How could the huge, powerful Soviet Army have vanished so quietly? William Odom, an American general, takes on this question and in the process of answering it demolishes many of the more smug conclusions drawn from the collapse of the USSR.

Odom writes of Soviet military culture with understanding, knowledge and respect. If there's a failing in the book, it's that Odom spends so little time on Soviet military adventures themselves, focusing instead on the organizational quirks of the military/industrial/ideological complex. He mentions only in passing episodes like the border war between Russia and China along the Amur, and spends only a few pages on the war in Afghanistan.

Odom's conclusion is that the Soviet military, grown sluggish and top-heavy, became the focus of Gorbachev's hatred, and could not stand up to his relentless attacks. Gorbachev comes across, in Odom's account, as an anti-Lenin, as avid in destroying the Soviet system as Lenin was in forging it.. When he managed this destructive feat, Gorbachev was astonished to find that the whole structure fell almost instantly. As Odom concludes, Gorbachev had failed to realize what even the fatuous Nicholas II knew: that the Army has always been the heart of the Russian state.

Thouasands of writers have swarmed over the carcasse of the USSR, most of them interested only in profiting from or gloating over its fall. One of its last ironies is that one of the most respectful, subtle appreciations of its life and death has come from an enemy general.

I discovered William E. Odom when a lecture of his was shown on BookTV. His talk showed an understanding of the Russian military so informed and thorough that I had to find and read his book. I found the book even more valuable and influential on my thinking than I expected. If I had known anything of William E. Odom's work and reputation, I would have known, as I do now, that his book would be lucid, detailed, and written so that its complex subject becomes clear evn to the amateur. He sets a standard of sound historical vision and attention to fact that all of us can enjoy, admire, and follow.

I've bought this book as a gift to my English-speaking friend and was very impressed with the translation. It is so close to the Russian original. I also like that the books includes fairly tales - excellent reading for kids.

After finding this book, I found it difficult to put down. Translating Russian poetry is a challenge indeed, and most translators will make mention of that, but Arndt does not. I have read the original Russian of most of these works, as well as several attempts (all unsuccessful) to translate Pushkin, and this is the first time that any person has been able to successfully render its depth and character in English. If you like good poetry, but can't read Russian, then this is the book you will want, and treasure for years to come.

This united edition of the correspondence was long overdue. The letters of the Emperor and Empress appear together for the first time, cleansed of the transcription errors which spoiled the first (1923) edition of her correspondence, and of the tactful editing which expunged the more intimate passages from the 1929 version of his. Joseph Fuhrmann's footnotes are helpful, thoroughly researched and not unsympathetic to the writers. For students of Russian history, this book is an extraordinarily important source on the government of Russia immediately before the Revolution; it repays careful and open-minded reading. For those interested in the personal life and the characters of the last Tsar's family, it is arguably better still: here we have Nicholas II, affectionate and gentle, occasional author of rather poetic descriptions of scenery (this is not the Nicholas of the blandly factual diary). Here too his beloved Empress, sharp-tongued and energetic and interested in everything, very different to the tragic-eyed lady of legend. High politics and war jostle for attention with amusing little accounts of the childrens' activities, but there is never any doubt that the letters were written in serious times by people who understood and sought desperately to find a solution to the problems Russia faced. They certainly don't make light reading, but if you have the patience, these letters repay your perseverance.

It's hard to believe these letters and telegrams were exchanged by a ruler and his wife under the immensely stressful conditions of WWI. I'm an aficionado of Imperial Russian History, but the unbelievable banality of this couple, relentlessly exposed in their own words is hard to take. A terrifically thorough book, it's a slow read--which certainly makes you feel you're getting your money's worth. I'm glad I bought it, and have learned more about these Romanovs even though their correspondence reveals shallowness and self-interest. Very good book, pitiful subjects.

