An estimated 70 million people may have died in Soviet gulags. Such raises many questions: Where is the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of the Stalinist reign of terror? Where are the six hundred prisoners armed with stolen guns and grenades attacking the Nazi guards, literally blowing up the death houses at Treblinka, and fleeing into the nearby Polish forests? Where are the suicide missions? How could the Russian people have gone to their incarceration, torture, and slaughter like lambs? Was fear of government retaliation so pervasive in the Soviet mind that it negated any and all forms of resisting, dissenting, and protesting? Why did the Jews, despite their relative few in number and the lateness of the hour, arm themselves in rebellion, while the Soviets of this period appear as pacifists in the face of a system which exemplified dialectical terrorism? The writer and Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature, introduced the term Gulag to the Western world with the 1973 publication of his The Gulag Archipelago. The book likened the scattered prison camps to a “chain of islands” and depicted the Gulag as a system where people were essentially worked to death. In March 1940, for example, there were 53 separate camps and 423 labor colonies in the USSR. This essay attempts to glean the manifestations which occurred within the Gulag that can be characterized as inmates resisting, dissenting, and otherwise engaging in protesting-like activities. This objective is carried out by examining resistance in the Gulag archipelago through addressing the relevant portions of historical written works, including among other sources, Soviet historian Roy A. Medvedev’s Let History Judge: The Origins and Consequences of Stalinism (1972), Robert Goldston’s The Russian Revolution (1966), two of Solzhenitsyn’s finest novels, Cancer Ward (1972) and The First Circle (1972), and of course, through our primary source, Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation. Parts I-II (1973). While written in 1974 as the author’s senior thesis as a Political Science major college undergraduate, some might question the dated nature of this essay given the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and other subsequent reforms that have since taken place in Russia. But such would be short term focused and misguided, in the sense that the subject remains useful given that contemporary Russia, the former Soviet Union has, in many ways, failed to come to grips with the Stalinist era in Soviet history and its resultant tragic legacy and thus, Stalin’s infamously true reputation as a tyrannical leader and mass murderer of his own people. As David Satter (2011) powerfully observes in It Was a Long Time Ago, And It Never Really Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past (Yale University Press) the elemental failing of Russia’s leaders and people is their refusal in facing the moral depravity of its Soviet past, including its most savage manifestation: Joseph Stalin’s terror. In addition to containing its original selected bibliography, prepared in 1974, this essay has been improved upon by adding a new, post-1974 era bibliography, reflecting some of the relevant subsequent developments and their related writings regarding the Gulag camps, Stalinist Russia, and surely, Alexander Solzhenitsyn and his related literary works. Views: 15
Revolution has broken out in the Forsaken Isles. The islanders have risen up to drive out the Inning Empire, but still they have no one to unite them. Only an Ison can do that—a leader whose heart has been cleansed by the curing of dhota-nur. The power to create an Ison lies in the hands of three people, and none of them are heroes. Spaeth has the ancient Lashnura heritage, but does she have the stature? Harg has the military genius, but he utterly rejects the price of dhota-nur. And Nathaway, the Inning outsider, finds himself unexpectedly holding the key to the future of the Isles. Perilously poised between Inning conquest and the savage powers of ancient forces, the Forsakens need them to decide. But for an Ison to rise, each of them must betray one of the others.Ison of the Isles continues the story started in Isles of the Forsaken. Views: 15
Archivist Claire Reynier may have a priceless find on her hands. A woman named Isabel Santos has discovered a faded document hidden for hundreds of years under the floor of her family's adobe house. It could be the controversial last words of a Jewish mystic condemned to death by the Inquisition in Mexico City. But before Claire can establish the document's authenticity, it disappears, and tragedy visits the Santos family. As Claire searches for the missing paper, she fears that uncovering the history of a dark and dangerous time may bolster her career...at the cost of her life. Views: 15
One by one, 10 very hungry rabbits find 10 very yummy vegetables for Mama Rabbit's soup pot. Caldecott Honor Book artist Anita Lobel combines learning to count with color concepts in this mouth-watering celebration of good things to eat. One big purple cabbage, two white onions, three yellow peppers, and so on through 10--garden vegetables have never looked so appetizing! Here Anita Lobel makes a delightful story for preschoolers with the two most basic early learning concepts, counting and color. And her beautiful illustrations of vegetables might even tempt picky eaters into new adventures in eating!From the Hardcover edition. Views: 15
