Russian history through cultural expression – beautifully presented! One thing this book needs, however, is a study guide that walks the reader through each piece of artwork, each piece of music, film, and so on. This book evokes the volatile atmosphere of Russia throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, times of high ideals, great change, and obscene disappointment. Certainly, history is written through human interaction and reaction, and motifs of experience are played by each participant, contributing to an illustrious, magical chorus.