- SKU: 9781440158469
- BARCODE: 9781440158469
- VENDOR: BooksCloud
Scratches on a Prison Wall: A Wartime Memoir - Hardcover
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
by Luba Komar (Author)
"In this gripping memoir of a young Ukrainian woman's encounter with Communism and Nazism, Luba Komar experiences imprisonment, torture, death row, violence, escape, resistance, and, finally, flight to the West. Throughout, Luba retains her dignity and manifests a quiet heroism-convincingly demonstrating that totalitarianism is ultimately powerless in the face of individuals with the spiritual courage to speak the truth."
-Alexander J. Motyl, Rutgers University-Newark,
Author of Who Killed Andrei Warhol
Ukraine is suffering under Soviet domination in 1940 as World War II begins. Luba Komar, a politically active student at a Ukrainian university, finds herself whisked away in the middle of the night by the Soviet Secret Police. She is tortured, imprisoned and then sentenced to death in a secret Soviet trial.
Fortunately, her death sentence is commuted to exile. With other prisoners, she's loaded onto a train headed to the dreaded Siberian concentration camps.
Luckily, Luba never reaches Siberia. As Nazi bombers approach overhead, the Soviets divert the train to another prison. There, the inmates courageously stage a prison break, risking their lives.
Luba is witness to the dramatic events that shaped Ukrainian and Soviet history both during and after WWII. In recording her ordeal, she brings to life the stories of her fellow prisoners, and recounts her eventual escape to the West. Scratches on a Prison Wall is a powerful testament to its author and the times in which she lived.
Author Biography
Luba Komar grew up in Western Ukraine and joined the struggle for Ukrainian independence while a student at Lviv University. Following her imprisonment and escape, she immigrated to the United States in 1949. She continued supporting a free Ukraine, until her death in 2007. TRANSLATOR'S BIO Christine Prokop is Luba Komar's daughter. She grew up in New York City where she was an active participant in the Ukrainian community. She has worked as a landscape architect and rehabilitation counselor. This is her first published translation. She lives in Southern California.
Reviews
Exceptional Support and Clean Code
I was impressed by how fast the support team responded to my questions. Even as someone with basic coding knowledge, I found the theme incredibly easy to work with. The code is well-organized, and everything runs smoothly.
Reliable Theme with Excellent Customer Service
After trying multiple themes, I finally chose Wokiee — and haven’t looked back. It’s reliable, modern, and easy to customize without coding. What impressed me most was their support team: fast, helpful, and willing to assist even with third-party issues. That level of service is rare!
Beautiful Design and Great Flexibility
Wokiee is hands down the best Shopify theme I’ve used. The design options are stunning and fully customizable. I was able to build a high-converting store without any external developers.
Top-Notch Support and Regular Updates
The customer support team is incredible — helpful, responsive, and very professional. They’ve helped me resolve everything from layout tweaks to app integrations. Plus, the theme is regularly updated with new features.
Amazing Customization Options"!
Wokiee gave me full creative control over my store’s layout and visuals. The theme’s design blocks are so flexible that I could create something truly unique — without touching a single line of code.
High-Quality Theme with Professional Code
You can tell Wokiee was built by pros. The code is clean and optimized for performance. No bloated features — just what you need. My store loads fast and looks great on all devices.