horror of Stalin's purges brought to life
589928
Oh how I loved this family! What happened to them occurred over and over during the 1930s. The entire Ukraine was systematically starved. The heroes of the revolution were obliterated, and all the hope and promises were over before they began . The beauty of the film and the personalities of all the townspeople, not only the General and his family were all pencilled in with the subtle gestures and expressions. A very powerful film, and ons I know I will think of often as things escalate in Ukraine.
1561867
This extremely well researched account of the depths plumbed by anti semitic Poles angered me more than most of the nazi anti semitism accounts I have read over several decades. I could only stomach a few pages of FEAR at a time but I could not stop. Some of these unpunished crimes by "neighbours" happened years after Hitler was dead, to shoah survivors who had sadly ventured back to their Polish homeland to reclaim their property and their lives. A lower level of neighbourly hate is impossible for me personally to imagine.
3441779
I was visiting/studying in the Soviet Union during the short-lived re-Stalinization of the USSR under Breznhev and the dreary haunting memories came vividly back when reading this book.  For over 75 years a great nation of people suffered under a history of lies, requiring intimidation, fear, terror , murder and inhumanity to maintain the "glorious promise" of communism.  We can see how bold small steps to fill in the blanks of their history led to an opportunity of freedom.  Why read this book now that the USSR is history?  Because humans have a short memory of why risky behavior is dangerous as the USA dances close to the same flames.... many politicians are enamored with the flickering false promises of communism/socialism but unconcerned about the outcome of burning down this country's structure.  Don't believe me?  Read the book objectively and see how we are "progressing" toward the same false future if we not very very careful.  We should learn from others' mistakes, not learn by making the same ones again.
3577326
Sasha Zaichik is the protagonist in this short novel, Breaking Stalin's Nose, by Eugene Yelchin. Sasha is less a hero than an innocent victim, for what else can you call a ten-year old who's been brought up with nothing but lies in a cynical, totalitarian state that maintains itself through fear and terror.

At first glance Yelchin's novel looks like a book for children, but don't be fooled--it carries a message that resonates with readers of all ages. I'm talking about the human toll of Stalin-era Communism in the Soviet Union, but it could apply to any dictatorial government or ideology, past or present. Think Nazi Germany, Maoist China, North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe, the Taliban, etc.

Sasha, like most children in the USSR, was brought up to idolize Joseph Stalin and the Communist system. Parents were too fearful to do otherwise. Sasha eagerly anticipates becoming an official Young Pioneer at a school ceremony because this is the ideal he has been indoctrinated with. During a 24 hour time span we, the readers, come to see the lies and fear of this era through the innocent eyes of this idealistic young boy. The rotten foundation the structure is built on is exposed and put on display as Sasha experiences the disintegration of his whole world and can't quite comprehend what happened. I can't tell you much more without giving away the whole story, so read it. Most adults will finish this book in about an hour, which includes viewing the many illustrations.
1881546
A good read of one man's experience in the Stalinist era purges. The philosophy of the "revolution" as it evolved is enlightening.
526861
I am totally taken with the history of our major wars. Most of the histories I have read have alluded to the things that happened in the areas between Germany and the USSR, but I did not have much deep knowledge on what specifically happened in the Ukraine, Latvia and Balkan countries.  This is an excellent text and allows the reader a better understanding into what occurred there.  This knowledge allows for a better understanding of the current politics in this area.
The author describes this geographical area as the 'Bloodlands' for certainly its civilian population suffered more under both Soviet and Nazi occupation than the European areas occupied by the Nazis alone.  It creates a better understanding on what allowed the occupying forces to enlist the local populations in the massive killing through starvation, execution by bullet and later more sophisticated killing camps.  It is a gruesome story.
Fortunately I had previously read 'Death and Deliverance' which is the documentation of the Nazi extermination of German citizens who were disabled and mentally challenged children and adults. The people who ran these programs, were the ones who the Party sent east to deal with the Slavic and others on the eastern front...so I already had a good idea of the personalities involved in the bloodshed. 'The Good Old Days' edited by Ernest Klee, Willi Dressen & Volker Rieas also introduced me to the perpetrators who would oversee the swath of death and destruction that descended on this area.
It is amazing that two despotic regimes could have such different but equally lethal visions for this area.  Hitler intended to remove all of the citizens of Ukraine by either elimination or deportation to slave labor camps, so that Germans could occupy the land and create an idealized agrarian society of German farmers...and Stalin who wanted to develop an industrial nation wanted to eliminate all of the peasant farmers to create industrial complexes across the land. Both visions were horrible concepts but both successively brought unspeakable horror to the civilian population.
A must read for anyone interested in this period, as history always informs part of our future and we neglect it at our peril.
2314367
This horribly descriptive movie showcases the true suffering  of the Russian People as they struggle to persevere during the  war crimes waged at the hands of the Nazis. Their willingness to bleed and die for their unfeeling dictator gave them the ability to outlast their German Tormentors.
2524300
Svetlana has told a harrowing account of daily suffering and death amidst the bombs that in time became the norm for her, the tales of hunger resonate with me because of the Irish famine where over 1 million died with hunger.
This is a hard read of Svetlana's pain and suffering yet her incredible spirit and resilience, we meet individual's and get some knowledge of them but we find their hope is crushed by unrelenting hunger.
The Nazi's should never be forgotten for their pure evil, this book should be compared with Ann Franks Diary for the inside story of the ordinary people's suffering in wartime.
The event's leading up to the blockade are well documented along with useful maps to give us an idea how Leningrad was so isolated. So thank you to Svetlana for her memories and to DR. Pleysier for making this story so accessible and readable to us.
2865930
I found it rather compelling reading. Stalin was not a nice young man probably because of reacting to his surroundings and his rough treatment by his father (or at least the man thought to be his father.....). I will never be able to wrap my head around the manner he treated his own people.
4750449
I could have only imagined the horrific experiences of the Eastern front.  This book is a keyhole view into the daily experience of a young man thrust into mankind's most dismal days.  I wish this was a must read for the sniveling populace today.  We have so much to be thankful for.
4646539
In addition to detailing aboundant blood, guts and gore, ChopShop poignantly depicts what so many organizations do when theirexistence is jeopardized: they do anything and everything to survive. In this case, it's a funeral home that is beleaguered by a widespread industry downturn, and is thus faced with the challenge of foraging for revenues.
God knows, I've toiled at several businesses that, when threatened with extinction, resorted to every imaginable sort of behavior--much of which was just as flagrantly illegal as the funeral home's savage and grisly activities depicted in this well-written book.
In light of this, I highly recommed this book as both a scintillating horror read, and a remarkable study of organizational malfeasance commonly perpetrated in the name of survival.
4800888
Though I have known Stalin's regime was brutal, I never understand the horrors which it entailed until now. This books provides an insight that maybe some don't want, but knowledge I feel everyone should have. The horrors that humans are capable of commiting are aptely captured in this book. Maybe someday the inhumane people who live among us will realize the truth is always found out and the stories told. Or worse, perhaps they do not care.

