From Generation to Generation

Hiding from the Nazis in the forests of Slovakia’s Low Tatra Mountains in the fall of 1944, in constant danger from the Germans occupying nearby villages, fourteen-year-old Agnes Grossmann and her family make the daring decision to escape high into the mountains and hike along treacherous ice-covered peaks to safety. Twenty-four years later, Agnes Tomasov – now married with two children – finds herself on the run from postwar Czechoslovakia’s Communist regime and defects to Canada with her family, carrying only what they can fit in two suitcases. Her sweeping memoir of life under two totalitarian regimes is an extraordinary and inspiring tale of courage, love and hope in the face of tragedy. Imbued with the author’s warmth, unflagging resilience and determined independence, From Generation to Generation is a true testament to the strength of the human spirit.

Introduction by Harold Troper

At a Glance
Slovakia
Hiding
Postwar Czechoslovakia
Life under Communism
Arrived in Canada in 1968
Adjusting to life in Canada
Wife of Azrieli author Joseph Tomasov

240 pages, including index

2011 Independent Publisher Silver Medal

Recommended Ages
14+
Language
English

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Photo of Agnes Tomasov

About the author

Agnes Tomasov was born in the small town of Bardejov, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), on June 16, 1930. In 1968, following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, she immigrated to Canada, settling in Toronto with her husband, Joseph, and their two children.

The mountains were almost 2,000 metres high….We had to climb to the peaks, where it was frozen and slippery. One single misstep could mean certain death.