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The Left Side of History: World War II and the Unfulfilled Promise of Communism in Eastern Europe
In The Left Side of History Kristen Ghodsee tells the stories of partisans fighting behind the lines in Nazi-allied Bulgaria during World War II.
British officer Frank Thompson, brother of the great historian E.P. Thompson, and fourteen-year-old Elena Lagadinova, the youngest female member of the armed anti-fascist resistance, were not merely anti-fascist; they were pro-communist, idealists moved by their socialist principles to fight and sometimes die for a cause they believed to be right.
Victory brought forty years of communist dictatorship followed by unbridled capitalism after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today in democratic Eastern Europe there is ever-increasing despair, disenchantment with the post-communist present, and growing nostalgia for the communist past. These phenomena are difficult to understand in the West, where “communism” is a dirty word that is quickly equated with Stalin and Soviet labor camps.
By starting with the stories of people like Thompson and Lagadinova, Ghodsee provides a more nuanced understanding of how communist ideals could inspire ordinary people to make extraordinary sacrifices.
British officer Frank Thompson, brother of the great historian E.P. Thompson, and fourteen-year-old Elena Lagadinova, the youngest female member of the armed anti-fascist resistance, were not merely anti-fascist; they were pro-communist, idealists moved by their socialist principles to fight and sometimes die for a cause they believed to be right.
Victory brought forty years of communist dictatorship followed by unbridled capitalism after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today in democratic Eastern Europe there is ever-increasing despair, disenchantment with the post-communist present, and growing nostalgia for the communist past. These phenomena are difficult to understand in the West, where “communism” is a dirty word that is quickly equated with Stalin and Soviet labor camps.
By starting with the stories of people like Thompson and Lagadinova, Ghodsee provides a more nuanced understanding of how communist ideals could inspire ordinary people to make extraordinary sacrifices.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2015
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1377 people want to read
About the author
Kristen R. Ghodsee
21 books468 followersKristen R. Ghodsee an award-winning author and ethnographer. She is professor of Russian and East European Studies and a member of the Graduate Group in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work has been translated into over twenty-five languages and has appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Dissent, Jacobin, Ms. Magazine, The New Republic, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, She is the author of 12 books, and she is the host of the podcast, A.K. 47, which discusses the works of the Russian Bolshevik, Alexandra Kollontai. Her latest book is Everyday Utopia: What 2000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life, which appeared with Simon & Schuster in May 2023.
She loves popcorn, manual typewriters, and Bassett hounds.
Website: www.kristenghodsee.com
Podcast: ak47.buzzsprout.com
She loves popcorn, manual typewriters, and Bassett hounds.
Website: www.kristenghodsee.com
Podcast: ak47.buzzsprout.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 26, 2014
Ghodsee's book gives subtle reasoning to why people supported communism at the end of World War 2 beyond the knee-jerk reaction where “communism” is a dirty word that is quickly matched with Stalin and the Soviet labour camps.
The book centres around Ghodsee's quest to find out more about why a British Army Officer would have been working with the communist partisans. It's a mixed book. I had expected more detail on the partisan movement on Bulgaria, particularly the work of the British officer Frank Thompson (brother of the historian E.P. Thompson), and fourteen-year-old Elena Lagadinova, the youngest female member of the resistance.
Ghodsee contrasts the motivations and beliefs of Thompson with the present day realities of life in Bulgaria using personal interviews with those that lived through World War 2 and their hopes for a better society.
The story of Elena Lagadinova,"The Amazon", is particularly interesting as she rose through the ranks of the Communist Party to become deputy to the National Assembly and President of the Committee of the Movement of Bulgarian Women and advanced women's rights in Bulgaria against much patriarchal opposition. She is described as being far from a conformist party member.
The baseline of the book is that despite the excesses of the communist government there is nostalgia for the communist period in Bulgaria, particularly in the face of the economic and social impacts of democracy and free markets after 1989.
Underlining this is the revulsion of the new democrats for anything created by the communists regardless of the wider social benefits.
As is always the case it is the victors who write the history. The old communist monuments built in Bulgaria were demolished post 1989. New memorials to the Victims of Communism carry the names of people were active allies and collaborators with the Nazis and who's hands were just as bloody as those who were hard-core adherents of Stalin.
