I Tried

The time is 1972 to 1990. The place is communist Romania, one of the satellite states of the almighty—albeit slowly decaying—Soviet Union.
I Tried is a collection of stories that reflect the author’s life from the tender age of ten through age 28. The 36 tales of street-soccer, beekeeping, abuse, brutality, chases, forced labor, love, secret police informants and revolution present a quilt-like collage of the life in communist Romania, a country ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu, one of the worst dictators of the 20th century.
These intimate stories—in turn thrilling, funny, and sad—of everyday life under a communist regime offer the reader a glimpse of an almost unimaginable period of recent history. I Tried will take you on an emotional roller coaster and leave you filled with wonder and disbelief that such events could occur in our modern world.

"Everyday supplies, like meat, bread, milk, and even hot water and heat, were had by stealth if at all. Living under such conditions—an authoritarian regime with secret police and a web of informants as well as army officials who easily resorted to violence—exacted a heavy price. Sütő writes of abusive teachers, desperate townsfolk who sacrificed their lives attempting to get food, and doctors who worked only for bribes, and he recounts his experiences of forced labor, compulsory army service, and physical and psychological abuse he suffered from government officials. At the heart of the book, however, is the mesmerizing story of the author’s ability to withstand the pressures of the system." - Kirkus Review

Gyuszi Sütő grew up in Transylvania, Romania. He spent his childhood hiking and skiing the Transylvanian Alps, helping his father with beekeeping, reading about the world, a world that he could not travel to. His grandparents survived both world wars, and shared plenty of artifacts and stories with him, and greatly influenced his understanding of the realities around him. He lives in Oregon. This is his second published book. Abstract story illustrations by the young and talented graphic artist Liza Danila.