–review by Kara, teen reviewer
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
It’s a pretty straight-forward title, but it doesn’t tell you that Ivan Denisovich is a prisoner in one of Soviet Russia’s work camps, one for political prisoners to be precise. This is a fairly “good” day for Ivan. From the time he wakes up (sick and not up to his usual early morning routines), to the time he walks to the day’s work (in a winter day in RUSSIA), and to the time he finally turns into bed (after a long day of back-breaking work).
Ivan Denisovich is a hardened inmate, or “zek” (slang for convict) who has spent 8 years in Stalin’s work camps. He is sentenced to serve 10 years. He sends letters home twice a year and no longer receives packages of goodies from them, not wanting to be a drain on their resources. Reading about his routine is amazing. What he sees as a joy, others would see as pitiful. This novel is a lesson in perspective, but it is done in a way that you are constantly rooting for its protagonist and recognizing his struggles. For example, Ivan is not indignant when he sees that his bread ration is not the regulation 550 grams and demand his rights, but rather he is grateful that the bread-cutter did not skimp out on more.
The novel is not written for pity. Ivan Denisovich does not see his situation as pitiful, he just keeps his head down and does his work, not allowing himself to think of his approaching freedom. Ivan does things that would break ordinary people in seconds, and not only does he do them without complaint, he does a bunch of them in the space of one day.
Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a short novel that will change their perspective. 5 stars. –Kara, teen reviewer
Find the book in our library: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich