Whenever M. E. Radnay-Rajczyk opens her mouth to speak, everyone notices her “cute little” accent—even those who barely know English. When she first arrived in Montreal, she spoke no English at all. She did not even recognize her own name when the teacher called the roll. But eventually, because she had no choice, she became fluent in the language of the country that was chosen for her.

Her fluency came at a price, though. Since her accent was noticeable, she was constantly asked to explain it and herself. Eventually, this resulted in Radnay-Rajczyk sharing her story with anyone who would listen, in particular her high-school students. Often, she could be seen scribbling in a notebook while on hall duty at Lawrence High School. Students would drop by to find out what she was writing and later to check on the progress of the work. Their genuine interest prodded her on, particularly at times when her resolve to work on the project faltered.

But life being what it is and due to a full-time job and various personal, civic, and community obligations, there was little time for serious writing. As she neared her eightieth birthday, though, it became clear that she owed it to her family, her friends, her students, and especially herself to finish the project. At the urging of one of her friends, himself a published author, Radnay-Rajczyk decided to write her memoir as letters to her students, represented by Marisol S. The result is A Childhood Left Behind—Letters to Marisol, a story that chronicles her loss of childhood due to political upheaval in her native Hungary and the events that made her into the self-assured woman she is today.