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Pretending to Sleep: A Communism Survivor’s Short Story

Based on actual events, this short story provides a quick glimpse into life under Ceaucescu’s brutal communist regime. 

Like so many Romanians, ten-year-old Renata lives in fear of Securitate (Ceaucescu’s secret police). 

They don’t always take you in the middle of the night. In a world where the living envy the dead, not all examples are made in the shadows. 

Some are made in the light of day.

I cannot overly recommend this 40-odd page jewel. It’s a painful piece, but that’s its strength, really. And it is also a story which literally cannot be told too strongly or too often. 

–David Weber, Bestselling Author of the Honor Harrington novels