My family originates from Romania, where they spent the chaotic decades of the 20th century as members of the largest Hungarian minority. During the darkest years, the feared dictator, Nicolae Ceauescu governed socialist Romania, where people were merely striving to survive. But what was happening beyond the Iron Curtain? These twelve tales of mine, based on true stories, convey this message. "Then the Wall fell, holes were shot into the rotten heart of the dictatorships, but in my youth, the shadow of the Eastern Bloc still bared its iron fangs at me."

The book "A world synopsis" is written more in a fantasy way, with some beautiful and unbeatable short stories thought in some inspiring moments. Everything described by these pages is more or less felt, detached and imagined. As is starts the first chapters, the stories are a little bit vivid and with a little bit of mystery they create the whole image of the book. Every word written here are more then ever created with passion and written with and for beautiful people. It is an easily readable book with the possibility to help the reader to have more than one interpretation.

A sweeping historical romance that is “gripping, tragic, yet filled with passion and hope” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author), offering a vivid and unique portrayal of life in war-torn 1941 Bucharest during World War II and its aftermath—perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah’s Key. On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger so the girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. As a young woman in Soviet Romania, Natalia crosses paths with Victor—an important official in the Communist regime that she used to know as an impoverished young student. Now they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor’s dark secrets. When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past. The Girl They Left Behind “is a vividly told, beautifully written, impossible-but-true story” (Helen Bryan, internationally bestselling author of War Brides) that you won’t soon forget.

When great songs have been written and released, they often take on a life of their own, reshaped and given new life, transcending genres. THE LIFE OF A SONG is a compilation of weekly columns written for FT Weekend, containing the biographies of 50 songs that have been born, reborn, sometimes hideously mangled, but often reinvigorated by new generations of artists. Here you will find songs that shook the world, songs that heralded the birth of a new musical movement, songs that made the journey from soul to punk and from heavy rock to hip-hop.

After having his left arm amputated due to a car accident, Aaron is forced to return to his boyhood home to recuperate. Disappearing into a fog of pain killers, the only true joy in his life comes from the daily 90-second radio spots of science fun facts and the disembodied voice of Sunny Lee.