Darya Shut

The Price of Freedom. My Father, Me, and the Dictator

Darya Shut grew up in a small town in the Soviet Union, but before she had started second grade, her country was called Belarus.

For a long time her life revolved around the small, green wooden house of her grandmother and grandfather. The extended family gathered there, where all important decisions were made. In the lush garden, her grandmother grew most of what she needed, for, as she used to say, “You can never fully trust the state.” All of Darya's grandparents were marked by World War II and Stalin's persecutions.

When Darya's father ran as a parliamentary candidate in Belarus's first free election in 1990, he quickly found himself in opposition to a fellow candidate, Aliaksandr Lukashenko. After a dramatic election four years later, Lukashenko became president and tightened his grip on power, dashing hopes for democracy.

Darya grew up in a new dictatorship and noticed that teachers, neighbours, and friends began to view her and her family differently.

The Price of Freedom masterfully weaves together the story of the Shut family with the dramatic recent history of Belarus.