Friday's Guest Speaker

My aunt, Lisa Paul, will be speaking to the combined class period four this Friday. She'll be in town promoting her recently published memoir, Swimming in the Daylight: An American Student, A Soviet-Jewish Dissident, and the Gift of Hope, which is a real-life account that encompasses our overarching class themes: the three Ps and the power of story.

According to her website,

[Swimming in the Daylight] is a remarkable story of a Russian teacher who reveals an indomitable spirit to her American student and imparts an unforgettable lesson: it is possible to swim in the daylight of hope even amid an ocean of darkness and despair. Set in the years just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, this is the story of the improbable friendship between Lisa Paul, a young college student from the American Midwest, strong in her Catholic faith, and Inna Kitrosskaya Meiman, an internationally known Soviet Jew whose own government forbids her from receiving medical treatment abroad. As both women hold tight to the strength of their friendship, Lisa takes dramatic action to help Inna, and never gives up hope for her freedom. This moving account will inspire new generations to fight for the causes in which they believe.

In preparation of Friday's class, check out this video: Lisa Paul interview.