Free: Coming of Age at the End of History
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- Create Date：2022-07-12 09:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lea Ypi
- ISBN：0141995106
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Summary
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE ONDAATJE PRIZE
'The best book I read last year by a mile。 。 。 so beautifully written that anyone would be hooked' Laura Hackett， Sunday Times， Best Summer Books
'Wonderfully funny and poignant。 。 。 a tale of family secrets and political awakening amid a crumbling regime' Luke Harding， Observer
'We never lose our inner freedom; the freedom to do what is right'
Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth， a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion。 Albania， the last Stalinist outpost in Europe， was almost impossible to visit， almost impossible to leave。 It was a place of queuing and scarcity， of political executions and secret police。 To Lea， it was home。 People were equal， neighbours helped each other， and children were expected to build a better world。 There was community and hope。
Then， in December 1990， everything changed。 The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled。 Almost overnight， people could vote freely， wear what they liked and worship as they wished。 There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears。 But factories shut， jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships， only to be sent back。 Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country， leading to violent conflict。 As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment， and as her own family's secrets were revealed， Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant。
Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval。 With acute insight and wit， Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past， illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality， and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history。
THE SUNDAY TIMES MEMOIR OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN， FINANCIAL TIMES， SUNDAY TIMES， TLS， DAILY MAIL， NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR
WINNER OF THE ONDAATJE PRIZE
'The best book I read last year by a mile。 。 。 so beautifully written that anyone would be hooked' Laura Hackett， Sunday Times， Best Summer Books
'Wonderfully funny and poignant。 。 。 a tale of family secrets and political awakening amid a crumbling regime' Luke Harding， Observer
'We never lose our inner freedom; the freedom to do what is right'
Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth， a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion。 Albania， the last Stalinist outpost in Europe， was almost impossible to visit， almost impossible to leave。 It was a place of queuing and scarcity， of political executions and secret police。 To Lea， it was home。 People were equal， neighbours helped each other， and children were expected to build a better world。 There was community and hope。
Then， in December 1990， everything changed。 The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled。 Almost overnight， people could vote freely， wear what they liked and worship as they wished。 There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears。 But factories shut， jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships， only to be sent back。 Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country， leading to violent conflict。 As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment， and as her own family's secrets were revealed， Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant。
Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval。 With acute insight and wit， Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past， illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality， and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history。
THE SUNDAY TIMES MEMOIR OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN， FINANCIAL TIMES， SUNDAY TIMES， TLS， DAILY MAIL， NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR
Reviews
dbirdan
，
Maybe 4。5
Malcolm Watson
，
An interesting Read。Ypi tells the fall of Socialism in Albania from the point of her growing up through these times。Everyone is affected， her family， her friends and society。She tells the various incidents， both national & personal， through her eyes as a young schoolgirl who has been brought up to"Believe" in the Party。With the disintegration of Socialism everything changes and she must decide how she， and her family， will adjust。A thought provoking and informative memoir。 An interesting Read。Ypi tells the fall of Socialism in Albania from the point of her growing up through these times。Everyone is affected， her family， her friends and society。She tells the various incidents， both national & personal， through her eyes as a young schoolgirl who has been brought up to"Believe" in the Party。With the disintegration of Socialism everything changes and she must decide how she， and her family， will adjust。A thought provoking and informative memoir。 。。。more
Jeannie
，
A fascinating account and analysis of what "freedom" is A fascinating account and analysis of what "freedom" is 。。。more
Mathilde Stich
，
A fascinating read， which manages to be funny， poignant， moving and thought-provoking at the same time。 Ypi’s concluding remarks will stay with me for a while， and leave me with only one regret: not taking her class at the LSE。
I'
，
I have listened to the audio book， but I was unable to record it with the ISBN。 I will change it when I get access from a laptop。
Rafa Willisch
，
Read @Barbara review。
mo
，
کتاب شرحی است از خاطرات زندگی دختری در آلبانی، آخرین کشور اروپایی با نظام کمونیستی که همزمان با رشد او نظام سیاسی آن در سال 1990 به نظامی چند حزبی بر پایه انتخابات تبدیل می شود。 نویسنده خانم lea Ypi هم اکنون استاد مدرسه علوم اقتصادی و سیاسی لندن در حوزه نظریه سیاسی است، کتاب شاید به نظر بازگویی خاطرات نویسنده باشد اما شرح زندگی مردم در جامعه سوسیالیستی آلبانی را روایت می کند اعم از مشقت ها مانند صف های طولانی، کار در مزرعه ها و 。。。، لذت ها بازی با پوست آدامس های خارجی و。。。، نوع برخورد سیاسمتدران کتاب شرحی است از خاطرات زندگی دختری در آلبانی، آخرین کشور اروپایی با نظام کمونیستی که همزمان با رشد او نظام سیاسی آن در سال 1990 به نظامی چند حزبی بر پایه انتخابات تبدیل می شود。 نویسنده خانم lea Ypi هم اکنون استاد مدرسه علوم اقتصادی و سیاسی لندن در حوزه نظریه سیاسی است، کتاب شاید به نظر بازگویی خاطرات نویسنده باشد اما شرح زندگی مردم در جامعه سوسیالیستی آلبانی را روایت می کند اعم از مشقت ها مانند صف های طولانی، کار در مزرعه ها و 。。。، لذت ها بازی با پوست آدامس های خارجی و。。。، نوع برخورد سیاسمتدران با مردم مانند تشکیلات حزبی کمونیست در محله ها و。。。 را به خوبی روایت می کند。 گاهی به نظر می رسد شرح خاطره ای از دعوای خانواده با همسایه ای به خاطر یک قوطی نوشیدنی کوکاکولا جالب به نظر برسد اما درونمایه شعارهای حکوت که وظیفه تامین آزادی برای مردم را برعهده دارد هدف قرار می دهد。 نویسنده با دیدگاه های چپگرایانه خود دوران گذر کشور به یک نظام لیبرال و جنگ داخلی را هم شرح می دهد اما به نظرم هدف او از به تصویر کشیدن دو دوران سیاسی مختلف نشان دادن آن است که آزادی توهمی است که عوام برای خود در نظر دارند و آزادی مفهمومی است دست نیافتنی حتی در نظام های لیبرال و اینکه مردم فکر می کنند آزاد هستند。 کتاب از عنصر قصه گویی خوبی برخوردار و نویسنده قلم روانی برای نقل قصه های شخصی اش دارد。 。。。more
Steve
，
Great memoir of a girl growing up in Albania as it transitioned from a Stalinist country to a chaotic and eventually a violent post-communist mess。 Told with great dry humor and wonderful descriptions of family members， neighbors， friends， teachers， etc。 Good NYT review: https://www。nytimes。com/2022/01/18/bo。。。 Great memoir of a girl growing up in Albania as it transitioned from a Stalinist country to a chaotic and eventually a violent post-communist mess。 Told with great dry humor and wonderful descriptions of family members， neighbors， friends， teachers， etc。 Good NYT review: https://www。nytimes。com/2022/01/18/bo。。。 。。。more
Corry
，
Bijzonder fascinerend om socialistisch Albanië door de ogen van een kind te zien。 Ouders， die omwille van hun ‘biografie’ aan de zijlijn van de samenleving zijn beland， spuiten mist als de mondige dochter met lastige vragen komt。 Je proeft de angst， de onzekerheid。 Boeiend hoe de worsteling van de jonge meid wordt beschreven， als ze ontdekt dat de waarheid van moeder en vader niet strookt met de waarheid op school。
Callum
，
4。5 stars
Omer Tariq
，
I did not know anything about Albanian history so it was good to read the book。 I lost interest many times throughout the book。 The ideas and stories seemed a bit scattered。 Seems like I did not find the book as fascinating as most readers。
Lauren Pierce
，
One of the best books I've read in a long time！ It's told from the perspective of a girl growing up， and since I knew nothing about socialist Albania before reading this， my understanding of the political climate developed along with hers。 For example， we learned at the same time what "studying at university" actually meant when adults talked about it， the real reason her mother always looked up at a particular window when they passed a certain building， who her grandfather actually was。 Such a One of the best books I've read in a long time！ It's told from the perspective of a girl growing up， and since I knew nothing about socialist Albania before reading this， my understanding of the political climate developed along with hers。 For example， we learned at the same time what "studying at university" actually meant when adults talked about it， the real reason her mother always looked up at a particular window when they passed a certain building， who her grandfather actually was。 Such a fascinating way to learn about how a society functioned。 I've also never read such an entertaining non-fiction book--it was funny！ Lastly， while Ypi intentionally does not engage in a one-to-one comparison of socialism and capitalism， it's really interesting to read about the transition from one to the other and to read about each， especially vis-a-vis freedom。 。。。more
Katie
