'RUSSIA: BROKEN IDOLS, SOLEMN DREAMS'

(RUSSIA: BROKEN IDOLS, SOLEMN DREAMS is a new classic on the Soviet world its people, their daily lives and the political realities. David K. Shipler was the New York Times' chief correspondent in the USSR from 1974-9; he came to his subject free of prejudice and open to every nuance of the population within whose midst he was charmed, tricked, tempted and disabused of preconceptions. In this vastly entertaining book he covers every aspect of contemporary Russia and brings vividly to life a society far more complex than appearances and much Western ommentary would suggest. Reporting at its best... Shipler has gotten under the skin of Russia, stripped away its mystery and offered a fascinating and eminently readable human story Hedrick Smith, author of The Russians Takes his readers on a splendid voyage to a little-known land: the Soviet psyche. Averell Harriman Essential reading for anybody interested in the Russian people: a profoundly perceptive study, written with a novelist's eye for anecdote and the telling detail Standard. An observant and beautifully written account... sensitive and compassionate. New York Times Book Review)