This books fall just below The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn for me, and in fact they may go hand in hand although detailing different eras. The personal stories will move you, surprise you, frighten you, and sadden you. Unfortunately you have to put up with some very poor narrating at times, but the sheer beauty of some of these stories are well worth it. It’s taken many books but I think I finally understand the Russian people, and this audio book is a beautiful embodiment of their collective struggles and personalities..