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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 A boy's tale of survival and music Mar 18, 2009
By Olga Hailye
This is a mesmerizing and historically important tale of a young boy's life in a partisan movement.What is especially engrossing is the intelligence and ingenuity of the boy, who, while,literally hiding like a small animal in caves and forests, displays incredible curiosity in the world which threatens him. He is constantly learning..how to cobble shoes, play and make violins, sing and recite poetry. Against all odds, this determined boy not only survives, but feeds his soul. And he feeds ours. This book should be read not only by adults but young people..the boy is as appealing as Huck Finn, but lives in the midst of terrors and battles unimaginable to most of us. Teachers would do well to assign this tale of struggle which takes us from the Ukraine to, finally, America. It is also a historical account, movingly and honestly written.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Great Read! May 14, 2009
By Olena O. Koltko
"Olena"
I started reading this book a few days ago and could not put it down. The writing is fluid and one cant help keep turning the page at the end of each chapter. The author describes his trials as a young boy growing up in a small Ukrainian village that was located right on the Ukrainian border with Poland and was terrorized by both Hitler and Stalin. The author at a young age decides to join the Ukrainian resistance and defend his village and other Ukrainian villages. In vivid detail, reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, we learn about his adventures and trials and get a good history lesson in the process. This book will make you laugh, cry and at the end you will feel inspired that there is nothing we can't overcome.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Not Anne Frank's Diary, but Roman D. Mac's Memoir of Life in the Ukrainian Underground-- Steven Spielberg, Where Are You? Dec 23, 2010
By Yaroslava Benko
"Mandrivnyk"
Sometimes, the world gets taken by storm, as with Anne Frank's diary authored during World War II; sometimes, the world isn't aware of essential journal entries verbalized diligently, meticulously, and scrupulously, as authored by Roman D. Mac in his excellent memoir, The Winding Path to Freedom. Mac's mesmerizing memoir takes on additional gravitas since not only have few materials been published about this period of Ukrainian and world history, but also very little of it was published in English.
That this truthful, accurate account from the infrequently published, but highly important, indispensable, and much-needed-to-be-told chapter of Ukrainian/world history should be preserved and presented to the public by not only giants of cinema, but also through book clubs, library collections, and through history curriculums worldwide is without question. That this truthful, accurate account is shared by Roman Mac in his riveting recount, The Winding Path to Freedom, is something that we all should be grateful for is a given.
Roman Mac's The Winding Path to Freedom: a memoir of life in the Ukrainian Underground deserves every bit as much scrutiny, study, scholarly review, marketing, and library shelf space (public and personal) worldwide as does Anne Frank's diary! If public libraries don't have his book on their shelves, ask them to stock it as you remind them that your taxpayer dollars help to fund their library collections; or, donate a copy that you've purchased. This important evidentiary documentation must be made available to the public.
One definition of the word 'diary' is 'a daily record, especially a personal record of events, experiences, and observations; a journal.' One definition of the word 'memoir' is 'an account of the personal experiences of an author; an essay on a scientific or scholarly topic.' One definition of the word 'journal' is 'a personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary.' If Anne Frank's diary merits scrutiny, then Roman D. Mac's memoir surely deserves as much or more attention.
'Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films'--this despite the fact that initially several publishers rejected her diaries; this despite the fact that Otto Frank (Anne's father) gave her diary to the historian Annie Romein-Verschoor, who tried unsuccessfully to have it published. Anne Frank's diary was eventually published; Roman D. Mac's memoir was eventually published. Don't let his memoirs remain unread; read them, pass them on to others, and publicize the extremely significant contents within.
Anne Frank's diary chronicles her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944. Roman Mac's memoir chronicles not only his life experiences, but also his experiences as a very young guerrilla fighter in Ukraine's insurgency against the Soviet Union and Germany in the years 1939 through 1948. As part of recorded history (very few accounts have survived), readers are given glimpses into the aspirations and suffering of villagers in part of Western Ukraine--that part of Ukraine that was turned over to Communist Poland in the year 1945. Albeit the villagers were forcibly resettled to other parts of Poland (Poland's Recovered Territories), nonetheless, their struggles and those of their countrymen in the neighboring Ukrainian provinces/oblasts of Galicia, Podillia, and Volyn continued into the mid 1950s.