All in all an interesting book that gives insight into the motivations and aspirations of those that fought with the communist partisans in World War 2 as well as their post war aspirations to build a better society based on social justice rather than purely profit margins.
The book centres around Ghodsee's quest to find out more about why a British Army Officer would have been working with the communist partisans. It's a mixed book. I had expected more detail on the partisan movement on Bulgaria, particularly the work of the British officer Frank Thompson (brother of the historian E.P. Thompson), and fourteen-year-old Elena Lagadinova, the youngest female member of the resistance.
Ghodsee contrasts the motivations and beliefs of Thompson with the present day realities of life in Bulgaria using personal interviews with those that lived through World War 2 and their hopes for a better society.
The story of Elena Lagadinova,"The Amazon", is particularly interesting as she rose through the ranks of the Communist Party to become deputy to the National Assembly and President of the Committee of the Movement of Bulgarian Women and advanced women's rights in Bulgaria against much patriarchal opposition. She is described as being far from a conformist party member.
The baseline of the book is that despite the excesses of the communist government there is nostalgia for the communist period in Bulgaria, particularly in the face of the economic and social impacts of democracy and free markets after 1989.
Underlining this is the revulsion of the new democrats for anything created by the communists regardless of the wider social benefits.
As is always the case it is the victors who write the history. The old communist monuments built in Bulgaria were demolished post 1989. New memorials to the Victims of Communism carry the names of people were active allies and collaborators with the Nazis and who's hands were just as bloody as those who were hard-core adherents of Stalin.
All in all an interesting book that gives insight into the motivations and aspirations of those that fought with the communist partisans in World War 2 as well as their post war aspirations to build a better society based on social justice rather than purely profit margins.
April 26, 2020
The Left Side of History is at once an intimate portrait of partisan soldier idealists and a wider argument about the reality of post-war socialist Bulgaria. Ghodsee tells the story of Major Frank Thompson, brother of the legendary historian E.P. Thompson, member of the CPGB and volunteer with the British Army Special Operations Executive, who was dropped behind the lines of fascist Bulgaria to support a partisan uprising.
On top of her exhaustive research she weaves the memories of Elena Lagadinov, the youngest women to fight as a partisan during WWII and subsequently an important political figure in socialist Bulgaria. Interviews with her and her contemporaries in the post war Bulgarian women's movement reveal a heroic generation that strove against almost impossible odds to create a world materially better in every way for the generation that came after them. This book, following the rich source material it uses, is not shy about criticising the realities of state socialism, but neither is it shy about demonstrating its achievements. A country where women could not get adequate sanitary products was also the one in which they had the best maternity leave conditions in the entire world.
The text finishes with an exposition on how ordinary Bulgarians have reacted to "the Changes". What we in the west refer to as the collapse of communism. She records the memories of how the society these war heroes fought for was wrecked by crisis capitalism which utterly failed to deliver its democratic promises. After the second shock of 2008, Bulgaria still has elections, but the people continue to get poorer - those who do not leave and never come back. "When I wrote about the evils of capitalism for the communists," one women testifies, "I didn't believe it. I thought it was all lies and propaganda. Now I have skills and I want to work but I cannot find work, and the rich get richer at the expense of the poor, I know that they were telling the truth after all."
A final, poignant section, carefully documents the sinister rehabilitation of Nazis and fascists as "innocent victims of communism". This revisionism has often begun in earnest as recently as 2010, as right wing nationalists seek to artificially blacken the history of communism in their attempts to maintain their political grip on a country wracked by economic failure. Now "Red Grandmas" like antifascist partisan Elena are hassled in the street, while the names of the men that helped orchestrate Bulgaria's part in the final solution appear on monuments.
Ghodsee is courageous in rescuing truth from the mysticism of recent history. Works like this will be vitally important to a new generation attempting to construct their political response to the failure of neoliberalism today. The total defeat of socialism in the late 1980s has instilled feelings of nihilism and self loathing in those that seek to build a better world, and books like this will help us rebuild the strength needed to fight - so that we might one day be half the men and women that Frank Thompson and Elena Lagadinov were.
