Fred H. DeVinney asked for suggestions of books to read before visiting foreign places (July ’14, pg. 46).
I highly recommend “The Bridge at Andau” by James A. Michener (first edition, 1957, Random House; paperback, 1985, Fawcett).
Mostly a history lesson, this is an excellent book about the short Hungarian revolution followed by the brutal Russian invasion of Hungary in November 1956, which destroyed Budapest and terrorized a defenseless population. It is the story of how thousands of Hungarians had to flee their country.
I read the book before traveling by train from Romania to Budapest, Hungary, in September 2003.
BONNIE CONDIT
St. Louis Park, MN
