Escape to the Tatras: A Boy, a War, and Life Interrupted
About this audiobook
A coming-of-age story set against the rise of fascism, the collapse of democracy in Slovakia and Hungary, the attempted genocide of the Jewish people, and the eventual conquest of the Allied Forces over Nazi Germany, ESCAPE TO THE TATRAS tells the story of one child’s remarkable journey encompassing the essence of life before and throughout World War II.
During the terrifying years of deprivation, deportation, and imprisonment of Jews, many of whom were sent off to Nazi labor and extermination camps, the Štaub family (mother Irene, father Frici, and their young son Oskar), citizens of Prešov, Slovakia, fled for their lives in order to hide from the brutal Slovakian forces and their German operatives. Young Osi, who witnessed it all, found the courage and resiliency to cope with challenges far beyond his years. Written seven decades later with the precision of unfailing memory and the pain of personal experience, Oscar (Osi) (Staub) Sladek tells an unforgettable story of resilience and personal triumph.
About the author
Oscar Sladek is regarded as a dedicated and respected professional and cultural / educational leader in Colorado’s Jewish community. A child survivor of the Holocaust from Presov, Czechoslovakia, (now Slovakia) who immigrated to the United States in the late 1950s, he is an accomplished singer / songwriter who reached acclaim in Israel and on the Colorado and Southern California folk music circuit of the 1950’s–1960’s. In 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis presented Sladek with an award honoring his “commitment to inspire understanding, moral courage, and social responsibility.” www.EscapetotheTatras.com
Ramiz Monsef has spent several seasons as a member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s acting company, and he is the playwright of OSF’s 2013 production The Unfortunates. He has also appeared onstage in New York and in numerous regional productions.
Corinne Joy Brown is an award-winning Colorado novelist with eight books in print, a magazine editor, and a freelance writer. She is a past president of the Denver Woman’s Press Club and a charter member of Women Writing the West. www.CorinneJoyBrown.com
