Dua’s Monthly Read for July 2026
“Lea Ypi was 11 when socialism fell in Albania. Until this point, she had loved Stalin and Uncle Enver Hoxha – who ruled Albania with an iron fist for over 40 years – with a child’s unquestioning devotion.
“Lea describes a Stalinist country so politically isolated it had fallen out not only with the West, but also with the Soviet Union and China, too. The child’s perspective makes this strangeness feel completely normal. One entire chapter is about a Coke can. In Lea’s Albania, an empty Coke can is a status symbol; something to covet. Her mother saves up to buy one. It goes missing. A neighbourhood feud erupts. By the time it is resolved, everyone has moved on to Fanta.
“But underneath the absurdity, Free is about what happens when freedom arrives and turns out to be far messier than anyone imagined. Factories close, jobs disappear, families are separated and civil war breaks out. When so many versions of freedom are presented, Lea starts asking the question: what does it actually mean to be free?
“Free revealed things to me about a country I know and love well. The history is so recent, but the lived experience has changed so much in just one generation. What an era to live through, what an education to share.” – Dua Lipa
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