My Grandfathers Mill Journeyto Freedom is a true story parthistory, part biography. It focuseson two families and their two infantchildren, Andrew and Chrystyna,born in Western Ukraine at theheight of the Second World War.Their parents fought for Ukrainianindependence throughout the yearsof Polish occupation, the invasion ofStalins Bolshevik forces and duringthe years of Hitlers Nazi terror.Members of both their families weremurdered by one or another of theoccupying armies. Family accounts ofconcentration camps, refugee camps; ofwar crimes, brutality and uncertainty,of hope, courage and unexpectedgenerosity are interwoven with thehistorical realities of the time.They were among the lucky oneswho found freedom in North America.Half a century after they left theirhomeland, Andrew and Chrystynareturned. They discovered the villagesof their birth, found family membersthey didnt know existed, experiencedtheir culture fi rst-hand and fi nallybegan to make sense of their placein history.This book is written for futuregenerations, for all those who havelived in two very different worlds, forvictims of wars, present day refugees,immigrants and especially for thosewho were born and have alwayslived in a free country and neverexperienced the horrors of war.