On top of her exhaustive research she weaves the memories of Elena Lagadinov, the youngest women to fight as a partisan during WWII and subsequently an important political figure in socialist Bulgaria. Interviews with her and her contemporaries in the post war Bulgarian women's movement reveal a heroic generation that strove against almost impossible odds to create a world materially better in every way for the generation that came after them. This book, following the rich source material it uses, is not shy about criticising the realities of state socialism, but neither is it shy about demonstrating its achievements. A country where women could not get adequate sanitary products was also the one in which they had the best maternity leave conditions in the entire world.
The text finishes with an exposition on how ordinary Bulgarians have reacted to "the Changes". What we in the west refer to as the collapse of communism. She records the memories of how the society these war heroes fought for was wrecked by crisis capitalism which utterly failed to deliver its democratic promises. After the second shock of 2008, Bulgaria still has elections, but the people continue to get poorer - those who do not leave and never come back. "When I wrote about the evils of capitalism for the communists," one women testifies, "I didn't believe it. I thought it was all lies and propaganda. Now I have skills and I want to work but I cannot find work, and the rich get richer at the expense of the poor, I know that they were telling the truth after all."
A final, poignant section, carefully documents the sinister rehabilitation of Nazis and fascists as "innocent victims of communism". This revisionism has often begun in earnest as recently as 2010, as right wing nationalists seek to artificially blacken the history of communism in their attempts to maintain their political grip on a country wracked by economic failure. Now "Red Grandmas" like antifascist partisan Elena are hassled in the street, while the names of the men that helped orchestrate Bulgaria's part in the final solution appear on monuments.
Ghodsee is courageous in rescuing truth from the mysticism of recent history. Works like this will be vitally important to a new generation attempting to construct their political response to the failure of neoliberalism today. The total defeat of socialism in the late 1980s has instilled feelings of nihilism and self loathing in those that seek to build a better world, and books like this will help us rebuild the strength needed to fight - so that we might one day be half the men and women that Frank Thompson and Elena Lagadinov were.
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May 9, 2021"It wasn’t communism that inspired men to action, it was men’s actions that made communism such an inspiration." In my opinion The other two books by Ghodsee were more fresh and thought provoking that this one. But l really admire the author's energy and enthusiasm.
January 19, 2016
In August, I went to a book reading by the author at Longfellow Books in Portland Maine in August 2015. Ghodsee is a professor at Bowdoin College (just up US 1 from Portland) and an ethnographologist. Yes, I had to look up ethnography to have some clue as to what she taught! I found an article that helped -- see http://www.brianhoey.com/General%20Si.... Ghodsee doesn't think this book should be classified under ethnography because it is too subjective. As she says in the prologue, "I do not come to these stories [of individuals who lived through some of the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century] as an objective bystander attempting to answer broad theoretical questions. I write these words as someone who is trying to make sense of an uncertain future." Ghodsee speaks fluent Bulgarian and has been studing the country for quite awhile. She spends a lot of time there. She was researching the activities of a communist-era women's committee when she learned about Major Frank Thompson and Elena Lagadinova.
Thompson, a British covert operative parachuted into Bulgaria to assist the partisans in their fight against the fascist goverment during WWII, was executed when the partisan group he was with was captured. Despite wearing his uniform and identifying himself as a British soldier (and thereby entitled to be treated as a POW, under the Geneva Convention), Thompson, age 22 or 23, was executed with the other partisans. Thompson was a classmate at a private British prep school with a Professor that the author had met at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies and he got her interested in Thompson.
Elena Lagadinova, a 15-year old partisan in Bulgaria during WWII, survived and became a Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, deputy to the National Assembly, and, from 1964 - 1989, President of the Committe of the Movement of Bulgarian Women. Lagadinova was still alive in August 2015.
Ghodsee's story of Thompson focuses on his passion to help make a better world. He's an interesting young man. He was very good friends with author Iris Murdoch. His family was quite well-off. His correspondence with his family and Murdoch was preserved, allowing Ghodsee to explore what drove him, a member of the communist party, to join the British army and to volunteer to go to Bulgaria. She also has material about people who met him in Bulgaria. He was regarded as a hero and there is a major street named after him in Sofia. His story is interesting.
