Ryszard Kozik (): On February 28, 1993, ATF agents attempted to raid the Mount Carmel compound near Waco, Texas, occupied by Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh. Several agents were killed in the ensuing gunfight, leading to a prolonged FBI siege of the sect’s headquarters. The attempt to end the standoff ended tragically. In the book “Tragedy at Waco: David Koresh and the Secret of His Sect” (Wydawnictwo Poznańskie) Jeff Guinn shows how a small faction of Seventh-day Adventists became a group considered by the authorities to be a threat to public order. The apocalyptic teachings preached by David Koresh were of key importance here…
Anna Kowal (): “Bombay/Mumbai. Whispers of the city” Iwona Szelezińska (Marginesy) is a story about a city that emerged from the sea. We get to know Bombay from two perspectives. On one hand, as a metropolis with a dense network of streets, contemporary dynamics and colonial history, and on the other, as a literary hero of the cult novel by Gregory David Roberts. The author tracks down small elements described in “Shantaram” and still present in the city. She confronts places, characters and social phenomena. She listens to the city and gives it a voice.
Marta Korycka (): If you are interested in history, but you like books with a thrill, then read this book “The Criminal History of the Vatican” Arkadiusz Stempin and Artur Nowak (Agora Publishing House). Murder in front of the altar, orgies of popes – these are ancient times, but still interesting facts. The disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the activities of Opus Dei – these are already the times when John Paul II was in office in the Vatican. It may outrage you, but it’s worth knowing.
However, I have no illusions that there will be huge controversies related to the July premiere – “Presbytery” Artur Nowak (Prószyński i S-ka). I read a fragment (soon to be available on Gazeta.pl), it’s really intense. “Gay drug parties, holidays funded for young lovers, drunken brawls and revelries for money from widow’s penny are just examples showing the filth in which the clergy wallows. Artur Nowak spins a tale of the damage that priesthood does to those we commonly consider to be called by God himself, and to their partners, partners and children,” the publisher announces. If you’re planning a vacation for August, consider this proposal – premiere on July 30.
Anna: “Eye of the Tiger: The Story of the Beast Man Created” Marta Sawicka-Danielak (Margines) is a reportage about a majestic creature and the Indian Sundarbans, the last mangrove forests on Earth, where the tiger is still a god. What makes a tiger an object of cult and hatred at the same time? Why does it still eat more than two hundred people a year in the forests of the Ganges delta? Who are “tiger widows” and how do they live in the jungle after their husbands die? What woman breastfed a tiger cub? Who was the first tiger victim in Europe? Why is it the favorite animal of tyrants and dictators, including Vladimir Putin? When were these Asian cats brought to Europe and why does their image sell products better in a capitalist world? And above all: what is a tiger stripped of stereotypes like? How does he see, hear and kill? – these are just some of the questions the author of the book seeks answers to.
Richard: Book “I’m alive, is that not enough?” Marcin Łokciewicz and Katarzyna Kachel (Filia) is a story about the largest psychiatric hospital in Poland – the Center for the Treatment of Children and Youth in Zabór. Every day, there are 70-80 young patients there who do not want to or cannot live. The book shows that despite the sick system, many good things can be done, and love, presence and respect are key in the process of healing and restoring faith in the meaning of life.
Anna: “Radio in my head. Stories about ADHD” Aneta Korycińska (Prószyński i S-ka) is the author’s story about how her life changed after being diagnosed with ADHD. As she writes, she was born again at the age of 33, when she received the diagnosis. She also gives voice to other people who tell how their lives were changed by late diagnoses. Listen to their stories and see how they dealt with this situation.
Marta: Korycińska, also known as Baba in Polish, also writes about depression. It seems to me that over the last few years, in my bubble, we have become more common and familiar with talking about depression, and we certainly know less about ADHD in adults. And outside my community, there are many places where both of these topics are still taboo, so it’s good that such books are being written.
“Radio in My Head” has the additional advantage that, in addition to its honesty, showing different stories and making people aware of what life with ADHD can be like, the first part – written by Korycińska – also has literary value.
Ryszard: The next book is “The grain grew like a forest. The memory of the state farms” Bartosz Panek (Czarne). There is no single truth about the State Agricultural Farms, although they were established by one decree and closed by one act. For almost half a century, they dominated the countryside. The author looks at the everyday lives of their inhabitants and seeks an answer to the question: Was it so bad everywhere?
Anna: I recommend the book “Golden cage? About women in Switzerland” Agnieszka Kamińska (Wydawnictwo Poznańskie). Every second woman in the German-speaking part of Switzerland admits that she would not be able to support herself without the financial support of another person? They have to calculate whether they can afford motherhood, and the same applies to marriage…. Swiss women were among the last women in Europe to win the right to vote – only in 1971. The author talks to women living in Switzerland. She shows how the country has changed and why it is still said that Swiss women are victims of their own prosperity.
Richard: “Bloody Cobalt: How the Blood of the Congolese Powers Our Everyday Life” Siddharth Kara (WAB) is a shocking reportage about how cobalt mining wreaks havoc on the environment and about people dying while extracting it. Cobalt is an essential ingredient in the lithium-ion batteries that power our phones, laptops and electric vehicles. About 75 percent world cobalt mining takes place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it is obtained in conditions that threaten the health and life of workers, often children. The investigation conducted by the author reveals human rights violations and makes us realize that everyone is involved in this practice.
