The CIA Book Club

“Entertaining and vivid . . . [Charlie] English writes thrillingly about the activists inside Poland. . . . This is a gripping account of an intriguing and little-known Cold War moment.”—The Observer

“Charlie English tells the tale of a 1980s secret operation in communist-controlled Poland. . . . A vivid and moving story. [English] is terrific at evoking the atmosphere of Poland in the 1970s and 1980s—not just the regime’s narrowed horizons and suffocating repression, but the excitement of the Solidarity trade union movement and the idealism of the young dissidents.”—The Times

“Vibrant, beautifully researched and exciting . . . a real pleasure to read—a finely written page-turner full of well-researched stories of smuggling, intrigue and survival.”—The Guardian

“This covert CIA programme to undermine censorship in the Soviet bloc is the subject of Charlie English’s impressively detailed account. . . . English does a first-rate job in piecing together this patchily known story in efficient, pacy prose.”—The Spectator

“A story as fascinating as it is undersung. [The CIA Book Club] delivers a riveting account centered on Poland in the turbulent 1980s, when the ‘war of ideas’ could exact real casualties. This was spycraft as soulcraft. . . . The publication of The CIA Book Club feels perfectly, painfully timely. . . . A reminder of what’s lost when a government no longer believes in the power of its own ideals.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A timely look at how CIA money helped Poland’s underground print banned books . . . [English] has a knack for suspense. . . . This book reads like a spy novel.”—Financial Times

“English’s book reads like a thriller. . . . This literary history is a prescient one. . . . A reminder that words are powerful and that stories matter. Sometimes the most rebellious thing one can do is read a book.”—Los Angeles Times

“English’s true tale of the federal government smuggling subversive books through the Iron Curtain sounds like a current-times call to action from the American Library Association. . . . [English] reports a CIA spy caper to flood the communist zone with The Gulag Archipelago, among other titles. The book’s allure is intrigue, danger, and suspense in the service of meaning.”—NPR

“A gripping lesson in long-term resistance and the resilience of the human spirit. . . . Journalist Charlie English explores the underground culture of literary smuggling into Poland before the fall of [the] Iron Curtain.”—Shelf Awareness

“A fascinating account of a world-changing covert operation and a first-rate contribution to the history of the CIA.”—Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes

“Vivid history of a CIA-funded program to introduce subversive literature to Eastern Europe during the Soviet bloc era. . . . A well-crafted book about books—and spooks, skullduggery, and a time when ideas mattered.”—Kirkus Reviews