Swimming in the Daylight Audiobook By Lisa C. Paul cover art

Swimming in the Daylight

An American Student, a Soviet-Jewish Dissident, and the Gift of Hope

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Swimming in the Daylight

By: Lisa C. Paul
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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About this listen

In September 1984, Lisa Paul, an American college student and nanny living in Moscow, entered Inna Meiman’s house for her first Russian language lesson. And so began a two–year friendship and a fight for Inna’s life. In Swimming in the Daylight, Lisa chronicles her friend’s struggle to shed her refusenik status, obtain a visa to America, and find medical treatment for her malignant cancer.

Inna endured a perverse reality as a citizen of the Soviet Union: By refusing her permission to emigrate, her government denied her the ability to seek life-saving cancer treatment in Western countries. In effect, Inna explained to Lisa, this refusal was a form of Soviet persecution of her and her husband Naum, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Watch Group fighting for human rights in the U.S.S.R., for being Jewish.

Spurred by outrage and the desire to help her friend, Lisa returned to the United States, vowing to do all she could to get Inna out of Moscow. She staged a hunger strike, held a press conference, and galvanized American politicians to fight for Inna’s freedom. All these efforts eventually persuaded Mikhail Gorbachev to issue Inna a visa in December 1986, when she finally stepped foot on American soil.

At a time when international strife seemed insurmountable and worries at home seemed paralyzing, this story taught - and continues to teach - people everywhere that courage and willpower define a person and that individuals have the power to change the future.

©2011 Lisa C. Paul (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
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Editorial reviews

In Swimming in the Daylight, Lisa C. Paul relates her own complex experience living in the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Audio performer Tavia Gilbert is clearly a gifted actor. Her performance is heartfelt, animated, and very funny. Her diction and pacing are perfect. In particular, she has great fun with a variety of Russian voices and accents. Thanks to Gilbert and Paul, this audiobook highlights an important time in the Soviet Union's history as well as tells an inspiring true story.

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fascinating true story

I really enjoyed this true story of a young college student visiting Soviet Russia in the '80s. especially with the war in Ukraine and studying some of the Cold War currently, this was a fascinating listen. my only criticism is that there was some repetition in the book

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Inspiring

I am grateful to the author for publishing this book! It is well written and moving. The narrator is also excellent.

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