First published 1994
A ghostly presence haunts the archives. Historian Adam Hochschild digs through piles of documents, piecing together the stories of those swept away in Stalin's Great Terror. Families vanish without a trace, their fates cloaked in secrecy. Hochschild chases elusive clues, uncovering the untold human toll of the purges. As he illuminates the lives lost, a somber portrait of a nation gripped by fear emerges. At the emotional core, Hochschild's quest to give voice to the disappeared becomes a stirring tribute to those whose lives were unjustly destroyed.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction, investigative-journalism
Setting: Soviet Union
Period: 1925-1953
352 pages · Paperback