A new book titled Candles for the Defiant by author Kaia Gallagher, who has Estonian roots and lives in Denver, Colorado, has just been released. The book is based on her family story and depicts the experiences and trials that people lived through during the Second World War. It tells the brave and heroic story of patriotic resistance to the Soviet occupation, conveying the history of the Baltic countries during these tough times through personal accounts of experiences and the fates of these individuals.

This new book, which is the author’s first published work, has already received numerous positive reviews and feedback on various platforms such as Amazon and Goodreads.

Kaia Gallagher has an MFA degree in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside, as well as a PhD in sociology from Brown University.

Kaia answered a few questions about her family history and writing for Eesti Elu/Estonian Life.

Would you like to tell us more about your family history? Your maternal lineage includes the family name “Vares” — namely, your grandfather Jaan Vares, who was a successful doctor and a former mayor of Viljandi, as seen on your website. The Vares family is also well known in the Toronto Estonian community. Do you have a close relationship with them?

Thanks, Kaire. I’m happy to share the story of my Estonian family. As I explained in my book, my Estonian mother had difficulty talking about the life her family led in Estonia before World War Two. It was only after I started gathering information on my grandfather that I realized how prominent he was before World War Two as a civic leader in Viljandi and through his successful medical practice.

When I was growing up during the 1950s and 1960s, much of this history was inaccessible to me. But I found it thrilling, during a recent trip to Estonia, to find my grandfather’s photograph hanging in the Viljandi town hall next to others who had served as the mayors of the town. Many who visit Viljandi also cross over the Vares Bridge, an overpass that my grandfather had constructed to improve access to the Viljandi castle ruins on the outskirts of town.

Even though my American family lived more than 500 miles from Toronto, we enjoyed a close relationship with our Vares cousins while I was growing up. My uncle Jaan (my mother’s brother) always celebrated his Estonian roots and sent me books and videos to keep my connection with our shared Estonian heritage alive. My Vares cousins and I continue to enjoy a warm, affectionate bond with each other.

Your mother was only 18 years old when she escaped from the homeland. How have the traumas she experienced and her stories affected your childhood and upbringing — were these traumatic events often points that came up in conversation?

(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 5. aprilli 2024 paber- või digilehest eestielu.ca)

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