Five Sisters: Women Against the Tsar

Though I was assigned this book for a college class, I would have loved to have read it on my own. This book includes 5 memoirs of women revolutionaries between 1860-1890, just a few years before the Russian Revolution is said to have started. These women are as unique and bold as their stories read and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a real glance into history.

This book sat unread on my shelves for a while, and now I can't believe it didn't actually leap off the shelf into my hands to MAKE me read it; it's so utterly fascinating and engrossing that I haven't been able to put it down. I was expecting some dry history and feminism; this is a fascinating first-person portrait (or rather, five first-person portraits) of political struggle, social norms, everyday life, and revolution from the writings of five very literate, engaging writer/revolutionaries. I hardly know how to review a book like this (since I can't talk about plot or about structure of arguments, as it's first-person memoirs), but it's been among the most worthwhile 250 pages of my reading life.

The most amazing thing about this book is its entertainment value actually equals its historic value. These are bios of women who put their values and the lives of Russian peasants ahead of their own. It features the primary account of the world famous assassination of Governor Trepov from the pen of his assassin, Vera Zasulich. It also features Vera Figner's account of her unsuccessful (and finally successful) attempts to assassinate Tsar Alexander II. The sacrifices of these women include shedding aristocratic lifestyles for back breaking labor in noblemen's fields so they could teach peasants how to read and spread propaganda for their cause. Some of their comrades actually went insane in the process. You will read about their experiences as exiles in Siberia, and one of the greatest escapes Hollywood never saw. Whether you consider yourself a history buff, or just appreciate great stories, you will love this book.