I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side - the Communist side - of the Iron Curtain -- Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sis shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe -- But adolescence brought questions -- Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country -- Si;s learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola -- He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band -- Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time -- It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion -- But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities - creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed.