They Gave All, For Freedom - Paperback

This is the true story of the John and Jarmila Honolka family, who began their lives in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s, as told by their daughter Vlasta to author Susan Trout Armstrong.

It is a triumph-over-adversity story of fear and courage, hope and despair, imprisonment and escape. After surviving unbearable lives under the Nazi regime, the Communist Russia occupation, prison, and displaced persons camps, the family immigrates to the USA.

THEY GAVE ALL, FOR FREEDOM is a powerful account of endurance and John Honolka's never-ending belief that he could make a good future for them once again, despite beatings, separation from friends and family, and lack of money.

It is the life that Vlasta Honolka lived as a very young girl, as well as her three brothers and her sister Eva. The story is also about Eva, the older sister who carried the torch of freedom the rest of her life, becoming an inspiration to others.

Author Susan Trout Armstrong writes in a narrative, journalistic style, relying on family memories, newspaper articles, eulogies, and documents shared by the Honolka's younger daughter, Vlasta, who co-authors the book. Because it is told through the eyes of family members who lived there, the story is deeply personal.

The book is a tribute to the resilience of a family who rises above uncommon hardships to claim their destiny in the annals of history. It is also a passionate call for all Americans to treasure their opportunities in the land of the free.