Life in a Troubled Land: Mirupafshim (Good-bye)

Life in a Troubled Land journeys to the Adriatic coastal country of Albania as seen through the eyes of a son as he returns to his parents' villages many years after their departure. Through the eyes of George Stamos, author Angelo Kaltsos presents true accounts by the people living in the most isolated country in Europe-tales gathered after Albania became a democracy following the death of its dictator. He chronicles the hardships and difficulties they faced living under this totalitarian regime and how their lives improved after becoming part of the outside world. In this Historical novel, George experiences life in the new Albania. War broke out in May of 1912 when Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria invaded the remaining lands of the Balkan Ottoman Empire in Europe. On November 28, 1912, Albania declared its independence. As George meets and talks with many Albanian people during his travels, he begins to understand the hardships encountered by his people from that time to the present-particularly under the reign of the dictator Enver Hoxha. Life in a Troubled Land provides an opportunity to experience the ultimate transformation of Albania into the modern country that it is today.