Remembering War: A U.S.-Soviet Dialogue - Hardcover

Keyssar, Helene; Pozner, Vladimir

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195051262 ISBN 13: 9780195051261

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1990

Synopsis

At a time when 40% of Americans have forgotten that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II, Remembering War comes as a timely and evocative reminder of that critical alliance. Here are juxtaposed the voices of Soviet and American citizens, some famous (Elliott Roosevelt, Gheorghi Arbatov), many unknown, recalling in vivid detail what life was like during the war years. Their stories, supplemented by dozens of rare photographs from Soviet and American archives, draw a vibrant portrait of both the battlefronts and the homefronts, illuminating the war's complex legacy in the relations between our two countries.
Inspired by a U.S.-Soviet television exchange, Remembering War offers an unprecedented dialogue among Soviets and Americans, who present recollections of both shared and contrasting experiences, of mutual respect and distrust. A Soviet woman recalls how she and other teenage girls formed their own combat unit, and an American woman pilot tells of ferrying fighter planes to the Soviet air force. Civilians present the sharp contrasts between the two home fronts, and soldiers from both armies remember the famous meeting on the Elbe. Numerous striking photographs capture the drama and poignancy of these moments. These voices and images remind us that only a few years before McCarthyism, Russian War Relief was the most popular charity in America, and the Red Army marched with American supplies.
The book also captures the bitter reality of war and the tensions between the two allies. Soviets such as writer Grigory Baklanov voice deep resentment at long delays in the allied invasion of France, and Americans detail and criticize Moscow's secrecy and paranoia. For the first time, Soviets discuss Stalin's actions, the secret protocols of the Soviet-Nazi pact of 1939, and other controversial aspects of their involvement in the war. Many of the photos offer chilling testimony to the horrors of the war, matched by bleak accounts from the survivors of Stalingrad.
In Remembering War, Soviet commentator Vladimir Pozner and American producer and professor Helene Keyssar (key figures in the television exchange) have produced a truly remarkable book, a unique reminder of the stark contrasts and forgotten unity in our wartime experiences. Published simultaneously in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, it offers a powerful exploration of the war's legacy and a testament to a renewed spirit of cooperation.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Authors:
Vladimir Pozner is a noted commentator in the Soviet media, and is the author of Illusions. Helene Keyssar is Professor of Communication at the University of California, San Diego, and is the author of several books, including New Roots for the Nation.

From Library Journal:

Though the United States and the Soviet Union were allies in World War II, their experiences could hardly have been more different. This work, the first of its kind, is based on a live television program jointly produced by Soviets and Americans in 1985. For the printed version the participants expanded their contributions, and an extensive historical framework has been added. Keyssar and Pozner bring neither new material nor fresh insight to the narratives. With fewer than 25 interviewees, their work can do no more than begin surveying the human aspects of U.S.-Soviet interaction between 1941 and 1945. The accounts, however, cover a broad spectrum of subjects: home fronts and fighting fronts, images of war, Nazi atrocities, and the 1945 meeting at the Elbe. They successfully generate an appetite for more--an appetite likely to be well satisfied should glasnost and perestroika continue. Useful for general collections on World War II.
- Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0195051262
• ISBN 13: 9780195051261
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 280