theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 4 | august 16, 2013
Franciska Knaus, left, visits with her neighbor Mrs. Zagar in the remote Croatian village of Tometi. Christ the King, Kansas City, Kan., parishioner and Leaven freelance photographer Don Wolf regales readers with tales of his family’s and community’s history in his new book, “Croatian Love Story.”
Local photographer spins
Neverending story of faith, family — and growing up Croatian
W
hen questioned, Don Wolf will speak long and enthusiastically about his family, his old Croatian neighborhood, his faith, his travels to Croatia and his charitable projects. But one question stumps him: What is your book about? “Well, I . . . hmmmm,” said Wolf, a member of Christ the King Parish in Kansas City, Kan. In addition to being a talented professional (albeit retired) photographer, Wolf also likes to write. Two years
Story by
Joe Bollig Photos courtesy of
Don Wolf
ago, he collected the various family stories he had penned and shared them with his friend Patricia Antonopoulos. “Don,” she said, “you’ve got to write a book.” This past June, Wolf sent “Croatian Love Story” to the publisher Xlibris, and the first copies are now available. Wolf’s hesitation is understandable. The 200-page book
defies easy classification. It is full of beautiful color photographs (mostly taken by Wolf), some historical photographs and a number of artistic renderings. It recounts personal history, family history and ethnic/religious/ neighborhood history. And it explores the land and people of Croatia like a National Geographic special. So, what is the book all about? “Love of family and tradition,” he finally said. It’s the best kind of history — not academic and analytical, not coldly objective — but very personal and emotional. It’s the kind of history
that friends and family swap when they gather and say, “Hey, do you remember when . . .” Wolf tells the stories of how, when he was young, neighborhood boys would play dangerous games in dangerous places, like leaping off a bridge into a railroad car. Or how a poor neighbor lady persuaded him to enter into a life of “crime” so she could feed her chickens (but he did >> See “photographer’s” on page 6
Don Wolf, above, will hold a book signing from 2 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Strawberry Hill Museum, 720 N. 4th Street, Kansas City, Kan.