The dilemmas of dissidence in East-central Europe discusses one of the major currents leading to the fall of communism. Falk examines the intellectual dissident movements in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary from the late 1960s through to 1989. In spite of its historic significance, no other comprehensive study appeared on the subject.

In addition to the huge list of written sources from samizdat works to recent essays, Falk`s sources include interviews with many actors of those events as well as videos and films (including winners of Oscar).

Although a work rightly classified as political theory, The dilemmas of dissidence provides exciting narrative account of the development of thoughts and actions of those brave intellectuals in dreary Warsaw, Prague and Budapest of yesteryears.