Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008)

One of the most memorable books I've ever read. It took quite a while to get through, especially the chapter on torture, as I could only take it in small bits.

I grew up in the U.S. during the Cold War with parents who were vehemently anti-communist which, of course, only increased my fascination with the Soviet Union. So I traveled there with a tour group in 1979 (and, of course, we tourists saw only positive, peaceful sights) and then in East Berlin in 1983 (more poignant there, as the streets were virtually deserted and the food store shelves were mostly empty). Though I never saw anything horrible (we even had the freedom to take local buses and explore Moscow), my trips were still a bit of a wake up call, and prompted me to read more.

It's interesting that there are so many movies about the German atrocities in WWII (as there should be!) but virtually none about Soviet atrocities -- perhaps because there were no Soviet survivors to escape and tell their stories in Hollywood. Also because the Soviets won the war, put up the Iron Curtain, and kept all the information hidden.

That's why Solzhenitsyn's book is so important. And now, since the system collapsed and the records are more accessible, lots of new historical information is being released. Also, highly recommended: Bloodlands, by Timothy Snyder, and Young Stalin, by Simon Sebag Montefiore.… (more)