A very gripping read. As an Albanian born and raised outside of it, I’ve only ever learned about Albanian culture and history through my parents and family. Recently, I’ve found myself more interested in learning more about what it is to be an Albanian. This has led me to listen to more of the music, attempt (half heartedly) to speak more of the language, and finally learn the history. Consequently this led me to read this book, an account Enver Hoxha’s regime told through the perspective of the people who suffered through it. What you learn is that the citizens of Albania had to suffer though an Orwellian, suffocating, and crushing regime. The stories are nothing short of heartbreaking and through the various accounts you as the reader start to see the common threads recurring through all the tales these people have to tell. Overall, this book has not only illuminated the horrors Albanians had to endure to me but also the brutality of totalitarianism into how it infects every aspect of everyone’s life who’s affected by it.