The choice of these seven does not pretend to be representative of contemporary Russians. The other three are somewhat older individuals who try to construct intellectual frameworks around the vacuum left by Communism. Four of them are young people, born while the Soviet Union still existed but whose life experiences were shaped almost entirely under Putin’s presidency. Gessen, a journalist and longtime critic of Vladimir Putin, tells Russia’s story through the eyes of seven Russians. What, in fact, is the nature of the beast we are confronting? This is the underlying topic that Masha Gessen seeks to address in her fascinating and deeply felt new book, “The Future Is History.” Outlooks on both sides are heavily shaped by the imperatives of domestic American politics, leaving a void in understanding. Russia has certainly been in the news a great deal lately, and Americans are divided on the subject: Most continue to think that it is a menacing and hostile power that interfered in last year’s election, while a rising percentage of Republicans, following President Trump, now have a more positive view of the country. THE FUTURE IS HISTORY How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia By Masha Gessen 515 pp.
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