I am a little bit wary of saying this on a publicly available website in case any future pupils or employers reads this... but my knowledge of Russian history is pretty shoddy! Which really doesn't explain why I decided to teach it this year! But hey the kids all done good so never mind, and this year I am moving onto safer territory with US Civil Rights!
Which means that when it came to this novel I was genuinely interested from both a personal and professional level. Russian history does fascinate me, although I am woefully ignorant of everything that went on there - particularly during the 20th century. Further the knowledge that this book was purportedly published with the agreement of Khrushchev means that from a history teachers perspective this book is gold mine!
Unfortunately for me that is really the only saving grace of this book - it's historical veracity. Don't get me wrong the explanation of how Ivan Denisovich goes about his daily life, the struggles and strains of living in a "special" camp are good, but the depth and detail for me are sadly missing.
Despite my poor knowledge of the topic, there is very little here that I wouldn't already have known without picking up the book. Which is not to say that all fiction must have a higher purpose to teach me something, but I would hope that a book of this nature would find me walking alongside the characters as I read.
There is great scope here to delve into the world of a Kazakhstani/Siberian gulag and to go crazy with the description but Solzhenitsyn is perhaps a bit too conservative for my liking, which is disappointing from someone who experienced these camps himself.
I will most definitely use this book if I ever have to teach about Stalin and the purges as the detail of everyday life is astounding. As a novel however I am not so sure I will be singing it's praises.
Next up: 45. Treasure Island Stevenson
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