Wow. That's what I say. I am amazed that a book written more than fifty years ago could be so relevant and thought provoking today. I am blown away and a little sad that there isn't more of his work to enjoy.

You can read my full review here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-48436-Toronto-Publishing-Examiner~y2010m6d30-...

Thank you Erma, for sharing your father's work with us. I'm glad you did. ( )

A depiction of the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the brutal Stalinists in 1939 is filled with trenchant observations of real people behaving realistically during times of real crisis. Theodore Odrach depicts the lives of rural peasants with sensitivity and an awareness both of their independent spirit and of their shared values.

The novel is best at portraying the people and their behavior as they struggle to adapt and survive under changing and unjust conditions. Particularly well done is Ivan's infatuation with the lovely Marusia, and her uncaring response as she tries hard to adjust to the new Russian social environment that Ivan disdains.

I enjoyed this book. I found it an engaging read and recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about history.

I recieved this book for free and am not bound to give a positive review of the book nor was I paid for my review of the book. ( )

Wave of Terror by Theodore Odrach is set in the region of Ukraine in 1939 at the very start of the reign of the USSR. The book follows a number of different characters as they all try to come to terms with the regime and as they struggle to survive in the very fragile world they they find themselves in. The book chronicles their fear and horror as they see their family members and others in their community disappear.

I really liked this version of the story of the USSR. I have read other versions and what they tell about Stalin and the USSR, and none of them have captured the fear of the time such as Odrach has. One of the main characters, Kulik, really shows the thought process of the people who lived under Stalin. It also shows the thought process of the people in power, the men who are responsible for "re-educating" the population. To me, what was really interesting was seeing the people who rose to power, the type of person who inevitably rises in such a regime. It really really made it interesting for me.

This was an amazing novel, and it is something that everyone should read as it shows a different perspective of the USSR takeover. ( )

Wave of Terror is set in 1939, in a backwater town of the Pinsk Region marshland where, like everywhere, Stalin's regime is spreading fear like the plague. Only this one is filled with communist propaganda and transforms it's victims into mindless servants who are worked to death to fuel a war they know or care little about.

This one is quite different from other similar books I have read. Of course it focuses on the fear and confusion involved during such trying times, but it focuses less on the fear and more on the confusion. Kulik, the main character, is a school headmaster who under law must force his teacher to teach in Belorussian despite not being able to speak it themselves, let alone the children. The poor are offered the possessions of the rich as a showing of generosity yet they accept such gifts while watching the previous owners carted off to be tortured (I mean 'interrogated') in prisons and camps. Some peasants try to conform to the ideas of communism to the displeasure of others, and some are simply paranoid that everyone around them is an informer out to find them guilty of a crime they didn't commit.

The author's ability to capture the mass disarray and frenzied panic of the people is what sets this book apart. The author lived through this, so it makes sense. This isn't some historical fiction novel written by someone who wasn't there, who read about the subject and who chose to emphasize the horrors of Stalin's heinous acts. Instead it is the bewilderment of the peasants that is the heart of this novel, because the writer lived through it himself. It shows, and it makes for an incredibly engaging read. ( )

Talk about a timely book! This novel is based on Theodore Odrach’s own life when Stalin’s Red Army came in to power in Belarus. Given that Belarus is very much in the news this week, with the controversy over recent elections and the beating and deportation of several journalists, it seems that a glimpse at its history is appropriate.

I know of several people who have read Wave of Terror recently, and all were moved by it because of how revealing the novel is about resilience, fear, and courage. Briefly, it deals with the experiences of a school teacher in the rural region of the Pinsk marshes-one who finds himself trying to walk the tightrope of pleasing the new regime without losing his moral balance. He is an endearing character, much like Ivan in Vasily Grossman’s Everything Flows. However, while the Grossman novel features Ivan looking back on his experiences, in this we see Kulik and what he is thinking as he experiences the significant events that turn the small region upside down, yet again. As an educated man, he is a threat to the Stalinist leaders, who give him simple advice to follow:

“I know you’re a historian with a degree…which is not to your credit. To put it simply, you have an education from a bourgeois institution where you were taught not only by non-socialist professors but also by pretentious, self-serving priests. You were educated in a hostile and unproductive environment. Take my advice and study the five volumes of Soviet history. Become a master of Marxist methodology…Give added attention to the Communist Manifesto, and learn how the capitalist classes of all nations will be overthrown and eliminated by a worldwide working-class revolution.”

The pressure to succumb to the indoctrination is great; if he doesn’t conform he will be shipped away to Siberia. Anyone can endanger him, as just the simplest lie about him from a student or associate will be enough to remove him, because the regime rewards those who inform. With a starving community and hostility around, every word he speaks endangers him, and yet “even silence could bring disaster”. The story of how he moves through this virtual minefield is both surprising and inspiring.


What is especially revealing about the novel’s voice is its coverage of the subject of languages. Having read a few Stalin-era books lately, I hadn’t quite caught on to how language itself is a tool of indoctrination. In Kulik’s rural village, the villagers normally spoke Ukrainian. Having been previously invaded by Poland however, they had been impelled to only speak Polish before reverting back to Ukrainian. Then the regime change insisted that they all speak Belorussian, but made clear it was a stepping stone to the entire area speaking Russian. Without access to their native tongue, the people had much of their culture stripped away, long before the Red Army came in and further eliminated cultural distinctions. Germany eventually occupied Belarus as well, which adds yet another linguistic layer to their history.

The language issue is significant because even now in Belarus, as its citizens are divided because those who wish to retain the Belorussian language and cultural identity (in order to prevent further “Russification” of their region) are outnumbered by those who wish to embrace the Russian language for simplification and economic benefit. The loss of one’s native language means the loss of unique phrases, idioms, and subtle historical details. The poet Valzhyna Mort is one writer who is fighting for the language, which she describes in parts of her book Factory of Tears.

Wave of Terror also answered a question that had been gnawing at me. Why did the people let the Red Army take over? Why didn’t they resist more? In the narrative, a key element made a great impact on me: the people were hungry and without basic necessities. In this state of desperation, any change was embraced, even if it meant turning on lifelong friends or family, and even if the promised changes never materialized. Stalin’s leaders offered food to hungry people, and although they didn’t get much, they were easily manipulated. It’s the same sort of manipulation that Hitler used to great effect, as well as the Roman Caesars who were able to draw crowds to the gladiator fights with the promise of food. Without the essentials of daily life, oppression can easily take root, because the ordinary person has so little to lose.

Lastly, despite all the fear and suffering endured, it was interesting to read of what doesn’t change. Old married couples still fought and young people still sought romance. People still danced and enjoyed a drink and found pleasure in the simplest of foods. Perhaps this was the key to survival-maintaining their humanity and dignity when others lost their own. ( )