Ghodsee's story of Lagadinova is far more interesting, at least to me. Ghodsee spent a lot of time interviewing Lagadinova, who is pretty much unknown these days, even in Bulgaria. She lives on a small pension in a small apartment. She rarely goes out. But what a story this woman has to tell and hopefully this book will mean we will have it in perpetuity.
The theme of Ghodsee's book seems to be to tell the story of communism in Bulgaria as seen through the eyes of those who lived it. While Ghodsee purports not to be objective, I think she is very objective in portraying the stories she is told. What perhaps doesn't feel objective to her is how she struggles to make sense of those stories in light of having grown up in the West, where we were all told how horrible communism was.
This is an easy book to read and the Thompson and Lagadinova stories are worth knowing. I appreciate the primer on Bulgarian history since WWII, as I will be visiting Bulgaria in a few months.
I would encourage anyone who has an interest in WWII, the Cold War, and the current financial situation in Europe to read this book -- not for answers but for information.
Thompson, a British covert operative parachuted into Bulgaria to assist the partisans in their fight against the fascist goverment during WWII, was executed when the partisan group he was with was captured. Despite wearing his uniform and identifying himself as a British soldier (and thereby entitled to be treated as a POW, under the Geneva Convention), Thompson, age 22 or 23, was executed with the other partisans. Thompson was a classmate at a private British prep school with a Professor that the author had met at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies and he got her interested in Thompson.
Elena Lagadinova, a 15-year old partisan in Bulgaria during WWII, survived and became a Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, deputy to the National Assembly, and, from 1964 - 1989, President of the Committe of the Movement of Bulgarian Women. Lagadinova was still alive in August 2015.
Ghodsee's story of Thompson focuses on his passion to help make a better world. He's an interesting young man. He was very good friends with author Iris Murdoch. His family was quite well-off. His correspondence with his family and Murdoch was preserved, allowing Ghodsee to explore what drove him, a member of the communist party, to join the British army and to volunteer to go to Bulgaria. She also has material about people who met him in Bulgaria. He was regarded as a hero and there is a major street named after him in Sofia. His story is interesting.
Ghodsee's story of Lagadinova is far more interesting, at least to me. Ghodsee spent a lot of time interviewing Lagadinova, who is pretty much unknown these days, even in Bulgaria. She lives on a small pension in a small apartment. She rarely goes out. But what a story this woman has to tell and hopefully this book will mean we will have it in perpetuity.
The theme of Ghodsee's book seems to be to tell the story of communism in Bulgaria as seen through the eyes of those who lived it. While Ghodsee purports not to be objective, I think she is very objective in portraying the stories she is told. What perhaps doesn't feel objective to her is how she struggles to make sense of those stories in light of having grown up in the West, where we were all told how horrible communism was.
This is an easy book to read and the Thompson and Lagadinova stories are worth knowing. I appreciate the primer on Bulgarian history since WWII, as I will be visiting Bulgaria in a few months.
I would encourage anyone who has an interest in WWII, the Cold War, and the current financial situation in Europe to read this book -- not for answers but for information.
November 12, 2024
I picked this book up on a whim from my local library. I knew of Kristen Ghodsee from her other work and her podcast on Kollontai, so I thought I knew the vibe I'd be in for.
I was mostly wrong. This book is a moving tribute to the people who fought, died, and lived for their dreams and ideals of a socialist future, and those who likewise participated in the undoing of socialism in Bulgaria and now live in its aftermath. Memory, of course, features heavily in this book, and memoir, reportage, and history make comfortable bedfellows with Ghodsee's clean and compelling ethnographic interviews.
I really enjoyed my time reading this. It was incredibly poignant, clear, and accessible. It didn't read as academic or idealist, but as a really good tribute to incredible antifascists and activists. Of special note is Elena Lagdinova, who headed up a women's committee in Bulgaria, and spent her life building a comprehensive system of maternity services, kindergartens, and women's healthcare that is sorely missed. A touching moment comes when a women recognises her and thanks her for her work, that I won't spoil further-- I got a bit misty when it happened.
I really recommend this book.
I was mostly wrong. This book is a moving tribute to the people who fought, died, and lived for their dreams and ideals of a socialist future, and those who likewise participated in the undoing of socialism in Bulgaria and now live in its aftermath. Memory, of course, features heavily in this book, and memoir, reportage, and history make comfortable bedfellows with Ghodsee's clean and compelling ethnographic interviews.
