Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair

In the making for more than fifty years, Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair, by author Vicky Bedi, chronicles how, throughout her lifetime, she has been molded by the life experiences of both her mother and father.

This story is important because it tells about Slavic immigrants coming to the New World during the first decade of the twentieth century, offering details about how they lived and the adversities they faced. It discusses the murder of Bedi’s paternal grandfather in 1917 and the resulting shame, guilt, and loss of family for her father and his brother. It shares the suicide of her maternal grandfather, who couldn’t bear the loss of the Czar’s Russia and who couldn’t face the shame and guilt of familial incest. Finally, it tells of the intergenerational effects of child abuse, such as further child abuse and spouse abuse.

In Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair, Bedi narrates her story to help other victims of family situations accept parents and family without judgment and to record the empathy and peace she’s found.