After the Search is over, one has to come to the place where the knowing and living begins. As taught in this marvelous adventure of self-transformation and awakening, the revelation is clear: I, AND MY FATHER ARE ONE. What does this mean on a practical, widely-applicable basis? How does this simple statement help one to develop far beyond other methods? How can this affirmation surpass all other affirmations and its realization and its truth catapult one into a wholeness never before experienced? Study this text and learn. You will not be ashamed. Of ALL of the myriad texts and methods available to quench one's spiritual thirst and to end the endless quest--this simple book, with its powerful, accessible Truth and Facts, is a welcome relief from the onslaught of material now available. Amazon, you should NEVER be without a full shippment of it. May all who are truly seeking THE FATHER, find refuge in the TRUTH. No Matter how Fundamental your preference and teaching, or how Spiritual your chosen path, you will Find THE FATHER in the TRUTH that is within this message. Look for it within your own time of Meditation and your own time of Prayer. Reach for it through your own quiet spirit. Subject the TRUTH of it to rigorous Biblical cross-refencing--then wait upon THE STILL SMALL VOICE. You will never be ashamed. There are simple truths within this Message, that can be applied to the most "Fundamental" teachings, and still be TRUTH for those upon other "Spiritual Paths". The Secret?: I,AND MY FATHER, ARE ONE.

The book was originally entitled "Metaphysical Notes". Joel Goldsmith discusses meditation,teaching the message, error, teachers and students. It is one of the books every serious student should read

Going to Russia? Buy it. Interested in reading about contemporary Russia beyond what the newspapers tell you? Buy it. Taking a class on Russian culture? Buy it. I really can't recommend this book enough for specialists and novices alike. There's something to please everybody here.

This book has the rare quality of being a classroom text as well as a report. Today's Russia. Pyramid schemes, religion, rave parties,rock music, detective stories, cinema, pets, porn, graffiti, tattooing... the carnival of crazy New Russia to be read overnight. A shock.

Through a lovely, personal account, Tuller invites the reader to see the West from a Russian point of view. Here, a gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle came to Russia to study the so-called gay and lesbian movement there only to fall in love with Ksyusha, a mercurial lesbian. As we too fall in love, Tuller, a sensitive and insightful writer, subtly liberates, allowing human experience to be more mysterious, comic, delicious, and tragic than the acceptance of appearances or the application of trite, political labels permit.

Tuller gives remarkable insights into the modern world of Gay and Lesbian Russia. He takes the reader to a world of transexual lesbians, weekends in the country, and a sexual identity just gestating, waiting to be born. It was very enjoyable reading, and even for the heterosexual reader, it gives excellent insights into the dramatic changes that occured in Russia after 1991 -- all of it explained on a personal level.

The Death of Ivan Ilych is one of the most enspiring readings. It is written to allow the reader their own interpretation of what death and life are. It opened up many doors for myself, to look into what the future and death may hold. I believe everyone should have the insitefulness to read and be moved by this wonderful writing.

I am reading a short story called "the Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy. In reading it I couldn't help but see what I notice in those that face terminal illness. There is the fear of the inevitable doom that each of us must face in life's passing, and how angry and bitter one can become, no matter how well one's life was before coming to the state of dying. As I turn the pages I cannot help but to see my father-in-law's struggle with his sickness, and Aunt Faye's struggle with hers. If you haven't read this short story, you should. It has a remarkable insight into the human attitude when faced with certain death. David Pinskey

We often here about the 1960s as a time of radicalization for students and mystical urban heroes. Rarely is the working-class and trade union struggle ever revealed. Partly that is because working-class struggle was not at the heart of the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. But Detroit: I Do Mind Dying tells a different story; one of a core of revolutionaries in the industrial heart of America within a union with a radical past. These black revolutionaries take on the racism of the bosses, as well as the racism of the union beauracracy, in a daring and valliant attempt to bring about real social change. Some lessons for activists, trade unionists, and socialists today are included by the authors. Questions of organizing white workers; the need for a national party; wildcat strikes to take on both the company and the union beauracracy; and the need to have an international perspective. All of theses lessons are brought forth from the struggles of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers and all of the Revolutionary Union Movements in the Detroit area. A must read for activists today.

This is simply the best book written on the radicalization of the Black (and white/arab/latino) industrial working class in the late 1960's and early 1970's. It is also rich in lessons for radical unionists and socialists today. With all the academic presses churning out tome after tome on "race relations" why doesn't one of them pick up this fascinating book

The word "former" appears many times in Threlkeld's book, but don't let that fool you. This book is as timely as any writen on Russian Republic. The author is smart and sensitive and what he saw in the late 1990's is indispensable to an understanding of Russia today. The Moscow Christmas described in chapter four, for example, is a brilliant account of a people who are revisiting old traditions after 70 years of Communist rule. The Russians are paying a terrible price for their mistakes, but one can see how these stoic and determined people will bring about the birth of a new Nation from the wreckage of the Soviet Union.

