20 LETTERS TO FRIEND Paperback – June 1, 2016

The world knows Josef Stalin as a cruel dictator who ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 till 1953. To his daughter Svetlana he was "Your Little Papa" and she was his "Little Sparrow". Written in the form of letters to a friend, this memoir was smuggled out of the Soviet Union a year before she herself fled and sought asylum in the United States. Published in 1967, it offers a lyrical and poignant view of a child and young woman's view of the intimate life of the family of one of the most notorious figures in the history of the world. Ignorant and innocent of her father's atrocities, she describes her life with her mother (a member of a prominent Russian family) and other family members, her schooling, the death of her mother by suicide, and the growing realization of the kind of man her father was. This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in understanding the Russian psyche and how the country came to the place it is today.

If you think you know Josef Stalin, read this book. Written as a collection of letters to form a kind of autobiography, they paint an amazing picture of the tragic life of the princess of Soviet Russia. The story of how the book got out of the Soviet Union is a movie in itself!

I think everyone should read this book. It is a very credible, honest portrayal of a family living the Stalinist nightmare -- and by the daughter of Stalin himself. It makes the reader understand how horribly a totalitarian dictatorship can wreck even the lives of those around the dictator himself.

Couldn't put this book down. Provides a whole new perspective of her father and Soviet life. She was a very talented and engaging writer.

It was an interesting read, but rather repetitive since it was a daughter's recollection of her father. The account was more personal feelings in a father/daughter setting. It would have been more interesting if there was more of a family historical background of her father and mother which l would lead up to the present read. However, I was glad I did read it.

This is a truly moving memoir and a valuable piece of world history. Should be required reading for our high school world history students since it gives us an inside view of one of America's previously considered most dangerous enemies. This book makes one appreciate freedom even more than we thought possible.

I finished it in a week—I couldn't put it down! Read it! It gives you a great perspective and shows you the reality of socialism (big government) and communism—and how miserable people can be under those ideologies.

ARRIVED PROMPTLY AND IN GOOD CONDITION. GOOD TRADE

Simply human, modestWorth reading and then watch again the movie Stalin's death.Back to troubled but for some ideal times.

FANTASTICO libro. Escrito de una forma muy amena y cautivadora. Por la propia hija de Stalin, Svetlana. Sin rencor, describe lo bueno y lo malo de su extraordinaria vida como testigo único de un ambiente bastante complejo tan cercano al omnimodo poder de su padre. Muy recomendable.

I'm still reading the book .

Read with you mind open to what a Daughter is told and observes, and what she then finds out about her Father's inheritance.

Reading this book, apart from the occasional mention of assassination, sudden arrest or disappearance, one might be forgiven for thinking it was mainly a daughter’s memories of a kind, loving and doting, but also stubborn father and grandfather, prone to occasional fits of short temper, rather than the brutal murderer and totalitarian dictator Joseph Stalin that we are more familiar with. Although, ironically, it is also well known that like many of his ilk – the present-day Putin, for example – he was remarkably popular with ordinary Russians, who turned out in their thousands to mourn him when he died. There is virtually no mention in this book of Stalin’s worst crimes, so we will need to turn to other books for the full story.