The story is told through the eyes of a 15 year old Lituanian girl named Lina. Her family is forcibly removed from their home with only 20 minutes warning by the NKVD (later to be known as the KGB), and their plight goes rapidly down hill from there. Ruta Sepetys tells a great story, but to be fair, it is evidently a story she did not have to create as it is based upon true accounts. Perhaps the best part of her writing style is how she is able to protray Lina and the fears she felt, while going back and forth between the past and present as Lina reverts in her mind back to happy times in Lituania.

At times I felt the story was a little rushed by the author, which is evidenced by the shortness of this novel. But then again, there was plenty of detail to capture of horrors of the Lituanians as they struggled to survive deep in Siberia. Ruta's talent is her ability to use words that enable you to feel the pain of her characters.

For me, the primary mark of a good novel was met with this one; I did not want to stop reading, and I was disappointed when I reached the end; disappointed at the outcome and disappointed there was not more novel to read.

Overall, a heart-wrenching story presented in its raw form by a gifted author.
2569307
Most people are familiar with the cultural revolution and the resulting bloodbath, but might not be very familiar with the famines and mass starvation that Mao's regime caused. I know I wasn't. This is a very enlightening and harrowing read. Some interesting topics covered are: mass starvation, exponential population growth, artificial famines, pseudoscience, ethnic cleansing, seizing of personal property (such as cooking utensils and livestock), and forced labor, all of which were government policies. What is interesting, is that many of these policies were the result of hyper-inflated reporting by local authorities.
3843957
At the beginning of this new election cycle I wish every conscientious citizen could read this truly scary book.  With the final opening of long sealed archives the author is able to document the crimes and actual insanity of this, our only president to be driven from office in disgrace.  For those of us who lived through it -- it was even worse than we though possible-- for those too young to remember, it was worse than you could have imagined.  In a time of very high Cold War tension under the ever present threat of a world destroying WWIII this madman sent messages to the Soviets and to China that he would launch the first nuclear salvo against them if they didn't prevail upon North Vietnam to make peace onNixon's terms.  Watergate was the least of his evils.
1489385
This is a difficult book  to read  because of the dreadful human suffering, but it is well researched and enlightening on so many fronts even if you have been a student of Russian history,
1812090
Laura Rose breathes life into a piece of Russian history. Marie Romanov was born into a life of privilege, but in the aftermath of a revolution everything changes. After the Tsar Romanov is forcibly removed from power his iconic royal family is degraded by degrees. The author reveals the story with a colorful depiction of their situation while at the same time slowly building suspense towards a violent end that seems inevitable - and violent it is. The author captures the absolute horror of the scene which left me cringing while hanging on every word. Great Read!
1756122
Fantastic book - A first hand account of the horrors of the  Cold War told from both the East and the West.