The Long Escape

Jan Rehacek
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781438946733
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/09)


In 1983, I was attending a private Catholic High School and making plans for my future.  My world was fairly mundane.  While I was deciding what major to pursue and what college to attend, the author Jan Rehacek was on the other side of the world about to embark on a life-altering journey.  Because of his anticommunist ideas, Jan’s father was viewed as a threat to the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.  When it became apparent that he would be arrested, he and his wife made plans escape.  Selling off their prized possessions and paying people off to sign their travel documents, they fit everything that they had plus two small children into their vehicle. To protect the children, they were not told that they were leaving for good.
           
“The Long Escape” tells the story of this family’s escape through the eyes of a young boy.  Even though Jan did not know what his parents had planned, he did know that to ensure their safety, secrecy was imperative. As far as Jan knew, the family was headed to Yugoslavia for a three week vacation.  To him this was a great adventure.  Passing through various security checkpoints was still scary to him. He knew that his parents were nervous and that they had hidden currency in their possessions.  Along the way they also had some great adventures.  The author vividly describes places that I know I will never have the chance to see, yet am glad to have learned about their beautiful existence.

Upon reaching their vacation destination, the family sets up their tents and makes it look like they are on a real vacation.  As far as Jan is concerned, they are.  He is excited about the beautiful ocean and what treasures are to be discovered in them, in the form of sea creatures and shells.   He also has some terrifying experiences with viper snakes.  Their constant presence did cast fear into the excitement of the trip.

While they are enjoying their trip, Jan’s father is investigating various ways to safely sneak across the border without endangering his wife and children.  When two German couples show up, the family is given further help with their plans.  Once they are able to safely cross the border, their adventure continues with having to live in internment camps while they are waiting for paperwork to come through that will take them on to a country in which they can have a fresh start.  While living in these poor places, Jan meets children of other cultures and learns to live without very much.  His eyes are also opened to the oppressive-free ways of the Western world. He is very excited when he discovers he will be taking an airplane to the United States.  Upon reaching the US, the family knows that they are now ready to start the next adventure in their lives.

Reading “The Long Escape” from the eyes of a child made the story even more interesting to me.  Through a child’s eyes we are able to see the special excitement that they have when discovering new things, even simple things such as automatic flushing toilets or scented soap.  I found Jan’s adventure to be an incredible story to read.  I really think that this book would make a perfect selection for high schools that have summer reading lists. “The Long Escape” by Jan Rehacek presents an exciting story through the eyes of a child.  Other children and teens will learn to gain an appreciation for what they have in the United States and they will also gain a history lesson about the time of the Iron Curtain.

Make comment on weblog

FTC Disclosure