Freedom to Win Audiobook By Ethan Scheiner cover art

Freedom to Win

A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—and Olympic Gold

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Freedom to Win

By: Ethan Scheiner
Narrated by: Tom Beyer
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About this listen

During the height of the Cold War, a group of small-town young men would lead their underdog hockey team from the little country of Czechoslovakia against the Soviet Union, the juggernaut in their sport. As they battled on the ice, the young players would keep their people's quest for freedom alive, and forge a way to fight back against the authoritarian forces that sought to crush them.

From the sudden invasion of Czechoslovakia by an armada of tanks and 500,000 Warsaw Pact soldiers, to a hockey victory over the Soviets that inspired half a million furious citizens to take to the streets in an attempt to destroy all representations that they could find of their occupiers, Freedom to Win tells a story that ranges from iconic moments in history to courageous individual stories. And we will cheer as the team takes on its nemesis one last time with the Olympic gold medal at stake.

At the heart of Freedom to Win is the story of the Holiks, a Czechoslovak family whose resistance to the Communists embodied the deepest desires of the people of their country. Faced with life under the cruel and arbitrary regime that had stolen their family butcher shop, the Holik boys became national hockey icons and inspirations to their people.

©2023 Ethan Scheiner (P)2023 Tantor
Eastern Europe Hockey Imperialism War Cold War
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A great book, sub-par narration

Freedom to Win is an excellent book. If you enjoyed the stories of the Summit Series, the Miracle on Ice, Beartown, Bruce Berglund's "Fastest Game on Earth," or anything from Andrew Maraniss, this book is for you. Sadly, the book is seriously sold short by the narrator. I could forgive some pronunciation quirks (as a Czech, I know our language is a pain). But the accents? Please, no. Slapping a vague "Eastern European" accent on everyone from Czechoslovakia was not very satisfying.

In summary, the book is great, and I thoroughly recommend it. But as an audiobook, it leaves a bit to be desired.

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