When Beech Trees Bear Apples, Paperback/H. J. Campbell

Descriere

Description Even as the Communist world emerged into freedom, President Nicolae Ceausescu stood firm and iron-fisted. Bathed in delusions of grandeur, he wholeheartedly believed his people adored him and Romania would remain the last bastion of Communism in Europe. As late as November 1989, he said triumphantly after being "reelected" to another five-year term, "Romania will change only when beech trees bear apples and reeds bear flowers." Little did he know that one month later, he would be forced from power. Little did he know too that he would soon be dead. When Beech Trees Bear Apples is a novel of the 1989 Romanian Revolution. It tells the story of Reverend L szl T k s, who spoke out the against Ceausescu's tyrannical policies. These policies included the destruction of churches and the banning of Bibles, Bible study, and religious activities. T k s believed the people should worship God as they pleased, and he used his pulpit to speak out against the government. For this act of treason, he, his family, and his congregation were persecuted. When the bishop, supported by the government, attempted to evict T k s from his church, the congregation rose up and protested. They were soon joined by thousands of ordinary Romanians. Meanwhile, forces were in play to oust Ceausescu almost from the day he was elected Communist Party secretary in 1965. By 1984, a full-scale coup d' tat was planned to take him down, but it was discovered and aborted. When the people rose up to support T k s in December 1989, the conspirators were ready. Soon the army was with the people. By Christmas Day, Ceausescu was caught, tried, and executed for his crimes against the Romanian people. At last, Romania was free, and its people worshipped openly for the first time in decades.