Description
A vividly intense and personal saga.... It stirred such powerful emotions..." -Marina Romanov, grandniece of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia One Hundred Years of Exile: A Romanov's Search for Her Father's Russia is the story of one woman's journey through 100 years of history to find peace with her father. Tania Romanov Amochaev and her father were both exiled from their homelands as infants; both knew life in refugee camps. Their shared fate does not lead to mutual understanding. The family's immigration to San Francisco heralded a promising new future-but while Tania just wanted to be an American, her father could not trust that this was his final asylum. His fears and his resistance to assimilation leave Tania with deep resentment toward him and her Russian heritage. Decades later, his unexpected death exposes Tania's open wounds and a host of unanswered questions about her father and his story. A serendipitous meeting with a last surviving member of the Russian royal family, followed by a baffling error that miraculously connects her with unknown relatives, catapults Tania on a quest for answers in her father's homeland. Tania's story proves inseparable from Russia's, featuring Cossacks who fled revolution, a family who survived Stalin, and a family of royal exiles, culminating in a meeting between princess and peasant. One Hundred Years of Exile is a moving story of how revisiting the past can bring not only forgiveness and redemption, but something far more powerful as well. "Romanov has situated her absorbing story exactly at the intersection of history and memoir. It's a wonderful read." -Tamim Ansary, author of Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
Endorsements to come from Linda Watanabe-McFerrin, Robert Massie, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Marina Romanov (a last descendant of the Tsar), a Russian community dignitary, Russian scholars (i.e., academics from Berkeley or Stanford), Anastasia Edel (author of Russia: Putin's Playground), and Alexandra Tolstoy Expected reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Foreword Magazine, and press Book tour to include the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles, Colorado, and other metropolitan areas with large Russian communities A book launch party will be held at Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building location Promotional events within the Russian community nationwide Online marketing campaign to include advertising, weekly social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, and others Ads in New York Review of Books, Foreword Magazine, and industry publications Tania's base of followers will be actively encouraged to post online reviews, as they have done for her previous books (currently 44 for Mother Tongue, 22 for Never a Stranger)
About the Author
Tania Romanov Amochaev is the author of Mother Tongue: A Saga of Three Generations of Balkan Women and Never a Stranger, a collection of travel essays. She has won Solas Awards for her stories, and her work has been featured in multiple travel anthologies, including the Best Travel Writing series. Born in the former Yugoslavia, Tania fled the country and spent her childhood in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy, before immigrating to the United States. Tania attended San Francisco public schools, and grew up in the city's Russian community. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Tania forged a successful business career in high tech, serving as CEO of three companies. She also earned an MS in Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and received an honorary PhD from Saint Catherine University. Tania lives in San Francisco and Sonoma County.
Reviews
"In a vividly intense and personal saga, Tania Romanov transcends the societal differences of old Mother Russia, bringing to life our determined grandparents and the pain history dealt them. Her story weaves through our shared Russian heritage to a uniquely American immigrant experience which broke the barriers of class structure. It stirred such powerful emotions that I had to occasionally just put the book down and let them sweep through me." -Marina Romanov, grandniece of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia "Romanov has situated her absorbing story exactly at the intersection of history and memoir. We see a tapestry of monumental events stretching from the last days of Tzarist rule in Russia through tumults of war and revolution to the near-destruction of an entire people, the Don Cossacks. But we see this vast story as a fabric woven of individual lives: the private stories of vividly realized characters, picking their way through history. It's a wonderful read. -Tamim Ansary, author of West of Kabul, East of New York and Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes "In this wonderfully written, intensely personal recap of a complicated history, Tania Romanov paints a beautiful portrait of family and immigrant life here and in war-torn Europe. From her poetic descriptions of Russian celebrations to the bittersweet memories of her father's photography at the refugee camp where her family was held for years, she creates a sweeping narrative full of darkness, light, and beauty." -Linda Watanabe McFerrin, author of Navigating the Divide and Dead Love "One Hundred Years of Exile is travelogue, history lesson, personal journey rolled into one, and a riveting read. Tania Romanov not only introduces a cast of characters as fascinating and complex (and with such names!) as those of Tolstoy, but in telling a private story also makes real the overwhelming march of Russia from the 20th century to today. Rebellions, world wars, Red vs. White Russians, revolution-from the toppling and assassination of a Tsar to the genocide of whole peoples, including the Cossacks from whom she descended-Bolshevism to Communism to the post-Soviet Union Russia, the story unfolds through the lives of those who lived it. In the end, we are left not only enlightened, but with compelling questions about our own 'creation myths' and the meaning of family." -Joanna Biggar, author of That Paris Year and Melanie's Song
