Notes from the Other Side of Night

A lyrical memoir of living under, and escaping from,anti-Semitism and the tyranny of communism.“There are scenes in this book that the reader will neverforget.”—Mircea EliadeWith a new Afterword by the author and a new Introductionby bestselling historian Wilfred M. McClayIn Notes from the Other Side of Night, Juliana GeranPilon provides a beautiful memoir of a return to her native Romania in 1975,which she left with her family when she was just fourteen. Poetically weavingtogether hard-won adult insights with her childhood perceptions, Pilon tellsthe haunting stories of her parents, grandparents, neighbors, and friends. Sherecounts the chilling realities of anti-Semitism, political imprisonment, andjudicial execution under Romania’s ruthless communist authorities. And sheremembers those few who managed to retain their humanity despite the horrorsthat surrounded them.Told with detached melancholy, the result is a book full ofpolitical and spiritual wisdom. At a time when the totalitarian crimes of thelast century are being minimized, if not entirely ignored, Pilon’s meditationon evil, hope, and love is profoundly moving.