Customer Reviews

RUSSIA AS IT IS: Transformation of a Lose/Lose Society

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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After receiving my MS - Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and my MBA from Harvard, I have been involved in the world markets, selling American products and services. I have managed businesses in Europe and have structured small business deals in South America, Europe and the Newly Independent States.

In his book, Mr. Maly has addressed one of the most critical issues as to why American businesses and to a lesser extent European businesses fail in the overseas/foreign markets. The issues also point to why the US Government and its citizens too often give foreign people good reasons to dislike America. Americans fail to bridge the cultural gap by not understanding the culture of the foreign country, its business environment, and its people.

Americans, who for the most part have everything, take many issues for granted and forget that other countries and other cultures do not think like Americans, do not have the resources so prevalent in America, and live in circumstances often totally foreign to an American's life style. That failure to recognize and to understand the differences on the American's part is too often the reason American businesses often fail when they attempt to operate in different cultural and economic circumstances.

Mr. Maly has laid out his arguments in a style that sparks intellectual debate. Not all of his arguments will be agreed to, but the book's format is organized so that the debate can be argued rationally. That debate is much needed especially within US government agencies so that the US government policies relating to the Newly Independent States can be based on understanding of the other culture rather than on irrational expectations and misguided emotions.

Mr. Maly's book addresses the cultural and intellectual differences that all American and European businesses should study before sending their personnel to Russia.

This book is a must-read for all those who contemplate business relations with Russia as well as for government personnel and students striving to become involved in foreign relations.

I have been involved in the development of civic education in Russia since 1995, including teaching democracy and human rights. The biggest problem was to explain to teachers and students the nature of problems they see in today's Russia and try to show the way to a civilized democratic society. We had old Soviet textbooks which could not be used any longer. We had books of Western authors which lacked deep understanding of post-Soviet reality. In that vacuum - Matthew Maly's book, Russia as It Is ("How to Make Russia a Normal Country" - in the Russian version), seemed to me the first and probably unique book explaining what was happening, why, and suggesting certain solutions. Although relatively small, the book gives a complete overview of the origin, current state and possible future of such indispensable features of Russian society as passiveness, envy, indifference and pessimism. What differs Mr. Maly's book from nearly all other research of this kind is that it lacks ANY ideology. This is a rare phenomenon for Russia and this made it possible for me to recommend the book to Russian history and civics teachers and scholars. Mr. Maly is a talented sociologist and the book is an academic research. Nevertheless, it is written in a simple language with a wonderful sense of humor.
I'm very glad this book is now available in English for foreign (non-Russian) readers, who, in my opinion, have not had a big choice if good books about today's Russia.
I recommend "Russia as It Is" as an educator involved in international relations, as a Russian with good knowledge of this country's history and as an optimist who believes that problem solving begins with understanding.

This as a great book primarily because it needed to be written at this time. Since published in English in 2003, it's also most likely a good thing that it remains relatively (Maly, please excuse the choice of adverb, "relatively") obscure. From reading prior reviews, it seems it is most interesting to those who already have some considerable exposure to Soviet/Russian culture/civilization, so politically incorrect discussion does not cause them to have universally negative conclusions about Russians and faulty aspirations.

I'll throttle down, and limit my review to three main points. (1) I think a very different impression of the character of Russians is gotten by knowing the Russian Far East as compared to European Russians. (2) So many of the sins of the Soviet system are equally or even more powerfully expressed in large corporate capitalism. (3) The individual affinity of persons to a "horizontal" set of value comparisons is quite prevalent in America, and is a great divider here as well both in political institutions and in interpersonal relationships.

Having homestayed in Irkutsk, Siberia, along with my nine-year old daughter, I got very positive impressons of family structure and support; exerted efforts within their family to be positive thinking while totally honest and realistic in their assessment of situations and life; good planners in using time between essential work, recreation, and gardening; keen intellectual interests in music, language, history, and nature; careful providers of meals with an almost religious connotation in dining. What I read in this book assessing character only marginally applies to them, plus their parents and grandparents whom they loved and honored deeply, and possibly a very large subset of Russians, particularly those in the East.

I was distinctly struck by the explanation of why purges are needed to remove the true believers. This was so apt to corporate layoffs in America that it took the top of my head off. The manipulated use of law, or defiance of same, is also so hugely expressed in our American judicial system whenever it pits individuals or employees against the large corporation. Americans have always put the premium on "order" over "law" in its policing services; and if you are in the wrong social or economic class, the law is often very cruel. The major difference is that there are career opportunities in the U.S., with decent pay and good pensions, so outright corruption is not the normal mode. But basically, the law in America has mutated to be in service of the elite, with a few public exceptions tossed out there in the media for public viewing to keep up old illusions.

Lastly, even if depicting people of Iraq, or of New York City, as opposed to Russia, the elaborations on personalities with lose/lose mental frameworks were intriguing. This is not me, but it certainly clarifies for me a good deal of confusion I have had with intimate individuals. When they cannot control others based on the controller's individual incapacities, or even lack of creative ideas, they turn to the collective for the same result. There are so many collectives in America, many under steeples, some under statehouse domes, some behind prison wire, and others in school buildings. Objectively, the author gets the main point right, which is laws recognizing private property are the final firewall, although these are eroding in America.

