Once upon a time in Soviet Union - Book Review

I badly want to travel to Russia, mainly to see what the headquarter of communism is like. Now i certainly cannot time travel to see what it was like to be there during the cold war but i can read others experience of the times. I still want to visit Russia someday and hope that this is a practical desire.

Dominique Lapierre and Jean Pierre(with their wives) from 'paris Match' fortunately get permission from Krushchev to travel from one side of Soviet union to the other. Ofcourse there were many conditions that they had to comply with for this to happen. Least of which was to have a Russian journalist accompany them all the time and an itinerary approved by the government to be followed.

What all they go through during this remarkable journey and related incidents thereafter is what the book comprises of. Tales of Russian hospitality, the way the whole nation was shielded from any foriegn ideas or influences makes this book an extremely interesting read. This book is not an authority on the communist regime in Soviet Union but gives a good insight into the lives of the ordinary citizens and their living conditions. This one is a definite recommendation from my side. The fact that the book is extremely small can only help you zero in on this one as your next read!!

A thousand Suns - book review

One of my favourite authors, Dominique Lapierre in "A thousand suns" shows why he is such a popular writer. An eye for detail, a heart for the poor and tales he learnt from his adventures - he has enough stories to write about. In this book he travels from one part of the world to the other with so much ease. He takes us along and shows us how fortunate we are and yet how less responsible we are to the suffering around us. It is a different fact that we probably dont hear the cries of the needy. We are ourselves sufferers of our own insecurites - though the need for it is highly debatale!!

What impresses me the most about his works is that there is joy in every struggle he sees because he finds them all heroic. He salutes the spirit of the poor and underprivileged who still manage to put up a smile despite adversities. He introduces us to many interesting and passionate men and women who bravely march ahead for the fulfilment of a herculean yet noble cause. Through his eyes we revel in the joy of having discovered things that are obvious and yet unnoticed.

The context just shifts from Bull fighting in Spain to the lepers in India to the Jewish sturggle in Jerusalem in a very beautiful manner. It seems that challenges are universal - we cannot thrive without them and we will not be able to improve without them. All it takes is a commitment to surpass the hurdles - to overlook the bad roads and proceed glefully towards the destination. To remember along the way the spirits of those brave men and women who have laid their lives for a cause. I was hooked on to this book and as usual felt humbled at the power of humanity!! There is so much we can do - There is so much that is being done already by someone!!