The author provides a personal, eye-witness account from the mid 1960's through the turn of the 21st century, starting as a graduate student at Moscow State University and ending as the wife of the American Ambassador to Russia."This book is like a script for a documentary spanning four decades when an especially astute and literate observer watched Russia emerge from stagnation and enter a period of dramatic economic, social, and political change and, on many fronts, upheaval." -Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution."Naomi Collins takes the reader on a fascinating ride through the last forty years of Russia's turbulent history, beginning as a graduate student and ending as the wife of the American Ambassador. Because she writes so well, the ride is always fun, informative and insightful. Read, enjoy, learn!" -Marvin Kalb, Murrow Professor Emeritus, Harvard University."Naomi Collins's book conveys the atmosphere and feel of these changing times, describing settings and scenes, and the people in them, in a pointillist style." -William Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science, Amherst College