WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:09.960 Hello everybody, and welcome to the Best Ever You show. 2 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:13.720 I'm your host Elizabeth Hamilton Garno, and I am here 3 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.239 with author Caroline Topperman. 4 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:18.239 How are you, Caroline, I'm. 5 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.079 Good, Thank you. How are you right? 6 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:23.760 It's so great to meet you, and congratulations on your 7 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:27.000 book launch today. Tell us all about your new book. 8 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:28.160 I'm excited for you. 9 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.039 Thank you. I know it's been a very overwhelming morning 10 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:35.759 with social media exploding a little bit, so it's been 11 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:40.600 a lot of fun. So my book, Your Roots cast 12 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:46.280 a shadow. I actually started writing this book probably in 13 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:50.240 twenty fourteen officially, so I guess that's ten years ago 14 00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:55.799 when right after I first moved to Poland, and it 15 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:59.600 was started as a response to what I was seeing 16 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:03.679 there and how I was reconnecting with my family roots 17 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.799 and family that I didn't know, and family that I 18 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:09.200 didn't know a lot about. 19 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:12.959 And you are from where are you right now? You're 20 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:13.480 in Canada? 21 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:18.159 Right, yes, right now? I live in Toronto, Canada. But 22 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.760 I was born in Sweden. My parents became political refugees 23 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:29.319 in nineteen sixty eight ish nineteen sixty nine from Poland, 24 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.640 and so yeah, I was born in Sweden. And then 25 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:38.000 we moved to Canada after that shortly after that. 26 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.760 That's an interesting past. I was reading your bio. 27 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:43.480 I can't pronounce. 28 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.840 Some of the things in your bio. So I'm like, Caroline, 29 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:47.239 can you read your bio for us? 30 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:48.799 I won't make you do that, of course, it's just 31 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:52.040 kind of funny, but you have such an interesting past 32 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:57.319 and interesting history to you. I'm excited to present this 33 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:00.000 book to the best ever you network. So the official 34 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.239 book is called Your Roots, Cast a Shadow, One Family 35 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:07.519 Search Across History for Belonging, Across History, for Belonging. It's 36 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:11.400 published by HCI. Are great friends at HCI, and it 37 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:16.360 is available officially today wherever books are sold. US authors 38 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:18.199 love it when you go to Amazon. So many of 39 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.680 the books are sold through Amazon these days. Giving us 40 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:24.319 reviews and getting us to that fifty review mark is 41 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.800 such a critical point in an author's life. And we 42 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.800 also always love our folks at Books a Million and. 43 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:31.560 Barnes and Noble. 44 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:35.159 I can't tell you how grateful I am for all 45 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.759 the bookstores here in Maine supporting me and my books 46 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:41.199 and things like that. So Carolyn, I'm sure you'll have 47 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:45.879 great fun around you locally as well. And then nationally 48 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:50.080 as the book grows. So congratulations on the launch and 49 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:52.439 it's a big day for you, and I'm thankful to 50 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:54.800 be part of it. I want to go back and 51 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.680 do actually read a little bit of your bio because. 52 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:00.719 This is this your first book. 53 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.159 This is my first when I say book book, so 54 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:09.400 with lots of writing in it. I have another book 55 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:13.680 that came out in twenty nineteen and it was it's 56 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:19.879 a book of visual writing prompts. So the very quickly 57 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:22.560 the story behind that one is I had moved back 58 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:24.960 to Canada from living in Europe and I was having 59 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:28.240 writer's block and I realized I was a very visual person, 60 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:32.360 and I decided that I needed photography and images to 61 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:35.800 help me write. And I actually use that a lot 62 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:40.360 of those techniques for writing this book, and so I 63 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:42.800 came up with this book, tell Me what You See? 64 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:44.599 And that was the other one. 65 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:47.360 Yeah, so is it safe to say you're a photographer? 