Reviews
Dr. Professor Franz Zebinger, well-known Austrian musician and composer, writes:
“Your book is a compendium of a lost world full of beauty and hardship. I have experienced many things in a similar way to you. I too come from so-called “Keuschlern” (small farmers) in a small village (St. Peter am Ottersbach in southern Styria) with some land in fields and forest and with all the small-scale farming side effects in the working world. Like you children, we seven siblings were brought in without hesitation to work in the “economy”: haymaking, harvesting, grape picking, “Heindln” on the beet field, etc.
Father Anton Fencz SVD, from Ollersdorf writes:
A wonderful book! You have created a monument to my childhood. I could have written a lot of what you say. I think it is a very honest book and a fair one, also in terms of your personal development and your life path. At some points I was really emotionally touched, not to say moved. Even your cow Schäkel was not foreign to me. I also had a Schäkel at my grandfather’s that I had to look after.
“Buchkultur” February/March, 2012
Beatrice Simonsen
It is not literary finesse but genuine autobiography that characterizes the “Memories of an Emigrant from Hungary”. Emmerich Koller, born in 1942, was born in Hungary, but the majority of his hometown was German-speaking. His first childhood memories come from a time of hardship: the end of the Second World War, the Russian occupation and the subsequent communist era. Koller describes this rural life, marked by poverty, work, religion and large families, with a sense of justice that runs through the entire story.
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Dave Mishur
visitpontiac.com
Pontiac, IL
Despite its title, “Good Dogs Do Stray,” a book I recently received from a good friend and former schoolmate, Emmerich Koller, is not about dogs. Although man’s best friend does enter into the story every now and then, this is a memoir of the author’s childhood in Hungary after WWII, coming of age in post-war Europe, and ultimate migration, with his family, to America.
It is a marvelous book, full of anecdotes of old Europe, a good bit of history, and a healthy dose of the opportunities the “new world” had to offer to a poverty-stricken family from Hungary. Their success in America, as individuals and as a family, shows that the determination and hard work necessary to survive in war-torn Europe served them well once the doors of opportunity were opened in their new home.
Roberta Rubin
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court
Winnetka, IL
Emmerich Koller’s book, Good Dogs Do Stray, is a heartrending story about a young Hungarian boy who leaves Hungary with his family right after the Revolution in 1956. Koller tells his tale with an in-depth look at the hardships of moving a family – of escaping from an oppressive government – to the United States. He is a terrific writer – capturing the intensity of the times, both externally and internally. I could not put it down – I felt the Iron Curtain and its evilness – and I loved the story of coming to America and how they assimilated in the 1960s. Good Dogs Do Stray is a memoir worth reading.
Penelope Rieck, Teacher of Jungian Studies
TheWomen’s Exchange Book Stall at Chestnut Court
Winnetka, IL
Emmerich Koller’s book, Good Dogs Do Stray, is a heartrending story about a young Hungarian boy who leaves Hungary with his family right after the Revolution in 1956. Koller tells his tale with an in-depth look at the hardships of moving a family – of escaping from an oppressive government – to the United States. He is a terrific writer – capturing the intensity of the times, both externally and internally. I could not put it down – I felt the Iron Curtain and its evilness – and I loved the story of coming to America and how they assimilated in the 1960s. Good Dogs Do Stray is a memoir worth reading.
Raffaele Di Zenzo, Ph. D.
Winnetka, IL
A Celebration of Life . . . Emmerich Koller, in his recent memoir Good Dogs Do Stray: Memoir of an Immigrant from Hungary, celebrates human life in all its aspects. Life is a journey as Dante says in his Divine Comedy. Emmerich’s life relives this journey: from war-torn communist Hungary to America, with all struggles, dreams fulfilled and unfulfilled; from a youngster in Hungary to seminarian in Austria and America, to teacher, father, grandfather, and above all, a lover of life.
Reading this very personal journey is like reading St. Augustine’s Confessions: “Domine, creasti cor nostrum ad te et irrequietum est donec requiescat in te.” — “Lord, you created our heart for You and it is restless until it rests in You.”
Once we begin to read this autobiography, we feel the urgency to read it all at once. We need to reach the end of Emmerich’s wonderful journey: the triumph of the human spirit over inequities, and we all say: Life is really beautiful
Thomas W. Rieck
Winnetka, IL
A wonderful, memorable work! This is one of the few books I want to re-read. A young man made a quantum leap in life in remarkably few years. A testament to diligence, courage, and faith. Good things do happen to good people. It made a lasting impression on me.
Book Hog
Northfield, IL
An unforgettable book – From the moment I started reading this book it was very hard to put down, this is the best book I have read in a long time. The book is very well written and leaves you wanting to read more. The book places you with Emmerich and makes you feel and see what he goes through as he grows into a young man. The book made me realize and think of all the hardships that immigrants go through to get to this great country. It was those immigrants who made this country what it is today. Emmerich Koller and his family belong to those who shaped this country and who made it great!!! Thank you for this wonderful book!!!
Agnes Clark
Chicago, IL
Mr. Koller’s remarkable book puts a new spin on the immigrant-makes-good story. This well written memoir offers a fascinating look into village life in occupied Hungary and beckons you to follow the author on his unforgettable, often heart-breaking journey to adulthood and a new life in the U.S . . . from poverty and repression to a distinguished teaching career . . . with surprising detours along the way. Readers of this poignant and uplifting memoir will be inspired by Emmerich Koller’s incredible life and transformation. Thank goodness Good Dogs Do Stray! I loved this book!