Gershuni’s account of his time in prison for revolutionary terrorism is fascinating and throws light on Russia of the early 20th century, on the Russian revolutionary movement, and on broader issues of radical terrorism. Katya Vladimirov’s fine introduction explores Gershuni as a person and revolutionary in his historical setting, while Moran’s postscript thoughtfully puts him within the broader framework of modern terrorism.
Rex Wade From My Recent Past is an important contribution not only to our knowledge of nineteenth-century Russian revolutionary politics but also to our understanding of the psychology and actions of terrorism today. Gershuni's memoir illuminates the abuses of Tsarist Russia and the attraction of political violence for well-educated and middle class youths. From My Recent Past also contains an excellent introduction to provide a proper historical perspective of the book and an afterword to show its contemporary relevance. Katya Vladimirov and John Moran have recovered a lost treasure of a forgotten Russian revolutionary whose memoir still possesses relevance for us in our age of terrorism and political violence.
Lee Trepanier, Saginaw Valley State University Grigory Gershuni's newly translated autobiography is a welcome addition to the literature on the Russian revolutionary movement, especially as fleshed out by Katya Vladimirov's introductory essay and broadly contextualized by Jack Moran's concluding chapter. This new volume deserves to be widely read by historians of both Russia and terrorism.
Randall Law, Birmingham-Southern University