Grabbing the Beast by the Throat is a gripping volume of historical fiction in poetry that follows the life of Pavel Svoboda, a Czechoslovakian man whose life turns upside down when Nazi Germany invades Czechoslovakia and brings Europe to the brink of World War II. Readers witness Pavel’s evolution from a carefree college student with a close-knit family into a resistance fighter who opposes Hitler’s brutal regime. When other college students are slaughtered for protesting the occupation and his Jewish girlfriend is taken to Terezín (Theresienstadt) Concentration Camp, Pavel joins the Czech resistance to protect the people he loves, undermine those in power, and help regain his country’s freedom.
In America and around the world, the clear rise of fascism makes it vitally important that we continue to learn from the past. Grounded in history, this book is a powerful—and unmistakably timely—reminder that there are times when we must fight for freedom.
