Kudos for Prague: My Long Journey Home

Praise for Prague: My Long Journey Home

“I read the synopsis of your book, and I’m blown away by your story. I’d like to order ten books for myself and my family. Where do I buy them?”
Karl Knuth

“Just wanted to let you know that I happened to see your web address on your email and checked it out, and what an amazingly diverse life you have led! I had no idea, in my slice-fixing vacuum of a world that you had grown up in Czechoslovakia and had lived through such difficult times.  Then all of your accomplishments that you have after that time in your life are amazing.” 
Mark Russo

“No doubt - you are the Czech Haratio Alger.”
Paul Barrett

“We have a large book club and want to buy 30 copies of Out of Prague. How do we order them?
Semantha Sametinger

“Over the years I have heard bits and pieces of your life story but never in as much detail as the information on your website. You really do have an amazing story to tell and I wish you the best of luck in the success of your writings.”
Steven Wright

“Knowing only the outlines of both the horrific and happy periods of your life, I can't wait to fill in the details. I look forward to getting to read the complete story of your life in Prague, even though I know those years were painful ones. I suspect they will show me how you learned to be the exceptional person you grew up to be.”
Arlene Swerdloff

“Will you be going on a book tour? If you’ll be in the Chicago area, my book club would like to come meet you and to buy autographed copies of your book. Thank you.”
B. J. Osborne

“Bravo! I am overwhelmed by what you have written.”
Kristine Geils

“WOW!!!!! I am more than greatly impressed!!!!”
Nate Niles

“In one word – wonderful!”
Dr. Bart Childs

“What a great challenge you have set out. Congratulations! The timing of your book is great… Sun Valley has a Writer’s Conference each year. You should be there.”
Janet Ross-Heiner

“Congratulations on finishing your book and starting another. There is no question that your life’s experiences warrant sharing with others.”
Henry Felton

You have to write a book like this for the sake of the next generation so they will NEVER FORGET! Your mother and father were truly remarkable people.  With purpose and intent, they focused on creating a life for you that would provide opportunities.  You are a living testimony that what they did was right and because you are who you are - you honor them in everything you do. Whether the whole world sees your publication or just a few people, you have succeeded just by writing these words for posterity.”
Dr. Judi Broida

“I finished reading your book last night.  I couldn't put it down.  It is an amazing story written with passion and love for a strong and loving family.  Thank you for writing such a wonderful book and sharing your story with us.”
Bill Cole

“I’ve just finished your book…As soon as I finished, I posted a short comment on your blog through my tears. What a gift you have given everyone lucky enough to read your story… Your book is an inspiring, amazing accomplishment.”
Dr. John C. Gebhardt

“Just finished your book!!!! You grabbed me from the first chapter and never let go until the end......I cried a lot and keep thinking about it a lot. So I will begin reading it again soon, I am sure. You have a gift, my friend, so don't screw it up!”
Dr. Rudolph Lamone

“I just finished Prague:My Long Journey Home.  I thoroughly enjoyed your story. I laughed, I cried, and was extremely moved. By growing up on the OTHER side of (the) "Iron Curtain," my issues were the Cold War and the constant fear of nuclear holocaust. Other than our monthly air raid drills, climbing under our desks in the classrooms, I had no idea of what was going on in your part of the world.. I was very moved with your story telling, particularly your ability to transform your recollections into vivid word pictures of such a traumatic time. I found myself changing places with you in many instances.”
Warren McKinney

“As I read about your family's experiences during and after the war, my inclination was that, once you and your parents reached America, it might be difficult for you to hold the reader's attention about life in the states. Not the case -- I couldn't put the book down as you addressed that part of your lives. I didn't cry, but sure got teary-eyed at times. I knew you were a good writer, Charlie -- I was wrong, you're a great writer. What a wonderful and lasting family legacy you've so eloquently recorded.”
James McEneaney

“Just finished your book.  Good read, couldn't put it down.”
Bill Lockwood

“If you are searching for a World War II era memoir to read, you can find books that recount more harrowing scenes of violence and more moments of high stakes drama. That is not to belittle the danger and profound losses that the author’s family suffered. But what makes this book stand out from the others is not those types of details. Rather, it is the author’s ability to firmly plant the reader within the time period and location and to expertly weave the often tragic and sadly neglected history of the Czech Republic around a central gem of a story of survival. Your heart will be moved as you follow this family’s struggle, sacrifice, and courage. And you will be left with feelings of warmth and admiration as you see how the author, with integrity and courage of his own, confronts and resolves his past with his present.”
Victoria Duncan

“Thanks for sharing your stories with us. The book is truly an inspiration.”
Susan Moger

Got your book two weeks ago and read it in two days. Unbelievable story!”
Robert Gray

“Very moved by your story…Remarkable, and thank you for writing it.”
Mary Felter

“This is great! Congrats!!!!!! Just amazing.”
Dr. Karel Pacak

“Thank you for giving me and others a real appreciation for just how difficult it was to live in Europe during World War II. It is truly a first-class read.”
Susan Smith

“Reading your interesting book, well researched and amazing to read similarities like that train journey!”
Ivan Margolius

“I just completed you book and I wanted you to know it presents a profoundly touching and inspiring biography. My constant thought was: No one should have to endure the horror and trauma that you have endured. Of course the ennobling strain of your life was the unconditional love of your parents and your dedication to building a magnificent live despite the ruin created by others. Your book was an honor to read and I thank you for it.”
David Adcock

“Charles Heller has given us a beautifully written story of one child's journey through a Nazi occupied country during the holocaust, where most of his family is exterminated, to present day America where he attains scholastic and professional success. From a life of privilege, Charles is a well-loved and valued only child, grandchild and great grandchild. He is sheltered from the reality of what is happening, as one cherished family member after another vanishes from his life. His father joins the British Army to fight the Nazis and disappears from the author's life for five years. Charles becomes one of the "hidden children" and his mother is taken away from him. Although very lonely, he is still not aware of the extent of, or reasons for, the Nazis' terrible carnage. Charles' father returns from the war and when it seems that life might be normal again; the family must leave everything behind and flee again, this time from communist oppression. After more than a year in a series of refuge camps, the author and his parents, arrive in America with its promise of freedom and opportunity, His parents overcome all obstacles to provide him with the education he will need to achieve the American dream. And, he does that--becoming a successful businessman, entrepreneur and academic, sharing his experience and knowledge with people in the United States as well as the Czech Republic. However, throughout his life Charles is haunted by the past. Part of him is still the secretive lonely child--the one who can tell no one that he shot, and hoped he killed a Nazi when he was nine years old. He needs to find the truth about the "lost" family members, about why they were all killed. In finding the truth, he questions the role of his Jewish heritage and his own denial of that heritage. By facing the demons of the past, Charles comes full circle and finds redemption in paying homage to his ancestors and embracing his birthright. This an incredible story wrapped in a history lesson--a must read.”
Karen Cain (Amazon.com review)

“Charles Ota Heller's memoir, Prague, My Long Journey Home, is among the most moving and compelling books I have ever read. I had planned to read part of it on a cross-country flight while reserving most of the travel time for work-related reading. By the end of the first chapter, I was captivated, and I didn't stop until the end.  Heller's life story is both disturbing and inspiring. Those of us who grew up hearing about and reading about the horrors of life and death under the Nazis and then communism rarely feel the depravity as a personal experience. For most of us, Nazism and communism are simply ideologies and governance systems that have failed in far off places. Heller provides that personal experience, and his narrative draws the reader in to feel it with him. After escaping, Heller tried to drive those experiences from his mind and soul as he developed a remarkable career in the US, but it all came back and made him whole when he was able to embrace all of it and return to his beloved homeland of Czechoslovakia. Anyone who reads this book must be prepared to be deeply troubled by the capacity of some humans to inflict unspeakable suffering on others, but the life affirming conclusion makes the journey through hell worth every word.”
Charles “Chic” Dambach (Amazon.com review)