Russian Experiences: Life in the Former USSR and Post-Soviet Russia [Paperback]

For a personal, non textbook view of Russian conditions and attitudes, this is a book that comes highly recommended.

They wrote that the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was a country built by Communists since 1917, and whose aim was to establish a worldwide Communist regime. "(Karl) Marx," they also wrote, "believed, without questioning the results, that a Communist revolution should be worldwide." Obviously, at this writing, that has failed with the dissolution of the USSR into the new Russian Federation.

So if you like a bit of military history and how governments function, this is a brief but most interesting internal look at Communism inside the former Soviet Union and its different phases of life. The author, The Raven, born in Baku City, in Azerbaijan in what once was the USSR, writes this short but very informative book that gives you a look at what happened after the Communists came into power in 1917. He tells of the pitfalls and why the USSR failed in its quest to establish Communism in Finland when the Russians went to war against the Finns in 1939-40. He also explains how a lack of communication was so costly to the Red Army when it was losing so badly to the Germans in the early days of World War II and the enemy was knocking on Moscow's doors. As a ten-year-old, I can remember the war between Russia and Finland in our newspaper headlines, and especially World War II when the Germans were trying to take over Russia and the fighting around Stalingrad in the bitter Russian winter.

The Raven also writes about his health problems in his youth created by a doctor, who treated him incorrectly, which led to a partial loss of hearing and damage to his nervous system. Of equal importance is some of the unfair treatment of The Raven in later years by one particular dean in his quest for an education. Specifically, The Raven tells how a single unanswered question evoked a negative response from the head of the linguistics department concerning answers to all other questions on the exam. The Dean suddenly decided that The Raven's previous answers were wrong, and offered new questions for The Raven to answer. Fortunately, The Raven managed to transfer into computer studies and received much better treatment despite living in inadequate housing and crowded situations.

It's a very revealing book and I would highly recommend it, especially to students and historical buffs who are interested in the old Soviet Union and the new Russian Federation. A four-star effort for certain.

With the help of co-writer Marie Claire, a man known as "the Raven" -- who maintains his anonymity as Clare tells his story -- describes growing up in the pain and uncertainty following World War II, in the difficult and tense years of the Cold War, and during the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Always there is the Russian culture and the indomitable spi rit of its people. This is a well-written personal saga of one man's attempt to rise above the restrictive and impoverished conditions surrounding him to achieve a life of dignity.

Written in a concise, smoothly descriptive style that utilizes rich yet simple language, Russian Experiences offers something for a wide range of readers."

Reviewed by Denise.