I really enjoyed my time reading this. It was incredibly poignant, clear, and accessible. It didn't read as academic or idealist, but as a really good tribute to incredible antifascists and activists. Of special note is Elena Lagdinova, who headed up a women's committee in Bulgaria, and spent her life building a comprehensive system of maternity services, kindergartens, and women's healthcare that is sorely missed. A touching moment comes when a women recognises her and thanks her for her work, that I won't spoil further-- I got a bit misty when it happened.
I really recommend this book.
March 30, 2018
This is a book to read if you want to learn why communist movements arose, and who joined those. We learn the human dimension of these movements through the eyes of the people who dedicated their lives to making the world a better place and fighting (often for their very lives) the reactionary, frequently murderous rulers of the pre-war ancien régime.
Elena Lagadinova had no choice but to become a partisan at age 14 when she barely escaped government thugs who burned down her family's house, ultimately becoming a research scientist, international advocate for women's rights and a prominent political leader — none of which would have been possible before the revolution. Yes, that revolution was perverted and eventually crumbled, but people like Lagadinova and her brothers never stopped striving to make life better for Bulgarians.
Now the people who burned down houses, decapitated opponents, signed decrees that sent thousands of Jews to their deaths and aligned with Hitler are hailed as "victims of communism" while those who fought against these outrages are portrayed as monsters. The Left Side of History is a well-written and accessible correction to this distortion of history.
Elena Lagadinova had no choice but to become a partisan at age 14 when she barely escaped government thugs who burned down her family's house, ultimately becoming a research scientist, international advocate for women's rights and a prominent political leader — none of which would have been possible before the revolution. Yes, that revolution was perverted and eventually crumbled, but people like Lagadinova and her brothers never stopped striving to make life better for Bulgarians.
Now the people who burned down houses, decapitated opponents, signed decrees that sent thousands of Jews to their deaths and aligned with Hitler are hailed as "victims of communism" while those who fought against these outrages are portrayed as monsters. The Left Side of History is a well-written and accessible correction to this distortion of history.
March 8, 2015
This is a great book for young people who want to learn about socialism or communism and what it actually meant. The stories told are about real teenagers who fought against the Nazis in WWII, what they were fighting for, and what it means today. The writing is excellent for a nonfiction book, and there are a lot of nice, old photos. To quote another reviewer, "this is definitely the most entertaining book about communism I've ever read!"
April 21, 2019
Pretty scattered. I enjoyed the sections about personal experiences, but the author seems to lose the thread of the book about halfway through, after barely establishing it in the first place.
It did help to explain somewhat why some of the people I met in Bulgaria still pined for communism.
It did help to explain somewhat why some of the people I met in Bulgaria still pined for communism.
February 11, 2019
Kristen R. Ghodsee's book The Left Side of History is a wonderfully written, incredibly accessible, and nuanced look at the legacy of communism in Eastern Europe (mostly centered on Bulgaria). The trajectory of the book follows Ghodsee's search for information on Frank Thompson, a British soldier that traveled to Bulgaria to help Bulgarian partisans, in order to understand both Thompson's motivation to fight for an ideal that so many others fought for, but has since fell into disrepute.
Ghodsee's narrative structure makes this brief history that runs from WWII up to the present situation of Bulgaria extremely pleasurable to read. One gets a sense of the historical situation the historical actors like Thompson found themselves in as well as the very real ideological and emotional motivations that they held onto dearly. She interviews various people who lived through WWII through the communist period and post-communism. She does not shy away from the negative aspects of the communist time period-like political repression and censorship-nor does she exhibit a spirit of ideological anti-communism. Instead, she gives a nuanced look at the very complicated legacy of communism in Bulgaria. One is left with the question of how can we look at this legacy and apply the gains to our own situation without replicating the negative aspects?
Ghodsee's narrative structure makes this brief history that runs from WWII up to the present situation of Bulgaria extremely pleasurable to read. One gets a sense of the historical situation the historical actors like Thompson found themselves in as well as the very real ideological and emotional motivations that they held onto dearly. She interviews various people who lived through WWII through the communist period and post-communism. She does not shy away from the negative aspects of the communist time period-like political repression and censorship-nor does she exhibit a spirit of ideological anti-communism. Instead, she gives a nuanced look at the very complicated legacy of communism in Bulgaria. One is left with the question of how can we look at this legacy and apply the gains to our own situation without replicating the negative aspects?
