Becoming Hungarian: A Memoir by Erika Reich Giles

About Becoming Hungarian: A Memoir by Erika Reich Giles

For most of her life, Erika Reich Giles shunned her Hungarian heritage.

Brought to the U.S. as a young child by her parents after the family’s escape from post-World War II Hungary, she longed to become an American. Gradually shedding her Hungarian identity over the years worked until, in middle age, she received a letter from her 91-year-old father that convinced her she couldn’t run from her past forever.

She explored her family’s history and uncovered a story that began in 1948, when Hungary was in the stranglehold of the Soviet-backed Communists, who were sealing the borders, infiltrating the government, and confiscating private property. They seized the Reich Gépgyár, her family’s agricultural machine factory, devastating their lives. She was born in the midst of the ensuing chaos. The family embarked on a daring escape soon after. A series of twists and turns culminated three years later in Billings, Montana, where family secrets complicated a challenging refugee life.

Erika’s quest eventually led her back to Hungary decades after she left, to confront her family’s losses and develop her own relationship with her homeland. Becoming Hungarian, a fascinating story of resilience and discovery, will inspire anyone who has struggled with their identity and tried to come to terms with the past.

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Author Bio:
Erika Reich Giles was born in post-WWII Hungary and came to the U.S. as a child with her refugee parents. She grew up in Billings, Montana. Her BA in psychology from Macalester College and MSW from the University of Washington led to a social work career helping children move out of the foster care system by facilitating their return home or placing them for adoption.

She began writing essays after an exercise in a writing class reminded her of a traumatic incident in her childhood, not unlike those of some of her clients. Her understanding of family dynamics and trauma’s effects helped her unravel her own past for her memoir, Becoming Hungarian. The essay on which her memoir is based won the 2011 John Guyon Literary Nonfiction Prize at Crab Orchard Review. Her essays also have been published in The Seattle Times, Clackamas Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Ascent, Clockhouse Review, Tahoma Literary Review, Under the Sun and in two anthologies.

Erika’s refugee background has made her passionate about helping immigrants and refugees learn English. She has led conversation groups for English learners for over a decade. She also enjoys reading and solving crossword puzzles and cryptograms. Seattle-area residents for more than forty years, she and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon.