Bulgaria Books

I originally got this book from a local library along with 5 or 6 others on international adoption. I am set on adopting from Russia as I am actually from there (lived there until I was 20), and am fully bi-lingual. I read the other books first and returned them to the library quickly. And then I started reading this book. I realized right away that I would have to get my own copy of it.
I am actually going through the process independently, without an agency, and I don't think I would be able to do it without this book. I cannot believe how familiar the author is with regional offices, hotels, embassies. It's like he's worked as a facilitator in several regions before writing this.
There are some misspellings and typos in the book, and please don't learn Russian from it (just common sense, really - I didn't learn my English from a Russian :)) ), but if you want to understand exactly how your adoption process is going, buy this book. It is a reference to be used and consulted again and again throughout the process.
The book also has chapters on some former USSR republics, so if you're adopting from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan and such, this is also very helpful.

This book is chock full of specific and useful information, everything from shopping for agencies to how to evaluate a child before you adopt for potential medical/developmental issues (including a list of pediatricians who specialize in international adoption) to what to put on line 12 of form I-600A. He describes the regions and gives web addresses for online information. The most recent edition is from 2004 and as international adoption rules seem to change frequently, it would be great if the author did another more current edition. It seems the changes are more 'in word' than 'deed' however, and the gist of things is much the same. As someone just beginning the journey, this book has already helped me make major and solid decisions. Maclean is honest and doesn't talk down to you. This is for parents who want to be active, engaged advocates for their children even before you've met them and has good info. about countries other than Russia as well.

This is the everything you need to know about Russian adoption in one book guide. It is a little dated right now with re-accreditation issues starting in 2005, but it is still a very relevant and important guide to adopting from Russia. I suggest purchasing this book before you choose an agency as it gives lists of very important questions to ask a potential agency. This book breaks down the Russian adoption process and walks PAPs through the paperwork they will be filing. There are chapters on everything from what to pack to how to find a good pediatrician. We pulled chapters about our region and questions to ask doctors trip one out of the book and traveled with them. This is one book about adopting from Russia all PAPs need to read.
Written by Christina Stinsa

I just adopted my son from Russia and this book made everything so much easier! It should be a must have for all prospective adoptive families!!!

There is a lot of general information contained in one easy to navigate location. I do recommend it highly, especially for one who is just beginning the adoption process. The only problem is that things are changing so fast, that even though the book was recently updated, it is already somewhat out of date.

We loved the color pictures of the food, people and places included in this wonderful cookbook. We also enjoyed the history and folklore mingled in between the recipes. AWESOME!

I am of Bulgarian descent, so this review happens to be slightly biased, however, I find this book to be fantastic! It is full of easy to follow recipies and photographs of nearly all the dishes. If you love to cook and enjoy trying new foods, this is the book for you!

I bought 5 copies of this book when I was living in CA and gave four of them to my friends as presents. I did not have very high expectations in terms of the quality of the recipes but it seemed like a good book to give as a present (oh, forgot to say--given that I am from Bulgaria). Boy, was I happy that I left that last fifth copy for myself. I came to the US with maybe 5 different Bulgarian cookbooks. Now they are in the basement and the only book I use is this one. Now I am buying another batch of copies to give for Christmas to my friends in Utah :)

This book has great receipes for the everyday cook but I really love the tidbits of history and culture that are added in to get a sense of what Bulgaria's people and their food are like. I'm looking forward to making a Bulgarian meal.

After traveling to Bulgaria and seeing several different cookbooks, this one is perfect for the American cook. The author has done all the hardwork of translating the measurements and ingredients into english. She even includes some history of various recipes, which was a real treat to have. I have already tried several recipes and they have all turned out quite well and very tasty. I highly recommend this cookbook for anyone who is interested in the Bulgarian cuisine. The color pictures are also great!

Short and sweet: recommend for someone 15 and up -- this book made me think about so many things we assume we should and will always have: physical safety, freedom of movement, worship, etc. Made me appreciate freedom in the West but also freedom in Christ. Popov talks about the supernatural strength to endure. Recommended.

What the other people have written here about this book (which ought to be REQUIRED READING for anybody who thinks (Christian or not) - especially for anybody in seminary!!!), I can only underscore.

While one can rejoice that much of Eastern Europe isn't anymore under the stamp of such extremest possible tyranny and suffering, there are still other parts of the world in just as severe circumstances where God's Word and Witness are desperately needed. Who knows (Heaven Forbid, but one never knows!...), we may perchance one fine day even here be forced to live through something like this! [And if I'm plunged into such a situation, may God Help me to endure it (whilst I'm compelled to live) even one one-thousandth as well as this true saint the late Haralan Popov had to...]

While a few small items in this book can seem dated (not forgetting when the events took place, mainly 1947-1962), the essential message for the faith remains the same in all circumstances! It's guaranteed to make one think about what is really important in life - it left an indelible impression on me even at age 12 (before my parents got rid of the copy that had found its way into our house, fearing for my sanity when I was reading it so deeply...); and now coming back to it has truly been a reinforcer for whatever weak faith I have had and have...

An absolute must-read for all Christians as well as for all who cherish liberty and truth!

It was touching to read Pastor Haralan Popov's personal testimony on the grace and love of God through 13 years of torture in the hands of the brutal communists. I read this book with tears, and could not put it down. I now work for the company, Door of Hope International, which is the ministry that Pastor Popov started in 1972.

We are in the process of printing a new revised version of this book. If you are interested, please contact us at info@dohi.org, or visit our website at www.dohi.org.

This is how Oswald J. Smith describes what he read in this book. This book is incredible. To read about what Christians in Communist countries must endure for their faith should put every Christian in America to shame. This man was pastor of one of the largest churches in Bulgaria. Because of his position, he was immediately targeted when the Communist party took over and sent to prison for 13 long, long years. To read of his sufferings standing at "the wall" for 2 weeks without moving one muscle in his body, without any food or water, will make you examine your faith. Is it real enough to sustain you through such an ordeal? To read of the inhumane actions of the Communists--digging a pit in the ground and forcing 100 or more of their prisoners to live in it without air or light for 9 months--is unbelievable. Yet, when things became more than Bro. Popov could bear, that is when God showed His presence more real than a middle-of-the-road Christian could ever experience. This is a great book for those who need to be encouraged in taking their stand for the Lord!

A pastor in Bulgaria during the Communist regime, Haralan Popov recounts the testing of his faith during 13 years of persecution in Communist prisons. It truly is hard to believe what he was able to endure in those dark years--but that just stands as a testament to the power of God to sustain him through this awful ordeal, by his faith in Christ. After just having read "Tortured For Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand, another excellent book about a similar situation of a pastor in Communist Romania, I expected this story to be very similar.

There was, however, much unique to Popov's account and his story, such as the different tactics of the Communists in torturing or extricating information from the prisoners, and also the difference in the prisoner's ability to acquire portions or even entire Bibles while in prison. He also describes the laborious but joyful work of many who toiled to reproduce and covertly distribute hand-copied bibles to the underground Christians, to replace those destroyed by the Communists.

The testimony of Christians such as Popov and Wurmbrand in the face of such torture stands powerfully before a world that hates Christ (John 17) and those who follow Him. For they have shared in the sufferings of Christ, not for their own gain, but to show forth the love of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who so willingly died on the cross at the hand of those who hated Him, all to save a sinful world. But in His death, death was conquered, and He rose to life--and Jesus' resurrection life sustains such Christians as Popov with a hope unshakeable, in the face of the worst terror and suffering the world can bring.

Me pareció un libro muy rico y interesante, donde se puede no solo descubrir distintas realidades del mundo, pero también conocer el estilo de viajar y de con-vivir de un equipo muy bien equipajado!!! Es apasionante la manera del autor de pasar a hablar de descricciones muy dettalladas de ambientes y hechos a estados de animo personales intimos que el lector puede apriciar con la misma humildad con la que fueron pensados!Lo aconsejo a todos aquellos que quieren hacer un viaje, por lo menos virtual, alrededor del mundo, no pèrdiendo nunca de vista el sano divertimento, la pasion de descubrir y un gramo de locura...que va siempre bien!!!

Sometimes literature can vividly evoke an image of a time, place, or city, stirring up the desire to visit and track down distant locations and adventure. Have you ever entertained the idea of taking a prolonged sabbatical from your job or day to day grind to circle the world? The author of Bottled Water does just that and he is able to conceptualize the meaning of journey based on location and situation. Here is something novel to think about. Let us suppose for a moment that we all have the time and ability to travel around the world in search of something but you don't know what that something is. How would you go about doing this, what would you search for, what would you discover about yourself and those around you? During the voyages of bottled water, we witness lost love, unforgettable scenes, and situations that are thought provoking while others perhaps humorous. A great read!

Most of us only dare to dream of chucking the 9 to 5 gigs for world travel and more importantly, adventure. What Chris and his two friends find while they are away is more than a vacation but nothing short of life lived to its fullest.
I enjoyed reading the book because it caused me to ache for my lost youth. I realized that the adventure of life is somewhere between what you actually do everyday and what you dream of doing everyday. If you are still stirred by travel to far away lands and the mystery of meeting new people, you will love this thrill ride!

