Listener Reviews

What a ride! Hearing Yasha’s voice directly from recordings made years before his passing gives this show an authentic soul that history podcasts very rarely capture. The production quality is top-tier! If you enjoy This American Life or any podcasts with elite storytelling, this is for you. He balances intimate primary audio with much needed historical context that explains the impossible choices, legal realities, and social pressures his family faced while fleeing across the Soviet Union. This show was done with so much clarity, humanity, and atmospheric detail that the entire experience stayed with me long after the episodes ended. Yasha is truly a sobering reminder of the power of maternal conviction and intuitive survival. What a phenomenal tribute! An absolute five-star documentary achievement.

This is a high-quality podcast in both terms of the content of the story and its professional production. Yasha tells a story that is both foreign and yet feels familiar. It’s the type of story we losing each passing day and I’m glad podcast like this exist to preserve these stories.

Where you find this story: Yasha’s voice pierces personal history. Remarkable narration relates what matters. This is where writing what you know delivers what’s next: survival.

Phenomenal. WWII is a fascinating time in history with so much to learn. This story really humanized the time on a granular level and from a different perspective than I’ve heard before. Hearing it told by the old man who lived it and the grandson who learned it was an inspiration. I want to hug them both, then call my own grandparents. I can’t wait to hear the rest of Yasha’s story.

This is a richly crafted true story of a very dark period in human history told through the eyes of a young boy. It’s a story of displacement and the unfathomable suffering and cruelty experienced by one family, and at the same time, an inspiring story of resilience, determination and courage. I cannot recommend this podcast enough.

Gripping tale with excellent narration and effects! Don’t miss this one!