{"product_id":"the-cia-book-club-the-secret-mission-to-win-the-cold-war-with-forbidden-literature-hardcover","title":"The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCharlie English\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A story as fascinating as it is undersung . . . a riveting account\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e) of the CIA's secret program to smuggle millions of books through the Iron Curtain during the Cold War\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"English's true tale of the federal government smuggling subversive books through the Iron Curtain sounds like a current-times call to action. . . . The book's allure is intrigue, danger, and suspense in the service of meaning.\"--NPR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor nearly five decades after the Second World War, the Iron Curtain divided Europe, forming the longest and most heavily guarded border on earth. No physical combat would take place along this frontier: the risk of nuclear annihilation was too high for that. Instead, the war was fought psychologically. It was a battle for hearts, minds, and intellects. Few understood this more clearly than George Minden, head of a covert intelligence operation known as the \"CIA book program,\" which aimed to undermine Soviet censorship and inspire revolt by offering different visions of thought and culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom its Manhattan headquarters, Minden's \"book club\" secretly sent ten million banned titles into the East. Volumes were smuggled aboard trucks and yachts, dropped from balloons, hidden aboard trains, and stowed in travelers' luggage. Nowhere were the books welcomed more warmly than in Poland, where they would circulate covertly among circles of like-minded readers, quietly making the case against Soviet communism. Such was the demand for Minden's texts that dissidents began to reproduce them in the underground. By the late 1980s, illicit literature was so pervasive in Poland that censorship broke down: the Iron Curtain soon followed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCharlie English narrates this tale of Cold War spycraft, smuggling, and secret printing operations for the first time, highlighting the work of a handful of extraordinary people who fought for intellectual freedom--people like Miroslaw Chojecki, who suffered beatings, imprisonment, and exile in pursuit of his clandestine mission. \u003ci\u003eThe CIA Book Club \u003c\/i\u003eis a story about the power of the printed word as a means of resistance and liberation. Books, it shows, can set you free.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCharlie English\u003c\/b\u003e is a former journalist for \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian, \u003c\/i\u003ewhere he held several positions including arts editor and head of international news. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the author of three previous books, \u003ci\u003eThe Gallery of Miracles and Madness, The Storied City, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Snow Tourist, \u003c\/i\u003ehe has traveled and reported widely around the globe. Charlie English lives in London with his family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 384\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.4 x 6.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 01, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978326638893,"sku":"9780593447901","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/dZNS2X3yyo9780593447901.webp?v=1775801651","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-cia-book-club-the-secret-mission-to-win-the-cold-war-with-forbidden-literature-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}