R.B. Raikow

REFUGE, RESEARCH AND RELIGION

(A Partial Autobiography)

This is my partial autobiography because it deals only with the parts of my life that I hope may be of general interest. Thus the first part deals with how the Nazis and Communists affected me in my native Czechoslovakia; the second part describes my endeavors to clarify some aspects of the science of genetics; and the third part discusses my ongoing efforts to understand my Catholic faith. 

Heterosis

A novel about a blending of two cultures

A newly minted biologist, Raisha, yearns to do something to help the world’s environment. She takes a job on a South Sea island, hoping to get that chance. There she runs against the same “old boy network” barriers she had experienced on the mainland. Then in a pristine natural setting she finds the means to achieve her goals.

This, second edition of the novel, “Heterosis”, has been revised by the author.

Where Is My Home?

Rachel is a fifteen-year-old Jewish girl, hiding to stay alive in German-occupied Prague at the end of World War II. Karl is a seventeen-year-old, ethnic-German boy, lured to join the Nazis, who were by then desperate for new recruits. These two unlikely allies are thrown together during the turmoil of Prague’s liberation. Despite differences, Rachel and Karl find love. Their feelings for each other blossom even as their families, homes and ways of life are destroyed by the chaos of war and hatred. As the Soviet communist regime tightens its grip on war-torn Prague, they decide to try finding Karl’s rural home. Their travels are filled with hardship, and upon reaching their destination they find that only their love offers security. The characters in Where is My Home ? might be fictional, but the incidents are based on real historical events, witnessed by the author.

Thoughts on the Origin of Life

Essays are a means of putting one’s thoughts on paper. So this book reflects that now my thoughts, though still steeped deeply in science, tend mostly to religion. In the title essay, trying to make a case for the creation of the human soul, I felt it necessary to show my background knowledge of the relevant science. The same logic applies to the short essay on water, but I get more philosophical in the third essay about the difference between humans and other animals. My philosophy becomes more personal in the two essays on theological virtues and birth control. I hesitate to call the final item in this collection an essay, because it is largely a quote of my father’s diary. However, I include it because of its relevance to current huge world problems with refugees and totalitarianism.