Title: The Biggest Hole in the Iron Curtain: The Batizy Story
Author: Levente Batizy
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1478756941
Genre: Historical European Biographies/European History/Memoirs
Pages: 168
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Hollywood Book Reviews
While the times we live in our very uncertain and the world is on edge both socially and health wise, one of the oldest institutions in the modern world that many people strive towards is “The American Dream”. The promise of a nation of freedom and equality has always been what many around the world have striven for, even when that hasn’t always proven to be true. As Kamala Harris once said, “The American dream belongs to all of us.”
In author Levente Batizy’s “The Biggest Hole in the Iron Curtain: The Batizy Story”, the author relays a powerful immigration story that involves escaping the Hungarian Revolution in the 1950’s. After centuries spent as one of the more prominent and noble families in the country, the revolution forced the Batizy family lost their Eastern European nobility and had to find a new kind of dream, the American Dream.
This was one of the more engaging and fascinating memoirs I’ve read in a while. The author’s story of being born into this family that has nobility stretching back several centuries and having to flee the only life he’s ever known after communism takes over his country was a hard-hitting and powerfully emotional read. The way the author and his family not only escape from the revolution but work to find a new place in the world after being born into a world full of much different expectations really puts the reader into a whole new perspective, and forces us all to see the world in a much different way.
This was a wonderful read for the readers who enjoy a good historical memoir, with an especially profound look into European history and stories involving former families of nobility. As a history fan, it was easy to get lost in the author’s narrative and feel the experiences of the author on a much deeper level. The detail and personal emotions the author puts into the writing really allow the reader to connect with this fascinating piece of history.
Overall, this was a truly engaging and awe-inspiring book. Levente Batizy’s “The Biggest Hole in the Iron Curtain: The Batizy Story” was an incredible and relatively fast-paced read that delves into a piece of history that is not as heavily explored as it ought to be. The raw emotions of the younger children who experienced this tumultuous time period and the journey of the family as a whole will instantly grab readers attention and keep them invested throughout. Be sure to see for yourselves what happened to the Batizy noble family and pick up your own copy of this wonderful book today.