Moscow Stories Book

Moscow Stories
By Loren R. Graham

Review
By Sol Tetelbaum

There is nothing more exciting and enjoyable for a reader than a good book. I felt such enjoyment while reading Moscow Stories by Loren R. Graham. It is a truthful book. I emphasize the truthfulness because, as a former Soviet citizen, I remember what kind of effort was necessary (especially for a foreigner) to get truthful information in the USSR. The Soviet rulers made lying a norm of Soviet life. Someone mentioned sarcastically that Soviets need "ear - eye" doctors, because their eyes don't see what their ears hear.
The book is a memoir written as separate stories about different people and events. These stories cover the period from 1960 till the present during which the author visited Moscow many times. I left the USSR in 1988, living there more than 50 years, and witnessed many events described by the author.
One of the author's first impressions of the country was the people's fear of terror by authorities, of KGB tyranny. Some of his stories sounded very familiar: I experienced similar situations. The author describes many phenomena of Soviet reality, such as their electoral system - the phenomenal invention of the Soviet "totalitarian democracy" (election of one out of one), secret KGB informers, widespread alcoholism, heartlessness of the Soviet authorities, etc.
Although the book is a memoir of a scientific historian, Graham makes it more interesting by including stories of his relationship with the FBI and CIA and several humorous episodes. I would like the author to tell us about his observations of other Soviet phenomena; some of them were extremely ugly, however a memoir isn't a fiction, and one shouldn't blame the author for lack of recollections.
The book is entitled Moscow Stories because it is mainly about Moscow. The Soviet rulers made Moscow a special city, concentrating there the best of everything and everybody: scientists and engineers, theaters and actors, writers and journalists, food and goods supply, etc. And if one adds that many diplomats and foreigners lived in the city, all of this made Moscow like a Potyomkin's village of the country.
Russia is a complex and contradictory country, and reading the book, one has to be very careful judging the whole country by Moscow only. I believe the reader will enjoy the chapter An Ambiguous Funeral, where the author analyzes the political situation in Russia. Maybe his prognosis about it sounds too optimistic, but a truly democratic Russia is everybody's wish.
Russia's history is a history of totalitarian regimes. It is scary even to think that Vladimir Putin could become a new edition of Russian dictators. Post-Soviet Russia is a crucial period for the country which is very interesting for the readers; unfortunately, in his book, the author tells too little about Putin's rule.
Summarizing my impressions, I recommend the book to all who are interested in Russia and politics, but I am sure that those who like to read smart, interesting books will read the book with great pleasure.

Solomon (Sol) Tetelbaum