Rebirth of Freedom: From Nazis and Communists to a New Life

Escaping by boat in the middle of the night across the Danube from Communists-held Czechoslovakia, Michael Sumichrast had become a refugee - determined to live his life with the same convictions he had before the war tore apart his homeland.

"It never occurred to me while growing up in Czechoslovakia, that I would ever leave my country. But who could have known that after World War I, in just two short decades, we would be at war again?

"Sure, like most people, I dreamed about going to America. But not as a refugee. We knew a lot of people who were receiving dollars from relatives who had moved there. We also knew that our constitution was based on the American constitution, written by our President Thomas G. Masaryk after meeting with the American President Wilson."

This is a story about fighting the Nazis, fleeing the Communists, and enduring the seven-year wait to immigrate to the United States. With very little to build on except American freedom, Sumichrast and his family found the strength to carry on. Rebirth of Freedom tells of the hardship of a poor immigrant couple coming to New York in the winter of 1955 in the midst of the Eisenhower recession - and the rise to successful life and a noteworthy political career. It is a fascinating account of their ongoing struggle for education and a piece of the American dream.

Twenty-five years before President Ronald Reagan declared, "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this (Berlin) wall," Michael Sumichrast started pounding podiums and reminding Americans to be thankful for their freedom. As the Chief Economist of the National Association of Home Builders, his speeches were part economic lecture and part world history. A Slovak-born immigrant who suffered through both the Nazi and Communist invasions, he lived through tragic loss, prison, and life as a refugee. He came to the U.S. with $10 in his pocket and never once asked for a handout. His message is loud and clear