Photo by: Nicole Marek

One woman's story search for freedom, and the things she does with it.

 By Nicole Marek  

You can't leave the country unless the government lets you.

You can't read books unless it approves them. If you speak out against it, you will suffer the consequences.

This is the life Alena Aissing knew before she fled Communism in the former Czechoslovakia.

Today, Aissing is responsible for building the extensive collection of books from Germanic and Slavic countries at UF.

She also exercises her new-found freedom in hobbies like belly dancing and painting, things that weren’t as appreciated in her country as they are here.

For most of her life, Aissing read books in secret, because her government outlawed reading anything not associated with Communism.

"Anyone who was suspected of being against the government was interrogated by the police," says Aissing. "This made me believe that happiness was not to be found at home."

She escaped to the United States in 1986 when she was 30, and has been living in Gainesville since.

Aissing visited her country for the first time since she left in 1989, when Communism was overthrown.

"When I returned to my country after the fall of Communism, I saw many changes taking place. It became a place where people could read any book they wanted and live the way they choose," she says. "Even though I have worked very hard to be free, it's nice to know I can read what I want even in my homeland."

Story produced by
Elizabeth Marum & Catherine Dempsky