A Macedonian Memoir - My Name is Sotir

"Remember your name, Sote. Remember who you are and where you came from." Dedo Vasil Nitchov
Those words spoken more than fifty years ago by a revered grandfather to a beloved young rascal, his grandson, still resonate in the heart and soul of the grown man he has become.

Out of the land of Alexander the Great, from deep within the heartland of Macedonia, emerges one of the most touching, painful, compelling books of our time: MY NAME IS SOTIR, A Memoir Of A Child Evacuee, by Olga Lexovska Naumoff.

His grandfather's words became Sotir's shield and sword throughout his exodus, while warming his soul, stirring his pride, supporting him in the face of the many unforeseen challenges to his ethnicity. Therein, we discover, lies the key to Sotir's survival throughout the years. He always knew who he was! He never forgot his Macedonian roots! And no one could destroy his love for his birthplace, T'rsie, Macedonia !

Sotir's story begins with the onset of World War II. His life as a carefree young Macedonian child is fondly recalled as we share the adventures and capers that carry him through that period, unaware of the impending disaster which was to follow. The end of World War II was not the end of war for the people of Macedonia and Greece . A second and final clash between the modern-day titans from the East and the West engulfed the region with horrific consequences. The vitriolic political passions overwhelmed the people. The bloody, devastating war that followed the end of WW II has been chronicled as the Greek civil war.

The war came to a flaming, cataclysmic end in 1949 with even greater loss and suffering for the people of Macedonia . But what of the Macedonian children? By 1947 the Macedonian leadership had determined the children had to be evacuated. Villagers were informed that it was necessary to have everyone's cooperation in the effort to protect and save the children. From ages two to fourteen, the children were separated from family, from home, from country, not knowing whether they would ever return. These young, naively trusting children, began a lonely, frightening sojourn, accompanied by surrogate "mothers" into unknown worlds, to live among strangers, who spoke unfamiliar languages. These young, bewildered children came to be known as the Detsa Begaltsi, child evacuees. They bonded together through their exodus and experience. They are the Macedonian Detsa Begaltsi generation. They, too, have never forgotten their roots nor how they survived the years of separation, fear and loneliness.

Sotir started on his Macedonian trail of tears in 1948, a trail taking him from his beloved village, T'rsie, in the Lerin district of Macedonia, into the Yugoslav town of Bela Crkva . It was here that Destiny was to take Sotir's measure. While teasing him with undreamed of opportunities to reach for the stars, Destiny placed Sotir at the crossroads of his young life. Forced to choose between his passionate pursuit of a career or assume the responsibilities of a too-early manhood, and because of his moral values, Sotir made a haunting life-altering decision.

Sotir's choice will break your heart, as it did his.





		"...a painfull story whose heartbreak is a celebration of the defiant and ultimately unbreakable human spirit.It will make you laugh, but what matters is the way it will make you cry." John Briley, Author, Oscar for screenplay, GANDHI



A true story of a young survivor who lived to tell about his experiences. Order your book today and see what the buzz is about. You will laugh,cry,wonder and reflect at the twists and turns in Sotir's story.
	"Remember your name, Sote. Remember who you are and where you came from." Dedo Vasil Nitchov Those words spoken more than fifty years ago by a revered grandfather to a beloved young rascal, his grandson, still resonate in the heart and soul of the grown man he has become. Out of the land of Alexander the Great, from deep within the heartland of Macedonia, emerges one of the most touching, painful, compelling books of our time: MY NAME IS SOTIR, A Memoir Of A Child Evacuee, by Olga Lexovska Naumoff. His grandfather's words became Sotir's shield and sword throughout his exodus, while warming his soul, stirring his pride, supporting him in the face of the many unforeseen challenges to his ethnicity. Therein, we discover, lies the key to Sotir's survival throughout the years. He always knew who he was! He never forgot his Macedonian roots! And no one could destroy his love for his birthplace, T'rsie, Macedonia ! Sotir's story begins with the onset of World War II. His life as a carefree young Macedonian child is fondly recalled as we share the adventures and capers that carry him through that period, unaware of the impending disaster which was to follow. The end of World War II was not the end of war for the people of Macedonia and Greece . A second and final clash between the modern-day titans from the East and the West engulfed the region with horrific consequences. The vitriolic political passions overwhelmed the people. The bloody, devastating war that followed the end of WW II has been chronicled as the Greek civil war. The war came to a flaming, cataclysmic end in 1949 with even greater loss and suffering for the people of Macedonia . But what of the Macedonian children? By 1947 the Macedonian leadership had determined the children had to be evacuated. Villagers were informed that it was necessary to have everyone's cooperation in the effort to protect and save the children. From ages two to fourteen, the children were separated from family, from home, from country, not knowing whether they would ever return. These young, naively trusting children, began a lonely, frightening sojourn, accompanied by surrogate "mothers" into unknown worlds, to live among strangers, who spoke unfamiliar languages. These young, bewildered children came to be known as the *Detsa Begaltsi,* child evacuees. They bonded together through their exodus and experience. They are the Macedonian Detsa Begaltsi generation. They, too, have never forgotten their roots nor how they survived the years of separation, fear and loneliness. Sotir started on his Macedonian trail of tears in 1948, a trail taking him from his beloved village, T'rsie, in the Lerin district of Macedonia, into the Yugoslav town of Bela Crkva . It was here that Destiny was to take Sotir's measure. While teasing him with undreamed of opportunities to reach for the stars, Destiny placed Sotir at the crossroads of his young life. Forced to choose between his passionate pursuit of a career or assume the responsibilities of a too-early manhood, and because of his moral values, Sotir made a haunting life-altering decision. Sotir's choice will break your heart, as it did his.