My Father's Letters

By Memorial, Georgia Thomson (translator),

Book cover of My Father's Letters: Correspondence from the Soviet Gulag

Book description

'They will live as human beings and die as human beings; and in this alone lies man's eternal and bitter victory over all the grandiose and inhuman forces that ever have been or will be.'
Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate

Between the 1930s and 1950s, millions of people were sent…

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Why read it?

1 author picked My Father's Letters as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Wow, break out the tissues! This book is a compilation of letters home, from fathers imprisoned in the Gulag to children wondering when, if ever, they will see their dads again. As a father, I have difficulty making it through these messages of instruction, tenderness, and love without completely losing it.

To me, this book presents the uncrushed humanity of Gulag inmates, who, amidst violence, back-breaking labor, starvation, disease, exposure, and despair, intuitively understood the deep importance of writing words of comfort to their kids. I also love how beautifully illustrated this book is, with many photographs and lovely color…

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