Gulag

A History

By: Anne Applebaum

Narrated by: Laural Merlington

Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 2004

The Gulag - a vast array of Soviet concentration camps that held millions of political and criminal prisoners - was a system of repression and punishment that terrorized the entire society, embodying the worst tendencies of Soviet communism. In this magisterial and acclaimed history, Anne Applebaum offers the first fully documented portrait of the Gulag, from its origins in the Russian Revolution, through its expansion under Stalin, to its collapse in the era of glasnost.

Applebaum intimately recreates what life was like in the camps and links them to the larger history of the Soviet Union. Immediately recognized as a landmark and long-overdue work of scholarship, Gulag is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the 20th century.

©2007 Anne Applebaum (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Pronunciation is bad

The narrator cannot correctly pronounce Russian names at all. For a book written by an author as well versed in Eastern Europe, the narrator insulted her work by butchering pronunciation to the my great displeasure. If you're reading this narrator, Bukhta Nakhodka is pronounced Boo-(kh makes a hard h) -ta Na-khodka not Bookta nak hotka, the ship Dzurma is pronounced as Jur (like in jury) -ma, not the dezurema. Such butchering of names really killed much of the experience for this otherwise great book. Other than this, the narrator did ok.

mixed feelings

The story itself is immensely sad, and I actually had to take a break from it. At the same time, it is utterly fascinating, though the DREADFUL pronunciation of the foreign names sometimes makes it challenging to focus. Still, I cannot recommend the book highly enough - it is extremely well written and very, very important.

Excellent Work

This is my third Anne Applebaum book. I listened to them basically in the reverse order she wrote them - Red Famine first, then Iron Curtain, then this one. Gulag was the hardest to actually listen to. It was the least linear and had the most abstract narrative. There were moments when it was a bit tough to follow. That said, it is an excellent book and very worthy of the Pulitzer Prize it won. Anne Applebaum is a national treasure and her work is more important now than ever. I actually think she’s quite courageous - Putin has killed people for less than writing the things she’s written.

And yes the narrator’s pronunciation is atrocious. I don’t speak a word of Russian and even I struggled with her pronunciation. That said her actual voice is very good and if you can just bear with it she’s fine.

excellent and thorough

Very worthwhile, particularly in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (even though it was written prior to the current ongoing atrocities)

Very enlightening

An incredible and gripping history. I found it extremely informative as well as easy to read and stay engaged. This is a weighty subject but there is no doubt in my mind as to it's importance. Truly an education about the darkest side of communist Russia, the incredible suffering of it's oppressed and about humanity in general. This is one of the more important books you will read.