Review: From Utopia to the American Dream by John Czingula

From homemade bunkers in rural Hungary to the bright lights of Hollywood, author John Czingula takes readers through the historic highs and lows of a unique life in his memoir, From Utopia to the American Dream. Exploring the perils of living in a communist country and celebrating the freedom of opportunity in a new world, this book captures a fascinating and unlikely journey in the post-war era.

The book opens with a dramatically detailed account of wartime occupation, particularly because it’s depicted through the eyes of a young child, although the narrative voice is mature. As the specter of World War II descended on Hungary, the author and his family were forced to survive in desperate ways – scrabbling for food, dodging crossfire, pacifying violent soldiers, raising a series of doomed pets, and praying for the conflict to end. Through it all, the author fortified himself with dreams of the future with a career as a pilot, a soldier, or even an actor, but youthful hopes are easily dashed by violence.

While the short-lived Hungarian Revolution gave him renewed faith in the future, his rebellious choices put him in the crosshairs of retribution from the Russians. With a few black marks against his reputation, Czingula longed to escape the oppression and monotony of a low-level railroad job, so he train-hopped his way toward freedom in America. After months of uncertainty in Austria and Germany, he finally passes beneath the welcoming torch of Lady Liberty, where an entirely new adventure in his life began.

Buttressed by the network and support of family in Detroit, it wasn’t long before Czingula was college-bound, eager to make friends and grab ahold of the America Dream, which eventually brought him out to California, where he hustled through various jobs and misadventures, including bonding with beautiful movie stars over Hungary and accidentally selling a classic car for pocket change. Never losing sight of his on-stage dream, John moved from gas station attendant and Santa Monica valet driver to inventor, entrepreneur, and real estate broker, recognizing the importance of stability over celebrity. Rounding out an incredible life as a survivor, freedom fighter, entrepreneur, and father, he also devoted years of his later life to advancing solar technology – creating steam from the sun – making him an unlikely pioneer in one of our most critical contemporary industries.

Czingula’s perspective is unique; the treatment his family received at the hands of the German occupiers was far better than what happened when the Russians “liberators” came to their land, imposing communist rule across the country. Contemporary narratives about World War II and its aftermath rarely delve into the fate of Eastern bloc countries, or the complex mixtures of loyalty and resentment that fomented in those populations.

Thematically, the text touches on the fragility of patriotism, the value of disobedience, the kindness of strangers, brotherhood, lost love, and the importance of dreaming big, among many others. At times, there is some level of emotional detachment in the writing, such as when the author’s grandfather died, months after being badly beaten by Russian soldiers, or when he left the woman he loved behind before coming to America. However, though the prose tends to be declarative, without much emotional variation, the text is informative and clearly expressed.

An eye-opening examination of a seldom-explored immigrant experience, Czingula’s memoir is sincere, thought-provoking, and rich in historical nuance.