Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
Never properly started listening, found hard to keep up and somewhat uninteresting. Was not bad by any means. m
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
This is a brilliant story, absolutely compelling history. It tells the hidden story of how CIA influence supported initiatives to bring censored literature into the Eastern bloc. That's part of it, but it's much more that - it's a history of the brave Polish men and women who did the smuggling, printed books and newsletters, and stood strong in the unions - at great personal risk. I remember seeing Lech Wałęsa and Solidarność/Solidarity, the Polish trade union, on tv and in the news in the 80s. This book provides wider context for that movement, and shows how information was shared. It changed the world.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
The CIA Book Club explores a little-known chapter of the Cold War. Through a combination of several programs and individual conspirators, the CIA smuggled millions of books into the Eastern Bloc to fight censorship, promote free thought, and support political dissidents. Charlie English explores the conflicts, disparate dissident groups, movements, and events on both sides of the Iron Curtain throughout the 1980s.
Well-researched and often gripping, the book highlights how literature and journalism became a quiet but powerful weapon. Some scenes felt like they could have used a little more focus while others I wished had been expanded a little more, but overall it’s a compelling and original read about the power of the written word to inspire change.
*I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well-researched and often gripping, the book highlights how literature and journalism became a quiet but powerful weapon. Some scenes felt like they could have used a little more focus while others I wished had been expanded a little more, but overall it’s a compelling and original read about the power of the written word to inspire change.
*I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not sure why there are such low ratings on this one. They are writing about historical facts in this book. You can’t really criticise history.
Let me preface this by saying I love history. Any books on history will fascinate me.
I hadn’t known about this history and I guess why would I? Who knew that the CIA was supplying banned books to communist Poland post WWII. They also assisted them in their underground printing and dissemination of information to Poland and the rest of Europe.
We take it for granted that we have access to every book. Even more so, when we discussed 1984 at school we couldn’t fathom that other countries were living under the same circumstances as the book. I mean NOW we might be able to relate more due to the state of the world.
Let’s just hope there is a group of citizens circulating banned books/news in the future to change the course of history for the better. The same way the CIA assisted Poland during the Cold War.
Let me preface this by saying I love history. Any books on history will fascinate me.
I hadn’t known about this history and I guess why would I? Who knew that the CIA was supplying banned books to communist Poland post WWII. They also assisted them in their underground printing and dissemination of information to Poland and the rest of Europe.
We take it for granted that we have access to every book. Even more so, when we discussed 1984 at school we couldn’t fathom that other countries were living under the same circumstances as the book. I mean NOW we might be able to relate more due to the state of the world.
Let’s just hope there is a group of citizens circulating banned books/news in the future to change the course of history for the better. The same way the CIA assisted Poland during the Cold War.