Nina's Journey: A Memoir of Stalin's Russia and the Second World War

by Nina Markovna

A powerful autobiography written in the grand Russian tradition telling the story of how Nina Markovna endured life under Stalin and the tumult of World War II, being tossed back and forth between the opposing German and Soviet armies.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, Russia, History, Biography, Memoir, War

400 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 1989

Reviews

[Nykki]

Very good, easy to read. I learned several things about Russia and Germany in the second World War that I was NEVER taught in my American textbooks. Enlightening and worldview-changing. I was forced to rethink many of my beliefs, reforming some and strengthening others. The emotional factor in this book was severe as well. I was brought to tears several times, sometimes from sadness and pain, other times from anger and injustice. I believe I even yelled aloud a few times at the (spoiler alert) atrocities the Russian people experienced at the hands of their own government and army men. As I said, my worldview is forever adjusted.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of the best books I have ever written about Russia's change to Communism and attitude towards her people. It is no wonder that the Russian generation of today is struggling, so many of their great grandparents were either brutal or victimized to the point that teaching the youth the "Golden Rule" would hardly seem like a good survival technique. I wish I could find the next book she wrote, about what happened to her and her family after she came to the USA.

[Elzbinarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nina went through so much in her life it's nearly unfathomable to me... She and her family are so strong of spirit. I wish there were interviews with her but I can't seem to find any information on this person and how she fares today.

[Miriam Schoenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a new appreciation for those who survived Stalin's era and the Nazi era.

[Jackie Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving book. I was shocked at how ignorant I was about how ordinary Russians suffered under their own leader.

[Phillip Block · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the saddest book I've ever read in my whole life.

[Taylor McClendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching and beautiful and complex.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, beautifully written book. I feel gutted after reading of the atrocities the Soviet Union performed on their own people.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fave books about communism. Riveting biography of a woman brutalized by both Nazi and Stalin armies.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful autobiography that I'm sure not enough people have heard of. This young girl survived Stalin's purges and World War II, and tells her story with the heart and rich detail that make Russian novels so beloved. One thing I found fascinating is that, while the invading Germans certainly were no angels of mercy, they seemed to have behaved less abominably toward the Russians than the Russian police did.

[Sasha Wirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal memoir that tackles the brutal reality of a Russian girl and her family trying to survive the cruel regimes of the Nazis and Stalin during and after World War II. Beautifully and powerfully written, her words and story still echo through my mind - they warn, they haunt, and they shed light on the heart-wrenching truth of the atrocities committed against innocent prisoners of war by all sides during the war.

[Ellenh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tumultuous, unimaginable suffering, almost too much for one person's life. This story of the unimaginable suffering of the people in Russia, by Stalins' ruthless henchmen, the German occupation, hope of freedom after the war, and then surviving repatriation of the Soviet people to Russia. What strength came from this. This is a story that wasn't easy to read, but what a story!

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most interesting, gripping, and insightful books I can remember reading. Everyone should read this book. It will change you!

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it--too depressing. I know that children really live like that, but I can't do anything more than pray for them, which I already do, so why make myself miserable and afraid?

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read this when I was 12. It made the realities of Soviet life come alive. If I can find a copy, this will be required reading for my kids.

[Jennifer Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her story was devastating. She wrote it very matter-of-factly. I definitely feel for the Russian people and what they experienced.

[Dria Knutson]

My children are adopted from the Ukraine. This book gave me insight into a country and it's people. I am so grateful to Nina for telling her story.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving.....emotional and disturbing....liked it very much. I wish I could meet the authors Russian/American family.