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Free
- A Child and a Country at the End of History
- Narrated by: Rachel Babbage, Lea Ypi
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
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Free
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Publisher's Summary
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.
What listeners say about Free
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ela Kaca
- 2023-01-02
Loved it!
What a read! It was like time travelling but through someone else’s shoes. Beautifully written while staying true to history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeta Rugova-Plakolli
- 2023-12-16
An important book!
The book is very informative and well written. Hearing from someone who grew up during the time, who didn't know of another world or way of living but that, was a very important perspective!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sev
- 2023-02-15
Amazing!
Incredible book and read!
Highly recommend to anyone looking for an unabridged recount of life in one of the last remaining communist societies in the world, and the transition that ensued
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- andrew
- 2024-07-13
Critique of socialism or praise?
The analysis of the demise of the last truly socialist country through the author’s eyes as a child is fascinating. We see how her opinions as a future thought leader were formed by a unique “biography”. This is one of the many euphemisms used at the time to explain uncomfortable features of a person’s past. For example her direct descent from a former prime minister she had to despise in school history lessons is hidden from her and she is told the same surname is merely coincidental. While the adults struggle day to day with survival we see Lea sailing through all these events with curiosity and a deep intelligence. The plasticity of children is quite remarkable but the outcome for her is a tribute to the overlapping parenting skills of her father, mother and grandmother who helped her navigate her early life as everything collapsed around them. The narrator was excellent but the volume kept going up and down a little on my device. Also there was one tiny redo by the reader which made the final cut and surprised me. Never had that on an Audible title before, minor quibbles though.
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