Poland Reading and Movie List

The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture, by Adam Zamoyski, A synthesis of the wonderful history of Poland.
Polish Customs, Traditions, and Folklore, Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, A comprehensive resource about Polish customs for English speakers.
A Polish Son in the Motherland: An American’s Journey Home, A beautiful and humorous story about an American born man who traveled to and lived in the community where his grandparents had once lived, in Poland, before immigrating to the US.
Silent Places, by Jeff Gusky, A photographic journey and study of the remnant jewish culture that once flourished before the Holocaust and World War II. He presents stirring images that will leave you…silent.

The Author of Himself: The Life of Marcel Reich-Ranicki, by Marcel Reich-Raniki, In a beautifully written autobiography this Polish author describes his childhood, youth, and adulthood through an examination of the experiences he lived from WWII, to the Polish Secret Service, to his beginnings as a book reviewer and finally famous author.
The Glass Mountain: Twenty-Eight Ancient Polish Folktales and Fables, by W.S. Kuniczak and Pat Bargielski, These are truly ancient traditional Polish tales that have the childhood feeling of fairy tales. An enjoyable read for readers of all ages.
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem, This was the first book published in the US by Lem. Lem has written multiple books and is know for his science fiction, philosophical, and satirical writing. Check out other books written by him as well.
The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, This classic comes alive by the wonderful and multi-faceted writing style of Conrad. Although Conrad is British he was born and raised in Poland.

Just Beyond This Forest, A heartfelt story of how an Aryan washerwoman becomes the unlikely protector of a young jewish child during WWII.
Johnny Aquarius, A funny fable of a man who finds that he can perform miracles such as healing the sick and bringing the rain. This is the story of the adventure he has when he leaves his pregnant wife to perform miracles around the Polish countryside.
Enigma Secret, The story of how three brilliant Polish mathematicians broke the Nazi secret coding machine, Enigma, and the consequences this heroic act had.
Wałęsa: Man of Hope, A highly acclaimed biopic directed by Andrzej Wajda, starring Robert Więckiewicz as Lech Wałęsa.