I was raised in the same rural environment in eastern Slovenia as the First Lady of the United States of America, just a few miles from her hometown. I would like to think that my direct approach and understanding of the local mentality, in addition to not having any political or professional connections with any governmental authorities or journalistic outlets are factors that can positively contribute to this short and objective story about the country and its people. Sharing my youth on the same hillsides, being raised by parents with very similar (if not identical) backgrounds and values, and not having formed any pre-existing overview of the topics addressed herein are the main reasons why this book simply needed to be written. Cheap tricks in search of easy money and media exposure went so far that stories such as “Communism is taking over the USA” flooded everyday news, despite the average person now knowing that Cold War topics are as current as the Roman Empire. Of course, older locals from this region did indeed live and were raised, at least in part, in a socialist state. That having been said, both my father and Melania’s father joined the Communist Party for much the same reasons that people today become involved in politics, including in order to increase their social capital and take a few shortcuts so as to provide a higher quality of life to their families. Our mothers worked for the company Jutranjka, on the production line of the biggest youth clothing factory in ex-Yugoslavia, which helped their children gain basic sewing skills and also led to Melania’s first exposure to modeling at a young age. This book is not intended to start an endless debate about “the good old times.” Rather, the aim of this book is to show how growing up in this atmosphere created and nurtured beliefs from that time period that have influenced all of us, including Mrs. Trump. By reading this book, one will gain a better understanding of the typical values and beliefs that were instilled in our subconscious by our parents, childhood friends, and environment. It will show that we are all unique and different, yet still more similar than most would think or even admit. By means of this overview, readers will gain a wider perspective on what one can expect from a typical Slovenian, which I still consider Melania to be – even now.