Awards

• Booklist Editors' Choice
• Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
• Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year
• L.A. Times Book Prize Winner

Overview

"""When 17-year-old Pavol fatally sets himself on fire in Prague in 1969 to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, his three best friends must figure out how to survive an oppressive regime without him""--"

Full Product Details

9781728415680

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Reviews

Torch immerses readers in the lives of a group of teenagers in Czechoslovakia after the 1968 Soviet invasion. Rather than live without freedom, one of them decides to protest the regime's oppression by setting himself on fire--and as a consequence, the dreams of his best friends go up in flames too. I was immediately hooked and couldn't put this down. Incredibly relevant for today's teens, especially with the current surge of authoritarianism around the globe. --Kip Wilson, author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin -- Blog (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) A magnificently rendered novel that feels especially timely, Torch packs an emotional punch with its intriguing characters and compelling setting. Lyn Miller-Lachmann has written an outstanding work of historical fiction that achieves the unique distinction of being both sensitively drawn and impeccably researched. I was swept away. --Carly Heath, author of The Reckless Kind -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) Lyn Miller-Lachmann's Torch manages to accomplish the nearly impossible--a novel that is not only intensively researched and informative, but also riveting and deeply heartfelt. Readers will learn and care in equal measure.--Cynthia Levinson, author of the Robert J. Sibert Medal-winning The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) With meticulous attention to detail, Miller-Lachmann recreates a terrifying and excruciating chapter in our shared human history. A work of historical fiction about an almost forgotten time that is frighteningly relevant in today's world. --Padma Venkatraman, author of The Bridge Home and Born Behind Bars -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

A bold and uncompromising portrayal of life under an authoritarian regime, Lyn Miller-Lachman's Torch combines nuanced characters and a compelling narrative into a powerful story about survival, humanity, and hope. -G. D. Falksen, award-winning author of The Secret Life of Kitty Granger, Maiden of War, and The Ouroboros Cycle -- Other Print (10/31/2022 12:00:00 AM) A magnificently rendered novel that feels especially timely, Torch packs an emotional punch with its intriguing characters and compelling setting. Lyn Miller-Lachmann has written an outstanding work of historical fiction that achieves the unique distinction of being both sensitively drawn and impeccably researched. I was swept away. --Carly Heath, author of The Reckless Kind -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) Lyn Miller-Lachmann's Torch manages to accomplish the nearly impossible--a novel that is not only intensively researched and informative, but also riveting and deeply heartfelt. Readers will learn and care in equal measure. --Cynthia Levinson, author of the Robert J. Sibert Medal-winning The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) The brightest torches burn quickly. Readers barely have a chance to get to know 17-year-old Pavol Bartos, a young man whose bright future was extinguished when the oppressive Czechoslovak Communist Party, or KSC, government denied his application to attend university and instead directed him to report for duty as a miner. Fueled by a desire to confront the unfair, authoritarian regime and guided by altruistic (if innocent) ideals, Pavol and his friends draft a letter that they plan to present to the government office in Prague Castle. When this plan falls apart, Pavol is resigned to what he believes is his last, terrible option: death. Pavol follows the example of real-life activist Jan Palach, a student who set himself ablaze in 1969 as an act of political protest against the KSC. Pavol's untimely death has unforeseen consequences for his friends--gay former school bully Stepan; bookish neurodiverse Tomas; and Pavol's newly pregnant girlfriend, Lida. Readers will be on the edges of their seats with fear as they follow the social, psychological, and physical fallout for this trio as they deal with the consequences of Pavol's actions while fighting for their own brief moments of happiness and hope. The story presents an unflinching look at the toll of authoritarianism; it's a tale that will inspire readers to examine modern politics and the need for people to stand up for personal rights before human torches are once again lit. Equally terrifying and captivating. --starred, Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (8/15/2022 12:00:00 AM) Three teens' lives are upended following the death of a mutual loved one in this searing historical novel by Miller-Lachmann (Surviving Santiago), set in 1969 after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. When Soviet agents arrest 17-year-old Pavol for smashing road signs to delay the incursion of tanks into Prague, the government rejects his university application in retaliation and sentences him to a career in the mines--the very livelihood that killed his father. Inspired by the death of real historical political martyr Jan Palach, and believing that the only way out of his ruined life was a torch, Pavol dies by suicide, setting himself on fire for freedom. Pavol's three best friends--gay hockey star and former bully Ste pan, neurodivergent intellectual Tomas, and pregnant girlfriend Lida--struggle to navigate life following his death. Miller-Lachmann deftly balances moments of happiness and hope within an ominously rendered narrative marked by fear and potential catastrophe. This captivating political thriller is perfect for Ruta Sepetys fans. A beginning note provides suicide prevention resources; a concluding author's note details the inspiration behind Tomas's characterization. -- Publishers Weekly -- Journal (10/28/2022 12:00:00 AM) With meticulous attention to detail, Miller-Lachmann recreates a terrifying and excruciating chapter in our shared human history. A work of historical fiction about an almost forgotten time that is frighteningly relevant in today's world. --Padma Venkatraman, author of The Bridge Home and Born Behind Bars -- Other Print (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM) Torch immerses readers in the lives of a group of teenagers in Czechoslovakia after the 1968 Soviet invasion. Rather than live without freedom, one of them decides to protest the regime's oppression by setting himself on fire--and as a consequence, the dreams of his best friends go up in flames too. I was immediately hooked and couldn't put this down. Incredibly relevant for today's teens, especially with the current surge of authoritarianism around the globe. --Kip Wilson, author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin -- Blog (5/1/2022 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Lyn Miller-Lachmann is an author, educator, and editor. Her novels include Torch, winner of the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, Gringolandia, Rogue, Moonwalking, and Eyes Open. She earned a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, Lyn enjoys traveling to new places. She lives in New York City and lived part-time in Lisbon, Portugal, for many years.

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