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Recommended Books on Culture and History of Bulgaria

We are signed on to a 2-week tour (unfortunately not Rick Steves) through Eastern Europe later this year -- and I am most fascinated by the country of Bulgaria! We'll only have time to spend a few days in Sofia -- but, for me, this almost guarantees a return trip -- likely either independent, or on the Rick Steves 12-day Bulgaria tour! In the meantime, I've been preparing for our trip and satisfying my curiosity through a number of excellent books. Rick has captured a number of them on his Bulgaria book page here (https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/bulgaria/books-movies) -- but I also wanted to recommend the excellent books by Bulgarian emigre travel writer and poet Kapka Kassabova. Two books by her are of most interest to Bulgaria-bound travelers: The first is "Street Without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria" (2009). The first half of the book recounts her experiences growing up during the waning days of Communism in the 1980s. The second half recounts her experiences returning to, and traveling through, Bulgaria (with ambivalent feelings) as a travel writer in the early/mid-2000s. Fascinating reading for anyone (like me) both curious about, and a little ignorant of, the recent history and culture of Bulgaria. The second book is "Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe" (2017) -- which is next on my reading list (a recent review: “It’s the story of migration, both modern and historical, of boundaries crossed and crossed out, a story as old as the soil itself.”―Literary Hub). I also want to recommend a book about the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe in-general. It is " '89: The Unfinished Revolution" by journalist Nick Thorpe (2009). Its 327 pages provide a great overview of the events of 1989 from East Berlin to Moscow, and from Estonia down to Bulgarian & Albania. As Rick says, "Keep on travelin'!" Cheers!

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