From Amazon:
Though the Soviet Union's domination of "People's Poland" has been widely discussed, few primary sources will rival "They" in richness. An oral history, the book includes extended interviews with several key figures in Poland's early Communist party, including former First Secretary Edward Ochab, journalist Stefan Staszewski, and notorious ex-security chief Jakub Berman. A pro-Solidarity journalist, Toranska tends to provoke bitter responses from her subjects. The interviews with Staszewski and Berman are perhaps the most revealing, and do much to define the servile mentality of Poland's Communist functionaries in the postwar era. Stalin is discussed at length in all but one interview, helping to provide yet another look into the mind of the dictator. Recommended for libraries with large Eastern European collections.
Though the Soviet Union's domination of "People's Poland" has been widely discussed, few primary sources will rival "They" in richness. An oral history, the book includes extended interviews with several key figures in Poland's early Communist party, including former First Secretary Edward Ochab, journalist Stefan Staszewski, and notorious ex-security chief Jakub Berman. A pro-Solidarity journalist, Toranska tends to provoke bitter responses from her subjects. The interviews with Staszewski and Berman are perhaps the most revealing, and do much to define the servile mentality of Poland's Communist functionaries in the postwar era. Stalin is discussed at length in all but one interview, helping to provide yet another look into the mind of the dictator. Recommended for libraries with large Eastern European collections.
