Free

A Child and a Country at the End of History

By: Lea Ypi

Narrated by: Rachel Babbage, Lea Ypi

Longlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

A reflection on "freedom" in a dramatic, beautifully written memoir of the end of Communism in the Balkans.

Lea Ypi grew up in the last Stalinist country in Europe: Albania, a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police. While family members disappeared to what she was told were "universities" from which few "graduated," she swore loyalty to the Party. In her eyes, people were equal, neighbors helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world.

Then the statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote and worship freely, and invest in hopes of striking it rich. But factories shut, jobs disappeared, and thousands fled to Italy, only to be sent back. Pyramid schemes bankrupted the country, leading to violence. One generation's dreams became another's disillusionment. As her own family's secrets were revealed, Ypi found herself questioning what "freedom" really means. With acute insight and wit, Ypi traces the perils of ideology, and what people need to flourish.

©2021 Lea Ypi (P)2022 Tantor

Best book I’ve read in years

I couldn’t put it down!! What a wonderful, philosophical book about the meaning of freedom and choice and control.

Great read!

I enjoyed this book. Given the rising inequality in the world today, this book addressed the socialism and even capitalism in a way I hadn't heard before. Highly recommend!

Great Story, Great Narration

Really enjoyed this one. Reads like a novel but provides a nuanced look at the politics of the transition from socialism to neoliberalism and the aftermath of shock therapy. Love the stories of her youth, her schooling, and the contrast between the ideologies of her mother, father, and grandmother. Just really well done all around. And the narration was excellent.

Insightful

This book is as insightful as it is moving, deftly weaving together family history, national history, and world history in a powerful reflection on the meaning of freedom.

So good

Educational, interesting, thought provoking. Hard to put down and left me wanting to know more.