Book Description

This is the autobiography of one of Russia's most prominent scientists who has also been a political insider at the highest levels since the Gorbachev era. As a child he played in the fresh ruins of Stalingrad just weeks after that monumental battle had ended. Growing up in the Stalin and Kruschev eras, Evgeny Velikhov's persistence, intelligence and wit propelled him upward into the highest levels of the Soviet Union's scientific establishment. As an accomplished scientist and diplomat, he has negotiated with world leaders and been a trusted advisor and confidant to every Russian president since Gorbachev. This is a first-person account of one man's rise from the humblest of beginnings to the highest level of influence in one of the world's most powerful countries. At the same time it is a rare and fascinating glimpse into the political and social evolution of an enigmatic and often perilous nation. Evgeny Velikhov had to tread carefully and muster all his talent and cleverness to not only survive but thrive through successive regimes, first in the often tumultuous USSR, through the breakup of the Soviet Union, and on to the modern Russian state. As one of his nation's premier scientists, Velikhov was the person Gorbachev called when the news arrived about the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. He was gone for weeks supervising the recovery, only rarely being able to contact his wife, Natalia, who was obviously very worried as the news of the accident filtered out. Then one day... I came home from Chernobyl without any prior warning, and my wife was already desperate and suspected the worst. I had brought with me a large basket of strawberries. She said "You're crazy!" We measured the strawberries with a Geiger counter, and it gave a little ring. "Well, now," I said, "measure me." She measured, and there was continuous ringing! I asked her, "Are you going to sleep with me?" She responded, "Well, what else can I do?" "Then," I said, "let's eat the strawberries." This is a journey through the life of an extraordinary man of superlative intelligence and, at the same time, a light-heartedness and wit that makes this a most memorable reading experience. Strawberries From Chernobyl provides a window into the history of post-war Russia through the eyes of a true insider.