We Wait For You: Unheard Voices from Post-Communist Romania [Paperback]

Annabelle Townson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761832424 | ISBN-13: 978-0761832423 | Publication Date: October 12, 2005

We Wait for You chronicles the lives of average citizens in Post-Ceausescu Romania. Seen through the eyes of Annabelle Townson, an American Peace Corps volunteer in Romania from 2001-2003, this personal memoir offers a fascinating and timely account of the aftermath of the fall of Communism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a fine book. ...Townson seems genuinely inclined to steer away from Western paternalisms. While she observes and explicates the social and political weaknesses she encountered in Romania, she discovers in the hearts and minds of the people she now knows as friends many values, traditions, and intellectual gifts that Americans and others in the West have either misplaced or never knew. ...for those scholars who wish to look beyond a bricks and mortar study of Romanian culture, this poignant unleashing of Romanian voices will be a welcomed addition to the field. (Religion And Society In Central And Eastern Europe )

Ms. Townson's first book has effectively succeeded in capturing the duality of her Romanian experience—despair over the moral and spiritual state of the society paralleled by deep affection for the people. (Joseph E. Persico )

About the Author

Annabelle Townson specializes in Romanian, Ukrainian, and Moldovan affairs at the Peace Corps's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Hamilton Books (October 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761832424
• ISBN-13: 978-0761832423
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,735,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reaching Out to Today's Romanians, December 30, 2005

By 

----richard Persico (Lake Placid NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Wait For You: Unheard Voices from Post-Communist Romania (Paperback)

I found Annabelle Townson's reminiscences of her service in the Peace Corps in Romania a delightful, touching read. Giving of herself in her senior years is admirable, and her spirit of adventure enviable. The book title, however, foretells her real story; it's not so much about her as about today's Romanians, how they endured the brutality of a cruel dictatorship, and how this marked their lives to this day, the good, the bad and the ugly. What mostly came through for me is how much these almost forgotten people on the fringe of the western world want to be understood, have other people, especially Americans, show an interest in them, and at least acknowledge their existence. Annabelle Townson obviously reached out to them, formed close friendships, listened to (and heard) what they had to say, and clearly touched their hearts, traits not often extended by Americans abroad. Good for her and for the Peace Corps for having had the good sense to send her there.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive account of a few ordinary Romanians, October 8, 2007

By 

Roger Crowley "amateur historian" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: We Wait For You: Unheard Voices from Post-Communist Romania (Paperback)

This book was a refreshing change from the many books I've read about Romania. Typically, books are written about the powerful people ... politicians; military leaders; or great poets, novelists, musicians, or artists. This book expressed the hopes, wishes, and dreams of the average Romanian. Although the sampling of people was few, their stories - at least in a general sense - represent what the real people felt.

My heart went out to those who had seen many of their dreams shattered by the corruption of the powerful people ... having to always lay their hopes on somewhere "outside" and just waiting for their opportunity to escape to another country where life was more humane.

After reading this book, I was ready to sign up with the Peace Corps with an assignment in Romania. And I still might do just that. And I just might buy this book as a gift for some of my family and friends.

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story of Romania, December 21, 2007

By 

Karen H. Clark (Corona del Mar, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Wait For You: Unheard Voices from Post-Communist Romania (Paperback)

For anyone interested in Romania, particularly the poorer non-Transylvania part of the country, you'll enjoy this true story by a warm, enthusiastic Peace Corps volunteer about her experiences there.