，
I wanted to learn about what life was like in Albania pre-2000。 This book does give you some taste of that （unfortunately， I'm never satisfied because what I actually want to do is see things for myself）。 What the book provided that I wasn't expecting （despite the title） is some interesting reflections on what it means to be free。 I wanted to learn about what life was like in Albania pre-2000。 This book does give you some taste of that （unfortunately， I'm never satisfied because what I actually want to do is see things for myself）。 What the book provided that I wasn't expecting （despite the title） is some interesting reflections on what it means to be free。 。。。more
Ben Keisler
，
This was a somewhat disappointing book。For some reason I have always been interested in Albania。 It is an odd corner of Europe， speaking an unusual language， isolated from both West and East during the first half of my life， extreme in its political pronouncements， impoverished and backward economically， still engaging in ancient feuds and customary tribal retributive justice。Its form of communism was extreme， rejecting Russia after Stalin's death， China after Mao's。 In tune with the Khmer Rouge This was a somewhat disappointing book。For some reason I have always been interested in Albania。 It is an odd corner of Europe， speaking an unusual language， isolated from both West and East during the first half of my life， extreme in its political pronouncements， impoverished and backward economically， still engaging in ancient feuds and customary tribal retributive justice。Its form of communism was extreme， rejecting Russia after Stalin's death， China after Mao's。 In tune with the Khmer Rouge and North Korea。 It was armed to the teeth against invasion and subversion， its population protected from the luxuries and seductions of western capitalism。So I was excited about reading an account of growing up in Albania， written by a woman who lived through the transition to a multiparty state and ended up as a professor at the London School of Economics。 I wanted all the details of what made her upbringing different from a child growing up in the West， but other than the particular issues resulting from her family "biography"， a code word for the family's class history， it didn't strike me as that unusual。 It was what I would expect from any society that was poor， backward and suspicious of difference and change。 Perhaps because， in the end， this is what totalitarian societies are。The book is well written and clear， but in the end sounded much the same as other accounts I've read of living in a totalitarian society or perhaps under a religious cult， followed by disillusionment with the relatively undramatic world that lacks the heightened meaning and purpose of those who live at the "vanguard of history"， the sole possessors of ultimate truth in a fallen world。 Interestingly but perhaps not surprisingly， she has become a professor of Marxism， looking for a truer way to implement the beliefs of her youth。Perhaps it was too much to expect more insight from her into the nature of such extreme beliefs and what they leave societies with when the righteous campaign ends。 There must be many such stories， both here in the Liberal Democratic west， with our Q。 cults and other true believers， and in the ideologically purer societies of the less developed world， with their radicalism and religious fundamentalism。 The attractions of this world are simply beyond me。 。。。more
Alia Shah
，
Heavy on political history and definitely need a quiet space to be able to take it all in but great writing and overall really enjoyed this！
martha
，
THIS IS SUCH A GOOD BOOK。 A lived history， a embodied theory， a life to learn from
Yvette Cendes
，
A very interesting memoir about the end of communism and the start of capitalism in Albania。 The sort of thing where my mother who grew up in communism would wonder why I’d bother reading THAT， not realizing it’s because I am interested precisely because of her experiences and understand them better。
Sarah
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Scrapes a five。 I could have done with more knowledge of Albanian history to get the most out of the book。
Jason McCracken
，
The best non-fiction book in years and probably the best growing up under communism books I've experienced。 The best non-fiction book in years and probably the best growing up under communism books I've experienced。 。。。more
KT
