My Slovakia, My Family

A two-time refugee from his Slovak homeland—in 1939 from the Nazis and in 1949 from the Communists—John Palka has retained his love for Slovakia and his fluency in the Slovak language. Since the fall of Communism in 1989, he has visited his family in Slovakia almost every year. These experiences inspired his research into the role that many generations of his family played in the national life of Slovakia, laying the foundation of his book.