Straws In The Wind

A number of events caused Eugene to record his story. One trigger was the formation of a new and independent Belarus. This new Country encompassed his birthplace and as part of the old Soviet Union had previously been inaccessible to him. The fate of his father had always preyed on his mind and a "journey home" seemed like an opportunity to discover the truth about what really happened. He made the trip but his investigations were not crowned with success. He did pick up some indicators and bits of gossip however, "Straws in the Wind", as he called them, which strongly suggested to him that the actual events surrounding his father's disappearance were very different to those he and his family had been led to believe. He was also struck by how thoroughly the Russian Authorities had removed all physical trace of his family's life in that area. He determined to ensure that the Communists' attempts to rub out his father and the rest of the Krajewski clan from history would not succeed. Another factor was the death of his mother. He became concerned that, with her and other similar sources of information departing as a natural progression, the whole story would soon be shrouded in the mists of time and forgotten. Yet another spur was the, to him, surprising fact that the younger generation in the United Kingdom was completely ignorant of the crimes perpetrated upon the Polish Nation by Stalin's regime at the start of the Second World War. It is a fact still often met with reactions of amazement by many that Stalin was responsible for far more deaths than Hitler. The result is a personal account of events as viewed first-hand by the author as he moves through childhood into adulthood. Many moments of horror and depravation were seen as fascinating adventures through the eyes of the author as a child. In his book the author displays no sense of grievance, anguish or even hatred for the Nation that was the cause of his misfortune. Instead of seeking vengeance, he acknowledges that most of the people involved were also the victims of the System.