Russia Books

As a first introduction to the writings and teachings of St. Theophan this book is excellent.

It covers not only the main events in St. Theophan's life, but also interesting details of his form of monkhood, of his vast correspondence, and a general presentation of his writings concluding with a sound study of The Way of Salvation, his main book.

Those who want to study St. Theophan's writings further will have many thousands of pages to enjoy!

Theophane's writings of full of piercing insights into the human condition and the path to union with God. Theophane is a guide along the Bhakti path, pointing out it's pitfalls and the essentials needed for success. I have read this book over and over again and each new reading I glean many new insigts.

Heroic Struggle, Bitter Defeat is a superb work of scholarship by author Bahman Azad. Azad begins his work in defense of the relevancy and superiority of marxism in contrast to the prevailing bourgeois ideologies of today. He then proceeds with a sort of "marxism 101," discussing such important issues as the nature of the socialist economy, the role of a revolutionary party, the nature of the workers state and socialist vs. bourgeois democracy. The bulk of the book, however, is devoted to an analysis of the different development models persued by the Soviet leadership. I would have liked to seen more discussion of the role of the "second economy" in influencing the direction of the Gorbachev era, yet aside from this minor flaw, I cannot recommend this work enough.

This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why and how the socialist bloc disintegrated in 1989. Azad explains in detail the errors made by the leaders of the communist party (particularly Gorbachev) and how they betrayed the revolution by moving towards a market economy. Azad argues that although imperialism has temporarily succeeded in crushing any opposition it has created immense social disparities between the rich and poor. In short, capitalism is facing social, political, and economic contradictons that it attempts resolve by further expanding its global reach.

Edited and translated by Rabbi Alter B. Metzer from the memoirs of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (the foremost Jewish religious leader of Stalinist Russia circa 1927), The Heroic Struggle is the true and riveting story of Rabbi Schneersohn's arrest and brutal mistreatment for his conspiring with other members of the Jewish community to create an underground network that would allow Judaism to survive despite Communist persecution of religion, religious beliefs, religious ceremonies, and religious symbols. A harrowing testimony of an enduring human spirit, and culminating in Schneersohn's miraculous release after his death sentence was commuted to exile, The Heroic Struggle is a superb contribution to 20th Century Jewish History reading lists and reference collections as being a profoundly inspirational testimony about the power of fighting for one's roots and beliefs.

By resisting the Stalin regime and creating the organizations and the atmosphere that survived those dark days, the Rebbe inspired and enabled the rebirth Yiddishkeit in all the lands of the former Soviet Union.

It is possible that without the underground movement inspired by the Rebbe instead of refusniks and the massive exodus of the 80s and 90s, Russian Jewry might have dissolved in a haze of assimilation.

In The Heroic Struggle we have Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's own account of his ordeal. As riveting as a contemporary thriller He writes: "... sensitive and talented authors would find much material for lengthy works on the nature of human feeling and conduct by merely depicting ... the ... two hours from my arrival in the prison ... " Actually the Rebbe hasn't left much for other authors. His narrative is vividly detailed, insightful and sensitive. From the remarkably detailed description of his cell to the penetrating analyses of his captors, interrogators and fellow prisoners, the Rebbe involves the reader in his experience.

I love this book. It was so easy to get caught up in everything that was happening, and I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it. I highly recommend it.

I've read the first two installments in the Songs in the Night series. Both were excellent reads, with Under His Watchful Eye being even better than the first. I couldn't put it down. As a library director, I have recommended to many of my patrons and nearly everyone has rated it a ten! I'm waiting for the third book to come out this year...hopefully.

Plakans' dictionary is well thought out and reads extremely well with supporting background material. A must for scholars and historians as well as the casual Baltic observer or student!

For anyone who is interest in the history of Latvia, this book is a MUST. The book does not go in great depth. But presents the reader with highlights of Latvian history, culture, and chronology. Most of the book consists of a historical dictionary. The historical dictionary, portion of the book, is interesting. After the dictionary, I would rate the bibliography as interesting and useful. It is 25-1/2 pages long.

