Journey to the Soviet Union

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6 In 1982, the author, then ten years old, wrote to Soviet President Yuri Andropov asking ``why you want to conquer the world or at least our country.'' In his answer, Andropov explained that that was not the case, and he invited Samantha to visit the Soviet Union. This first-person narrative is the result of that visit, as Samantha takes readers from press hype, including a spot on the Johnny Carson show, through her visit to the Soviet Union. This is not a geography book; it makes no attempt to describe the land, the government, culture, holidays or recreation. Casting aside governmental and political differences, with no attempt to explain Communism, it shows similarities among people, particularly children, and promotes a sense of likenesses rather than differences. The glorious photographs, most in color, show Samantha with groups of children or major Soviet landmarksthe Kremlin, Red Square, the Hermitage. Granted, everything Samatha sees is favorable, and none of the food or housing shortages are mentioned, much less the lack of freedom. However, the book fills a gap in the much needed area of information about the Soviet people as opposed to the Soviet system. Trev Jones, ``School Library Journal''