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Lakeshore Press Books By and About Estonians
Into Exile
It was September 1944 when seven-year-old Elin, her mother, and grandmother fled Estonia ahead of the advancing Soviet tanks and boarded a fishing boat full of refugees heading for Sweden. Instead of Sweden they ended up in war-torn Germany and from that day on their lives ceased to be normal in the civilized understanding of the word. In order to explain to the child why they were constantly on the move, grandmother told her they were like the Israelites,
on the way to the Promised Land.
Three generations of Baltic refugees fled to the West and when the war was over, due to the decisions made at Yalta, they lost their countries and became lifelong exiles
This is Elin's story of the horrors of war through the eyes of a small child, followed by an even more confusing peacetime in class-conscious post-war England, where highly educated professionals became servants and were discouraged from "rising above their station," and teens, too old to take the 11+ examination, were denied further education for life. As the adult DP's struggled to regain their lost dignity, Elin struggled to find her own identity in the two worlds she inhabited, in which Estonia was rapidly becoming a myth.
After the Soviet Union collapsed and mother and grandmothe were dead, Elin, now an adult, returned to Estonia to seek out that myth. Instead she found reality and a brand new country that had been undergoing its own struggle for surivival after fifty years of Communism.
on the way to the Promised Land.
Three generations of Baltic refugees fled to the West and when the war was over, due to the decisions made at Yalta, they lost their countries and became lifelong exiles
This is Elin's story of the horrors of war through the eyes of a small child, followed by an even more confusing peacetime in class-conscious post-war England, where highly educated professionals became servants and were discouraged from "rising above their station," and teens, too old to take the 11+ examination, were denied further education for life. As the adult DP's struggled to regain their lost dignity, Elin struggled to find her own identity in the two worlds she inhabited, in which Estonia was rapidly becoming a myth.
After the Soviet Union collapsed and mother and grandmothe were dead, Elin, now an adult, returned to Estonia to seek out that myth. Instead she found reality and a brand new country that had been undergoing its own struggle for surivival after fifty years of Communism.
$20
Red Terror on Saaremaa, 1941
As the Germans were occupying mainland Estonia in the summer of 1941, it became clear to the Communist military and political leaders on Saaremaa that eventually the island would also fall into German hands. Their response was to unleash an unprecedented terror on the people of Saaremaa. In this gripping book, Endel Püüa, director of the Saaremaa Museum, recounts in detail the horror of these times, and identifies with pictures the Russian as well as Estonian terrorists and their collaborators. The retribution by the people of Saaremaa, once the Germans had occupied the island, was swift and equally brutal. Historian Püüa captures this horrible time in first person accounts and in gripping pictures.
$15
The Singing Revolution
Written by Priit Vesilind, with James and Maureen Tusty.
$35
When The Noise Had Ended: Geislingen DP Children Remember
The youngest victims of WWII search their memories to tell how they and their families escaped the Red Army to find refuge in a displaced persons' camp in post-war Germany - more than 60 years ago.
Mai Maddisson / Priit Vesilind © 2009
Mai Maddisson / Priit Vesilind © 2009
$35
Estonian Jokes
...These are jokes told by Estonians, and often about Estonians...
P. Aarne Vesilind © 2008
P. Aarne Vesilind © 2008
$10
Carrying Linda's Stones
An anthology of Estonian Women's Life Stories
Suzanne Stiver Lie, Lynda Malik, Ilvi Jõe-Cannon, Rutt Hinrikus © 2008
Suzanne Stiver Lie, Lynda Malik, Ilvi Jõe-Cannon, Rutt Hinrikus © 2008
$29
Anecdotes about Soviet Power and Their Leaders
Anecdotes are always moving during a totalitarian regime. The can be told to one's friends because words leave no trace and anecdotes have no authors. This selection is a cross-section of political anecdotes collected in Estonia during 1960-1986, by Jüri Viikberg. They mock the communists, everyday Soviet life and of course the Soviet leaders.
$5
How the Animals Got Their Tails
Nurkse, translated by P. Aarne Vesilind © 2007
$8
We Were Estonian Soldiers
World War II exploits of classmates from the Estonian Military Technical Academy.
These are the stories of five Estonian officers who were classmates at the Estonian Military Technical Academy during the years of 1936 thru 1940. Their detailed memoirs start with the Soviet occupation of Estonia and the outbreak of World War II. All were commissioned 2nd lieutenants upon graduation from the Academy in 1940 and then were immediately incorporated into the Soviet Red Army. When Germany attacked the USSR, all five deserted and fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front with the sole purpose of keeping the Soviets out of Estonia. Fate allowed all of them to escape to the West, and Carl Orav, the son of one of the Estonian officers, has translated and edited their stories.
Carl Orav © 2011
These are the stories of five Estonian officers who were classmates at the Estonian Military Technical Academy during the years of 1936 thru 1940. Their detailed memoirs start with the Soviet occupation of Estonia and the outbreak of World War II. All were commissioned 2nd lieutenants upon graduation from the Academy in 1940 and then were immediately incorporated into the Soviet Red Army. When Germany attacked the USSR, all five deserted and fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front with the sole purpose of keeping the Soviets out of Estonia. Fate allowed all of them to escape to the West, and Carl Orav, the son of one of the Estonian officers, has translated and edited their stories.
Carl Orav © 2011
$25
Coming Home
The Saga of an Estonian Family Torn Apart by the ravage of war.
Charles Ehin has written a moving and profound memoir of his early years in Estonia, the shattering of the family, the escape to the West, and finally his reconciliation with his sister who, along with his mother, were left behind in Estonia as the Red Army advanced on Tallinn. Heikki Nikunen, the former Commander-in Chief of the Finnish Air Forces, writes of Ehin's book: "... a powerful and awakening reminder of the fate of a small nation caught in the middle of the struggle between two totalitarian superpowers vying for world supremacy. It is also an excellent description of the individuals and families in the shadow of political tyranny; the feelings of insecurity, danger, longing, desperation and hope."
Charles (Kalev) Ehin © 2011
Charles Ehin has written a moving and profound memoir of his early years in Estonia, the shattering of the family, the escape to the West, and finally his reconciliation with his sister who, along with his mother, were left behind in Estonia as the Red Army advanced on Tallinn. Heikki Nikunen, the former Commander-in Chief of the Finnish Air Forces, writes of Ehin's book: "... a powerful and awakening reminder of the fate of a small nation caught in the middle of the struggle between two totalitarian superpowers vying for world supremacy. It is also an excellent description of the individuals and families in the shadow of political tyranny; the feelings of insecurity, danger, longing, desperation and hope."
Charles (Kalev) Ehin © 2011
$20
Estonian Jokes Volume II
The success of Estonian Jokes (Volume I) made Volume II inevitable. Estonians are funny people, and they have great jokes that are told on their neighbors the Finns, Latvians, Swedes, and of course the Russians. But most of the humor is still self-deprecating and thoughtful. This companion volume to the original Estonian Jokes is a must read.
$10