Lincoln-Sudbury RHS: Summer Reading for Class of 2030

Publisher Description: Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. 

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. 

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

How to read it:

• Many people are busy in August, so some of you will read the book sooner or early in the summer. Since you will be asked to speak knowledgeably about the book when you return, it’s a good idea to either take notes and/or review the book right before you come back to school.

• The assignment when you come back will likely involve some writing. As you read, try to note your reaction to the story. Consider some of these questions:

  • 1. • Does the plot feel real? Would events really develop in this way? Why or why not?

       • Which of the characters do you relate to, if any? Which ones do you have the most intense reactions to and why? 

       • What social issues come up in the book? Does the book offer helpful insights into them?

       • If you had written the book, would you have taken a different approach to any part of it?