Friday 13 June 2014

Book Shout Out - The White Prisoner by Ognian Georgiev

“The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story” is a real life non-fiction story about one of the greatest weightlifters in the history. His fate is very unpleasant. He won everything in the sport – Olympic, World and European title. The world records were broken very easy by him. In his home country Boevski was announced as the best sportsman in the entire state.

One day at the end of October 2011 the news headlines were filled by the shocking announcement. Galabin was caught with 9 kg of cocaine in Sao Paulo airport with his daughter Sarah.
The novel tells the story of Boevski, who was sentenced for 9 years and 4 months. During his stay he remembered the best and the worst moments of his life that leaded him to the downfall. The Bulgarian athlete was a fighter his entire life. He not only manages to survive in the jail, surrounded by killers, criminals and drug trafficants, but is trying to find a way to get out far before his sentence is over.

The inspiration of the book came from my work, because I am sport journalist, working for “Bulgaria Today” daily newspaper. During the time when Galabin Boevski was in prison the society attitude towards him was very bad. The bigger part of Bulgarians forgot that because of him our national anthem was played not once or twice in the most prestigious competitions on the planet. Apart of it his life was full of betrayals, scandals and dramatic moments. He was like a fiction character with everything that happened during his life.

Ognian Georgiev, author of “The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski’s secret story”

The novel is available on Amazon as e-book:
And on Create Space as print edition: https://www.createspace.com/4808648

My contacts are:

Blog: http://ogigeorgiev.wordpress.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/galabin.boevsky
Twitter: https://twitter.com/galabinboevski
Click on image to purchase from Amazon

This wasn’t the first time Galabin Boevski felt oppressed. He had suffered the atrocious legacy of communism and the lack of support that a talented athlete like him should otherwise expect from his motherland. It had been a week since his arrest. He’d spent a night in the jail of Sao Paulo’s airport, then transferred to another Brazilian prison for temporary detention. Now he was in Itai, a prison for foreigners, full of people from all over the world. His memories kept rushing in and he kept going over the unfortunate events over and over. What went wrong? He spent his first night in jail with 1500 prisoners who were serving their sentences there - murderers, rapists, fraudsters and thieves, but the majority of them people like him – accused of drug trafficking. “I’m not a mule,” he thought, “I am Galabin Boevski. Legendary weightlifter and Olympic champion, not a criminal!”

...based on a true story...

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Galabin Boevski is a complicated figure and weightlifting is a complex sport, filled with intrigue and drama. On the stage, the bar does not lie. You either lift it or not. Behind the scenes, however, as The White Prisoner: Galabin Boevski's Secret Story makes plain, it can be an enormous struggle not just to become Olympic champion but to stay on top.
Alan Abrahamson, bestselling author

I read the entire volume in two days. I could not put it down. The plot lines leading up to what would hopefully reveal the final athletic and legal outcomes of Boevski were compelling. Mr. Georgiev has done a master job of story telling. One that will provide a much need insight into the psyches, personalities and foibles of star weightlifters and their coaches.
Bob Takano, coach and author of Olympic weightlifting

It's quite a fascinating story, with quite a bit of drama, as well as elements of tragedy. I found it to be a very gripping and compelling read.
Daniel Rosen, author of Dope: A History of Performance Enhancement in Sports from the Nineteenth Century to Today

The White Prisoner provides a rare glimpse into the world of Bulgarian weightlifting—chronicling the development of Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world record holder Galabin Boevski, and how things went awry: first in weightlifting and then in Brazil. If you are a weightlifting fan, this is a must-read book, and if you want to be introduced to a gritty world and a universal sport you might never have known existed, you will also want to dive into The White Prisoner.
Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. , Founder & President, IronMind Enterprises, Inc.

Click here to buy The White Prisoner from Amazon

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