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by Juli Pjetri (Illustrator), Bianca Maria Gjomarkaj (Author)
Before and throughout the communist regime's destruction of Albania from 1944 to 1991, the Marka Gjoni family was the most powerful branch of the House of Gjomarku. The author narrates stories of survival and death through historical facts, personal recollections, photos, and documents demonstrating their capture, imprisonment, and escapes as the communists strive to discourage and destroy the family's soul.
Their losses included their lands, homes, valuables, freedom, and in some cases, their lives. They were erased from Albanian history books by the regime, and little has been done to correct or teach a more truthful history of the communist killing wave in Albania.
Bianca Maria Gjomarkaj, the granddaughter of Gjon Marka Gjoni, Kapidan of Mirdita, shares insight into the emotions and traits of family members who lived and died during communism. Those that survived did so with dignity and honor, remembering who and what they represented. The Albanian communists subjected them to humiliation, abuse, and deprivation, yet they endured. This is their journey.
