"In today’s 21st century, it is hard to imagine that those born after 1993 know very little about the harsh realities of true communism, the most extreme form of socialism. As we turn to our cell phones and look up historical information from “Dr. Google,” no one can truly feel or understand what a totalitarian government can do. For our ancestors who lived in then “Czechoslovakia,” communism and socialism co-existed and provided a highly controlled environment where basic freedoms and individual dignity were denied. There were certainly no cell phones and very few landlines, and they were all censored. There was no cable or satellite television. There was however, state controlled and monitored television and radio programs. Commercials were replaced by state messages of propaganda. Churches mostly became museums. People who would not join the Community Party were denied good jobs, even with advanced educational degrees. This wonderfully written book provides for the reader a poignant description of life under communism. It discusses the realities of a time in history that can now be remembered from experience by a growing minority of people who lived through it. The book has relevance to persons of all ages and backgrounds. For some, this new learning is added to their knowledge of the time and for those born after 1993, it is filled with new knowledge to add to their personal understanding and for that of future generations."