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Title: A Pilgrim for Freedom

Author: Michael Novakovic

Narrator: John David Farrell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-16

Publisher: Novakovic Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

How did an 11-year-old boy from the ancient city of Split, on the Adriatic coast, who with his family left almost everything when Nazis and Fascists invaded their homeland at the beginning of World War II, grow up to be a United States soldier and a highly successful American businessman?

The answer to that question is the story that Michael Novakovic tells in this poignant and charming memoir, A Pilgrim for Freedom.

It is one part the account of a refugee family who barely survived explosions and hunger while seeking safety during World War II, and includes vivid descriptions of the hardships Mike, his siblings, and parents endured.

It is another part the story of an immigrant family who came to the United States (by way of Argentina) after the war and with great ingenuity and industry worked their way up to levels of success that had been unimaginable during the darkest days of war.

Finally, it is also the chronicle of a loyal and valiant soldier who sought to pay back his debts to the United States for defeating fascism and communism through distinguished service in the US Air Force's intelligence operations.

In sum, it is a riches-to-rags-to-riches story that testifies both to the resilience of one man and to the ideals of the nation that inspired him.

Members Reviews:

a lucid account of his trials during World War II

A Pilgrim for Freedom is a heartfelt letter to the authors family and the United States. Michael Novakovic writes a lucid account of his and his familys trials during World War II from his home country of Croatia to building a new home and new country in the United States. It is the gratitude only an immigrant can have because of the contrast with where they came from and where they were going. However, the author, has a significant challenge, that primary skill which helped him succeed in the military is antithetical to success as an audiobook author of a memoir meant for the general public. A military officer, especially an intelligence officer, must report events truthfully and without embellishment and Novakovic has done this for an entire career and throughout the book.

That, unfortunately, is what might leave many audiobook listeners hoping for two biographies to come from this book, one from his years in Croatia to the United States that could clearly be made into a feature film and the other for his entrepreneurial success which could inform the non-fiction circle of business hopefuls. I know many of those returning from service would want to know more about the Catholic University curriculum that led to so much success in business after the war, the freedom to be their own boss and to give orders rather than take them as the head of a successful company.

In this book, Novakovic reports life and death events without the drama many audiobook listeners expect. The events he endured were dramatic, but his reporting of them factual. There is little buildup to the most harrowing events and a bit too much reporting on the pedantic ones like his school grades versus his brothers. I believe a good editor would have been able to identify those parts that might have been interesting and relevant to the author, but not necessarily so for the audience.

I dont know that the author could write a drama if asked. I believe it would be against the type of person he is, a no-nonsense, honest, appreciative husband, parent, and decorated Air Force veteran.