'Frank's diary began as a private expression of her thoughts and she wrote several times that she would never allow anyone to read it. She candidly described her life, her family and companions, and their situation, while beginning to recognize her ambition to write fiction for publication.' Mac also wrote private expressions of his thoughts; he also described his life and, additionally, and most importantly, that of the Ukrainian Underground and its situation, as well as his role as a member of that organization. Mac, however, survived World War II, emigrated to the United States in 1950 aboard the USS General Muir, served in the US Army, graduated from college, established a business manufacturing accessories for musical instruments, and wrote and had published his superlative memoir.
Wanted by the Communists for his underground activities, after four years, Mac, together with several comrades, walked through Poland and Czechoslovakia to West Germany's American Zone, where he and they laid down their arms. Experience those four years as only they can be--through the eyes and voice of a survivor. Relive with Roman both humorous and sad moments as he describes rural life in villages along the Polish-Ukrainian border, which shifted frequently; experience hiding in forest bunkers; and, learn about UPA's guerrilla tactics and techniques (we learn in one of Roman's riveting, compelling footnotes of a 1970 meeting with a North Vietnamese emissary who mentioned that both the North Vietnamese Army and the Vietcong guerrilla studied the UPA experience and tactical methods).
It was for another seven years after Roman Mac's unit broke through to the American Zone of occupied Germany in 1948 that the Ukrainian insurgency against the Soviet occupiers lasted. That struggle for freedom was led by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and was fought by the Ukrainian Insurgent (or Partisan) Army. That quest for national self-determination was shared by people in Ukraine who supported OUN and UPA--and, it was that quest which led to Ukrainian independence in 1991, and, eventually, to the Orange Revolution of December, 2004. The Winding Path to Freedom by Roman D. Mac portrays that quest and, ultimately, its achievement not only poignantly and accurately, but also truthfully.
Nicholas Krawciw, Major General, US Army, Retired, wrote the very interesting Foreword. He relates that he first met Roman in Germany in 1948 where they both attended a secondary Ukrainian school in Regensburg. They were also members of the same Ukrainian Scout troop, so that this is a personal story in more ways than one is evident. The 348 poignant, pertinent pages include not only the 4-page Foreword, but also a 2-page Preface, 25 Chapters of captivating reading, a 3-page Epilogue, 5-1/2 pages of Endnotes, a 4-1/2 page Glossary of Terms, a photo of Editor Roman Pastukh with the author, a sketch of Molodych, a sketch of a kryivka (small underground hiding place), hamlets and other nearby villages, as well as many black-and-white archival photos of people and monuments mentioned within the book which document visually the verbal language ensconced within the covers of Mac's compelling compilation of facts from history's jarring, jolting journey through Western Ukraine throughout World War II by way of The Winding Path to Freedom.
Roman Mac's wrenching wartime memoir is told as a first-person narrative, and gives his firsthand account of life as a covert OUN operative in the Ukrainian Resistance Movement in Western Ukraine during the Soviet and German occupations of Western Ukraine during World War II. Not only is this a very poignant, personal autobiography, but also it's a very important historical recount from that period of Ukraine's history.
Meticulous notes kept by Mac as he recorded his thoughts and feelings during that time enabled him to capture the horror of the events as years later he translated his memoir. The writing is crisp, compelling; the story is riveting, and needs very much to be told and retold.
When one thinks of the word underground, words which come to mind are those such as: clandestine, secret organizations, illegal activity, trepidation, hunger, prison, cold, hunted animal, a rendezvous' with danger, and possible survival. These words are all substance and gist of this engrossing, enthralling memoir--a real-life experience documented and retold decades later. There's no middle road to freedom, and Roman Mac's winding path to freedom exposes his harsh, stealthy, first-hand experiences in a way that will literally put you on the ground there with him, making his experiences your experiences--many of them visually enhancing your encounters with truth via numerous black-and-white archival photos.
Five stars plus for a history curriculum must, an indispensable library selection, and a mesmerizing memoir of a Ukrainian hero--a covert OUN operative during World War II who shares his mesmerizing memoirs at long last via truthful, honest reportage written in a highly enthralling, engrossing, riveting memoir. At the very least, The Winding Path to Freedom should be featured and discussed on Oprah's Book Club, or made into a movie--without a doubt!
Addendum: To learn more about things Ukrainian, visit the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, please see my comment below this review for further information. Readers, you're also invited to visit each of my reviews--most of them have photos (with notes) that I took in Ukraine (over 600)--you'll learn lots about Ukraine and Ukrainians. The image gallery shows smaller photos, which are out of sequence. The preferable way is to see each review through my profile page since photos that are germane to that particular book/VHS/DVD are posted there with notes and are in sequential order.
To visit my reviews: click on my pseudonym, Mandrivnyk, to get to my profile page; click on the tab called review; scroll to the bottom of the section, and click on see all reviews; click on each title, and on the left-hand side, click on see all images. The thumbnail images at the top of the page show whether photos have notes; roll your mouse over the image to find notes posted. Also, you're invited to visit my Listmania lists, which have materials sorted by subject matter.
Additionally, both kids and adults will find it to be enjoyable and educational to learn the names and locations of the regions/oblasts of Ukraine and test their knowledge by solving the Interactive Puzzle map. Please see my comment below this review for further information.
Moreover, to view excellent slideshows of the 25 regions (24 oblasts and one autonomous republic) of Ukraine (you may even set the length of the slideshow), please see my comment below this review.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A Soldier's Story May 25, 2010
By M. A. Leone
"aimee ange"
This memoir drew me in immediately--despite my decidedly sketchy grasp of Ukrainian history. The author Roman Mac offers a bird's eye view of the awful impact of war on his village of Molodych. When his father valiantly refuses to burn the local churches at the behest of the Soviet police, the brutal beating he receives leads to his death in April 1940.
Mac, at seven years of age, is devastated. He writes, "Often I would slip into his shoes, don his jacket that reached almost to my ankles and stride around the garden with his walking cane. I touched every plant like he did and, coming closer to the house, made an announcement in his manner that everything was well."
Unfortunately, in reality nothing is well. Months earlier, the Soviets had begun to rule Western Ukraine, already occupied by Poland, as a result of the Russo-German nonagression pact of 1939.
Within the context of these world events, Mac brings the reader into his own world and that of his village. He learns to cobble shoes when he is eight years old as a way to help his family as conditions deteriorate in his village. The Germans take most of their livestock, and the people become poorer and poorer.
In the spring of 1944 the fighting becomes intense between the Russians and the Germans. As a result, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is formed. That fall Mac offers to fix the shoes of an educated man named Kushnir, who is a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN. He gives Mac the duty of delivering secret messages on "paper folded into small rectangles and sealed with hard red wax". He also appoints Mac a scout, due to his extensive knowledge of the local terrain. Mac is twelve years old, often separated from his family with scarcely enough food to eat or a safe place to sleep. But he accepts his new life with optimism, self-reliance, and a youthful spirit of adventure that belies the danger he often faces.
Despite his proficiency at dealing with enemy soldiers in a variety of ways, Mac has the soul of an artist. He learns to play the violin from a UPA soldier, who gives his old violin to the boy. It begins a lifelong love of the instrument, and fosters a curious, inexplicable habit within him: in the long years of living amidst ambushes and enemy attacks,at certain times of peril Mac would hear a haunting tune in his head. The winsome beauty of the music somehow offers him the strength to persevere.
He writes that their enemies always stayed in villages, knowing the UPA refused to attack any place where innocent civilians might be harmed. "No country gave us arms, and no savior dropped air shipments of supplies. Every bullet my comrades and I had was obtained from the enemy either in the battle or from raiding their warehouses."
Perhaps Mac's most significant contribution occurs in 1946 when he helps organize and pack documents in leather pouches he's made that are delivered to the American Embassy in Warsaw. It was essential for the West to learn of their plight, especially given the millions of Ukrainians who had perished in the Stalin-induced famine of 1932-33. Mac writes that the successful transmission of these important documents "most likely saved millions of lives."
Throughout this book,the reader learns intimate details of war, such as the curious methods used by their enemies to detect bunkers. Mac describes various types of bunkers he makes, such as one in the nearby Ruchkalka Forest "beneath an old, hollow oak tree. The hollow was used for ventilation, but you could also climb into the trunk and look through tiny holes to observe the outside."
This is a absorbing, compelling book, with beautifully detailed descriptions of village celebrations interspersed with the harsh realities of war (ultimately ending with Mac's journey to the United States). It is a tale of valor--not only of the author's, but of all who fought together to free Ukraine.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Must Read!! Apr 27, 2009
By Cyrrus99
My idea was to learn more about the author and his lifelong experiences, I was very satisfied as this book clearly accomplished that for me. This book is as simple to read as the man himself. Mr. Mac tells us most sincerely and honestly that he would not have been what he became, if it was not for certain events that changed his life. Must Read!!!!
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