April 14, 2023
“Do you know the Greek myth of Cassandra?” Anelia finally said.
“You mean from The Iliad?”
“Yes,” she said. “You know that Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy.
But this was a curse, because no one would ever believe her. She knew the truth. She foresaw the Trojan horse and the fall of Troy, but she couldn’t prevent these misfortunes because the world thought her mad.”
Anelia looked me straight in the eyes. She sighed. “Communism was like Cassandra,” she said. “It told the truth. But it couldn’t change the future because no one believed it.”
“You mean from The Iliad?”
“Yes,” she said. “You know that Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy.
But this was a curse, because no one would ever believe her. She knew the truth. She foresaw the Trojan horse and the fall of Troy, but she couldn’t prevent these misfortunes because the world thought her mad.”
Anelia looked me straight in the eyes. She sighed. “Communism was like Cassandra,” she said. “It told the truth. But it couldn’t change the future because no one believed it.”
May 8, 2017
I found the book to get to a slow start, but once I got invested in the writing and research, it was very engaging. The second half, in which Ghodsee interviews socialist-era women's committee activists and explores their experiences of the post-1989 period, is especially compelling. It could also be a good teaching device to help students understand why sympathy and nostalgia for the socialist period remain common in contemporary Bulgaria (and throughout the post-socialist world).
December 4, 2020
If you're looking for history, look elsewhere. While the description and other reviews suggest this is a book about history, it is not. The author insists on inserting her modern self into the story way too much. In the end, she interviews former members of the Communist regime who (no surprise) liked life better when they were in control of the government. While I'm certainly sympathetic to the disruptions in Bulgarian society since 1989, this book provides no meaningful perspective.
September 21, 2020
Interesting book. Tries to undo the blackwash of communism [Woody Guthrie obits all referred to him as Stalin's songbird in some way] by showing that at one time it inspired people to hope and fight for a better world. Told though the stories of an English OSS officer in WWII and the partisans in Bulgaria who he helped.
March 7, 2021
An excellent, carefully reported book that shows aspects of communism, particularly communism outside the Soviet Union, that are obscure to most Western readers. Also, just great storytelling. I read this one and Red Hangovers (also by Ghodsee) in quick succession and they complement each other very well.
June 30, 2019
Interesting and short read. It's primarily about a British individual that fought with Bulgarian partisans in WWII and also different first person experiences of Bulgarian communism to understand it with more nuance than the black and white Cold War narratives.
July 1, 2019
Interesting book
Great read and it proves history is a bit more complicated than what people read in textbooks and one needs to see the good parts of everything, not just the bad. I live in Sofia and have had similar conversations with people.
Great read and it proves history is a bit more complicated than what people read in textbooks and one needs to see the good parts of everything, not just the bad. I live in Sofia and have had similar conversations with people.
February 19, 2023
Everyone knows that Eastern European communism was bad. What this book presupposes is: what if it wasn't?
July 26, 2015
I put this book in several categories because parts of it fall into each of the categories. Bulgaria was one of the few countries that actively sided with NAZI Germany. The partisans were fighting a brutal regime hoping to bring 'democratic socialism' to their country. Though many were members of the Communist Party their ideals differed from Stalin's. Unfortunately, the 'West' equated communism with Stalinism. After the war was won partisans were honored for their sacrifices and myths and legends developed. As "Communists" gained further control there was a purge of those opposed to Stalin. Under the new regime their was greater equality of the sexes and essentially universal health care. Mothers also got paid maternity leave for a couple of years. When 'the changes' occurred post 1989 and 'Capitalists' gained control the economy turned sour and members of the NAZI allied regime were honored while the partisans were vilified.
History is written by the victors and if the sides change it is often re-written.
History is written by the victors and if the sides change it is often re-written.
July 25, 2015
This is a wonderful book, and gives a view of communism in eastern Europe which is different from the common views of it. It was a very compelling read. And I cried at one point simply from realizing the positive and deep impact that Elena Lagadinova had on the lives of women, especially in post-WW II Bulgaria.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews