Escape to the Tatras: A Boy, a War and a Life Interrupted

Front Cover
Daniel Sladek Entertainment Corporation (DSEC), 2022 - Biography & Autobiography - 294 pages

The true coming-of-age story set against the rise of fascism, the collapse of democracy in Slovakia and Hungary, the attempted genocide of the Jewish people, and the eventual conquest of the Allied Forces over Nazi Germany, ESCAPE TO THE TATRAS - A BOY, A WAR AND A LIFE INTERRUPTED tells the story of one child's remarkable journey encompassing the essence of life before and throughout World War II.

During the terrifying years of deprivation, deportation, and imprisonment of Jews, many of whom were sent off toNazi labor and extermination camps, the Staub family (mother Irene, father Frici, and their young son Oskar), citizens of Presov, Slovakia, fled for their lives in order to hide from the brutal Slovakian forces and their German operatives.Young Osi, who witnessed it all, found the courage and resiliency to cope with challenges far beyond his years. Written seven decades later with the precision of unfailing memory and the pain of personal experience, Oscar (Osi) (Staub) Sladek tells an unforgettable story of resilience and personal triumph.

- "Oscar Sladek writes, 'I was too young' - too young to be confronted with the horrors of the Holocaust and the brutal costs of escape. But, as this extraordinary account shows, young Oscar already had an unfailing eye for the perennial truths of human courage, compassion, and the power of faith. He was not too young to stand upright in the center of a rare heroism, with his beloved Anyu and Apu, accumulating experience that would shape the moral imagination that makes this book a masterpiece of love and survival." - JAMES CARROLL (Winner of the National Book Award, An American Requiem; Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, Constantine's Sword)

About the author (2022)

Over the past six decades, Oscar Sladek has been regarded as a dedicated and respected professional and cultural / educational leader in Colorado's Jewish community. Oscar is a child survivor of the Holocaust from Presov, Czechoslovakia, (now Slovakia) who immigrated to the United States in the late 1950s and settled in Colorado in 1960 with his wife of 63 years, Selma. They have four children, seven grandchildren & two great-grandchildren. Sladek is an accomplished composer, musician and singer. After WWII, he emerged as a popular folk artist in Israel where he served in the Israel Defense Forces for three years as musical director and composer of the Northern Command Entertainment Corps. Thereafter, Sladek was a performer on the folk music scene in Hollywood during the late 1950's. In addition to his solo performances, he appeared alongside Rachel Hadass and Theodore Bikel. He and Selma met there and moved to Denver where Oscar continued performing. Notably, he headlined the 1960 Colorado Folk Festival, sharing the stage with Judy Collins, Odetta, Josh White, and other legendary singers. Since that time, Oscar has dedicated his life to Holocaust education, having been one of the youngest survivors in Colorado to publicly speak about his life. Osi continues to be one of the state's most prolific speakers, addressing thousands of children and adults of all backgrounds - in schools, prisons, multi-faith organizations, military bases, universities, libraries, government offices and more. His musical performances and speaking engagements have continued over the past sixty years throughout the Rocky Mountains Region, Toronto and Southern California. He has also provided steadfast guidance as a community leader who spent the bulk of his career working as executive director of Jewish non-profit organizations. In 2019, Governor Jared Polis presented Osi Sladek with an award honoring his "commitment to inspire understanding, moral courage and social responsibility" at the Mizel Annual Dinner, one of Colorado's largest philanthropic events. www.oscarsladek.com As a journalist, Corinne freelances for a variety of print publications, including "Cowboys & Indians", "Western Art & Architecture", "Colorado Life", "House & Garden Colorado" and others. She was formerly a staff writer for "Working Ranch" magazine, "True West" and "Persimmon Hill", the publication of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma. Since, 2015, Corinne has been editor-in chief of "HaLapid," the publication of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, a secular, academic organization committed to the study of the forcefully converted Iberian Jews of the Middle Ages and their global descendants. As a multi-award winning, published author, she is currently working on her ninth book. She looks forward to the release of the sequel to her first novel, "MacGregor's Lantern." titled "MacGregor's Return" in 2022. Corinne is a professional member and past president of the Denver Woman's Press Club and a founding member of Women Writing the West. She is a member of Western Writers of America and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Corinne was named a Fellow of the University of Colorado History Dept in 2014.She is an alumnae of Boston University's School of Fine and Applied Arts and has a graduate degree in design from the Interior Design Institute. She was the original founder of Writing the West, a 20 year accredited writing program held at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. Corinne and her husband own a home furnishings gallery founded in 1976 (Zoli Contemporary Living) and are importers of European high-end home furnishings. Corinne is an Allied Member of the American Society of Interior Designers. When not writing, she spends her free time designing jewelry and playing with their German Shepherd.www.corinnejoybrown.com

Bibliographic information