This. Gulag is quite a long read, whereas Ivan Denisovich is a short read. You'll never eat soup the same way again after reading that one.
For an American twist on the gulags, read The Forsaken by Tim Tzouliadis (sp?). Great read about Americans who get caught up in gulag system (many of whom have written their own accounts - Alexander Dolgun's is a good read) and the complete sorry fucks the Roosevelt Administration was in helping. (Apologies for the language, but that book will make your blood boil at times...)
Lol...I see John Candy talking at the beginning of boot camp in "Stripes" -- "you've got what, an 8 week program here, that's perfect for me. I'm gonna walk out of here a lean, mean, fighting machine." Zolzhenitsyn -- "you've got a 10 year program here...."
This. Gulag is quite a long read, whereas Ivan Denisovich is a short read. You'll never eat soup the same way again after reading that one.
For an American twist on the gulags, read The Forsaken by Tim Tzouliadis (sp?). Great read about Americans who get caught up in gulag system (many of whom have written their own accounts - Alexander Dolgun's is a good read) and the complete sorry fucks the Roosevelt Administration was in helping. (Apologies for the language, but that book will make your blood boil at times...)
Lol...I see John Candy talking at the beginning of boot camp in "Stripes" -- "you've got what, an 8 week program here, that's perfect for me. I'm gonna walk out of here a lean, mean, fighting machine." Zolzhenitsyn -- "you've got a 10 year program here...."