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I'm about to start reading this book about Elżbieta Zawacka.
Can anyone recommend any other books about remarkable Polish people written in English?
I know there is a book recent written in Australia about Tadeusz Kościuszko (and I know we-not me- butcher the pronunciation of the mountain) but reviews are mixed.
Dziękuję

by FormerIndependence68

6 comments

  1. Check Warsaw uprising museum, have a few notable ones. Probably listed on their website.

  3. ‘Warsaw 1944’ by Alexandra Richie is pretty good, althrough it tells the story of the bravery and heroism of the people of Warsaw rather than focusing on individuals.

    The Forgers by Roger Moorhouse is supposd to be good (though I haven’t read it) – it tells the story of how, between 1940 and 1943,  a group of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists in Switzerland, under the leadership of [Aleksander Ładoś](https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7789/artykul/2829916,conference-honours-polish-diplomats-who-saved-jews-in-wwii), who headed Poland’s legation in that country, forged passports and identity documents for Latin American countries, which were then smuggled into German-occupied Europe to save the lives of thousands of Jews facing extermination in the Holocaust.

    Also pretty good is ‘For Your Freedom and Ours : The Kosciuszko Squadron – Forgotten Heroes of World War II’.

  4. I can recommend perhaps a lesser known but worthwhile book nevertheless.

    It’s called “Starring Madame Modjeska” and it was written by Beth Holmgren. Here’s a dedicated Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starring_Madame_Modjeska

    The book follows the life and story of Helena Modrzejewska, an accomplished actress who went on to realize her dream of becoming big in America. She had to make a few adjustments to do that (including simplifying her last name by adopting a stage name), including moving to California from partitioned Poland, but she remained laser focused on her goal. Ultimately, she became a leading figure in U.S. theatre and her son Ralph (Rudolf) became an architect.

    I can recommend the book because it portrays a great life story using a very engaging, accessible language. Modrzejewska went on to become a star of her times and her story is definitely worth reading, knowing about, and retelling.

  5. Not sure which one would be the best, but you can look up some book about Krystyna Skarbek – one of top polish spies in ww2. 

  6. I have no book to suggest, but you can watch a movie about Maria Skłodowska-Curie ( probably there are books too), a woman who made France a nuclear power.

    And funny thing is that some french people think she was russian

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