Description
Book SynopsisCaptivated at a young age by Russia, Marianna Tax Choldin immersed herself as a student at the University of Chicago in that country's language and culture. In her book she describes the tension between her strong commitment to freedom of expression and her growing understanding of Russian and Soviet censorship. Fluent in Russian, she travels widely in post-Soviet Russia, speaking with hundreds of Russians about their own censorship history. She writes of the close friendships she formed in Russia, and reflects on her Jewish roots in the country her family had left behind 100 years earlier.
Trade Review“
Garden of Broken Statues: Exploring Censorship in Russia covers a lot of territory: geographically, from Hyde Park to Moscow to East Bangladesh; ideologically, from Soviet “omni-censorship” to the less systemic challenges to free speech we find in the States; and, above all, interpersonally, as Choldin pays tribute to the people who have shaped her life ... it’s such a wide-ranging book, it might be recommended not only to those interested in Russia or censorship, but also just about all readers of this journal: namely, librarians and information professionals curious about the personal and professional lives of those who have committed the better part of their lives to the cause of international understanding.” -- Scott Schoger, World Libraries Vol 22. No. 1 (2016)
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: My American Planet
Chapter 2: My Russian Planet
Chapter 3: Bangladesh and Babies
Chapter 4: Life in the Library
Chapter 5: Dissertation and Book
Chapter 6: My Soviet Censor
Chapter 7: My Soviet Planet
Chapter 8: Katia
Chapter 9: Galina Pavlovna’s Funeral and More Thoughts on Religion
Chapter 10: Madame Censorship Hits the Road
Chapter 11: The Garden of Broken Statues
Acknowledgments
