During the WWII, the Western Ukraine suffered from two external conflicts. In 1939 its lands were annexed by the Soviet Union with establishment of totalitarian regime of the communist dictatorship on its territory. In 1941 another totalitarian entity - the Nazi Germany - conquered its lands, bringing death and new hardships to people.

Digging through memories, there are thousands of families that have their own stories to tell as testimonies of the cruelty of that time. One woman has recently given voice to her mother-in-law’s memories in a sincere way, bringing back to the surface what war means and how it affects people.

In a realistic, moving but also punctual account, Angelic Tarasio has written Mother Maria. The author was born in the Ukraine and at the present time she is residing in the United States. The memory of the above mentioned historical events and personal example of her mother-in-law greatly affected the life of the author, as well as the lives of author’s husband and children.

The author doesn’t want people to forget the mercilessness of war when the human world lost 72 million people without gaining anything except painful memory. It’s our history. We are not able to change it but we can avoid senseless losses in future if the right conclusions are made. The experience of the past teaches people to be cautious with developing of new political systems.

Angelic Tarasio learned from her mother-in-law’s life experience that there is always chance of surviving. The most important thing is to find the right way. The author described truthfully, having in her family a bright example of how hard a woman can fight and how life can be devastating while still leaving a chance of surviving, just if someone is able to believe and see it.

Maria, the central focus of Angelic Tarasio’s book, is a woman who has overcome many hard times, preserving her inner spiritual integrity. Tarasio writes in her dedication: "an amazing mother-in-law Maria, who was saved by the Divinity and who did not separate her life from serving God". As she is drawn by Angelic, we see Maria in the image of an extraordinary strong and talented person and at the same time she is a humane, humble and gentle woman.

It took time and under the pressure of war danger Maria, a fragile young woman, becomes strong, and fights for herself and her family. She was surely driven by a spiritual force to overcome particular moments of her life, but besides the support from above all her personal strength is so clearly spotted that she can easily be raised to a possible paradigm of how to face life and how strong one can be when needed.

Still, this is not an inspirational book only: it is not only an emotional love story. It is both of these things, plus a well-detailed alternative history document with lots of precise references to the war and the actual events, all working as a frame for Maria’s life. Starting from real episodes, Tarasio uses her mother-in-law’s memories together with her imagination, so not all the events described in the book are factual; yet the very foundation is conversations between the author and Maria herself.

She was a demure and sensitive young girl from an educated family, who developed into resourceful and brave woman. Captured by the Nazi’s in the vicious circle of WWII, she finds herself being a witness to the horrors of mankind. She is, then, subjected to another form of abuse, torture and slavery. However, Maria is saved. Her explanation is that she is miraculously saved by her faith in Divinity. She asked and was blessed to find her way to remain alive and successful.

Angelic Tarasio beautifully tells us the story of a survivor. As every pain makes us stronger, her strength, integrity and inspirational dedication gets enhanced by her hardships. The way she has overcome the life threatening difficulties keeps Maria in the memory of her family and now, thanks to the book, of everyone who will read Mother Maria.

Excerpt from Dorrance Publishing Co. letter:

We have read your manuscript, and we would be pleased to publish in under our subsidy program.

As the first part of an intended trilogy, "God’s Miracles in Lives of Regular People: Mother Maria" is designed to recall exactly what the title suggests. Maria is your mother-in-law, whom you described as "my first teacher in theology, my older sister in Christ, and my dear friend in life." The manuscript recalls the World War II, coupled with several miraculous occurrences that allowed her to survive. Thus, in many ways, your work is designed to be a testament to living by faith……..

Several aspects of "God’s Miracles in Lives of Regular People: Mother Maria" could help the manuscript to have a wide appeal. In many ways, it is a fast-paced tale of adventure, whose suspense may keep readers on the edge of their seats. In other ways, it is a striking testament to the power of faith; readers might enjoy the prayers that run as refrains throughout these pages. Lastly, "God’s Miracles in Lives of Regular People: Mother Maria" offers an invaluable first person perspective into the struggles of ordinary people during World War II; you are able to convey the fear, paranoia, and danger that these people faced every day. Thus, your manuscript is able to add a fresh perspective and dimension to the canon of World War II literature…….

David Zeolla
Managing Director
Pittsburgh, PA USA