Fantastic depiction of the trips all of us take when young and in search of ourselves. The author and his crew were lucky to have such action packed travels to far away places and cultures, traditions and realities. I liked the way each place was presented and how the best features were emphasized. It doesn't sound the trips were well planned so the spontaneity of events keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. I like the open mind of the crew and how they land at places without any prejudice and feel of American superiority. Very often we all see how Americans are very close minded and opinionated when they set foot across the Atlantic or Pacific and how they make fools of themselves when something not related to the Yankees or Lakers is discussed. The World is not flat and it certainly does not look like a Wal-mart parking lot. I liked the author as he escapes from this well familiar stereotype. I certainly hope he has more coming!!!

Bottled Water is a novel that makes the countries we read about in the news real and vivid to us, and it makes us laugh, cry a little, and pause for thought about the lives of others, whether in Cuba, Israel, Turkey, or the more off-beat location of Bulgaria. Somehow, the main character gets himself adopted by local families in these countries to see and feel how they live, and he and "the brotherhood" (the other multicultural Americans in their mid-twenties he travels with) also manage to get into exotic and exciting adventures from the Full Moon Party in Thailand to meeting a multi-millionaire with body guards up close in Bulgaria. And throughout is woven a thread of love. This book is fresh and entertaining!

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!!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

I heartily recommend this book by a B-24 Bomber crew member shot down over Bulgaria while on a bombing run to the Romanian Ploesti oil fields during WWII and incarcerated in a Bulgarian POW camp. It is a touching,insightful,literary, philosophical, and humane account of the life and war-time experiences of a teenage youth from a modest background in Texas and his warm late-in-life relations with Bulgarians from the area of the camp. It should be interesting not only to WWII buffs and autobiography, memior, and reminiscence fans, but also to readers interested in the unique civil Bulgarians.

Well written with a tremendous amount of research from both the axis and allied perspective. This is truely one of the few war novels that has make the effort to see the event in real time from both sides of the war. I now better appreciate what was happening when our bombs were dropped, our bullets fired and our prisoners lost behind enemy lines.

My father was a nose-gunner on a B-24. Like many of his generation,
he did not speak very openly of his service in WWII. The old saying,
"You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone," rings very true to me.
Since his passing, I have found myself trying to understand what he may
have experienced over 60 plus years ago.

This book takes us on a clear and insightful journey. It begins
with the soldiers' early days in training, continues through their last
day in battle, and ends with their final confinement in an overcrowded,
Bulgarian POW camp. I felt as if I were truly there watching the close
bonds form between crewmates and fellow prisoners.

Robert Johnson is able to record a true sense of what these young
men in their position experienced. It's a feeling I don't think even
Hollywood could capture.

It is an excellent account of events and is highly documented.
Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for helping me understand the true meaning
of some of the many sacrifices the men of this generation endured in
the name of freedom.

The American POW experience in Bulgaria during WWII has seldom been told and has been largely overlooked in our American history. Even more rare are firsthand accounts. Bob Johnson was there, a young top turret gunner on a B-24 bomber, shot down by German fighters. Even though he was there, he didn't rely solely on his own memories to tell his story.
His research took him to Bulgaria, in search of answers. He interreviewed fellow survivors and obtained government records,in order to provide the big picture on efforts by the U.S. government to obtain the release of these POWs, and subsequent actions to hold individual Bulgarians accountable for war crimes.
This book is an accurate accounting of POW life in Bulgaria, as well as a wonderful story of a young man who went to war. --by J. Whiting, 485th BG Assoc. Historian and author of "Don't Let the Blue Star Turn Gold".

As an English major, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an English teacher's dream with its outstanding use of poetic devices and literary images, as well as the fact that the story itself was spellbinding. I highly recommend it. Carolyn Parker

Very interesting and believable characters. I wasn't bored for a minute. I highly recommend it to all. I have an acquaintence from Bulgaria that I can't wait to tell about this book and get her opinion.

I can't recommend this book enough! I found it to be very enlightening. Before reading "The Making of June," I had no concept of what the people in the Balkans (Bulgaria, in particular) have been going through since being freed of communist rule in 1989. And, their struggles continue on into the current 21st century. Unbelievable!

The author tells the story of American journalist, June Carver, living in Bulgaria in such a way that I feel like I know June personally. Very good book! Can't wait to see if Annie Ward gets other books published.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I felt like I was with June when she started this journey, and I felt like I grew and changed with her. Annie Ward has the uncanny ability to express feelings through writing that we all have but can't put into words.

This book has it all--romance, deception, action, and an exotic setting. What more could a girl ask for? The setting is Sofia, Bulgaria, a place that I knew little about before picking of Ward's novel. I like to read books that have a definite sense of place, that can teach me something new while entertaining me at the same time, and Ward's book is just that kind of book. You'll be swept up into the rocky marriage of Ethan and June, while also learning about Eastern European politics despite yourself. Ward's prose is savvy and fast-paced. I highly recommend!

Having grown up in Africa i learned to read in bulgarian when i moved bacl home in garde 6.This is the first time we studdy the book in school.I had barely learned now to read and i found it honestly boreing.The second time we studdied the book was at the end of hightschool and I absolutely fell in love with the book.Its an amazing peace of literature.Its a source for pride for my coutry.I bought it for my bf(who is canadian) and he was really impressed by it..

I like so much what the other Bugarian said about "Under the Yoke". It is most probabaly a 7-grade student(13 year-old) because this is the first time when we read the novel in Bulgaria.
I have read the book twice and the first time I read it was when I was 13 and I didn't really understand it...it was just a story about suffering and revival,a story about a determination to overcome opression that i could not really grasp. However, i read it again in highschool and only then could i see how deep and real this novel is, how sincere and important it is. Vazov is the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature and his words are a precious heritage that we all carry in our hearts and souls.
I will buy this book now as a present for my English teacher in the US and I would advise everybody who is Bulgarian to do the same. This book is worth reading and I hope that more people will have access to the the depth of the Bulgarian soul and the endless source of hope and life that has been sustaining our nation throughout the 13 centuries of its existence.
Yanina Palkova
Thanks to Amazon for providing it on-ilne :)

This is the first Bulgarian novel and also the best.It represents our 500-year bondage in an extremely realistic and detailed point of view.Well it's a bit difficult for me to understand it,but I'm sure I'll interprete it better when I grow up.Read about the greatest part of the Bulgarian history.

LOVED THIS BOOK , EASY TO READ AND VERY INFORMATIVE , INTERESTING AND APPEALING FOR KIDS AND ADULTS TOO, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GENERAL BOOK ABOUT BULGARIA AND CAN ONLY BUY ONE , MAKE IT THIS ONE . IT IS NOT A GUIDE BOOK HOWEVER , ( FODORS OR THE ROUGH GUIDE ARE GREAT FOR THAT) JUST A VERY WELL WRITTEN BOOK ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL LAND AND ITS' PEOPLE. I AM ADOPTING FROM BULGARIA AND WAS LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK FOR MY SON , THIS IS IT .

Bulgaria:Enchantment of the World which written by Abraham Resnick. This book published by Childrens Pess,Inc.in 1995 that has colorful book,123 pages pictures and maps of Bulgaria. The book tell the the geography,history,people,economic,and customs of this Balkan country.It is easy to read and very informative,interesting and appealing for kids and adluts because this book has seperated each section of Bulgaria,and more information each section and then,the book has a hard cover, and at the back of book has title of other counties such as Nigeria,Poland, England,etc.. The book has something that is weakness. The book should update because the book wrote around 10 years ago. I think the book that is wonderful book for reader. I impress and get knowledge a lot of information in this book. So, I give five stars for Bulgaria book.

John D. Bell provides perhaps the best account of the history of the Bulgarian Communist Party available in English. Together with Richard Crampton's history of Bulgaria, it is also the best scholarly source of more general Bulgarian history in the 20th century. A must for anyone studying Bulgaria. The book uses interviews of dissidents who fled Bulgaria during the years of communist domination to supplement available archival sources. The result is a magnificently documented narrative that brings to light some controversial and unclear episodes in the history of Bulgarian communism. The book demonstrates, for example, that Zhivkov's power was not unchallenged and that internal dissent, even if it came from the Party or the armed forces, existed even here, in the country widely considered to have been the closest Soviet ally and follower. The book also demonstrates the reciprocity of alliance politics within the Soviet bloc. Challenging the existing convention, John Bell demonstrates that relations within the Warsaw pact were not unidirectional. The Soviet Union responded to various interests of the Bulgarian leadership and often helped their advancement. In addition, the book is thoroughly readable and, provides impartial insight into the almost century-old history of the Bulgarian labor movement and its political organizations.

John D. Bell provides perhaps the best account of the history of the Bulgarian Communist Party available in English. Together with Richard Crampton's history of Bulgaria, it is also the best scholarly source of more general Bulgarian history in the 20th century. A must for anyone studying Bulgaria. The book uses interviews of dissidents who fled Bulgaria during the years of communist domination to supplement available archival sources. The result is a magnificently documented narrative that brings to light some controversial and unclear episodes in the history of Bulgarian communism. The book demonstrates, for example, that Zhivkov's power was not unchallenged and that internal dissent, even if it came from the Party or the armed forces, existed even here, in the country widely considered to have been the closest Soviet ally and follower. The book also demonstrates the reciprocity of alliance politics within the Soviet bloc. Challenging the existing convention, John Bell demonstrates that relations within the Warsaw pact were not unidirectional. The Soviet Union responded to various interests of the Bulgarian leadership and often helped their advancement. In addition, the book is thoroughly readable and, provides impartial insight into the almost century-old history of the Bulgarian labor movement and its political organizations.