Anne Applebaum wields her considerable knowledge of a dark chapter in human history and presents a collection of the writings of survivors of the Gulag; the Soviet concentration camps. Although the opening of the Soviet archives to scholars has made it possible to write the history of this notorious concentration camp system; documents tell only one side of the story. Gulag Voices now fills in the other half.The backgrounds of the writers reflect the extraordinary diversity of the Gulag itself. Here are the personal stories of such figures as Dmitri Likhachev; a renowned literary scholar; Anatoly Marchenko; the son of illiterate laborers; and Alexander Dolgun; an American citizen. These remembrances—many of them appearing in English for the first time; each chosen for both literary and historical value—collectively spotlight the strange moral universe of the camps; as well as the relationships that prisoners had with one another; with their guards; and with professional criminals who lived beside them.A vital addition to the literature of this era;annotated for a generation that no longer remembers the Soviet Union; Gulag Voices will inform; interest; and inspire; offering a source for reflection on human nature itself.
#114072 in Books Yale University Press 2010-04-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .86 x 5.40l; .67 #File Name: 0300163681344 pagesGreat product!
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Rise of the Taliban and Implications for Central AsiaBy Michael GriswoldAhmed Rashid has written the gold standard of books on the Taliban. He charts the rise of Al Qaeda from the Soviet war in Afghanistan to Afghan civil war; to a ruling government of sorts until after September 11th 2001. That alone would be impressive; but Rashid goes a step further by detailing the economic and security impacts the Taliban movement has had on the regional and global environment.No one from Afghan warlords to United States Presidents comes across as a choirboy in the rise of the Taliban or even as soon as they took power. What really comes across is that Afghanistan has been a train-wreck for decades and that history should be ignored by policy makers at their own risk. Afghanistan isn’t just some isolated corner of the map; but as Afghanistan’s problems are starting to leak into other countries like Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan; and other former Soviet Republics; Iran; and even the United States.Although Rashid has added a 2000-2009 section on the Taliban’s reemergence; some readers may want to know his thoughts on the post 2009 period try his 2013 release Pakistan on the Brink; but this is still a great backgrounder on the complicated land of Afghanistan.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Required reading for all.By HelmutA most comprehensive and enlightening account of this group's origins; ideology and threat to the West. It is amazing that an organization with no real central leadership is able to take control of an entire country. But without the support of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia they would not have continued to grow.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Good readBy CustomerAs the author himself says in his preface to another book of his ;this reads like a reporter's diary.One of the plus points is that the book gives a historical background to the events in Afghanistan; helpful particularly for the readers under thirty.The author makes a good case for the international community's more serious efforts at ameliorating the sufferings of those involved in this human tragedy.Brings out the shorted sightedness of the leaders of the world's most powerful democracy.One feels outraged .As one reads along; too many dramatis personae come in and is difficult to keep track.The author gives in the appendix ;the who's who of the movement and its leadership but the list itself is quite a LONG LIST.The chapter on oil pipelines and the related appendix add another dimension to the problem but do not impress the reader as the major reason for the events in Afghanistan ;particularly the appendix appears superfluous as the battle in Afghanistan appearsto be an outcome of its bloody history and Taliban's reaction to it than oill economics /politics.The date line too; is useful for a more serious student of the history /politics of the region than an interested ordinary reader.May be the appendices will be more useful if one reads the book again for some more serious use.Overall; a good read that gives a comprehensive account of the travails of the region.
