Free was a memoir I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. It didn’t surprise me in the least when I found out that Ypi is a professor of political theory who specialized in Marxism; what did surprise me was the writing style, which read very much like a novel in some ways. (It’s not to say that political scientists are incapable of writing lyrically, so much as it is that I fell for the trap of making assumptions I shouldn’t have, haha.) The memoir was approached as a coming-of-age story of sorts while deftly blending in the historical and political. Not knowing very much about Albanian history and politics, this book was rather eye-opening for me with how Ypi discussed what life was like as a child under communism in her home country, and I liked how she unraveled the complexities of this life from a child’s perspective, which is often taking everything at face value while also reveling in the little things in life (such as Coca-Cola cans). The memoir was as much informative as it was humorous and poignant.

I think what I appreciated about this memoir was the nuanced and honest commentary Ypi provided throughout about different political ideologies and the meaning of freedom. It was also a deep (self-)reflection on the modern history and identity of one’s country that made me curious to learn more about Albania.