The Forsaken by Tim Tzouliadis
Of all the great movements of population to and from the United States, the least heralded is the migration, in the depths of the Depression of the nineteen-thirties, of thousands of men, women and children to Stalin's Russia. Where capitalism had failed them, Communism promised dignity for the working man, racial equality, and honest labour. What in fact awaited them, however, was the most monstrous betrayal. In a remarkable piece of historical investigation that spans seven decades of political change, Tim Tzouliadis follows these thousands from Pittsburgh and Detroit and Los Angeles, as their numbers dwindle on their epic and terrible journey. Through official records, memoirs, newspaper reports and interviews he searches the most closely guarded archive in modern history to reconstruct their story - one of honesty, vitality and idealism brought up against the brutal machinery of repression. His account exposes the self-serving American diplomats who refused their countrymen sanctuary, it analyses international relations and economic causes but also finds space to retrieve individual acts of kindness and self-sacrifice.
** 'In this spellbinding book, Tim Tzouliadis brings to life an aspect of Stalin's Terror that had been almost completely forgotten * Roger Cox, THE SCOTSMAN *
** 'In THE FORSAKEN, Tim Tzouliadi s' clear, strong narrative discloses the terrible fates which awaited those who wandered into the Soviet sphere * John Lloyd, FINANCIAL TIMES *
** 'This is an extremely impressive book[Tzouliadis] has done phenomenal research...the writing is crisp and fluent, and the ordinary lives of these Americans come vividly to life; but at the same time the larger political framework is always present, lucidly outlined * Noel Malcolm, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
** 'A fine narrative, full of ironic, sometimes black humour; it is thoroughly researched, sympathetic to the victims and merciless to the perpetrators, and sketches in the now only too familiar background of lies and terror with deadly precision. * LITERARY REVIEW *
** 'In THE FORSAKEN, Tim Tzouliadi s' clear, strong narrative discloses the terrible fates which awaited those who wandered into the Soviet sphere * John Lloyd, FINANCIAL TIMES *
** 'This is an extremely impressive book[Tzouliadis] has done phenomenal research...the writing is crisp and fluent, and the ordinary lives of these Americans come vividly to life; but at the same time the larger political framework is always present, lucidly outlined * Noel Malcolm, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
** 'A fine narrative, full of ironic, sometimes black humour; it is thoroughly researched, sympathetic to the victims and merciless to the perpetrators, and sketches in the now only too familiar background of lies and terror with deadly precision. * LITERARY REVIEW *
Tim Tzouliadis is a writer and filmmaker. Born in 1968, he read philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, and went on to pursue a career in television current affairs and documentary-making for Channel 4, BBC2, NBC and National Geographic Television.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780349117539 |
| ISBN 10 | 0349117535 |
| Title | The Forsaken |
| Author | Tim Tzouliadis |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2009-08-06 |
| Number of pages | 480 |
| Prizes | Winner of Longman-History Today Awards 2009 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |