What Others Say About My Book

OUT OF THE TRANSYLVANIA NIGHT
Aura Imbarus

A deftly woven narrative about a young woman’s experience of growing up inside Communist Romania, who flees to the US in search of the America dream, and discovers that freedom—in both free and closed societies—is an innovation of self. An epic tale of identity, love, and the indomitable human spirit.

To eighteen-year-old Aura Imbarus, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu had turned Romania into a land of zombies as surely as if Count Dracula had sucked its lifeblood. Yet Aura dares to be herself: an optimistic overachiever, heiress to lands confiscated by the regime, and a rebel among the gray-clad, fearful masses. Christmas shopping in 1989, Aura and her parents draw sniper fire as Romania descends into the violence of a revolution that topples one of the most draconian regimes in the Soviet bloc. They hide heirloom jewels and build barricades against five harrowing days of chaos. With a bit of Hungarian mysticism in her blood, astonishingly accurate visions lead Aura into danger as well as a closer connection with the love of her life, handsome and sophisticated Michael Chiorean. Eventually, Aura and Michael marry and flee a homeland still in chaos. With only two pieces of luggage and a powerful dream, they settle in Los Angeles where freedom and sudden wealth challenge their love as powerfully as Communist tyranny. Aura loses her psychic vision. Heirloom jewels are stolen, a fortune is lost, followed by divorce and a death. Reeling at first, Aura and Michael find their way back to each other, this time with joy and the true freedom they discover within. They’ve paid a high price for their materialistic dreams, but gain insight and a love that is far richer. This is a this deftly written memoir of the heart, identity, and the human spirit.

Aura's courage shows the degree to which we are all willing to live lives centered on freedom, hope, and an authentic sense of self. Truly a love story! —Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Champion and Co-Founder of the Nadia Comaneci Children's Clinic in Bucharest

Unforgettable! This book gives the pioneer spirit courage and a brave heart bravado. —Adrian Maher, Filmmaker, Discovery Channel

If you grew up hearing names like Tito, Mao, and Ceausescu but really didn’t understand their significance, read this book! —Mark Skidmore, Paramount Pictures

A remarkable account erasing a past, but not an identity. Thought-provoking, inspirational, and comforting. —Todd Greenfield, 20th Century Fox Studios

This book is sure to find its place in memorial literature of the world. —Beatrice Ungar, Editor in chief, Hermannstädter Zeitung