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Ukrainian. Another young woman, from Brazil, earned a PhD from London University with scholarships from Brazil and the UK and became a linguistic historian. She too is trilingual: fluent in Portuguese, Ukrainian, and English. A young artist from Ukraine received her Masters Degree on a fellowship from Princeton University; she designed our logo. Three of our former scholarship recipients in Brazil became bishops: one Orthodox and two Catholic. Many scholarship recipients in Brazil and Argentina chose religious life and have dedicated their lives to educating new generations of students or are serving as priests in various countries. One young woman in Brazil who completed a 12th grade level education (quite an achievement 30 years ago!) could not afford a wedding dress when she got married. She now owns a wedding dress rental business in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. Two other UNWLA alumni co-own a travel agency in Brazil. One former seminarian went on to become an attorney and is now serving the poor people in his native Brazil pro bono. In reviewing this brief list of stories, I can only say they have reached the unreachable and that our program was the bridge that made the journey possible. Alexander J. Motyl's Whiskey Priest by Nadia Deychakiwsky Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of pol itical science at Rutgers University and is an authority on the challenges of post-totalitarian nations, especially former Soviet Republics. He has authored a number of scholarly treatises and many essays in his academic field. But “Whiskey Priest” is Professor Motyl’s debut in fiction writing. This gripping political/ philosophical thriller is not only a fast-moving, entertaining, witty page-tumer; it also provides many opportunities readers to think and make interesting inferences. Although some parts of the drama may be a bit contrived (inevitable in this genre), the book stimulates and provokes the reader’s understanding and interpretation of recent history (after the fall of the Soviet Union) and encourages readers to ponder some moral issues that resonate with today’s global dilemmas. The principal characters are suspended in meticulously researched history and places of action (e.g. Vienna, Kyiv, Lviv), creating remarkable authenticity. The protagonist, Anatoly S. Filatov, a former Soviet KGB agent and now disillusioned hit man of Russian Mafia, was a true believer in the cause of communism. Killing an enemy for a “cause” was like administering a sacrament: There was no doubt in his mind that it was morally justified. But what happens when the “cause” collapses and doesn’t exist any more? Is there a possibility of redemption for him? The antagonist, an American diplomat Jane Sweet (bom Ivanka Svit), is a “confused, fragile, and exceedingly vulnerable woman,” burdened with memories that she heard while growing up. She must, in the end, confront her “truth”. Professor Motyl speaks in his own langu age. Wit, humor, satire, and foreign phrases are skillfully interwoven with deep human predica ments. There is, for example, brilliant metaphorical description of the fall of Berlin Wall: . . it was only farther from the city center that the Wall still stood, quietly, secretively, almost embarrassed to be intact. . . ” In another polished phrase, the author uses personification to convey a mood as well as an event: “The black Soviet-era telephone rang hesit antly, almost as if it were apologizing for USSR’s collapse.” The novel is full of interesting facts, un iquely structured, with never a dull or superfluous sentence. Highly recommend for both enjoyment and enlightenment, it is available from iUniverse, 201 Pine Lake Road, Lincoln, NE 68512; telephone 1-800-288-4677. Price $12.95. Paperback 143 pages. Reviewer Nadia Deychakiwsky is a member o f UNWLA Branch 12, Cleveland, Ohio. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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