My Second University: Memories from Romanian Communist Prisons [Paperback]

Dan Dusleag MD (Author), Stanciu Stroia MD (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2005

Following the Communist takeover of Romania in 1945, Dr. Stanciu Stroia refused to join the party, suffering professional humiliation and political persecution. He was arrested in 1951 and sentenced to seven years in prison; his estate was nationalized, his family exiled, and his practice confiscated. Ill with scurvy, he survived the prison ordeal and wrote his memoir, despite the risk of being detained again.

"Stanciu Stroia's fortitude is astonishing...My Second University has an important place in the prison literature published since 1989."
- Keith Hitchins, Professor of History, University of Illinois

"An utterly impressive prison memoir...a most necessary and valuable contribution to our understanding of the survival of human dignity under conditions of abysmal pressure."
- Vladimir Tismaneanu, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland

"My Second University will take readers back to another place in time, in another country, seeing life through the eyes of a courageous man and others who chose to suffer rather than give up their freedom...It is a piece of history necessary to consume, necessary to remember."
- Times Mail (Bedford, Indiana)

With thirty-six pages of original photographs and one thousand never-before-published names of political detainees.

For more information, please visit the author web site at http://DDusleag.Home.Insightbb.com.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"My Second University is a piece of history necessary to consume, necessary to remember. . . ." -- Times Mail

"My Second University is not an ordinary memoir; its words give voices to those who cannot speak. . . ." -- Herald Times

"A gripping diary worthy of reading." -- —Barbara Spencer, News Director, WBIW (Bedford, Indiana)

"A most necessary and valuable contribution to our understanding of the survival of human dignity under conditions of abysmal pressure." -- —Vladimir Tismaneanu, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland

"A piece of history necessary to consume, necessary to remember. . . ." -- —Times Mail (Bedford, Indiana)

"Stanciu Stroia’s fortitude is astonishing. . . . My Second University has an important place in the prison literature published since 1989." -- —Keith Hitchins, Professor of History, University of Illinois

"This is a tribute to the spirit of survival under the most inhumane conditions. . . . a gripping diary worthy of reading." -- WBIW

"This is not an ordinary memoir; its words give voices to those who cannot speak. . . ." -- —The Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana)

From the Publisher

My Second University has been awarded the Editor's Choice by its publisher: "Only those titles that have scored exceptionally high in the Editorial Review process are chosen to be part of the coveted Editor's Choice program—the stamp of proven quality."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.; 1st edition (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595346391
• ISBN-13: 978-0595346394
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A memoir with a special relevance, August 8, 2005

By 

Constantin Roman, Ph.D. (Centre for Romanian Studies, London, U.K.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Second University: Memories from Romanian Communist Prisons (Paperback)

My Second University marks a distinct departure from other, similar stories. This is a very Transylvanian book, not just for its contents, characters and situations it describes, but especially for the directness and forcefulness of its presentation. It is not because one may have read about Solzhenitsyn' gulags that these memoirs may be less poignant, quite the contrary. The difference here lies in the tone of the narrative, which is neither strident nor bitter-it is instead quietly factual, almost clinical, as the medical eye surveys the human sufferings. For this prisoner's enquiring mind, this experience became a learning curve, not so much his Golgotha, for he was far too dignified to present it as such, rather something, which he describes metaphorically as his "second university". . . . This book lets the world at large know the real face of Communist brutality. It is a memoir with a special relevance, bringing a new angle-that of a medical doctor and a fine observer of human frailty-to the prison literature. . . . It is a real blessing to have such work made available to an Anglo-Saxon readership. My Second University should be read by everybody young and old, as a sobering tale of our luck in the West for having missed such experience.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book about a dark page of history, a "must" reading!, November 2, 2005

By 

Gema Dumitru, MD (GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Second University: Memories from Romanian Communist Prisons (Paperback)

I warmly recommend this book not only to Romanians, but to all who are interested in finding out the TRUTH about the horrors of Communism. It is a great tribute to all the people who believed in freedom, justice and sacrificed their lives for the values they believed in. It is a great legacy for future generations to inform them and to encourage them to stand for what they believe in. Dr. Stanciu Stroia was a hero not only to his grandson, Dr. Dan Dusleag, who superbly authored the book, but to all of us who read it. The book is easy to read, has an elegant style, and the pictures included are a bridge to the past.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Doctor's Compassion, July 2, 2006

By 

Thomas M. Kinter (Rochester, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Second University: Memories from Romanian Communist Prisons (Paperback)

I've read several books by political prisoners of the Romanian regime. This one does not discuss as much the details of the physical horrors of the prisons. The concept of a person being visited by the securitate late at night, put into prison for years, and familial contacts severed, is horrible enough. This story is told by a doctor, who by very nature is compassionate and sworn by oath to heal others. Dr. Stroia lived by that oath. In the book he mentions a prison doctor who "prescribed" that his patient throw himself onto the barbed wire as a cure for depression. The patient followed his doctor's orders and was shot. Dr. Stroia's humanity not only remained intact, but it grew. His "second university" tore a giant chasm in his life, but his inner strength carried him through.

This story is extremely important today, helping us to understand more about what happened in Eastern Europe and why there is still much of a struggle there since 1989. I think in the US we have tended to think "Oh good! Communism has toppled and everything will be just fine." The scars of a monstrous regime run deep and don't go away easily. We also must look at ourselves to make sure that we don't create a system that is not accountable to the people it governs. This exceptional story shows us that pride, integrity, and compassion are necessary to carry us through evil times and leave us intact on the other side. I highly recommend this very readable addition to the literature on Romania's modern history.