In the Embrace of the Past

The central and most relevant part of the book is my attempt to escape from Yugoslavia into the neighboring country of Austria. This daring escape was methodically planned in collaboration with two of my friends for two years. Harrowing escape and eight months in jails and refugee camps throughout Austria were full of fascinating and dangerous events. Finally, I arrived in Chicago, USA, in the month of February 1966, with two dollars in my possession, no knowledge of the English language, and, to add, no one to contact. At the young age of 22, I found myself in an unfamiliar and peculiar surrounding.