Anna: In “City of the Children of the World” (Czarne) Beata Chomątowska takes us on a journey to Rabka-Zdrój, which was supposed to be a fairy-tale place for children. In the interwar period, the city experienced a golden age – boarding houses, dance halls and elite schools for young people from good homes were developing. Then come the dark days. A school is established in Rabka, where future members of SS units are trained in executions, Jewish orphanages disappear… Then the People’s Republic of Poland creates a large sanatorium complex for the youngest, where – as the propaganda says – doctors take great care of children’s health with great dedication. Unfortunately, young visitors recall that this idyllic place was more like a penal colony…
Ryszard: I recommend the book “Get the f*** out! A history of female anger” Aleksandra Nowak (Znak Horyzont). On October 22, 2020, abortion law was tightened in Poland. Women are organizing a Black Protest. Hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of cities loudly demanded their rights. The author was among them. Through those demonstrations, she opens up to us her private chronicle of anger, rage, and fury. Aleksandra Nowak looks at contemporary culture, traditional upbringing, and religion. She also tells us about her experiences and analyzes the force that cannot be stopped.
Anna: “Orphanage Hell” Christine Kenneally (Filia) is not a light or easy read. Violence, cruelty, sexual abuse, and death were hidden for years in 20th-century orphanages. Those who survived their stay in such facilities tried for many years to tell their tragic fate and work through their individual traumas. The author spent ten years uncovering the terrible truth.
The story centers around Saint Joseph’s Orphanage, a Catholic facility in the US state of Vermont. But Kenneally also reached into the darkest corners of a number of institutions around the world.
Marta: I will fly again “The Chinese Donut: From Taiwan to Tibet, or How China Creates an Empire” Michał Lubina (Szczeliny). A scientist who also worked as a tour guide, he writes about the places he has been. He told me himself that this is “basic information” about Mongolia, Macao, Taiwan and Tibet, but for someone like me who is not into the subject, it was fascinating. And I must add that thanks to the author’s sense of humor, I read for the first time in my life a report on a serious subject, at which I laughed out loud.
Ryszard: A book “Angel and Tough Guy. Biography of Roman Wilhelmi” Magda Jaros appeared in the biographical series Rebisu. Wilhelmi created unforgettable film and TV roles. He had an extraordinary talent and… a difficult character. His colleagues in the industry treated him with both dislike and admiration. They resented his individualism and explosiveness. Women did not mind these traits and always surrounded the actor. His private life was full of turmoil. Was he a hulk, a womanizer and a despot? Or maybe a perfectionist? Magda Jaros tries to find answers to these questions and show what Wilhelmi was really like.
Anna: My biographical proposal is a book “Pszoniak. Fragments” Małgorzata Terlecka-Reksnis (Wydawnictwo Poznańskie). An actor is very lucky if he plays one role that will go down in history. Wojciech Pszoniak has many of them: Moryc Welt from “Ziemia obiecana”, Robespierre from “Dantona”, Stańczyk and Dziennikarz from “Wesele”… Małgorzata Terlecka-Reksnis conducted a long interview with the author, which forms an autobiography of the artist, a story about a life in the center of which is passion and a constant desire for professional improvement. There was also a conversation about places – post-war Gliwice, theatrical Krakow, cinematic Paris… The conversation about the essence and meaning of acting was supplemented with Pszoniak’s personal notes, letters and lecture notes.
Ryszard: Polish translation of the Book “Abba. Melancholia Undercover” Jana Gradvall (WAB) was released – probably not coincidentally – around the next Eurovision festival, of which the Swedish band is a legend. 40 years have passed since Abba broke up, but somewhere in the world you can hear their song every now and then. There is no doubt that they became one of the most famous musical groups of all time. What shaped their lives? How were the most popular hits created? What influence does Abba have on modern history? Jan Gradvall, based on interviews with band members, sheds new light on the most memorable moments in Abba’s history and reveals what happened behind the scenes. It places the band in the center of the musical universe and also shows the socio-cultural context.
Anna: Karl Lagerfeld – an eccentric creator, a visionary designer, the creative director of the Chanel fashion house. Anyone who is even a little interested in fashion knows Lagerfeld. However, not everyone knows his story. Now you have a great opportunity to make up for these shortcomings thanks to the book “Karl Lagerfeld. Paradise is now” William Middleton (The Margins). The door to his career opened for Karl after winning the competition for the best-tailored coat. Shortly after that, he became Pierre Balmain’s assistant. He designed for Valentino, Krizia, Chloé, Fendi and his own brand. When he took over the helm of Chanel in 1983, he introduced a number of revolutionary changes to the brand and cemented the company’s position on the market, forever marking fashion history. The author takes us to the most exclusive places in the fashion industry and behind the scenes of shows. Thanks to this, we get to know talented artists and the most famous stars.
Ryszard: And finally, the story of the firecracker man: “Life. Autobiography” Keith Richards (Albatross). For fifty years he behaved like a real rocker – he said and did whatever he wanted, he did not shy away from women and drugs. Together with members of The Rolling Stones, Richards created riffs, lyrics and melodies that took the world by storm. Finally he decided to show us what his life was like. And there is a lot to talk about – listening to albums by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, bordering on obsession, learning to play the guitar and starting a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, escaping taxes to France, crazy concert tours around the United States…
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
