About The Victor Of The Cold War And The Emperor's New Clothes

by Aurora Kepler

Raya is a naive but spirited girl growing up in Warsaw Pact Eastern Europe. As a young adult in the nineties, she buys a one-way ticket to the United States, eager to pursue opportunities away from Eastern Europe's disintegrating society. What Raya discovers, however, is that the black and white polarity in Cold War Europe was just an illusion, and that one hemisphere is by no means better than the one she left behind.



Inspired by true events, About the Victor of the Cold War and the Emperor's New Clothes is a fresh and bold exposition of one of the most defining periods of the twentieth century with a unique perspective on capitalism as the perfect economic solution to modern civilization's prosperity. The book is also one girl's quest for the truth amidst the noise of mass media and political doctrines, as she experiences life on both sides of the Iron Curtain, from one extreme ideology to another, in search for the answer to a utopian society.

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 12, 2022

Reviews

[Louise Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presented as a fascinating mix of story-telling and political analysis, “About the Victor” offers unique insights into the Cold War, ultimately highlighting the fact that perspective is key to understanding winning and losing positions. Through Raya’s eyes, the modern Western presentation of the Cold War is challenged and readers are given the good as well as the bad from the perspective of those behind the Iron Curtain. For me, the writing style was a big draw card as it is honest to the point of brutality at times but always respectful and well balanced. The reader is forced to consider the reality of multi-culturalism and what this means in practical terms from the perspective of cultural minorities. A very clever way of presenting modern history in fictional form. Four stars.

[yamiyoghurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read about life in the Soviet Union. I've learnt so much from it and I enjoyed the style very much!

Raya the protagonist left Russia for the USA as a young woman in the early nineties in search of a better future that is more aligned with her independent and ambitious nature. The book follows Raya's journey and offers very interesting insights into the ethos and culture of America and Russia in a reflective format. Interspersed with Raya's story are expositions of history and events to set the context of her story.

It was interesting to read the author's astute insights into the values, moral beliefs, and attitudes of the American and Russian society.