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A wonderfully written coming-of-age memoir that captures both the author's childlike naivete growing up in Enver Hoxha's Albania and clear insights of what followed Hoxha's government， and their similarities - so despite everything changing on the surface， what， if anything， actually changed in practice？ And what freedom， if any， which was promised was now granted？ Engaging prose throughout made the revelations impactfulUltimately the author concludes her world is as far from freedom as the one A wonderfully written coming-of-age memoir that captures both the author's childlike naivete growing up in Enver Hoxha's Albania and clear insights of what followed Hoxha's government， and their similarities - so despite everything changing on the surface， what， if anything， actually changed in practice？ And what freedom， if any， which was promised was now granted？ Engaging prose throughout made the revelations impactfulUltimately the author concludes her world is as far from freedom as the one her parents tried o escape。 Both falling short of that ideal。 Their failures taking distinctive forms， and without being able to understand them， divisions will remain。 So the hope of the book is to explain， to reconcile， and to continue the struggle。Paragraphs of note include the reconciliation of the author's and her parents' aspirations and realities under the two different political regimes:Realising that coercion need not always take such a direct form。 Socialism denying the author's father the possibility to be who he wanted to be， to make mistakes and learn from them， and to explore the world on his own terms。 Capitalism was denying it to others， the people who depended on his decisions， who worked in the port。 Class struggle was not over。How the author and her parents live lived in the same place， but in different worlds。 Her family equated socialism with denial: the denial of who they wanted to be， of the right to make mistakes and learn from them， to explore the wold on one's own terms。 She equated liberalism with broken promises， the destruction of solidarity， the right to inherit privilege， selfish enrichment， cultivating illusions while turning a blind eye to injustice 。。。more
Dion
，
Charting a childhood split between the dying days of Communism in Albania and the market reformations of the 1990s。 Ypi uses this juxtaposition to analyse freedom， and what it means in different contexts。 Freedom during the Communist period meant freedom from capitalist exploitation。 Freedom under capitalism meant political freedom and the ability to strive and better yourself。 However， 'freedom' was not as it seemed。 Under Communism， political freedom was crushed。 Many of Ypi's family members s Charting a childhood split between the dying days of Communism in Albania and the market reformations of the 1990s。 Ypi uses this juxtaposition to analyse freedom， and what it means in different contexts。 Freedom during the Communist period meant freedom from capitalist exploitation。 Freedom under capitalism meant political freedom and the ability to strive and better yourself。 However， 'freedom' was not as it seemed。 Under Communism， political freedom was crushed。 Many of Ypi's family members spent time in prison， due to political opposition to the regime， even some who were non-stalinist socialists。 Meanwhile in the 90s， Albanians were faced with mass unemployment and emigration。 Shock therapy led to massive amounts of graft and the rise of gangs who controlled much of the newly privatized economy。 Ponzi schemes collapsed the economy and civil war broke out， with over 2000 losing their lives。 Ypi weaves this history masterfully through her family history and her own experiences。 。。。more
HediBähren
，
Erstaunlich， was eine 9-10 Jährige an politischem Wissen hervorbringt。 Albanien erinnert mit seiner politischen Doktrin und Beeinflussung sehr an die ehemalige DDR， wo ebenfalls die "Intellektuellen" von vielem ausgeschlossen und enteignet wurden。 Mir ein bißchen zu politisch。 Erstaunlich， was eine 9-10 Jährige an politischem Wissen hervorbringt。 Albanien erinnert mit seiner politischen Doktrin und Beeinflussung sehr an die ehemalige DDR， wo ebenfalls die "Intellektuellen" von vielem ausgeschlossen und enteignet wurden。 Mir ein bißchen zu politisch。 。。。more
Hannah H
，
Brilliant and beautiful and very readable！
Elspeth
，
Listened to the audio version of this and it was so much more than I was expecting。 Hilariously honest throughout Ypi does not flinch from the harder truths about her growing up in a socialist regime and its subsequent collapse。 I realised I knew nothing about Albania before this and through Ypi's words you catch a glimmer of the rich and varied history this country has had。 The strong family and community ties that bind people together are written about with such warmness that Lea makes you fee Listened to the audio version of this and it was so much more than I was expecting。 Hilariously honest throughout Ypi does not flinch from the harder truths about her growing up in a socialist regime and its subsequent collapse。 I realised I knew nothing about Albania before this and through Ypi's words you catch a glimmer of the rich and varied history this country has had。 The strong family and community ties that bind people together are written about with such warmness that Lea makes you feel connected to her past and you really care for the people on her life。 Which makes it all the harder to read about the collapse of the regime， it must have felt such a desperate time with so many unknowns。 I urge you all to read this thoroughly engaging book， it is illuminating and full of love and resilience。 。。。more
