Dr. Jennie (Demeter) Kritou DiBartolomeo spoke with The National Herald about her book ‘My Beloved Thessaloniki, Greece: 1940-1944,’ a work of historical fiction which was published in July.

TNH:  What inspired you to write the book at this particular time?

Dr. Jennie DiBartolomeo: There are a few reasons why I wrote this book. Those reasons are not presented in priority of importance; all of the reasons were equally important to me. First, I wanted to educate anyone and everyone on how this small agricultural country, Greece, gave the world courage to physically, intellectually, and spiritually oppose the Axis powers in times of desperation and hopelessness during World War II. Second, I wanted the Greek communities in Greece and the Greek-American communities in the United States to know about the personal struggles that ensued with one specific family living in Greece during World War II. Within the book, that family is my mother, portrayed as Katerina; my father, portrayed as Alexandros; and my two siblings, portrayed as Paul and Maria. In reality, my family demonstrated the spirit of many Greek families who secretly fought against the occupiers. Third, I wanted to show how religion and faith can empower an individual and a society in terms of developing inner strength and combatting fear in the face of evil. Fourth, I wanted to demonstrate that war sometimes needs to be analyzed from multiple perspectives, including religious or mythical perspectives. Fifth, I wanted to validate the unfortunate issues that bring immigrants to the United States and how they may feel about the uncertainties of living in a different country, or the emotional pain caused by the separation from their own beloved country. Sixth, I wanted to emphasize the role of Greek collaborators as people who were obvious obstacles to those who tried to fight against the Axis Powers and, at the end of the war, infiltrated into Greek politics. Lastly, I wanted to tell about the great love and devotion that my mother and father had for each other throughout the world’s most challenging times.

I hope that reading this book will give the reader many informed perspectives on the extraordinary contribution of the Greeks during World War II, the inherent nature of humans during wartime, the sacrifices that people are willing to make in the name of spirituality, and the everlasting love for God, family, freedom, country, and taking the right course of action when all of life seems dark.

TNH: How long did the writing process take from idea to publication?

JD: This book is historical fiction with many actual events represented in history and took 20 years to research, develop, and write from the idea to publication. During my adult years, both my mother and father discussed the events that took place in the story. Before my father died, he wrote his memoir of the battle against the Italians in Koritsa.

However, there are some events that did not occur in history. Also, conspiracy theories are built into the story. Many of the hardships experienced by the characters Katerina and Alexandros are true, although some of their hardships have been exaggerated to make the book more interesting. Caution is given to the reader in terms of what are actual events. The reader may want to check the accuracy of some events since I have embellished them to fit into the story.

In addition to recent research, I incorporated information mainly from the 1900s in order to fit specific information into the story of this book. It was especially important to research how authors of the 1940s perceived the events, politics, and life at the time of the Axis invasion and occupation in Greece. That information helped to provide an authentic view of how the Greek people were affected by the occupation and the prevailing mood of those times.

TNH: What was the most surprising thing you learned in the process of writing the book?

JD: I was surprised that my parents, my father more than my mother, were not afraid to die and embraced the concept of freedom to the degree where they would sacrifice their lives to help provide a free, non-tyrannical Greece for the future. Their moral fortitude and strength were beyond being good Samaritans or humanitarians. In addition, I always knew that my father loved God with all his heart and soul, and in the story, he uses his faith to help him find his soul again.

TNH: What are you working on next, another book perhaps?

JD: I would like to transition this story from a book to a movie. Over the next year, I will be working on marketing this wonderful story and gathering logistics needed for movie makers to develop the story into a movie. Perhaps in the future, it may also be possible that I will write a sequel to the struggles my family had once they reached America and lived their lives until their deaths.

My Beloved Thessaloniki, Greece: 1940-1944 by Dr. Jennie DiBartolomeo is available online. Learn more on Dr. DiBartolomeo’s website: drjenniekritoudibartolomeo.com.