Four teenagers grow inseparable in the last days of the Soviet Union—but not all of them will live to see the new world arrive in this powerful debut novel, loosely based on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.“Spectacular . . . intensely evocative and gorgeously written . . . will fill readers’ eyes with tears and wonder.”—Minneapolis Star TribuneComing of age in the USSR in the 1980s, best friends Anya and Milka try to envision a free and joyful future for themselves. They spend their summers at Anya’s dacha just outside of Moscow, lazing in the apple orchard, listening to Queen songs, and fantasizing about trips abroad and the lives of American teenagers. Meanwhile, Anya’s parents talk about World War II, the Blockade, and the hardships they have endured.By the time Anya and Milka are fifteen, the Soviet Empire is on the verge of collapse. They pair up with classmates Trifonov and Lopatin, and the four friends share secrets and desires, argue about history and politics, and discuss f
During the Second World War, the popularity and importance of the cinema in Britain was at its peak. In this groundbreaking book, Richard Farmer provides a social and cultural history of cinemas and c
"Perhaps the ultimate model for making history relevant. . . .A superb and often inspiring work." - KIRKUS REVIEWSThe legend of the Trojan War, with its twists of tragedy and powerfu
Spreading democracy abroad or taking care of business at home is a tension as current as the war in Afghanistan and as old as America itself. Tracing the history of isolationist and internationalist i
Haunted by memories of the Great War, failed academic Frank Nichols and his wife have arrived in the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of his family’s old estate—th
A portrait of two important black social scientists and a broader history of race relations, this important work captures the vitality and chaos of post-war politics in New York, recasting the story o
Few American cities have a history as rich as that of Rome. This central New York crossroads witnessed the siege of Fort Stanwix during the Revolutionary War, the digging of the Erie Canal, and the de
The naval air station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, has a rich and bittersweet history steeped in success and tainted with tragedy. The area evolved from a gas warfare proving ground during World War I to
Nepal's recent history is extraordinary: within a short span of time, the country endured a relatively peaceful 1990 revolution that reestablished democracy, a Maoist civil war, and the massacre of it
Nepal's recent history is extraordinary: within a short span of time, the country endured a relatively peaceful 1990 revolution that reestablished democracy, a Maoist civil war, and the massacre of it
Americans call the Second World War “The Good War.” But before it even began, America’s wartime ally Josef Stalin had killed millions of his own citizens—and kept killing them during and after the war. Before Hitler was finally defeated, he had murdered six million Jews and nearly as many other Europeans. At war’s end, both the German and the Soviet killing sites fell behind the iron curtain, leaving the history of mass killing in darkness.Bloodlands is a new kind of European history, presenting the mass murders committed by the Nazi and Stalinist regimes as two aspects of a single history, in the time and place where they occurred: between Germany and Russia, when Hitler and Stalin both held power. Assiduously researched, deeply humane, and utterly definitive, Bloodlands will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the central tragedy of modern history.
Niblock (Arab Gulf studies, U. of Exeter) examines Saudi Arabia as a stabilizing force in terms of terrorism, outright war and oil prices, showing how elements of its complex history, religious tradit
Beginning in 1920, paralleling Hitler's rise to power, and encompassing World War II, Bleva Plain's new novel weaves the threads of history into a brilliant tapestry. As vivid events plunge the wor
"The first and finest story of a fighter pilot in World War Two." Thus Group Captain Peter Townsend described Paul Richey’s classic account of his part in the desperate battles over France i
Journeying to the Sothoii Wind Plain as a representative of the War God, Bahzell is selected to become the first hradani windrider in history, an honor that brings as much resentment as respect and a
THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE STAR WARS GALAXY BEGINS HERE. . . . After a violent civil war and the devastation wrought by the now-fallen Darth Caedus, the Galactic Alliance is
This history by a chaplain of the Twenty-fifth Infantry includes firsthand accounts of the Spanish-American War as well as an overview of African-American contributions to prior wars and conflicts.
The history of China is a history of warfare. Rarely in its 3,000-year existence has the country not been beset by war, rebellion, or raids. Warfare was a primary source of innovation, social evoluti
The Cold War dominated world history for nearly half a century, locking two superpowers in a global rivalry that only ended with the Soviet collapse. The most decisive moments of twentieth-century dip