Editorially, I had difficulty absorbing the author's repeated use of the word "envy." Reaching for a substitute, I think it taps into a history of insightful writing by others in the philosophical camp, as in Nietzsche, if one replaces this with the term "resentment" -- a more applicable term in my opinion.

Overall, this is an excellent book, and one I will be sure to insist my daughter reads when she returns from St. Petersburg and Moscow after studying there.

Matthew Maly has written a remarkable book that is indispensable for the understanding of Russia. I am an American living in Ukraine, a country with a culture very similar to that of Russia, and so this book was especially relevant for me. Maly has the advantage of having one foot on each side of what is a vast cultural and psychological divide, as he was born and raised in Russia, and educated after emigrating to America. This makes him uniquely qualified to explain this part of the world in a language that the West can understand. I would recommend this book not only to someone with an interest in Russia, but also to anyone who would like to understand that, elsewhere in the world, people don't just behave differently - they think differently - often in fundamental ways. Maly explains these basic differences and the reasons behind them. While Maly's thinking is well-disciplined, his writing style is friendly, fluid, and direct. His candor jumps off the page at you. It is not, thankfully, another history book; there are plenty of those, if you want them, but they won't explain Russia as it is - or the Russians as they are. For me, this was not a "must read" book - it was a "must read twice" book.

This book gets to basic sociological and historical issues that must be understood in order to make sense of what's going on in Russia today. It even helped me to understand some of the underlying elements of our society (USA). I like the way Mr Maly explains his thesis from different angles. I think this book should be made required reading for sociology and political science students.

Matthew Maly's third book promises to shed more light on why Russians seem so baffling to us, and perhaps to themselves. A culture based on envy has inherent problems with economic development. I particularly appreciated his explanation of why they don't fix small things that would improve their lives: they are waiting to do something perfect, and can't waste their time doing anything halfway. Whether the reader agrees or not with Maly's provocative analysis, the book presents a stimulating array of ideas.

I bought this book thinking that it was just another "this is how the Russians are/think..." book. However, after reading the first few sections, it is dead on. I am married to a Russian judge and in his book he talks alot about the legal system and why it is the way it is. At first, as we discussed the book, she was offended but then through examples and explanations to my questions she said exactly what Maly did in his book....that laws are only for someone else.

As well, I can't count the number of times I didn't understand something that was happening when I was in Russia but this book has explained almost everyone of those scenarios. I wished I had it sooner but it will definitely benefit me on my next trip over.

If you currently work with Russians, are married to one, or plan to do business with them in the future, this is a must have and must understand book.

If you are interested in understanding Russians or for that matter, many East Europeans - pick up this book. I lived in Moscow for several years and when I came upon Mr. Maly's first book, "Understanding Russia" a decade ago (1995), I was grateful that I finally understood the things/experiences that I encountered, but couldn't put into words.

This book is a primer on what to be ready for when visiting/living in Russia. It explains the psyche of a great people and helps the reader understand the logic behind their actions (of course, not every Russian in general, but a lot).

The book is extremely easy to read as Mr. Maly writes for the reader of all backgrounds. He is honest, although I will say, being honest means sometimes being "politically incorrect" and you will encounter these moments in the book - the truth is sometimes hard to swallow. Bravo Mr. Maly on another monumental book - thank you!!!

Matthew Maly has written a thought-provoking book on why Russia seems doomed to flounder in a mire of self-imposed misery that appalls the rational Western mind. As a Russian who emigrated to America, he has the authority to speak frankly about his country of birth and to compare it with the West. He gives a trenchant rendering of the view that Western individualism maximizes the number of winners in society while the Russian collective instinct drags everyone down to the level of the lowest common denominator.
Personally, I part company with Maly at the point where he seems to argue that freedom can be imposed by force. I have never believed that you can make a plant grow by pulling its leaves. As a veteran Russia-watcher, I am grieved to see the Russians, while furnished with knowledge of the alternatives, freely choosing slavery. But Russia is not my country, it is none of my business and I can only respect their choice at this moment in history.
Maly's book, full of anecdotes and illustrations that solve many of the riddles of Russia, has helped me to reconcile myself to the way the country is, not the way I might like to see it. It is a must-read for Westerners hoping to do business in Russia and for Russians who are ready for self-knowledge.

Helen Womack, British-born writer, broadcaster and journalist

I am a Russian, and I read both versions of this book, Russian and English. And members of my family and my friends read it as well. I love this book: it explains Russia EXACTLY, and does so in a simple language and in a short amount of space (just 300 pages). You could read it fast, but that does not happen, as you keep going, "WOW! I have always felt that, but could not express!" And then you need to think for a while.

I read all the reviews of the book on this site, and found two reviews of people who hated the book. This is absolutely to be expected. Every great innovative idea has been met with misunderstanding, ridicule, or hate. So bad reviews belong here as this book is a great step forward. I just want to ask the people who did not like Maly's book, "What is the best book about Russia? Just name the title. Then we could all put both books side by side and compare." And I believe most people will come to this conclusion: Maly's book is the best book about Russia's experience in the 20th century, a great advance that made Russia understandable not just for foreigners, but for the Russians themselves.