A lot of books about Romania's recent history make allusions to the pervasive fear Romanians had of Securitate (the national secret police), and how the megalomaniacal leader of the country literally buldozed homes and churches to make way for his palace. A lot of it sounds unbelievable, or at least greatly exaggerated.

Dan Antal's story gives a first-hand look at the reality of life under a paranoid, totalitarian regime, and the reality is a lot more sick than even the "exaggerated" stories might have led one to believe. While his style is sometimes less than perfect, the people he recalls, and the situations he relates, more than make up for it. As a Romanian kid interested in western things -- the Beatles, English-language studies, glossy magazines -- he becomes a target for the local Securitate bullies. Since he won't give in to their "deprogramming," his career and personal life suffer. However, he lives to see the day when the ergime is overthrown -- only to discover that it's a different show, but the same actors.

As I have a personal interest in recent Romanian history, and have read a lot of more scholarly or political works, this was a great look at how a "common man" experienced events before and after the revolution. It filled in a lot of details, and personalized what might have been just facts and figures before.