The Linden and the Oak

Farmers. Lovers. Soldiers. From their humble backwater village in a remote corner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vasyl Rusynko and his brothers, and the young sisters Paraska and Yevka Senchak, are propelled into the three great tidal currents of the burgeoning 20th World War I, the Communist revolution, and the flight from Old Europe to New America. With its memorable characters, and rich and vivid detail, Mark Wansa's epic, continent-spanning novel, The Linden and the Oak , combines a haunting and moving love story with a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Partly the story of the author's family, The Linden and the Oak is also the story of the countless thousands of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. The historical context -- traditions and customs, World War I and the horrors of the Eastern Front -- has been meticulously researched and offers fascinating insights on Eastern European culture.