66 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:56.400 I guess, although I don't really wait, I guess. You know, 67 00:03:56.439 --> 00:03:58.960 most of my pictures are taken with my phone right now. 68 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:01.840 I do have nice fans cameras, but I just love 69 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:07.080 experimenting with my phone. So I don't know if that 70 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:11.120 makes me a photographer. Sure, I'll take that, let's call it. 71 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:16.319 Yeah, So tell me about Okay, so tell me about 72 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.720 the move to Poland, like what prompted that, why did 73 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:19.240 you do that? 74 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:19.920 And so forth. 75 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:22.240 Give us a little bit more insight, and then that'll 76 00:04:22.279 --> 00:04:25.240 kind of help unravel a book a little bit correct. 77 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:32.720 Yes, yeah, absolutely. So I was living in Toronto, my 78 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:35.399 husband and I he was my fiance at the time, 79 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.720 but we moved to Vancouver, and Vancouver was a great city. 80 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.240 I don't want to say bad things about that city, 81 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:47.279 but it wasn't the city for me. So I in Vancouver, 82 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:51.360 I actually owned a pilate studio that I ran, and 83 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:55.160 I probably had, like I don't know, thirty million different 84 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.439 jobs that I did there, and so it was a 85 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:01.160 very it was a very exciting time in my life, 86 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.639 but it didn't feed my soul. That's how I like 87 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:07.959 to describe it, because it's such a sports town and 88 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:11.759 I love sports. Like I said, I owned a pilate studio, 89 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.480 but the arts were missing in my life. I trained 90 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:20.720 in dance and my mom was a painter. My dad, 91 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:25.519 even though he was an engineer, it was very visual work. 92 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:28.600 It was very artistic work. He was an artist in 93 00:05:28.639 --> 00:05:32.439 his heart. He went in the theater, worked in the 94 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:36.839 theater for many years. So I just started looking around 95 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.839 for another place we could live. And probably about thirteen 96 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.560 years or ten ten eleven years in of living in Vancouver, 97 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:47.839 my husband and I went to visit Poland That's where 98 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.720 my family is from, and he was born there and 99 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:53.879 hadn't actually been back since he left, so it was 100 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:58.639 a few decades for him, and we fell in love 101 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:02.519 with the city. It was citing, sorry the city as 102 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:06.399 in Warsaw is where we went. It was exciting. There 103 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:11.120 were things happening. There was this atmosphere, this electric atmosphere. 104 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.639 Restaurants were opening on every corner, little shops. It was 105 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:19.759 really it was really great. And I was completely swept 106 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:24.240 up in that romantic idea of moving to Europe. And 107 00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:26.800 I really wanted to live in Europe. I mean I 108 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:29.399 had a very different image of it of what how 109 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:33.360 I would be living than we did, you know, because TV. 110 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:38.480 But I thought, you know what, why don't we just 111 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:43.560 go for it, just try And so at this point 112 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:47.639 in time there, you know, twenty two thousand and nine 113 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:51.120 had already happened, so there had been that economic crash 114 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.920 and he needed a change too, he was getting burnt 115 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:57.800 out at his job. So I went and I thought, 116 00:06:57.879 --> 00:06:59.959 you know, I have a right to a Polish passport. 117 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:04.000 Took me a year and a half to get that done, 118 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:07.839 and his was considerably easier since he was born there. 119 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:13.199 And then we sold almost everything we owned and we 120 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:18.240 packed everything up into eleven boxes that were placed on 121 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:21.319 a boat. That was a really crazy experience bringing it 122 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:27.160 to the yards where they transport things. And we bought 123 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.560 one way tickets to Warsaw, Poland, and we landed it 124 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.800 November twenty thirteen. November fourteenth, twenty thirteen. 125 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:40.519 And now take me to how a book becomes of that. 126 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.759 So one day I started blogging quite a bit there. 127 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:48.480 I was working for some companies writing in English, and 128 00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:50.800 I started, I thought, you know, I'll start a blog, 129 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:54.439 as one did in those days. And I met a 130 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:59.800 friend you're gonna laugh. So she's based out of Pittsburgh 131 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.680 and we were both taking a blogging course that was 132 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:04.920 based out of Australia. 133 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:06.120 Oh wow. 134 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:10.120 And after that course ended, we stayed friends and we 135 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:13.879 would do occasional talks. And sometime twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen, 136 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.040 maybe I said, you know what, I want to write 137 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.240 a book because I was discovering all these things about 138 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:22.360 my family. I met family that I didn't know, and 139 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:28.000 I thought their stories are actually really interesting and I 140 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.160 think they're important for the world. And at the time, 141 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:35.879 the politics in Poland went from this very eager buzz 142 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:42.840 and excitement to very I would say, the best version 143 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:47.720 is like a socialist version of very very hard right politics. 144 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:54.279 So the mood changed drastically and I started seeing alarming headlines. 145 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:56.799 It wasn't quite what we're seeing in the world right 146 00:08:56.840 --> 00:09:00.679 now yet, but the headlines were starting to be a 147 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:05.360 little bit too close for comfort of what I knew 148 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:09.039 that my family had experienced in the late nineteen thirties 149 00:09:09.159 --> 00:09:14.039 nineteen forties in Europe, and so I thought, you know, 150 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:16.720 what best way I can speak out really is to 151 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:18.799 write a book. And that's how it started. 152 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:23.039 Tell me more about the title. Why the title? 153 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:27.279 So the title was actually the title of a chapter. 154 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:31.039 And I would love to take full credit for this, 155 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:34.679 but my husband came up with that title and it 156 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:39.480 just worked for this and then it just worked, and 157 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:43.000 interestingly enough, I had a few people say, well, that's 158 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.480 a really intense title. Would you consider changing it? And 159 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:49.840 I said yes, and I knew that going into traditional publishing, 160 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:52.879 I might have to change it. So I was surprised 161 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:56.639 when HCI did not change it. They just added the subtitle. 162 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:01.240 But I realized that no matter where I went, what 163 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:06.279 I did, the roots, my family roots, they were always there. 164 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.519 They were always pulling me back. They were always a connection, 165 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:13.440 and they they never left. My father at one point 166 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:17.840 was disowned, which is why I am, which is why 167 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.480 I didn't know that family and why I had to 168 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:27.559 reconnect with that family. But somehow the reconnection was easy, 169 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:30.200 and I think it's because of the roots. 170 00:10:30.679 --> 00:10:33.159 So tell tell the listeners what the reader, what the 171 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:35.240 reader can expect, and what the book is about. 172 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.799 So the book really spans my four and a half 173 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:42.120 years living in Poland, because as we said, I'm back 174 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:47.279 in Canada now, and it dives back and forth through history. 175 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.879 It follows my mother's side of the family. They were 176 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:54.840 they had to flee Poland, they were Jewish, had to 177 00:10:54.840 --> 00:11:01.840 flee Poland, and they traveled west to sorry west east 178 00:11:01.960 --> 00:11:06.200 to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and they survived the war there and 179 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.919 then they came back to rebuild their country. My father's side, 180 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:14.360 who actually survived the war, including my father in Afghanistan, 181 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:17.240 and they came back in nineteen forty four as well 182 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.759 to help rebuild the country. And then my mother's side, 183 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:27.039 which was basically kicked out of Poland in nineteen sixty 184 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:31.080 eight for being Jewish, and then my return. So it's 185 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:35.759 this back and forth of looking at what they went through, 186 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:40.120 looking at what I went through, and in by no 187 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:44.000 means did anything I go through was anything as serious 188 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.399 as what they went through. So just so we're clear, 189 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:50.200 I know that, but just sort of looking at how 190 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:56.759 migration affects us, what our responsibilities are I think is 191 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:01.679 human beings, and I try to make fun of my 192 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:05.559 experiences a little bit, just to keep it a little 193 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.360 bit lighter, so it's not this very heavy, heavy book, 194 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:14.120 I hope, And just to show us how important it 195 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:17.039 is to start those conversations about how important it is 196 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:22.399 to realize, you know, where we came from, who who are, 197 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.399 where our roots are, what are where are traditions come from, 198 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:28.440 and why they're important. 199 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.840 If you're just joining us, we are having a book 200 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:36.399 discussion with author Caroline Topperman. Her website is Caroline Tapperman 201 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:40.000 dot com. I will put a link in the show 202 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:44.000 title and bio to your website. And her new book, 203 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:46.799 which came out today is called Your Roots Cast a Shadow. 204 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:52.200 It's available wherever books are sold. And I'd love to 205 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:55.120 know what your favorite part of the book is. Did 206 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:57.320 you have a yeah, tell us, do you have a 207 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:58.519 favorite part of the book? 208 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:04.360 You know, I think that probably changes right now. So 209 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:08.240 it's a little bit sad. So my father actually passed 210 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.360 away this summer. She never got a chance to see 211 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:18.120 this in its full final format. So I think right 212 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:21.720 now probably my favorite parts are because I did a 213 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:26.039 lot of interviews and I don't want to make this 214 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.000 whole thing sound sad, but so my mother passed away 215 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.919 many years ago, and a lot of this was written 216 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:35.559 using my dad's memories and recordings, and so I think 217 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:38.039 right now my favorite parts are the parts that are 218 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:41.480 the most sentimental for me right now are the parts 219 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:47.519 where I just transcribed his memories as a kid. 220 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.720 That's so special. I'm sorry about your dad. 221 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:55.039 You you know, my dad passed way in twenty eighteen, 222 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:56.519 so I know that feeling. 223 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:57.519 It's sorry. 224 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:01.360 So yeah, lot of my books have my dad in 225 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:03.799 them too, so I'm I'm kind of happy to hear 226 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:04.480 that that your. 227 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:07.440 Dad's there with you. Yeah. 228 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:12.759 Is there anything that major nervous or scared about writing 229 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.039 a book like this, like putting a book out into 230 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:15.480 the world. 231 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.840 Yes and no. So of course I am writing about family, 232 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:25.639 and I didn't want I really didn't set out to 233 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:29.159 insult anyone. You know. I didn't agree with some of 234 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:33.159 the choices family made, or some of their politics and 235 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.320 ideals from way back. So I tried to present that 236 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:43.559 in the best way I could, you know, giving my opinion, 237 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:49.039 but also trying to understand their motivations. One family member 238 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:53.840 is still alive, my mother's brother, and I actually just 239 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:58.440 changed his name. We had a very odd relationship, so 240 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:01.279 that on that level, that made me a little bit 241 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.919 nervous doing that. And I, you know, I have a sister. 242 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:07.840 I didn't want to drag her through this either, but 243 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:11.919 I wanted to pay tribute without pulling them in. Wasn't 244 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:18.440 really for example, it's not really her story what I was. 245 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:21.279 I was laughing when when I originally wrote this book, 246 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.320 the politics in Poland were very different, and there was 247 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:26.240 this part of me that kept laughing, hoping that the 248 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:30.799 book would be banned there just for publicity's sake. But 249 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:33.159 so I am a little bit afraid of that. I 250 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:38.799 think a little bit, But I I because most of 251 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:41.840 the family members are now deceased. I'm not really worried 252 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:46.919 about any family coming back at me. I think I 253 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:49.360 did my best. I hope I did my best. Sure 254 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:56.559 I but yeah, I so so yes and yes and no. 255 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.799 But I'm not really afraid of too much because most 256 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:03.679 of the politics I do talk about are in the past. 257 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.000 Yeah, and what are you working on now? 258 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.559 So this book, if you ask me that question, for 259 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.200 this book, there will be a whole lot more so. 260 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:19.440 While I was writing Your Roots Cast a Shadow, I 261 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:24.440 uncovered papers that my other grandfather had written during his 262 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:31.159 time in Afghanistan. And I have these amazing stories fairy 263 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:34.519 tales or folk tales and just his time because he 264 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:39.240 was building the road that joins Kabul and Jalalabad. And 265 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:42.200 I have my dad's memories as well. So I'm just 266 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:45.360 at the beginning of forming all of that. But for 267 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.919 that book, I actually started working with a gentleman who 268 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:54.440 is living in exile in Canada. He is a writer 269 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:59.679 scholar from Afghanistan, and he put me in touch with 270 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:06.400 an underground school for Afghan girls and he and I 271 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:11.000 teach them every week, and it is so dangerous that 272 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:14.319 they don't show their faces on the screen. So we do, 273 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.799 we we talk over the internet, but they don't. They 274 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:22.279 don't show me their faces. And I'm not allowed to 275 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:25.119 be in their group because my name obviously does not 276 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:31.079 sound Muslim at all. And there is a very real 277 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:35.799 threat from the Taliban for these girls and by extension, 278 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:41.640 for me. Yeah, so that one. But I'm finding it 279 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:47.240 so fascinating and their stories are so so incredible that 280 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:49.200 you know, I'm not stepping away from that. 281 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:50.440 Isn't that scary? 282 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.920 We live at a time where people can't get educated 283 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:53.599 without the threat. 284 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:57.200 Yeah, and they're being actively silenced. They're not allowed to 285 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.119 speak on the streets, right, crazy. 286 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:02.839 Yeah, who knew you'd be such a historian? 287 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:04.319 Huh Yeah? 288 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:04.880 Not me? 289 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:08.519 Yeah, yeah, but is you? 290 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:14.240 I know, very unexpectedly, I think, because I was interested 291 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:18.079 in stories and I started recording them. And then my 292 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:21.279 dad's brother he found out about all of this, so 293 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:23.759 he was very excited. He passed away actually during COVID, 294 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:26.359 but he was very excited about it. And he's the 295 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:31.880 one who sent me all of these amazing letters and 296 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.480 books and things. So yeah, it all fell into my lap. 297 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:37.640 So thanks family. 298 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.039 What part of this intimidates you? 299 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:45.319 So I do a lot of translations. That is definitely 300 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:47.839 a challenge. I want to make sure that I'm translating 301 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:50.920 it properly and then just getting the facts right. I 302 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.359 think I do a lot of research to make sure 303 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:57.640 that it's right, but you know, things sometimes escape you, 304 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.440 and so I think it's that it's just making sure 305 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:06.160 that I'm properly mixing the facts with an interesting stories. 306 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:08.319 I don't want any of this to be dry either. 307 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:10.720 I laughed at you know, I read a lot of 308 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:15.119 dry books that were very informative while I was writing 309 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.079 this book, but that were not They were not not 310 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.200 the book that you would sit down and just read 311 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:24.400 for enjoyment. And so it's it's combining the two and 312 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:29.400 keeping it light enough without making it silly. 313 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:31.440 But also we're boring. 314 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.720 Yeah, you know, it's it's it's making that happen. 315 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:41.200 What was the motivation to actually like write the book 316 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:44.000 and bring the family stories to light and things like that? 317 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:46.720 What was going on there with. 318 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:48.759 You know what? 319 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.559 I mean? Why why did you want to write the book? 320 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.759 Yeah? So it was really because in Poland that the 321 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:01.000 government had changed. I was suddenly I found myself literally 322 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:06.240 going to protests probably once a week in Poland as 323 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:10.599 their government changed and took hold and changes started happening, 324 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:15.720 and women, for example, lost reproductive rights, and then they 325 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:22.200 started really pushing the whole family, the traditional family and 326 00:20:22.680 --> 00:20:28.279 quotation marks, and I thought, no, we cannot go back 327 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.319 into that kind of world. And I remember one day 328 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:36.720 I participated in it was essentially Pride parade, but it 329 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:40.720 was organized through my husband's work. The float, it's a big, 330 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:44.920 pretty big thing there, but they call it, I'll say 331 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:47.720 this in Polish, they call it parada nochi, which is 332 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:53.039 direct translation. It's like equality parade. And I remember going 333 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:55.359 to the first one and we had a fairly big 334 00:20:55.400 --> 00:21:01.079 float and we were flanked by police in full like 335 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:07.000 full gear, two rows of police and probably about thirty 336 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:11.599 of those like big police trucks behind us, and a 337 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:18.319 lot of neo Nazis fascists were standing and yelling at us, 338 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:23.440 and I thought, no, no, this, No, we cannot go 339 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:26.559 back to this world. You don't have to like everything 340 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:32.279 about everybody, that's fine, but we can't have this. And 341 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:37.160 Poland their politics, they were allowing all the neo Nazis 342 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:42.599 and other groups like that into the country. So Independence 343 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:46.359 Day in Poland is not the same as Independence Day 344 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:53.039 in the US and or or Canada Day over here. 345 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:59.720 It's actually celebrated on November eleventh, which is Remembrance Day 346 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:07.039 in Canada. But there it becomes this very ugly nationalist 347 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:12.920 holiday with companies telling their foreign workers to stay home. 348 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:17.640 There are flare guns that come out. The whole the 349 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.000 air is just filled with heavy smoke, very ugly, ugly 350 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:27.599 slogans are chanted and it's ugly. The whole thing is 351 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.680 very ugly. And I thought, I just I need to 352 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:34.079 say something, I need to do something. And it's great, 353 00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:37.119 you know, I'm more than happy to participate in protests 354 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:39.599 and sign my name to petitions. But I thought, you know, 355 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:41.960 another voice with a book like this out in the 356 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:45.079 world that is speaking out against the ugly. That's what 357 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:45.519 we need. 358 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:48.480 So when did you move back? 359 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:52.480 We moved back in twenty eighteen. 360 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:54.759 And were you relieved to move back? 361 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.400 Yes? And no. There were things I didn't like. The 362 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:01.079 government is different now in Poland, and I do miss 363 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:03.079 my life in Poland. I do like more of that 364 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:07.240 European life style. But we moved back from my husband's work, 365 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:09.680 and just to be closer to family as well. My 366 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:13.480 dad had moved into a retirement home, and I thought, yeah, 367 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:17.000 it's probably time to be just a little bit closer. 368 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:20.599 I think our siblings were already wanting both of us 369 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:23.240 to move back so we could help with parents. 370 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:26.240 Yeah, if you were gonna, if you were going to 371 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:29.480 move anywhere again, would you and where would it be? 372 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.880 I would? I don't know. I would love to live 373 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:36.519 in the South of France for a little bit. I 374 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:38.200 always laugh that I'd like to live in the South 375 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:42.839 of France and make cheese. I don't know why, but yeah, 376 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:46.720 I think I get antsy. I like to I like 377 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:47.400 to move around. 378 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:48.480 This would be hard to do. 379 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:51.119 Like, I'm a mom of four sons and now they're 380 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.480 in their twenty so now we could even now we 381 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.759 probably couldn't go because the roots are so tied and 382 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:57.839 they're back here and their families are here and things 383 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:58.119 like that. 384 00:23:58.200 --> 00:23:59.799 I don't know how that would work. 385 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:04.400 Do you do you have children, family members near you 386 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:06.400 where you live things like that, or are you just 387 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:08.319 sort of portable and can go where you want to go? 388 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:13.359 So no kids? I think we are portable. My husband 389 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:16.480 less so now because of his parents they're here, but 390 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:19.920 because the family's I mean his as well. But my 391 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:26.319 family was so fragmented after the war, in the Second 392 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:30.279 World War. You know, my family, my mother's side, most 393 00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:33.880 of them are actually in Germany right now. My dad 394 00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:39.519 has one or two people laughter, Like the closest family 395 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:43.200 is in Poland, in Warsaw. There's a little bit of 396 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:49.160 family in South Africa, actually, and that is kind of 397 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:51.359 it for me. There's some there are there is family 398 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.759 in in the US, but I don't know them very well. 399 00:24:54.799 --> 00:25:00.279 They came much earlier to North America, so I like 400 00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:05.759 I'm fairly portable. Of course, I have a wonderful nieces 401 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.599