Few memoirs can keep a reader’s attention like Camel from Kyzylkum. The author brings her book to life with her storytelling and shares her experiences in a way that allows the reader to be present with her as she leaves Ukraine, travels through Austria and Italy, and eventually immigrates to the United States. The courage and spirit with which she dealt with deeply personal choices frames her story in a way that leaves the reader in awe. Personal photos throughout the book add to her journey.

What an honest and captivating account of a daring escape from Soviet tyranny to freedom! From the moment I opened this book, it was a page-turner and kept me on the edge of my seat. Even knowing that everything turned out well (since it's the author herself who is telling the story in the first-person narrative), you still can't help rooting for Lara every step of the way on her journey from the bleak and glum reality of the Soviet Union to the freedom in the US which came with its own set of challenges and adventures... I don't want to give anything away - read it for yourselves!