The Soviet Union collapse was both sudden and complete. The citizens of the former superpower were caught in a maelstrom of change seldom experienced outside of all out global war. This book captures the experiences of 60 individual citizens of the former Soviet Union for the reader to ponder. The human experience is universal and it is likely that the reader will find echos of some of their own thoughts expressed in these pages. The following reviews of the first edition give testimony to the need to understand and appreciate the resilience of the human spirit under extreme duress. Fascinating look inside the Soviet Union and the aftermath 4.0 out of 5 stars By an Amazon customer on December 30, 1998 "Without living in a country it is hard to know the people. This provided a good look though the eyes of the people who lived through the Soviet years and the good an bad that came with the explosive launch of Russia and the other former republics of the Soviet Union into the uncharted waters of democracy and market economics. The tales told are markers from a time of transistion while one foot remained rooted in one system and the other was trying to find a solid landing place in a new one. The book held many surprizes about such things as Soviet involvement in Vietnam, life in the gulags, the plight of Russian scientists and many other matters. Also had many great photgraphs. Very worth while reading." Fascinating reading! 5.0 out of 5 stars By an Amazon customer on February 1, 1999 "This book was most revealing. I am glad these folks took the time to capture the thoughts of the Russian peoples while their memories of the Soviet Union were still fresh. I highly recommend reading this book."