Modern Eastern Europe

The story of Eastern Europe is one of successes and failures, competing interests, and the rise and fall of states and empires. The ancient Greek and Roman empires knew the importance of Eastern Europe for trade and settlement. The medieval period would see some of the greatest empires of European history, like Kievan Rus, the Bulgarian Empire, Serbia, and the German Crusader states. By the early modern period, these great states would be replaced by Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Ottoman Empire.

The desperate fight for survival has given way to something harder: a grinding war of attrition where victory is measured in meters, and the question is no longer whether Ukraine will fall but whether the West will lose patience first. Lieutenant Commander James Fairbanks has earned his place among Ukrainian special forces. His drone operations reshape battles and bloody Russian logistics across the front. But when Pentagon doctrine clashes with battlefield reality during the summer offensive, James must choose between the approaches that save lives and the orders that satisfy Washington. ...

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* WITH A FOREWORD BY SIR BEN KINGSLEY A powerful memoir by one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, Tova Friedman, following her childhood growing up during the Holocaust and surviving a string of near-death experiences in a Jewish ghetto, a Nazi labor camp...

The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But this beautiful and unexplored land has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century. After a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly.

Many have heard the term “Balkans” tossed about but likely don’t know a whole lot about the region. The saga of the Balkans is profound yet incredibly complicated. Bordered by both the Balkan Mountains of southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, this region holds a strong place in the history of Western civilization and is also a major crossroads of Eastern civilization as well.

In this fascinating work, winner of the Wolfson Prize for History Mark Mazower uncovers the history of the Balkans with detail and clarity. He explores the reasons for current conflicts and examines the Balkans as a religious, cultural, and economic melting pot for Europe and Asia. Through Robert O'Keefe's articulate narration, listeners will be absorbed by this rich world.

What happens when Western fantasies collide with Eastern reality? Dive into four riveting tales of romance, deception, resilience, and revolution in modern Ukraine. Foreigner’s Guide to Ukrainian Women and Other Stories offers a sharp, satirical, and deeply human lens into love and life across borders. Based on both fiction and real-life events, this bold collection pulls back the curtain on Eastern Europe’s untold dramas and romantic entanglements. 🧳 1. Foreigner’s Guide to Ukrainian Women Johnny Best is a tech millionaire tired of California’s hollow glitter. Hoping to find ...

Beyond the Mountains, Beyond the Woods… is a survey of modern jazz in Eastern Europe between the years 1956 and 1989. One of its aims is to challenge the idea that Soviet Communism and high quality modern jazz were mutually exclusive. The central part of the book is an A-Z of 124 musicians and bands from the ‘Eastern Bloc’ (the USSR plus satellite and non-aligned states). Here, over 300 albums are discussed. There’s also a substantial section on Various Artists compilations. Beyond the Woods… is written in an accessible style with little in the way of complex terminology and is ...

The Angel Makers is a true-crime story like no other—a 1920s midwife who may have been the century’s most prolific killer leading a murder ring of women responsible for the deaths of at least 160 men. The horror occurred in a rustic farming enclave in modern-day Hungary. To look at the...

When a young man is given the chance to rewrite his future, he doesn't realize the price he will pay for giving up his past... Casablanca's stinking alleys are the only home that nineteen-year-old Youssef El-Mekki has ever known. Raised by his mother in a one-room home, he dreams of escape -...

Modern taste of Slovakia is a cook book created by working mother with family, which is making her meals every day fresh. Slovakia does not have a long history of restaurants and catering outside the house. Most of the families prepare their meals traditionally home. Eating out is a special family event happening maybe once a week – depends of the country part. Restaurants and hotels also offering mostly quality cooking. Fresh ingredients are used from the local farms and producers. Modern Slovakian woman and men are working, taking care of family and cooking at home. With children ...

A Telegraph Best Book 2025 'Elegant and terrifying, the story of those who gave up life in the West for Ukraine's frontlines – some to save democracy, some to save themselves. A modern-day Homage to Catalonia – and Fight Club on steroids.' – Oliver Poole, London Standard ‘A great read’...

I.L. Peretz, the acknowledged "Father of Yiddish Literature", captured the essence of Eastern European Jewish life. He wrote of the magical quality of kindness, and the bitter fruits of blind faith.

"The Greatest Story Ever ToldDispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins-the Pandavas and the Kouravas-but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters...

Czeslaw Milosz Explained: Exile, Moral Witness, Poetry of History, Totalitarianism, Faith and Doubt, Memory, Identity, and the Search for Meaning in a Fractured World is a powerful and deeply engaging exploration of one of the twentieth century’s most important literary and philosophical voices. This book brings Milosz's complex ideas to life, guiding readers through his experiences of war, exile, and intellectual resistance while revealing how his poetry and essays continue to speak to modern readers searching for truth and meaning. Spanning themes such as totalitarianism, moral ...

Fallout of War: Ukraine Series: Years 1-3 A U.S. Navy submarine officer. A diplomatic post in Kyiv. And five months to prepare for the largest European war since 1945. In the tradition of Herman Wouk's sweeping wartime sagas, Fallout of War is a military thriller set during the opening year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, following Lieutenant Commander James Fairbanks from his September 2021 arrival as naval attaché at the American embassy in Kyiv through the first twelve months of full-scale war. Fairbanks arrives with his wife Lucy, a State Department analyst, and finds a country bracing...

“Riveting—a delicious odyssey full of history, humor, and jaw-dropping stories. If you want to understand the making of modern Russia, read this book.” —Daniel Stone, bestselling author of The Food Explorer A high-spirited, eye-opening, appetite-whetting culinary travel adventure by an...

He survived the first fracture. Now the storm is breaking wide open. In The Kyiv Directive: Fracture, operative Oleksandr Moroz uncovered a conspiracy that nearly tore Ukraine apart. He exposed traitors buried deep in the nation’s political machinery, dismantled a covert network operating under foreign control, and paid for every victory in blood, trust, and pieces of his own soul. But the final moments of that mission left him with a haunting truth: the mastermind was never caught. Now, in the explosive sequel The Kyiv Directive: Black Knight, Moroz is dragged back into the shadows by a ...

"The Greatest Story Ever ToldDispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins-the Pandavas and the Kouravas-but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters...

In this compelling study Max Hastings addresses the big human and military questions. Why did the Allies not win the war in 1944, when they were vastly stronger than the Germans? Why did the Russians produce the best generals? What was it like to fight the British, American, German and Soviet...