Fascinating and deeply felt. -The New York Times Book Review Forceful and eloquent on the history of her native country, Gessen is alarming and pessimistic about its future as it doubles down on totalitarianism. -Los Angeles Times A remarkable portrait of an ever-shifting era...Gessen weaves her characters' stories into a seamless, poignant whole. Her analysis of Putin's malevolent administration is just as effective...a harrowing, compassionate and important book. -San Francisco Chronicle Ambitious, timely, insightful and unsparing ... By far Gessen's best book, a sweeping intellectual history of Russia over the past four decades, told through a Tolstoyan gallery of characters. ... What makes the book so worthwhile ... are its keen observations about Russia from the point of view of those experiencing its return to a heavy-handed state. It helps that Gessen is a participant, and not just an observer, able to translate that world adeptly for Western readers. ... You feel right there on the streets. -Washington Post [Gessen's] essential reportage traces her homeland's political devolution through the dramatic real stories of four citizens who now face 'a new set of impossible choices.' -O Magazine Remarkable...Gessen's deft blending of...stories gives us a fresh view of recent Russian history with from within, as it was experienced at the time by its people. It is a welcome perspective. -New York Review of Books Excellent...Gessen's cast of characters tell a powerful story of their own, giving us an intimate look into the minds of a group crucial to understanding the country's brief experience of democracy and of the authoritarian regime that follows. -New Republic One of Putin's most fearless and dogged critics tracks the devastating descent of post-Soviet Russia into authoritarianism and kleptocracy through the lives of four disillusioned citizens. -Esquire One of our most urgent and iconoclastic journalists...few...are better placed to understand the parallels between the two egomaniacs who now dominate world affairs. -Out Magazine Starting with the decline, if not the disintegration, of the Soviet regime, Masha Gessen's The Future is History tracks totalitarianism through the lens of generation raised in post-Communist Russia. -Vanity Fair, Hot Type Gessen, the sterling Russian-American journalist and activist, has been outspoken in recent press articles about the threat of totalitarianism in America. But in her latest book, Future Is History, she never mentions America's problems. Here, instead, she examines what is wrong in her native country and lets readers, wide-eyed, draw the parallels. -Christian Science Monitor Brilliant and sobering...writing in fluent English, with formidable powers of synthesis and a mordant wit, Gessen follows the misfortunes of four Russians who have lived most of their lives under Putin...Gessen vividly chronicles the story of a mortal struggle. -Newsday Gessen is an exemplary journalist who knows when to sit back and let facts speak for themselves...[and] The Future Is History just might be the culmination of [her] life's work... If you've been confused by all the talk about Russia stuff, this might be the most important book you'll read all year. -Seattle Times Impressive...The Future Is History warns us of what will become of the United States if we don't push against our burgeoning authoritarian government and fight for democracy...A chilling read, but a necessary one. -Bitch Media A lively and intimate narrative of the USSR's collapse and its aftershocks, through the eyes of seven individuals... A gifted writer, Gessen is at her best when she's recounting her characters' experiences. -Bookforum A thoroughly-reported history of a dismal sequence of events with a strong, engaging narrative and central set of characters. -Forward A brave and eloquent critic of the Putin regime ... For anyone wondering how Ru sakriti opis