"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

This was a very deceptive book.  The diminutive novel was one I thought I could easily complete in a weekend.  Not so.  Perhaps if I had read Russian authors before I wouldn't have been so naive.  

The story takes place in a Stalinist work camp in 1951.  The tale is the typical day of prisoner Ivan Denisovich.  The day is routine and is not meant to be noteworthy apart from other days.  This lack of action and also lack of any chapter breaks does not make for the most exciting read.  Though the book itself was a labor to get through, one cannot help but get a better sense of what the conditions of labor camp life (I would always feel cold and tired when reading) as well as the mindset of its inmates.  

Many themes were explored in this writing, though Solzhenitsyn would never hit you over the head with it.  One of the most intriguing was that of human dignity.  The prisoners are reduced to numbers yet they find subtle ways to hold on to their human dignity.  One poignant example was when Denisovich takes his hat off during his meals, though it was freezing cold and was not required.  Though not a walk through the park, this book is an important volume concerning a part of history that many in my generation know very little about.