In 1991, the communist hierarchy of 74 years collapsed, throwing the Soviet Union into turmoil. The market economy failed to materialize. Western money dis appeared into the hands of the "oligarchs."; The expectations of the people were dashed, their personal savings erased by successive devaluations of the ruble.

LOOKING THROUGH GLASNOST describes a dozen extended visits, starting with the Rotary Club initiative of 1988, then as Sister-City representative from Victoria, as a Rotary Club leader, mountain climber and business man. Over 15 critical years, Parker explored Georgia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, and Russia east to west, befriended many Soviet citizens, learned Russian and came to under stand the crumbling Communist model and the faltering democracy that replaced it.

Gorbachev created a water shed with perestroika and glasnost, the ideas that ended the Soviet Union and started a new historical period. The heritage of the tsars and a century of communism have made the people patient and tough; their love of community has brought them through a most tortured period of their history.

LOOKING THROUGH GLASNOST AWARE OF MODERN RUSSIA
by Gil Parker
ISBN 978-0-9736906-1-3 258 pages, paperback
Aware Publishing
325 Irving Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8S 4A1
Contact: Ph 250 370 9349 Email: gparker@telus.net
Price: $21.95 CDN ($19.95 US).