| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-11-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 298 pages | | Height: | 10.0 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 23.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
In the tradition of "Schindler's List, Beyond Hitler's Grasp" tells the dramatic true account of the Bulgarian conspiracy to outwit the Germans and keep every one of Bulgaria's Jews from ever being deported. Photos.
Industry Reviews
Much of what has been written about how, and why, no Bulgarian Jews were deported to the death camps during the Holocaust has been polemical, with official Communist histories stressing the influence of the party while others glorify King Boris III. Bar Zohar (Bitter Scent, LJ 11/15/96), a former Knesset member and the official biographer of David Ben Gurion, correctly shows that it was a confluence of factors: outspoken profascist Parliament members, the Orthodox Church leadership, an opportunistic (and irredentist) King Boris, and the Bulgarian people, who resisted the efforts of several fanatic leaders who wanted to deport the Jews to certain death. Although Bar Zohar is clearly proud of Bulgaria's record, he does not absolve the king completely. Mixing history, intrigue, and suspense, this accessible and well-researched book should appeal to both general and specialized readers, although it does not completely replace Frederick B. Chary's more scholarly The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution, 1940-1944 (LJ 2/1/73), with which it differs on several points. John A. Drobnicki, York Coll. Lib., CUNY
Wright
Having lived through the events in this book, Bar Zohar (Suez Top Secret) is motivated by his desire to commemorate the Bulgarians who saved his family and Bulgaria's nearly 50,000 Jews from deportation during WWII. Much of the documentation of this rescue mission was sealed during the country's Communist rule in part to grab all credit for Communist partisans but Bar Zohar was able to search the archives and interview survivors after 1991. What emerges is a complex story of heroism mixed with fear. Although the historically weak-willed King Boris III hoped to regain lost territories by collaborating with the Germans, he feared the alliance and played a dangerous game of equivocation until his death under mysterious circumstances in 1943. Boris's part in the rescue of the Jews has been a matter of some contention; Bar Zohar makes a reasoned attempt to restore credit to the king, without denying the heroism of others. Bulgarian politicians, business leaders and clergymen protected the country's Jewish citizens long enough for the tide of the war to turn against the Germans, ensuring the Jews' safety. Although dismayed that Bulgaria did nothing to stop the extermination of Thracian Jews, Bar Zohar recognizes that the ultimate costs of open resistance might have been total annihilation. Ultimately, this is a moving history of many individuals whose heroism was discredited during the Communist regime. (Nov.)
Leuchtenburg
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