Ryszard Kapuscinski's Imperium

Currently reading Imperium (1994) by Ryszard Kapuscinski. The first few chapters focus on his perspective as a child growing up during Stalin's purges near the current Polish border. The commentary is chilling though not surprising (a more complete view of Stalin's purges is found in Anne Applebaum's Gulag: A History). Even his observations on the asiatic republics are interesting (esp as to how the locals relate to their Russian residents).

What's also interesting is just how much has changed in the last 16 years.