And the legend of a wartime nurse.
On a summer night in 1948, my grandfather, Benjamin Miroslav Busta, sneaked out of his family’s home in Prague. He and a few of his teenage friends felt they had no choice. They fled communist Czechoslovakia together, escaping through forests and fields, roughing a trail to Germany, where they stayed in a displaced persons camp for 18 months. From there they moved to England and worked low-wage jobs for two years, before Gramps and his friends had saved enough money for steerage-class tickets to Canada. We are still in close contact with our Czech cousins and visit them every few years. But despite my ties to the country, my knowledge of Czech history is somewhat limited. So my curiosity was piqued this week when we published a short documentary about the legend of a Czech wartime nurse who, after being raped by a Nazi officer, found a way to exact revenge on other occupying soldiers. Hers is a dark story, but one that reminds me of the hardships my grandfather’s generation endured and why he took such risks for a chance at life in a democratic nation. As a Canadian I don’t get to cast a vote on Nov. 3, but I hope this story inspires you to protect America’s democracy by casting your own ballot. — Shannon Busta |
How Trump Could Win Again, Even if He Loses |
What Does It Mean to Love a Country? |
 | | Antoine Cossé |
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“Human beings are sacred, therefore equal. We are asked to see one another in the light of a singular inalienable worth that would make a family of us if we let it. The ethic in these words should be the standard by which we judge ourselves, our social arrangements, our dealings with the vast family of humankind.” |
Talk Radio Is Turning Millions of Americans Into Conservatives |
 | | The radio host Rush Limbaugh introducing President Trump at a campaign rally in 2018. Jeff Roberson/Associated Press |
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Everything I Know About Elite America I Learned From ‘Fresh Prince’ and ‘West Wing’ |
 | | MISHKO |
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“As someone who has had to navigate a long journey through a variety of social milieus — first foster care and my hometown, then the military, then Yale — television has been a constant and lifeline. It’s been both entertainment and social guide, teaching me the language and the ways of thinking I needed to move fluidly, more or less, from one environment to another.” |
What We Can Learn From the Rise and Fall of ‘Political Blackness’ |
 | | A political demonstration in London in 1968. Henning Christoph/Ullstein Bild, via Getty Images |
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Times Event: The Teenage Girls Creating a New Future |
Across the country, Black teenage girls are stepping up — continuing the rich legacy of Black women before them. How are they using their voices? What moves them as leaders? Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. ET as we celebrate International Day of the Girl with four young activists in a conversation hosted by Times gender editor at large Jessica Bennett. R.S.V.P. here. |
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