Writing Under Duress

###Babua’s perspective My grandmother liked to tell a story about the first letter she received from my parents once they had made it in America. The letter was full of stories on how different and great life was in this new country. One of the stories was about disposable diapers. Could Babua believe it? When a baby soiled itself, one just threw the diaper away! How convenient and easy!

My grandmother was terrified. The only logical explanation was that the CIA had my mother writing lies under duress–why would anyone throw away something as valuable as a diaper?

#My mom’s perspective** My mom told me that when someone in the Jewish community explained disposable diapers to her, she began openly weeping. It was the first time she understood that, among other things, communism had forced her to live as a barbarian.