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Synopsis

Three teens struggle to carve out futures for themselves under a totalitarian regime. Czechoslovakia, 1969 Seventeen-year-old Pavol has watched his country's freedoms disappear in the wake of the Soviet Union's invasion. He's seen his own dreams disappear too. In a desperate, fatal act of protest against the oppressive new government, he sets himself on fire in public, hoping to motivate others to fight for change. Instead, Pavol's death launches a government investigation into three of his closest friends. Štěpán finds his Olympic hockey ambitions jeopardized and must conceal his sexual orientation from authorities who could use it against him. Tomáš has already been accused of “antisocial” behavior because he struggles to follow the unwritten rules of everyday interactions, and now he must work even harder to meet the expectations of his father, the regional leader of the communist party. And aspiring film director Lída, Pavol’s girlfriend, is pregnant with his child, which brands her a traitor by association and upends all her plans. With their futures hanging in the balance, all three must decide whether to keep struggling to survive in the country Pavol died hoping to save . . . or risk a perilous escape to the other side.

Copyright:

2022

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

328 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781728468228

Related ISBNs:

9781728415680, 9781728468235, 9781728460741

Publisher:

Lerner Publishing Group

Date of Addition:

03/07/23

Copyrighted By:

Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Teens, Literature and Fiction

Grade Levels:

Eighth grade, Ninth grade, Tenth grade, Eleventh grade, Twelfth grade

Reading Age:

13–18

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.