The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956 by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn (1974, Hardcover)

Historically vital, a true story that is timeless and a must reading for everyone. Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn risked his life in order for the truth to be told to the world.

I always wanted to read this masterpiece and now I have the time. It is truly compelling. It is depressing at times to realize man's inhumanity to man. The Russia which is described and the atrocities perpetuated are on a par with Hitler's holocaust.

You have to be in the right mind set to read the book. It is informative and revealing. The author presents the facts in a way that does not always put himself in the best light, which lends to the truth-fullness. If you are interested in what really happened in Russia during the war years, and the millions of people who were unjustly imprisoned this is the book for you. I was surprised at why people did not protest and stand up for themselves, but the more I read, I began to understand that the stage was set and the people were terrified and could not trust anyone. Even themselves. It is amazing at what a person can live through, and then to think that the author goes on to tell the story, putting his own life in danger AGAIN! The events did not happen all that long ago, and reading the book makes me question what I believe now, as to the real stories of today's wars and prisons.

If you are wondering what a police a state can be and how it effects the lives of those residing there. Read the The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956!!! But beware it, may change your life! What could the homeland security laws turn into in the wrong hands, This book will tell you.