Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 24, 2017 Sera rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, non-fiction, library, plays-short-stories-etc

This book provides an often harrowing account of Russian life under Stalin up through a few years ago. The stories are told by many different individuals of various ages and backgrounds. I found it interesting, however, how there were many common themes that ran through those stories. From the ones who wished that the Soviet Union had never dismantled, because it led to a huge gap between the haves and the have nots fueled by corruption, violence and thievery. It also led to multiple wars of bro This book provides an often harrowing account of Russian life under Stalin up through a few years ago. The stories are told by many different individuals of various ages and backgrounds. I found it interesting, however, how there were many common themes that ran through those stories. From the ones who wished that the Soviet Union had never dismantled, because it led to a huge gap between the haves and the have nots fueled by corruption, violence and thievery. It also led to multiple wars of brother versus brother in the sense that where people of different Soviet Union nationalities lived within the same communities as neighbors, how quickly they turned against one other almost overnight, after the Soviet Union had dissolved and Russians became Russians, Armenians become Armenians, etc. For some reason, many of these people felt that they could no co-exist like they had before and that they had to go through ethnical cleansing.

Then there are those in the book excited for change, only to realize that they had no opportunity to take part in the new capitalist society because much of it had already been stolen by the oligarchs. These people still hoped to get their slice of the economic pie, but they too suffered from the unlikelihood that that will ever happen.

The stories in the book really give the reader the feel of what it means to be Russian - being in a constant state of preparation for war, persevering through extensive pain and suffering, being highly educated but not able to earn a decent living from it and hoping that finding love will ease the pain and burden of living in a fragile environment. I also learned how well-read Russians are. They know their Russian poets and literary greats, oftentimes quoting from these works or using them as metaphors to express their current mindset or state of being. Many claim that when all they had were their books, they were happy. Everyone was the same then.

The one thing that continues to haunt me about the book is how much suffering there has been in the country. So much suffering. So many horrible acts by those in power. I find that sometimes after reading a book like this, it is hard for me not to feel hopeless about humankind. Even so, Alexievich's book is an important one, and readers need to hear the stories of these people. ...more

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Aug 29, 2021 Rachel Shields Ebersole rated it liked it

Interesting to see the author's unique style of recording oral histories. And a good reminder of how human brains work to tell such different stories about the same events. But, for someone like me, who isn't really super aware of the history and context in recent decades in Russia / the USSR, it was just over my head. Not an introductory read at all. DNF, which I normally don't review, but since I read 127 pages I feel like I deserve *some* credit ... ...more

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