What a fun book! The author tells of his life as a serf in the Imperial Russia of the early 19th Century. Admittedly, his was not the life of a typical serf--he was well educated, eventually being emancipated by his "owner" (and the description of this process is in itself fascinating). The great part of this book is in the details--the descriptions of the people, places, and interactions of his childhood; the reader cannot help sympathizing with his poor father who tries over and over again to make the best of his situation, yet is trapped by his social standing. This work is a great addition to the current understanding of life in Russia during the period.

This book is like a bible to anyone interested in this particular area. Olga Soffer knows the material well. The book is easy to work through and provides numerous raw data tables making it simple to get straight to the facts.

The book has many drawings and black & white photos throughout. Each of the 29 sites studied has a comprehensive report that details the history of the sites excavation; stratigraphy; artifacts recovered; site plan (if available); and details of the site today.

The greatest advantage (to me) is that this book is very well written and quite easy to read - I'm not sure if this attributable primarily to the original writing by Simis or the translation by Edwards and Schneider, but it is the case. The book primarily consists of anectdotes highlighting the corruption (with an emphasis on bribe-taking) found in the old USSR. A primary theme is that of the two worlds that existed in the country; the government, and the criminal underground. For a person with an interest in modern Russia, this book may provide insight into the history and formation of the criminal world that now alledgedly wields great power in the former USSR. This is a wonderful book that demonstrates what happens when communism is put in action.

Clear and compelling indictment of the most inhuman social system devised by humans. This account of the Soviet Union's history illustrates the danger of a one party system and the inhumanity of big government.

Being the great-great grandson of one of the surgeons mentioned in this book I had a special interest in this book. Over the years books abut Gettysburg have always been about the military strategies involved, key players in the battle, etc. Nothing was ever truly written about the aftermath of the battle the dark side of war with all it's carnage and bloodshed. As Walt Whitman once said "the real war will never get into the books" that is until now. Gregory CoCo's "A Vast Sea Of Misery" is the first real book of its kind and long over due. Much of the battlefield has been saved from destruction over the years with the exception of the hospital sites. Many of these sites have been lost forever to real estate developments and shopping centers. Mr. CoCo set out to document the 162 hospital sites in and around the Town of Gettysburg not only as a record for future generations but in the hopes that its readers would care enough to maybe save some of the surviving sites from future development. These hospitals were truly the second battle of Gettysburg with over 21,000 maimed, wounded, and dying soldiers fighting for their lives. The surgeons of these hospitals along with the townspeople, ambulance corpsman, nurses, and civilian agencies who supplied medicines, foodstuffs, and care for the wounded soldiers on both sides are some of the real unknown heroes of Gettysburg. Mr. CoCo does an excellent job of not only identifying the location of these hospital sites through photographs and maps, but takes you back 138 years into these field hospitals through the eyes of many of the actual participants of this great struggle for survival. My great-great grandfather's Union Second Corps Hospitals had over 3260 wounded with only 14 doctors to take care of them. They worked virtually around the clock to save the human refuse of war. This book is a fitting tribute to those who not only fought and died at Gettysburg, but who gave of their time, money, talent, and skills to save so many lives. This book is certainly not the whole story of this struggle for survival and Mr. CoCo points this out. He states "It is my anticipation that a Vast Sea of Misery will serve as only a forerunner of a more complete and elaborate work by some other writer in a not-too-distant day". This book is a must read for students of the Civil War and those just plain interested in what the aftermath of battle is all about. You won't be disappointed.

I am a plant scientist, and approached this book attracted by the name of one of the greatest biologists of this century. I did not expect, however, the deep emotions which emanate from this enticing story. Well written; investigative journalism at its best. Almost Dr. Zhivago-like true story under the Stalin regime. I enjoyed every line. Mandatory for Plant Biologists, but undoubtedly appealing to any reader with interest in Science and modern History.

Professor Vandervort offers readers of European history a balanced account of the life and times of a French revolutionary labor leader at the beginning of this century.

Victor Griffuelhes, coauthor of the influential "Charter of Amiens" (1906) and General Secretary of the Confederation Generale du Travail (CGT) from 1901 to 1909, rose from modest origins to lead what was arguably one of the most dynamic labor movements in Europe before the First World War. His life, not unlike Professor Vandervort's, represents an odyssey through shifting political paradigms and violent global upheavals.

Disarmingly personal at times, Professor Vandervort's account provides us with a sensitive and tough-minded analysis of his subject, explaining how a person's consciousness is moved by dialectical changes beyond the control of any individual. Moreover, this book offers readers an up-to-date historiography of the French labor movement.

The author expresses skepticism toward the current linguistic debate among leading French labor historians, like Joan Scott and William Sewell, who argue for "the primacy of discourse over class in the formulation of workers' politics." Following in the tradition of radical historians like Harvey Goldberg, Georges Haupt, E.P. Thompson, Georges Lefranc, Edouard Dolleans, Maurice Dommanget, Jean Maitron, and Jacques Julliard, Professor Vandervort does not hesitate to disagree with and point out the shortcommings of his closest intellectual allies.

Because of its honesty and its richly detailed descriptions, "Victor Griffuelhes and French Syndicalism, 1895-1922" comes highly recommended to any student of power politics and social class relationships. This book serves well as an antidote for the many vapid accounts in quantitative history that measure the body and omit the soul.

Most people outside Russia perceive it as a Slavic, Christian nation. That is a wrong way of looking at it. Russia is a symbiosis of Slavic/Christian and Turkic/Muslim elements. David L. Ransel's fascinating book reflects this dual nature of Russia and gives an insight into its complex inner soul. A wealth of details and astute observations make this book a pleasure to read.

Most recent books about Russia concentrate on its urban aspects or on its general political or economic aspects. Unlike them, Village Mothers presents a picture of its rural life. Russia has been a largely rural, agricultural country for many centuries. Its industrialization started only a few decade ago. That's why it is important to understand the village life in Russia. David Ransel's book helps to do just that.

Who knew there was such a surge in asian americans joining and changing the mainstream labor movement? I mean, this is the movement of Sam Gompers and the Chinese Exclusion Act. But the organizers in this book show that it's also a movement where activists are moving institutional barriers and organizing Asian working class communities on a LARGE scale.

My favorite part is the very diverse personal stories. so much diversity in 10 people! some of the interviewees are young college-educated activists who chose worker organizing as a calling rather than the comfortable corporate route (including the daughter of Silme Domingo famously murdered in 1981 Seattle for union organizing). Others were workers who were probably fighters before they saw unions as an outlet (including a Vietnamese refugee from a midwestern slaughterhouse). Several come from 60's movements such as anti-Marcos, and have actually risen to leadership positions in unions.

They also talk about their visions of social justice, what it's like to be Asian American in a modern changing labor movement, and the amazing day to day work they do organizing workers.

Very inspiring & easy to read. Highly recommended for activists!

A remarkable collection of documents and interpretations giving one an understanding of the revolution from below. By the way, I notice that the original Russian texts of the documents are available at http://www.yale.edu/annals/Steinberg/golosa.htm