This book is a MUST, for the Latvian historian.

Reviewed by Johanna Granville, Clemson University, Clemson, SC USA

James Forsyth's History of the Peoples of Siberia: Russia's North Asian Colony, 1581-1990 is a much needed addition to the extant literature on Soviet history. The policies of glasnost and end of censorship after the 1991 Soviet collapse have led to greater interest in the history of non-Russian nationalities. The dearth of reliable historical information on Russia east of the Urals is becoming increasingly clear as Siberia and the Russian Pacific littoral develop into a significant geopolitical and economic entity. Russia's expansion eastward may have been as defining for Russian society as was the United States' advance westward for American society. Thus, it is surprising that historians are just beginning to concentrate on this vast landscape. This is not to say that Western scholarship has completely overlooked Asiatic Russia, but there is still much work to do. In this ethnohistory of Siberia, Forsyth attempts to "narrate and interpret the stages in the conquest and exploitation of Siberia" (defined as "everything lying east of 60 degrees E and 50 degrees N") and "the place of this process in Russian and world history." Forsyth's narrative tends to emphasize the role of ordinary people--the inhabitants of Siberia--rather than of prominent decision makers. He raises several questions about the indigenous peoples of Siberia (e.g. Buryat Mongols, Yakuts, Tatars, Samoyeds, Tunguses, and Chukchis). What was the role of the native peoples, who up to the 18th century, inhabited Siberia? Who were they, and how did they live before the Russian invasion? How did the Russian invasion affect their lives? Has the fate of the Siberian natives been similar to that of the Indians and Eskimos of North America? Forsyth's main argument is fairly simple: despite the Leninist rhetoric that the Russian occupation of Siberia was a peaceful process and that it brought the indigenous peoples into contact with a "higher culture," the Siberian peoples in reality suffered a great deal from collectivization, "denomadisation," and the consequent destruction of their traditional cultures and occupations. The book is particularly strong on the early Russian conquest of Siberia after 1456 and the folk heroes like Yermak Timofeyevich who emerged in the process. Forsyth attributes the Russian success in subjugating the indigenous tribes to a number of factors: demanding tribute, trading ruthlessly for furs, dominating by superior numbers, spreading disease (especially smallpox), exploiting intra-tribal conflict, and employing superior firepower. For centuries after taking control of a certain Siberian tribes' land, the Russians would exploit that tribe by requiring them to pay "yasak" (a Turkic word meaning tribute). Yasak was often collected in the form of furs, such as sable, fox, and marten---as precious to the Russians as gold to the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico and Peru. Russian Marxist historians have made Yermak and the Cossacks into folk heroes comparable to the pioneers of the American West. (Just as the Soviet media routinely sanitized news about Soviet society, so historians also self-servingly rewrote history.) However, the actual record of the Cossacks and "voyevodys" may be closer to the genocidal campaigns of the Nazis in the occupied regions of Belarus and the Ukraine. According to Forsyth, these interlopers were "courageous but ruthless men-of-action, mainly belonging to the petty nobility." Both tsarist and Soviet regimes abused the Siberian territory and its aborigines. Whereas the tsarist regimes extracted yasak, furs, and minerals, the Soviet regimes built vast projects in the region that disrupted the environment and local way of life. Gold dredging threatened rivers, industrial pollution affected Lake Baikal, and projects such as the Baikal/Amur railway (BAM) caused ecological damage, while the KGB harrassed local people who complained. Overall, the book is grim on the future of Siberia. The native ethnic groups are still minorities in their own land. Forsyth believes that some communities may resort to creating reservations akin to the ones for Indians in Canada and the United States. The book is solid, but not flawless. Although it synthesizes multivolume ethnographic and historical works of German, imperial Russian, and Soviet scholars in one volume, the extensive bibliography will not benefit those who read neither Russian nor German. Moreover, Forsyth apparently has not worked with recently declassified archival documents, and his balance is skewed a bit toward the seventeenth century. Readers may also find the beginning section on geography extremely dry, and the multitude of ethnic groups confusing. Nevertheless, since the scope of this finely produced book is vast, and its subject very timely, it will indeed benefit both nonspecialists and general readers. It contains twelve useful historical maps of the Siberian region and fifteen illustrations.

