The Thaw Generation: Coming of Age in the Post-Stalin Era

by Ludmilla Alexeyeva, Paul Goldberg

The Thaw Generation offers an insider's look at the Soviet dissident movement--the intellectuals who, during the Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras, dared to challenge an oppressive system and demand the rights guaranteed by the Soviet constitution.  Fired from their jobs, hunted by the KGB, “tried,” and imprisoned, Alexeyeva and other activists including Andrei Sakharov, Yuri Orlov, Yuli Daniel, and Andrei Sinyavsky, through their dedication and their personal and professional sacrifices, focused international attention on the issue of human rights in the USSR.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jane Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such an interesting look at the generation that grew up right after the death of Stain! Not my favorite book I've read for school, but I felt that it gave me an interesting perspective that supported the content we were learning in lecture.

[Alvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a very lengthy review of this book. However, it is too long for GR and I don't feel like cutting it down. For anyone interested in seeing it just message me.

I will, for the review here, include the conclusion of my review:

Alexeyeva first published her memoirs in 1990 – a watershed year in the Soviet world. Only two years later, it was necessary for her to write a new preface to her book that set it into a new context of the fall of the Soviet Union. It is clear that she and others like her had a large influence on the hearts and minds of the people who heard what they had to say. She does not spare necessary details, nor indulge in needless repetition – her story covers an entire generation, and captures the spirit and essence of the kompaniya, the dissidents and intelligentsia completely. A detailed history of the period might provide more information on political leaders, foreign policy, domestic policy and legal trials, but without memoirs such as The Thaw Generation, there is no clear social context in which to place them. With this book, Ludmilla Alexeyeva not only has recorded her remarkable life, but has recorded the social context necessary to understand this time in Soviet and Russian history.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting autobiography about the circle of intellectual dissidents who challenged the Soviet regime, particularly during the Brezhnev era. The narrative thrust of the book is a little stilted at times, and the name dropping got a little confusing, but it's very cool to get a window into the the lives of these very courageous men and women. I definitely think you need a bit of background in Soviet history to be able to understand this book, but if you want to enhance your understanding, it's a good read!

[Zaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this autobiography is very interesting if you have any interest in the USSR. You get a first person insight into dissident activities against the government and their thoughts throughout the decades.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It gives a very intense view into the life of dissidents in the USSR as well as into the history of the state and cold war itself. Her style of writing also is great to read.

[Kyleeanne Wood]

Finished 2/3 for class