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The Iron Fist: Inside the Archives of the Bulgarian Secret Police | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexenia Dimitrova
Publisher: Artnik
Category: Book
Buy New: $20.00
New (3) Used (3) from $19.80
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 1434576
Media: Paperback
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 1903906148
Dewey Decimal Number: 320
EAN: 9781903906149
ASIN: 1903906148
Publication Date: February 27, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
During the Soviet era, Bulgaria s secret police was a mirror image of the KGB. Family members spied on each other, as did friends; private mail or telephone conversations did not exist. Many notorious "dissidents" were stooges of the secret police. People disappeared from shop queues and church doorsteps or were spirited away in the early hours of the morning from their homes. Some never returned, others returned as shadows of their former selves broken, brainwashed, crippled. Through interviews and extant archives, international journalist Alexenia Dimitrova documents a brutal truth that is rapidly being whitewashed over.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
Absolutely great reading! July 14, 2005
Lou Georgieff (TX)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My grandfather came to the USA from Bulgaria, then lived in Canada until his death. As I was in the military, I was the only grandchild not to meet him when he returned to the US to visit. Alexenia Dimitrova's powerful account of Bulgaria during and after communism rule is probably the main reason he did not return to Bulgaria nor communicated with relatives there. Whether you have, or had, relatives in Bulgaria, or other Eastern communist bloc countries, this is a must read. Anyone wondering about life during the old Soviet bloc regimes will find this an amazing description of the times the people lived through.
A must read! July 13, 2005
C. Woller (St. Louis, MO USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book gives much insight into the era of communism in Bulgaria from the author's personal experiences. A must read so we don't forget and let it happen again. The book is an easy read but packs a powerful punch. You won't be bored and you will learn much. Get this book!
The real face of the communist regime September 21, 2005
Chris Kostov (Ottawa, Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A fascinating book revealing terrible but true facts about an antihuman regime that stopped the development of Eastern Europe for more than four decades. A must read for all academic readers dealing with modern Eastern European history and political science and a great reading for all other readers, interested in the communist crimes in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe.
After researching thousands of pages of secret documents, prepared by the spooky Bulgarian communist secret service- DS (State Security) and FBI, Alexenia Dimitrova managed to write a powerful account about the activities of the Bulgarian secret service during the Cold War. Gruesome murders, extortions, kidnappings, imprisoning of free thinkers, targeting and profiling of Bulgarian immigrants were an integral part of the Bulgarian communist secret service schedule.
It is definitely a book, which can keep every reader's attention from cover to cover.
M. W. M. Koene's scurrilous review August 26, 2005
V. Djelebova
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Firstly, if you cannot spell, you shouldn't criticise errors in a book (quite apart from anything else, no book is typos-free and Solomon II could be a Freudian slip - have you thought of that?).
Secondly, authors are not responsible for typos - publishers and/or printers are.
Thirdly, others who, judging by their names, are better qualified than you to comment on the country, the book and its contents, have left glorious reviews.
The book has been written from the prospective of a highly regarded journalist who is justly proud of her achievements (she is the country's foremost investigative reporter) - that is why the use of the word 'I' is so frequent.
What do you expect, an academic treatise?
This is a highly readable and informative book.
Great book exploring the secret nature of communist Bulgaria January 31, 2006
Clay Cook (Silver Spring, Maryland)
I purchased this book after a long search for a work about the secret nature of the Bulgarian communist government. I found it on Amazon.com by happenstance and I loved it. The details of the various secret police encounters reveal much about a secluded nation's dark past. I have lived in Bulgaria and I must say that this book reflects the feelings and fears that are still evident in Bulgaria today, especially among the older citizens. The work of Gopozha Dimitrova was exhausting in uncovering the stories and facts from the archives of the secret police and it is well worth the read for anyone interested in communism or anyone interested in stories and accounts of real people who lived in a time not too far in the past and in a place not unlike our own societies. "Iron Fist" is a great and quick read that encompasses all we thought we knew about communism and much, much more. Thanks to all the hard work of the author in making the stories contained therein a reality to those who lived through it. A+ Read!!!
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