Hello, I hope this message finds you well and avoiding Anderson Cooper’s nighttime feline black ops missions. I recently read a great memoir, Burying the Typewriter, and I thought of you because of your academic interest in history. I am writing to share my thoughts and opinions about the book with you. My knowledge of the Cold War has many gaps, so at first I hesitated to read this book. My trepidation had no basis, however, as I found Carmen Bugan’s account of surviving the communist regime in 1970s Romania both highly informative and captivatingly beautiful.
Most of the work takes place during Bugan’s tumultuous childhood. Some of Bugan’s happier memories struck a chord with my childhood. While she watered her grandparents’ fruit trees and picked chicken eggs from the coop, I watered my grandparents’ tomato plants and picked soda cans from ditches. Our childhood similarities stop there. Corporal punishment for homework mistakes did not happen at my elementary school. Recitations of allegiance to the “Father of all children, Comrade Ceausescu, and his wife, Elena, the mother of all children” did not happen at my elementary school. Dressing like a pioneer (white and black uniform with a red communist scarf) while performing mandated agriculture work did not happen at my elementary school. Sadly communism and corporal punishment roots deeply into her childhood life.
Bugan received more than her share of abuse from school officials due to her parents’ illicit activities. The communist regime deemed her parents “social parasites,” which meant they refused to properly participate in the socialist way of life. While nominally running the local grocery, her parents secretly planned to subvert the Romanian government. The book’s title comes from Bugan’s recollection of her father burying his typewriter from the Securitate (secret police). If found the typewriter would spell doom for the entire family. To learn their fate, you will have to read. Spoiler Alert: Bugan’s accounts make me grateful for our country’s Bill of Rights.
I encourage you to “tell the whole herd” about this memoir. I found myself glued to the pages of the book, often reading until the wee hours of the morning. Burying the Typewriter moves with a natural, smooth-flowing cadence. Bugan, a well-regarded poet, deserved her Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Bakeless Prize award. Her accomplishment is all the more impressive when one considers that English is not her native tongue. Anyone looking for a youthful, informative perspective on taking a stance against Romania’s communist regime will find this book well worth their time.
All the best,
Brianna Mae
Buffalo Book Review
I award, Burying the Typewriterby Carmen Bugan:
Five out of five buffalos -
Tell the Whole Herd!
