My Russia is a beautifully written opportunity to experience the allure, the harshness, the beauty, and the barbarity of what was the Soviet Union, what became briefly an open and forward-thinking attempt at democracy, and what has devolved into the cruel autocracy of Putin's Russia. Jill Dougherty first visited the Soviet Union in the 1960s, studied in the city then known as Leningrad, and later worked for decades for CNN in Russia. Her studies and work took her to all corners of the former communist country, and she spent time with and understood the movers and the shakers that gradually pushed Russia into the dark chasm that constitutes today's reality. Her story chronicles her initial and abiding love for the Russian language, her deep friendship with many of the country's citizens--many of whom have fled the country that they, too, love--and her honest and searing appraisal of the current regime. I learned many "facts," while reading, but I also came to understand Ms. Dougherty's continued fascination with what Churchill wisely described as a "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."

I found this so interesting and I learnt a lot from listening to it. I am always worried about a writer narrating their own book but after a bit I got fully used to her narration style and it worked well. I just found her insights especially into Putin very interesting.