4 ratings | 31 reviews | avg rating:4.00

Jack Barsky’s Followers (66)

Jack’s Bookshelves

to-read (1)
currently-reading (1)
read (33)
agent-zigzag (1)
stalin-and-his-hangmen (1)

Jack’s Friends (3)

Frank Perry

125 books | 18 friends

G Andrew

0 books | 158 friends

Anette Schultner

1 book | 70 friends

Jack Barsky

Goodreads Author

Born

in Reichenbach O/L, Germany

Website

http://www.jackbarsky.com

Member Since

October 2016

edit data

Jack Barsky’s life has been improbable, impossible and downright fascinating. In fact, CBS 60 Minutes found it so interesting that they featured the story in a double segment which was repeated twice.
This true spy story had a very humble beginning in the most backward corner of the old East Germany. Smarts and hard work got Jack out into the world, where he started a career teaching chemistry and math at a well-known university. And then his life took a fantastic detour – Jack was recruited by the KGB and infiltrated into the US where he spent ten years spying for the Soviet Union. He “resigned” from the KGB and embarked on a very successful career in Information Management. When he was finally discovered by the FBI, nine years after his re Jack Barsky’s life has been improbable, impossible and downright fascinating. In fact, CBS 60 Minutes found it so interesting that they featured the story in a double segment which was repeated twice.
This true spy story had a very humble beginning in the most backward corner of the old East Germany. Smarts and hard work got Jack out into the world, where he started a career teaching chemistry and math at a well-known university. And then his life took a fantastic detour – Jack was recruited by the KGB and infiltrated into the US where he spent ten years spying for the Soviet Union. He “resigned” from the KGB and embarked on a very successful career in Information Management. When he was finally discovered by the FBI, nine years after his resignation, his life took yet another sharp turn. Today, Jack is a law abiding patriotic American citizen who is taking advantage of one last chance to live a normal life.
This is a story of a life that parallels the rise and fall of Communism in the second half of the 20th century, but in its broader sense it is a multi-layered human drama played out against the background of a historic clash of systems and ideologies. Fittingly, Steve Kroft of CBS’s 60 Minutes, called Jack a “relic of the Cold War.” Indeed, he is a relic, but this this relic is very much alive, and he is now sharing his story, a story with all the elements of a Shakespearean drama: ambition, courage, ruthlessness, deceit, betrayal, love, survival and redemption. It is a story Jack has laid out at length in his book “Deep Undercover”. In his endorsement, Joel Fields, Executive Producer of the successful show “The Americans”, states: “Jack Barsky’s ultimate act of courage is sharing this intimate story that sheds light on the true personal consequences of a life in espionage. Gripping and emotional, Deep Undercover peers beyond the Iron Curtain for a look into the world of a KGB officer illegally living abroad”.
Pick up this book, and you will be entertained, educated, fascinated, baffled, and moved.
...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Jack Barsky questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

Jack Barsky This seems to be a repeat question, but I answer it anyway because today I have a different answer. I would love to join the "The Hundred-Year-Old Man…moreThis seems to be a repeat question, but I answer it anyway because today I have a different answer. I would love to join the "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" in his adventures. This was arguably the most fun and entertaining book I ever read. jb (less)

flag

1 like · like
Comment

You talked about your mother and how she was the biggest influence. Do you regret that you never told your mother that you dident die? On Wikipedia it says that your mother searched for you and even send mails to Mikhail Gorbachev but at the end she never learned the true story. I feel really bad for you.

Jack Barsky There is almost no question about my life that I can answer without an addendum or caveat. Firstly, my mother had great influence on me as a child (mo…moreThere is almost no question about my life that I can answer without an addendum or caveat. Firstly, my mother had great influence on me as a child (most mothers do). Some of this was positive, such as discipline and work ethic, and some of it was not so good. She was very hard on the little boy - there were few to none signs of emotional love. As a result, I did not bond with her emotionally which made it rather easy for me to leave my German past behind and lie to my mother.
My mother never knew what happened to me until her dying day. As I tried to live out my life as an American I blocked out everything German, including the fact that I had been hurting several people, including my mother. At the time of her death, I was still not in a position to reconnect with Germany, but I do regret not having had a chance to do so.(less)

flag