Johanna Granville, Clemson University

This book may well be the very best history of the native peoples of Siberia and their conquest by the Russians in the past centuries.
Though the title is exaggrating a bit - with Siberia today having an overwhelmingly Russian majority population I don't find it more of a "colony" than the USA, Canada, or Australia, where natives have been even more outnumbered by European settlers - the book itself is very thoroughly-researched, amazingly up to date and is even fair enough to compare the current situation of the Siberian peoples to that of Northern minorities elsewhere.
No doubt, it is a somewhat disturbing read - but then so is the situation of these often diminishing ethinc groups even today.

Like all of John Erickson's work, this book is a valuable resource for understanding the complexity of war on the Eastern Front. The book includes an excellent array of photographs, many of which are not readily available elsewhere, complemented by thoughtful and informed summaries of the major events of the war in the east.

Please do not be deterred by political agendas evident in other reviews. Take a look at the book and judge for yourself.

John Erickson truly is a remarkable historian. Finally, thanks to John, the entire world is able to read the truth about WW2 events on the Eastern Front. Devil's Advocate-Holle (little nazi pumpkin pie) - we (Allies & Russians) have bitten absolute crap out of your beloved nazi Germany .Enjoy the reality.

I enjoyed this book because it described a time and place, Russia from 1905 through 1920, that I knew little about. The author tells the story of her parents' love match -- a young Scottish woman marries a Russian man and moves to his country -- and the family events that followed, including her own birth. Very charming and sad. I'm so glad Ms. Fraser wrote an autobiography instead of trying to turn her story into a novel as so many younger writers from potentially interesting backgrounds are doing today. This way she was able to include various events that were exciting, fun or touching without stretching to find some novelistic reason for including them.

Very interesting book by Mrs. Fraser, who was a child of a Russian-Scottish marriage in pre-revolutionary Russia. This has to be one of the very few detailed accounts of life in the Arkhangelsk region around that time, at least in English. Following a recounting of some of her family's colorful history, the book essentially tracks the pre-war years of her memory through the civil war and her escape from Russia. I had a hard time putting it down and am looking forward to reading her follow-up book dealing with this subject, "The Dvina Remains."

This book is not only an easy read, but it is hard to stop reading once started. It has also made me most grateful for the freedoms we have today. The author has done an excellent job of weaving together many historical facts with the experiences of Mr. Pawluk.

Theodor Pawluk and his family simply want to live their lives as Seventh Day Adventist Christians. However, they must survive in a world where the KGB and Nazis are making people choose one side or another in their war against each other. Faced with this challenging decision, Pawluk and his family instead choose God and trust Him to protect them. They courageously practice their Christian faith in the face of incarceration and potentially death. By God's glory, not only do they survive, but they also witness to others in a time of fear and uncertainty.

I read this book right before I read "Mistaken Identity," and the sum of these people's lives, experiences, reactions, and faith is truly inspirational and life changing. Their impact does not end when you put them down. Rather, the gift of these books is that they stir your soul and challenge you to review your own life and seek God's personal plan for you.

I found this story to be gripping, but easy to read. It is an account written in the late 1950s about the author's time spent as a political prisoner in Russia during the late 1940s-mid 1950s. The author gives an eye-witness account of the atrocities that he endured in a slave labor camp in Siberia and of his and his fellow prisioners' faith in God that sustained him until his release.

John Noble and his family were Americans trapped in Germany during WWII. When the war ended and the Russians came, instead of being liberated and able to return to the U.S., John and his father were arrested and imprisoned for no other reason than the Russians wanted to take over their family owned camera factory. This autobiography covers the nine years John spent in Soviet prisons, how he found God in solitary confinement and how God was with him through the nightmare until his miraculous escape from Siberia. This is by far my favorite non-fiction book.