Caught in the Current - Tapa blanda

In displaying the unshakable patriotism of Ukrainians and the deprivations they suffered under Soviet domination as well as the now-funny paranoia of the USSR this coming-of-age novel will resonate with the Ukrainian-American community. But it will also engage the general reader as he or she participates in Alec's struggle to define himself. -- John N. Serio, Past editor of The Wallace Stevens Journal and Winner 2012 Distinguished Editor Award "cover copy"

"Caught in the Current" takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of Eastern and Western Europe during the summer of 1970, a tumultuous period of free love, equal rights demonstrations, and Vietnam antiwar protests in America, but an equally revolutionary period in Alec's life. Raised in Chicago as Ukrainian, Alec is caught between identities—is he American or Ukrainian? His personal beliefs are pushed to the limit as he undertakes a risky mission to learn about political dissidents in Soviet-dominated Ukraine. Detained, interrogated, and finally deported from the Soviet Union, Alec seeks refuge in earthquake-ravaged Banja Luka where he begins to see the world from a different perspective. Questioning himself and his values, Alec finally finds his anchor in Stefi, his girlfriend from Chicago, who helps him discover his true identity.