Book Information
ISBN 9781609521950
Author Tania Romanov
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Travelers' Tales, Incorporated
Publisher Travelers' Tales, Incorporated
Endorsements to come from Linda Watanabe-McFerrin, Robert Massie, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Marina Romanov (a last descendant of the Tsar), a Russian community dignitary, Russian scholars (i.e., academics from Berkeley or Stanford), Anastasia Edel (author of Russia: Putin's Playground), and Alexandra Tolstoy Expected reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, Foreword Magazine, and press Book tour to include the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Los Angeles, Colorado, and other metropolitan areas with large Russian communities A book launch party will be held at Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building location Promotional events within the Russian community nationwide Online marketing campaign to include advertising, weekly social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, and others Ads in New York Review of Books, Foreword Magazine, and industry publications Tania's base of followers will be actively encouraged to post online reviews, as they have done for her previous books (currently 44 for Mother Tongue, 22 for Never a Stranger)
About the Author
Tania Romanov Amochaev is the author of Mother Tongue: A Saga of Three Generations of Balkan Women and Never a Stranger, a collection of travel essays. She has won Solas Awards for her stories, and her work has been featured in multiple travel anthologies, including the Best Travel Writing series. Born in the former Yugoslavia, Tania fled the country and spent her childhood in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy, before immigrating to the United States. Tania attended San Francisco public schools, and grew up in the city's Russian community. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, Tania forged a successful business career in high tech, serving as CEO of three companies. She also earned an MS in Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and received an honorary PhD from Saint Catherine University. Tania lives in San Francisco and Sonoma County.
Reviews
"In a vividly intense and personal saga, Tania Romanov transcends the societal differences of old Mother Russia, bringing to life our determined grandparents and the pain history dealt them. Her story weaves through our shared Russian heritage to a uniquely American immigrant experience which broke the barriers of class structure. It stirred such powerful emotions that I had to occasionally just put the book down and let them sweep through me." -Marina Romanov, grandniece of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia "Romanov has situated her absorbing story exactly at the intersection of history and memoir. We see a tapestry of monumental events stretching from the last days of Tzarist rule in Russia through tumults of war and revolution to the near-destruction of an entire people, the Don Cossacks. But we see this vast story as a fabric woven of individual lives: the private stories of vividly realized characters, picking their way through history. It's a wonderful read. -Tamim Ansary, author of West of Kabul, East of New York and Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes "In this wonderfully written, intensely personal recap of a complicated history, Tania Romanov paints a beautiful portrait of family and immigrant life here and in war-torn Europe. From her poetic descriptions of Russian celebrations to the bittersweet memories of her father's photography at the refugee camp where her family was held for years, she creates a sweeping narrative full of darkness, light, and beauty." -Linda Watanabe McFerrin, author of Navigating the Divide and Dead Love "One Hundred Years of Exile is travelogue, history lesson, personal journey rolled into one, and a riveting read. Tania Romanov not only introduces a cast of characters as fascinating and complex (and with such names!) as those of Tolstoy, but in telling a private story also makes real the overwhelming march of Russia from the 20th century to today. Rebellions, world wars, Red vs. White Russians, revolution-from the toppling and assassination of a Tsar to the genocide of whole peoples, including the Cossacks from whom she descended-Bolshevism to Communism to the post-Soviet Union Russia, the story unfolds through the lives of those who lived it. In the end, we are left not only enlightened, but with compelling questions about our own 'creation myths' and the meaning of family." -Joanna Biggar, author of That Paris Year and Melanie's Song
Book Information
ISBN 9781609521950
Author Tania Romanov
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Travelers' Tales, Incorporated
Publisher Travelers' Tales, Incorporated
