Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of WWII, but the country was repeatedly contested, invaded and occupied, first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and ultimately reinvaded and reoccupied in 1944 by the Soviet Union.Immediately before the outbreak of war, in August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact (also known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, or the 1939 German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact), concerning the partition and disposition of Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, in its Secret Additional Protocol.The territory of until then independent Republic of Estonia was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Red Army on 16–17 June 1940. Mass political arrests, deportations, and executions by the Soviet regime followed. In the Summer War during the German Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the pro-independence Forest Brothers captured large parts of southern Estonia from the Soviet NKVD troops and the 8th Army before the arrival of the German Army in the area.At the same time, in June–August 1941, Soviet paramilitary destruction battalions carried out punitive operations in Estonia, including looting and killing, based on the tactics of scorched earth ordered by Joseph Stalin. Estonia was occupied by Germany and incorporated into Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941–1944.Upon the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, thousands of Estonians were conscripted into the Soviet army (including the Soviet 8th Estonian Rifle Corps and other units), and in 1941–1944 to the German armed forces. After the war, Estonia remained incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Estonian SSR until 1991, although the Atlantic Charter stated that no territorial arrangements would be made.WWII losses in Estonia, estimated at around 25% of the population, were among the highest proportion in Europe.These include deaths in Soviet deportations in 1941, Soviet executions, German deportations, and victims of the Holocaust in Estonia.Viljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia.It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu.

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!