Czech Lessons

What is it like to move to a formerly communist, Eastern Bloc country just as it is coming to know the West? How much can a new and free generation teach an outsider who is willing to watch, to listen, and to integrate? Written from the perspective of an American emigrant settling in the Czech Republic not long after the fall of communism, Czech Lessons tracks the metamorphosis of both the Czech people and their new republic over the past two decades, capturing a unique period in this humble Central European country’s development.

Alternating between history, humor, politics, and memoir, Jessica Kendall Hankiewicz’s book of essays delves into the intangible qualities that make up both a nation and a nationality, bringing daily Czech life and culture sharply into focus. From the benefits of a social democracy to the national obsession with nature, Czech Lessons not only magnifies this small country for the world to see, but also offers up a mirror for the Czech people themselves.

“Surrounded by remnants of a difficult past, faltering technology, and Czechs who couldn’t help but stare at foreigners, I seemed to be taking several steps into the past, even as the country was careening forward with ambition. It was a rare opportunity to begin a relationship with the former Czechoslovakia as it slowly found its personality and its future.”