Up to My Ears in America

Memoir of Mr. Jan Drabek who was born in Prague in 1948. His family escaped on skis from the newly communist Czechoslovakia where he finished his schooling and served in the U.S. Navy. He has called various countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa his home while working as a taxi driver, refugee resettlement officer, high school teacher, radio broadcaster and an Ambassador. Married with two daughters he is the author of 17 books, both in English and Czech. He conducts seminars on memoir and biography writing and has served three terms as president of the Federation of British Columbia Writers. He lives in Vancouver, Canada. A Czech Canadian writer, Jan Drabek is this year's recipient of the Masaryk Prize awarded by the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada. The prize is presented annually to Canadians of Czech or Slovak origin who have in some significant way played a role in bringing freedom to Czechoslovakia or in some way enriched the lives of Czechs and Slovaks in Canada.