The Tsar of Love and Techno

The Tsar of Love and Techno is a wonderful collection of short stories by Anthony Marra about daily life in the Soviet Union and Russia. The book begins in Leningrad in 1937, an extremely dark and violent time in modern Russian history, when Joseph Stalin brutally executed or exiled most of the government elite and Soviet citizens. The first short story sets the stage for later stories in Marra's book, as the characters are interconnected in their own peculiar ways. 

I felt a deep connection to the book, because I was born in Russia, and know its rich history. I felt that Marra researched the topic well before writing The Tsar of Love and Techno. Marra has an uncanny ability to engage the reader and make him/her think. In addition, the author's use of literary devices is phenomenal, which makes this book really shine. I really recommend Marra's book for anybody who's interested in Russia's history and wants a glimpse at an ordinary Russian's daily life. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Arab and Jew

Arab and Jew by David Shipler is an account of a long and violent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his book, Shipler says that he's neither Arab nor Jewish which means he offers an objective view. He goes into great detail describing the prejudices on both sides: how the Arabs view Jews and how Jews view Arabs. Each page is filled with personal anecdotes that details his experiences of listening to both sides.
Arab and Jew was first published in 1987, but this edition has been revised to bring the reader up to speed with the developments that happened since the publication of the first edition. Now, Shipler's book is more relevant than ever before.

Disclaimer: I received this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.