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Title: An unusual perspective on the Soviet GULAG
Review: I've read this book four times, and my copy is getting on in years; I'd love to see it on Kindle or just in print again. It is the fascinating story of a young man who voluntarily emigrated to Russia in the 30s. His father was an Italian immigrant who made himself annoying enough to be deported, and he chose to go to the 'Worker's Fatherland.' The communist community collected money to sent the whole family there later on, and the author got his chance to see communism at work from up close. He was arrested on suspicion of espionage and sent to the GULAG for 8 years (the first time). This is an intense and personal story rather than work of scholarship, so it does not have all the statistics about the GULAG system etc. 'Dear America' is a the perspective of an American suddenly thrust into another world, a world he longed for and then discovered was just a hoax. It's really worth the trouble if it can be found.
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