BOOK REVIEW DRESSED FOR A DANCE IN THE SNOW Author: Monika Zgustova From the reader report by: Silke Kleemann Before reading this book I did not know much about the Gulags in the Soviet Union. These nine reports by concerned women provided me with a good and gloomy overview; beyond personal fates also of basic features of the system and about the inhumane conditions at the camps which were often located in inhospitable regions, sometimes even beyond the polar circle and where toughest forced labour was demanded in the icy cold. The women were additionally burdened by sexual harassment and rape, also this is frequently suggested. I have no detailed knowledge of publications on the Gulags already published in German, but I have no doubt that Monika Zgustova´s considerations, with their focus on women and in most cases by letting the women themselves tell their stories, will be an enrichment. The chosen interview format is very informative and – somewhat coming as a surprise – enormous evidence of the resilience of these women. Despite the terrible circumstances, they frequently emphasize positive moments, the value of friendship and solidarity, or also the power they got from observing nature, during tiny moments of escaping the inhumane workload. What I also like is that Monika Zgustova can be sensed as a person, by also telling what her visits to the women were like and what their current living conditions look like for her. By Vestidas para un baile en la nieve she has succeeded with writing an important and well-researched contemporary document which I am glad to recommend for a translation.
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