dusleag, M.D. is the author's grandson and a history enthusiast. He is a board-certified pediatrician and a clinical assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. |