Heather Shipman
，
one of the best books ive read in awhile！！ extremely interesting but also sad but nonetheless amazing writing
Stephen King
，
A funny and poignant autobiography of Lea Ypi - a teenager at the time of the fall of Albania， the only Maoist state in Europe and the fallout during the 1990’s。 Lea Ypi is an academic at LSE but this book is a personal reflection of her family and community in a time of deep and shocking transition。
Wendy Greenberg
，
This is a remarkable memoir。 Seen through her childhood eyes Ypi tells her story of growing up in Stalinist Albania in an incredibly nuanced， immersive yet funny way。 We transition from murderous dictatorship which Ypi was schooled to love via state taught dogma to a "freedom" that is too hot to handle。What was really well documented was her parents euphemistic conversations which Ypi constantly questioned。 With adult eyes we pick up， as she now understands that they were not Hoxha supporters bu This is a remarkable memoir。 Seen through her childhood eyes Ypi tells her story of growing up in Stalinist Albania in an incredibly nuanced， immersive yet funny way。 We transition from murderous dictatorship which Ypi was schooled to love via state taught dogma to a "freedom" that is too hot to handle。What was really well documented was her parents euphemistic conversations which Ypi constantly questioned。 With adult eyes we pick up， as she now understands that they were not Hoxha supporters but had learned how to keep safe。 She veers between memory， family history and political ideology seamlessly which weaves a rich narrative which asks the reader questions rather than being idealistic or sentimental。 She pitches it such that it is neither an anti-communist view nor a cheer for the arrival of democracy。 Amidst all this Ypi other memories slip in as the regime changes and capitalism seeps into Albania。 "He was laid off 。。。from the biscuit factory， He's in business now。 He does imports-exports。 Cannabis， cocaine， that sort of thing"Free really drills down into socialist principles， libertarian democracy and the the whole gamut of shades of grey between them。 Jenny Erpenbeck has also written about the idea of "freedom" for East Germany after the Berlin Wall came down。 It is a subjective concept that cannot be pinned down and I found this immersive memoir a great knee-jerk in reminding me of the hazards， joys and sorrows of old hopes and new beginnings。 。。。more
Stephen Hughes
，
Fascinating narrative of the author's Albanian family and the impact of one of history's great turning points， the fall of communism。 Drama， tragedy， high points and low points， Ypi provides an absorbing description of everyday life and the response of an ordinary （and not so ordinary） family。 Great book！ Fascinating narrative of the author's Albanian family and the impact of one of history's great turning points， the fall of communism。 Drama， tragedy， high points and low points， Ypi provides an absorbing description of everyday life and the response of an ordinary （and not so ordinary） family。 Great book！ 。。。more
Rob
，
This book is a fascinating portrait of life in Albania both before and after the switch from communism。 Enver Hoxha’s regime was deranged for sure although I did find myself bristling a little as the author is a product of the previous ruling class – so I was ready to spot biases。 I needn’t have worried – the second half of the book is excellent。 The author’s mother is painted unsympathetically as she adopts a Hayekian love of property rights and attempts to have old land restituted while shock This book is a fascinating portrait of life in Albania both before and after the switch from communism。 Enver Hoxha’s regime was deranged for sure although I did find myself bristling a little as the author is a product of the previous ruling class – so I was ready to spot biases。 I needn’t have worried – the second half of the book is excellent。 The author’s mother is painted unsympathetically as she adopts a Hayekian love of property rights and attempts to have old land restituted while shock therapy and structural adjustment led by the World Bank are painted as evils on a level with the hardcore Marxism of the postwar period。 As Ypi elegantly puts it while refugees attempt to find better lives， one wall came down to keep people in only to be replaced by another to keep people out。 The denouement is the horrific collapse of pyramid schemes of the late 1990s， with Albanians tricked into committing life savings that they ended up losing （crypto fans of today should beware）。 That said， she is also critical of western academics who distinguish between ‘good’ communists such as Che Guevara and Leon Trotsky， men who had the fortune to die before they could wreak havoc on the world and the common garden baddies such as Mao and Stalin。 Excellent， subtle stuff that argues for acknowledging the world’s complexity and ordinary people’s lives。 。。。more
Martha Richey
，