The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin

Nearly 25 years after its publication, The Unquiet Ghost remains a vital, fascinating and deeply human look into the aftermath of the Great Purges of the 1930s. Written at the time of the dissolution of the USSR, Adam Hochschild set out to answer a simple question: how could ordinary Russian citizens have participated in the brutal and terrible repression of their fellow citizens, and how could Russia come to grips with its past? His book was the result of his trips to various former camps within the gulag system, many of which were then only being opened for the first time, and his interviews with survivors and their relatives, and in some cases, former participants in the gulag system.The most remarkable thing about Hochschild's book is the sheer brilliance of the reporting; much more than Hochschild's editorial asides, what stands out are the stories, the personal testimonies, particularly of the victims and their families. What also stands out is the persistence of memory: the horror inflicted on the victims and their families was so acute and so deep that many could recall events that had occurred decades earlier in careful and evocative detail. And Hochschild's eye for the physical appearance of these isolated gulag towns and camps is brilliant; he draws haunting portraits of these repositories of death.Reading this book in 2014, another fact stands out: it probably could not have been written today. In one chapter, Hochschild visits the headquarters of the KGB, where case officers, imbued by the spirit of glasnost, confess the prior misdeeds of the KGB and literally open its files to him. In today's Russia, I suspect the KGB would not have been cooperative, and I also suspect that the survivors and families, if still alive, would have been willing to be so candid about their experiences.All in all, a very valuable addition to the gulag literature.

The puzzling, enduring legacy of Joseph Stalin is uncovered in this informative book. The admiration, no reverence, for this murderous, vile man is beyond rational explanation. It's in the sphere of the emotions.

I thought I had an understanding of Soviet life as I was raised during the cold-war years and had to study Americanism vs Communism in high school. This book broke through all of the “required teachings” I endured and gave me a bone-chilling education on Stalin’s heinous rule and its 50+ year shadow.

Spectacular book highly recommend if you want to read about the old scars staling caused to the former Soviet u ion.

The more I read and Learn about Stalin the more enraged and surprised about the millions of people killed at his direction....During WWII Russia lost millions of people to starvation, murder, to the Gulag, and to war itself.

The author brings gentle humor and profound empathy to truly amazing stories about this tragic period. I recommend anyone start here to try and understand the personal side of Stalin's purges and camps.

This is a great book which details the cruel legacy of the Stalinist regime. Stalin and his cronies killed and murdered 20 million people from the 1930s to 1953. Russia suffered as much from Stalin's megalomania as it did from the German invasion. His regime left a bitter taste in regular Russian's memories. This book details how the survivors and the generation after have dealt with this bad legacy.Some great moments occur in this book, such as the opening up of the KGB archives. This details the flimsy evidence which led to the deaths of millions. Also detailed are the former prison camps that dot the countryside of Siberia. This shows the mass suffering of the inhabitants.This is a great book about the suffering and legacy of Josef Stalin.

Great product good condition

I really like Adam Hochschild's writing style and he delves into the history at a political and personal level pulling know punches. He seems to ask and attempts to answer the questions of human nature behind these terrible events that I would ask myself so I find the book very satisfying as well as immensely instructive. Everyone should read this so they can see how it happens and how a whole nation gets duped. The scale of the killings ('arrests') and the harrowing accounts of what actually went on are an eye opener and give another slant on history. There are all sorts of gems, the reason the Russians were very nearly overrun in WW2 is that most of the best army officers had been executed as potential enemies of the state and the army was in a very weak state.A very well researched, thoughtful and ultimately philosophical book. Thoroughly recommended.