{"title":"Catalin Gruia","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"romania-explained-to-my-friends-abroad-book-catalin-gruia-9781495231872","title":"Romania Explained To My Friends Abroad","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49608328020241,"sku":"GOR006820412","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52749215990033,"sku":"NIN9781495231872","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53497429131537,"sku":"GOR013187849","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1495231879.jpg?v=1751439991"},{"product_id":"man-they-killed-on-christmas-day-book-catalin-gruia-9781492282594","title":"The Man They Killed on Christmas Day","description":"Essential Ceausescu The Life of Romanian Communist Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu: Road to Hell Paved with Good Intentions A black dog licks at a puddle of blood in which two old people lie, executed on Christmas day in the Targoviste garrison, Romania. Following a kangaroo trial, a special tribunal sentenced them to death by shooting in December 1989 for serious crimes against the people of Romania. He died instantly. The woman died a minute later, after the execution squad's paratroop captain furiously emptied another round in her. Thus Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu's five-decade journey together ended, after they started from the bottom, seized power, and grew old while ruling the country. Who Was That Man They Killed on Christmas Day Adulated for all of his 24 years in power, during which he came to personify Romania, Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu - dethroned and replaced by some of his former barons - was turned into a scapegoat for all the evils done to Romanians. But the question remains: Between these two extremes, who was the real Nicolae Ceausescu ? During his regime, Ceausescu's image had been painted in sparkling white. Once he was killed - everything turned to pitch black. This documentary aims to paint a portrait in color, with all shades of grey included, combining the good and bad, the light and the dark extremes of the life of Nicolae Ceausescu (aka Ceaucescu). This book is a concise journalistic style account of Ceausescu's life, following his path through: -A miserable childhood -A boyhood in prisons -A rising youth in the Romanian Communist Party -The honeymoon of his beginnings as the youngest ever political leader in Europe -Times of glory and seizing absolute power -The rough years of decline -A violent death Ceausescu 101 Dear reader - stop here for a second, please  You should know from the very beginning this is not an exhaustive, academic paper. Author Catalin Gruia is a veteran journalist who has written and reported for the Romanian edition of National Geographic for over 10 years. 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One of them had just come back from Italy: a very big guy, with a tight shirt, with a mean face, with expressionless, predatory eyes that looked you right in the brain. And they were celebrating this interlop's return home. Then, another one came down from the hill, with clay on his head, dead tired. He had worked all day at sticking together a house with clay for 3 $. And with that 3 $, he bought everyone drinks: Drink up guys, 'cause now I have money  The conversation that followed was hypothetical - although the most frequently pronounced word was da burli (fuck) - about what was better for a Gypsy: to steal and cash in big all at once or to work honestly for close to nothing? Wherever you are in Romania, - in any city or village -, if you take a 30 minute walk in any direction, you'll find a community of poor Gypsies. Beside a minority that got rich exploiting barely-legal economic opportunities, for more than two thirds of some 1 million Romanian Gypsies, the tumultuous years following the fall of communism meant a transition towards hopeless poverty, delinquency, and violence. They were among the first laid off during the restructuring of the 1990s and many did not manage to get rehired. About 70% of the Gypsieslive from Minimum Income Guarantee (financial aid from the State) and occasional activities. 80% have no profession. Life in the Swamp Like Mocirla (The Swamp), almost every poor Gypsy community is affected by the same shortages when it comes to: -jobs -income -education -access to medical services -identity cards -property titles -dirty, overcrowded houses Who are these Gypsies? This is a story about what it's like to be a Gypsy (Roma) in Romania. A story told by the Gypsies themselves. For their protection (and my own), the names of the places and of the characters have been changed. Over 14 hours of interviews were edited for concision and clarity. Certain regionalisms, flagrant language and grammar mistakes were straightened out here and there. Author Catalin Gruia is a veteran journalist who has written and reported for over 10 years for the Romanian edition of National Geographic. 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