Of course you know the Guardians. You’ve known them since before you can remember and you’ll know them till your memories are like twilight: Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the others. But where did they come from? How did they become beloved and worthy of holidays? And what nefarious evildoer prompts them to band together and protect the children of the world?Answers are revealed and imaginations unfurl in this this treasure trove of a boxed set. Both a standalone collectible and the ideal complement to the mesmerizing Dreamworks Animation movie Rise of the Guardians, this set includes the first three titles in the Guardians chapter book series: Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core!, and the story of everyone’s favorite nighttime sprite, the Tooth Fairy.About the AuthorWilliam Joyce has put his personal stamp on all types of children’s media. His books include the New York Times bestsellers The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (#1!) and The Man in the Moon, as well as Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth’s Core!, and Santa Calls. He’s won an Academy Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, and made films including Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He’s currently executive producer of the DreamWorks Animation release of Rise of the Guardians (Fall 2012) inspired by his new series. He is also producing The Leaf Men, based on his book The Leaf Men. He lives in Shreveport, Lousiana, and is the cofounder of Moonbot Studios. Views: 15
"Getting Rapunzel out the tower is only half the problem...Rapunzel longs to live in the world she sees through her window, but more than her tower keeps her trapped. Her mother has taught her obedience without question and filled her with fear. She knows she will never reach the ground. Then Lord Nicolas von Hohburg scales her wall, breaks into her life, and changes everything.Nick has resigned himself to a life of duty when Rapunzelís song calls him to her tower. Soon she has his heart wrapped in her lengthy tresses and he can think of nothing else. But his responsibilities and sense of duty threaten to come between them...Warning: A scheming witch, a damsel in distress and a Charming Noble who just might save the day." Views: 15
Two Lives. Two Continents. One Song…Then: George Bryce was an awkward, English schoolboy fantasizing about being in a band.Now: George is frontman of Thesis, an overnight indie scene sensation. Intense, creative and self-deprecating, his childhood dreams have all been fulfilled – so why does George still feel so lost?Then: Lexi Jacobs was a confident Californian high school cheerleader, planning her future marriage and a meaningful career.Now: Lexi is searching for substance in a life full of mishaps. Cautious, bemused and rapidly losing the control she used to rely on, none of her teenage dreams have delivered and she’s left wondering, “What next?”Follow George and Lexi as they navigate their days thousands of miles apart. Fly with them from London to LA and back again, as George copes with the dynamics of his tight knit band and loose knit family, while Lexi juggles her eccentric new boss, bored best friend and smother mother.Even though there’s an ocean between them and their worlds couldn’t be further apart, George and Lexi are pulled together through music, and their paths appear determined to cross.The question is – when?About the AuthorRory Samantha Green has lived in both London and Los Angeles. She likes to think she has a split personality – British and American. Rory is a recovered band crushaholic, trained psychotherapist and creator of Write To Be You, Reflective Writing Workshops. Her book, "Charlie's Checklist" was selected by Oprah Winfrey's children's bookclub. 'Playing Along' is Rory's first novel for grown-ups and almost grown-ups! You can read her weekly blog at www.writetobeyou.com or visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RorySamanthaGreen Views: 15
Abigail Grimm stopped believing in fairy tales years ago. She is a college freshman who just landed the internship of the year. Things were going great; she even met a devastatingly good-looking man, Connor, who could not seem to get enough of her. Then she witnesses the receptionist mauled to death by a giant wolf in the middle of downtown. The skeletons in her family's closet come falling out as Abigail discovers she is actually the last in a long line of fairy tale guardians. And Connor, well he is not quite what he seems and has a few skeletons of his own. Abigail must abandon everything she thought was real for make believe and fantasy. With Connor by her side and a forbidden love budding, she must track down the wolf and save humanity before it's too late.About the AuthorBiography H. L. Wampler is a mom, wife, blogger, and now, an author. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pa with her family and absolutely loves the city. Which is why she bases her stories there. She became serious about writing about 4 years ago, and after a few failed attempts, she took the big leap off the deep end and published the first in her Last Grimm series, Reds Hood. Views: 15