Richard Threlkeld spent 25 years as a foreign correspondent, covering war and peace, triumph and tragedy for CBS and ABC. He was CBS's Man in Moscow from 1996 to 1999. His 43 "dispatches" paint a vivid picture of life and work in the former Soviet Union. He combines history, journalism and the best kind of travelogue in a memoir that entertains and educates. Threlkeld listens to the heartbeat of the nascent Russian democracy. He describes the voters in the old town of Zaraisk who bring their children to the polls, so they'll learn to vote when they grow up. His humor rivals P.J. O'Rourke's as he reads us the traffic signs in Moscow ("No turns between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. except for vehicles that are not trucks") and takes us to a restored hotel in Vladivostok ("There's a casino on the thrid floor but no drawers or closets in the rooms.") Whether he is reporting on the tax-free investments of the Russian Orthodox Church or the habits of Azerbaijani Talish centenarians, Threlkeld delivers the good news and the bad, the heartbreak and the hope of this enormous and amazing new Russia. His journalism is insightful, trustworthy and eminently readable.

As a non-literary type, a psychotherapist, I found this book to be a revelation. Dr. Meerson, in a brilliant tour-de-force analysis, reveals not only the existence of taboos in Dostoevsky's works, but what those taboos are. This is tricky as the writer in the preface points out; after all we could claim that since the characters never speak about pink rhinoceros', this is the taboo. But Meerson makes a different claim: a careful analysis of the text reveals a pattern of hints, omissions, interruptions in narratives, and other devices. By comparing these interruptions, by pointing out what is omitted in many places, we begin to see an emerging outline of a taboo. Even more striking is her ability to show how Dostoevsky lures us into identifying with various characters, thus implicating us in those taboos. For anyone interested in psychoanalysis and literature, this book is essential reading. It is full of fascinating insights, and her methodology of analysis has tremendous implications for analysts and therapists as an approach to analysis of the process. For those fascinated by the interpersonal school, this work has much to add to the writings of Donnel Stern and his elaboration of selective inattention and unformulated experience. For those interested in the role of projective identification in literature, this book illustrates how Dostoevsky achieved this and what his purposes were in doing so. Her careful analysis of the literary devices which induce us to identify and thereby become implicated in taboos against knowing and speaking has great implications for therapists. For what is therapy, in a certain sense, but overcoming the taboos against knowing and thinking which we come to share with the patient? Embedded in these shared taboos, only gradually through dialogue do we extricate ourselves. Meerson's work shows us how this happens in a literary context.

Meerson's revelatory book focuses on what Dostoevsky, his narrators and characters do not say, the omissions which signal their pain (Raskolnikov's inability to pronounce to himself the word "murder"; the younger Karamazovs' refusal to recognize Smerdiakov as their brother). This is not, however, a "deconstructionist" move: it is precisely the holes in the text which create and reveal the values pervading Dostoevsky's novels. Meerson's hermeneutic is both an elaboration and a critique of Bakhtin and some of his followers: "polyphony" is not just a free-for-all in which we all get our say--and the the world remains just as we found it, or merely turned upside down. It is a transforming experience in which we are implicated in each other's most secret thoughts and desires. "Everyone is guilty before everyone," says Father Zosima, "everyone is responsible for everything." What makes people human and therefore deserving of love, even if they are murderers, madmen or scum, is the fact that they have "sore spots." It is not only the sympathetic characters who have something to tell us. Whatever people regard as too sacred or too scary to talk about, even to themselves, signals the existence of a value. No taboos, no values-- and vice versa! Nor does the reader get off scot-free. We readers are not confronted by some discursive argument or plot, proposed by author or cahracter, which we can then accept or reject. We are ourselves sent down into the labyrinth of Dostoevsky's narrative, stumbling over our own resistances and obtusenesses. The revelation of value when it does hit us is then all the more powerful. Meerson's analysis will be most effective if you are familiar with or have recently reread (not a bad thing!) the works that she discusses. If this book does not change your life, it will change the way Dostoevsky changes your life.