I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, even though it has such sadness not just for the Vares family but also for the Estonian people who survived WWII and the Soviet Occupation for nearly fifty years. It is very enlightening to me in today’s world, what side of invading forces would anyone have to take to either survive or die. Kaia Gallagher does a great honor for Bruno Klugman, in making his story public so that we may all learn from him.

“Every Estonian family has a story to tell.” – loc 705.

“Candles for the Defiant” is a WWII Biography of author Kaia Gallagher’s family, told in a way that feels more extraordinary than nonfiction alone. Kaia’s family’s story is backed by extensive, painstaking research as Bruno, Asta, and her own mother’s plight during WWII unravels.

Estonia is a small country in Northern Europe, bordered by the Baltic Sea, Latvia, and Russia. Gallagher’s penning offers readers the opportunity to be educated, learn the history, and understand what the Estonian people went through during WWII, specifically as it pertained to Kaia’s own family.

From Bruno to her late aunt Asta, as well as her mother, grandmother, and the rest of her family, “Candles for the Defiant” lays out her family’s experiences during WWII. Despite being someone who considers themselves well read on WWII history, having grown up with the History Channel, and random history pop quizzes from their father, I was taken aback by the plight of the Estonian people. For instance, they believed the Germans would save them from Soviet occupation. Deportations, imprisonment, and rebellion was already playing out under Soviet rule, the presence of German soldiers offered the people what they hoped would be an escape from communism.

Gallagher peels back the layers of all her family went through as she unburies her Estonian past. From Asta’s fiancé Bruno’s infiltration of the communist party in an attempt to undermine their efforts and maintain Estonia’s independence, to his case to prove his Estonian patriotism and staunch denial of ever being a true communist, to Asta’s quick downward spiral and the gapping chasm her death left within the family. WWII often is remembered for its genocide of Jews, and rightfully so. However, “Candles for the Defiant” shows us a new perspective of the civilian struggle during WWII, those outside of the Jewish faith and other targets of the Nazi’s, the Soviets, and later German occupation of Estonia gives readers an otherwise largely undocumented perspective of WWII.

What author Kaia Gallagher has done is extremely impressive. Showing readers Estonia’s occupation by the Soviets is an incredible firsthand perspective. Much of the heroics that played out had to be kept hidden for fear of Soviet reaction at the time. But what she’s uncovered and laid bare for us across the page is a masterful feat.

Gallagher offers a humanized perspective, like that of fleeing from Soviet occupation via German ships. The luck her mother felt that a German soldier was helping them escape is unlike anything I’ve ever read. You feel so rooted in her family’s well-being and the terror they feel under Soviet rule. It’s an uncomfortable realization that these American allies were so terrorizing that German soldiers were considered a welcome, aided relief. “Candles for the Defiant” is a moving and powerful biography of an oft forgotten country of WWII, hats off to Gallagher and her remarkable work of nonfiction.

The history major in me, just devoured this book! It was so good. I loved the information that was brought forth. This would be great for colleges to have for studies. A great book report could be done. Well done!