Laima Vince is a graduate of Columbia University with a Master of Fine Arts  in Creative Writing. She resides and teaches in Lithuania. Some of her honors include: 1). A National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, 2). Two Fulbright lectureships, and 3). An Academy of American Poets award.

Her latest book is entitled, Lenin's Head on a Platter. This book is a diary of her first-hand knowledge of the Lithuanian people struggling for their independence during the period of September 1988 - August 1989. She was a student studying in Lithuania during this period of suppression behind the Iron Curtain.

Vince arrived in Soviet controlled Lithuania on September 5, 1988, and from that day onwards she gives an account of life as it unfolds in Lithuania. Her notes are incredible and will keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. This may be a diary; however, it reads like an adventure documentary with various characters one would normally find in a movie with varying points of view.

It is interesting to note how Americans are viewed in a dilemma of this nature in a foreign country. It is not uncommon to find citizens in a freedom struggle viewing others as outsiders even when the heart of the "so called outsider" is in the right place. Vince was referred to once as, "Oh, a poor little capitalist," by a fellow student who truly did not understand her position. Having been in this situation before, I can understand such remarks by others.

Arriving in Soviet controlled Lithuania was really a culture shock to Vince. She finally experienced the condition of the country's economy and the lack of supplies one normally finds in Lithuanian. The lack of food on the supermarket's shelves and long lines just to get inside the stores are strikingly different. She had to make drastic adjustments to her lifestyle to cope with the current conditions. She was even scolded by a relative for sending her a Christmas card, which is sort of forbidden in Soviet controlled Lithuania and is considered as superstition.

The singing of the Lithuanian National Anthem on October 29, 1988,  which was banned for almost half of a century was really a plus for the liberation struggle. Men and women who were banished to Siberia for years hailed the singing of the National Anthem and the raising of the Lithuania flag as positive landmarks toward their liberation, and Vince was right there to experience the events.

The celebration on the night of New Year's Eve 1988  is a great point of interest regarding the Lithuanian people and how they refrained from drinking alcohol. Additionally, their ancestral heritage of celebration is one of cleansing for the people of Lithuania on the night of New Year's Eve. Furthermore, avoiding alcohol was considered an act of defiance against the Soviets expansion and control of Lithuania. It is viewed as a bond of solidarity to defeat what the Lithuanians classified as a Russian social construct.

The diary also highlights the dictatorial style of the medical staff in the hospitals. Reading Vince's notes will send chills down the spine on the reader. It is just shocking to the conscience that others could legally treat sick patients in such a demeaning manner while admitted to the hospital for care. Florence Nightingale, where are you?

Vince must have had a guardian angel watching over her. She escaped various close calls of aggression by soldiers and their agents on various occasions. The soviets even sent an agent to date her and in an effort to pick her brain. She had him figured out and he did not get anywhere.

After leaving Lithuania she received correspondence from friends, which stated that on January 15, 1991 many Lithuanians were gunned down by Soviet soldiers in tanks while demonstrating for their rights. It was devastating!

This book is really an exciting adventure. It is stimulating and packed with facts. This is really an eye-opening documentary about Lithuanians and their struggle to gain independence from the Russians. One must read it to fully get the scope of her writings.