A review by technophile
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya von Bremzen

5.0

This was one of those books I would never have selected for myself; it was a gift from my mother in law. That said, it's by a long stretch one of the more interesting history books I've read in the last year; there is a wealth of really detailed information about daily life growing up in the Soviet Union that I've never encountered before and which was a joy to read.

While the tenor of the book ranges from lighthearted to depressing to scary to sad and back, the chapter or so on Soviet alcoholism was particularly fascinating, and looking at Soviet history through their food is an affecting experience for someone who spent their own childhood embedded in American generic largesse.