Thankful Reads Day 4: The Romanovs by Virginia Cowles

Title: The Romanovs
Author: Virginia Cowles
Page Count: 288
Format Read: Hardcover
Genre: Non-fiction
Keywords: History, Russia, Anastasia 
Kid Appropriate: Tween and older

Synopsis from Goodreads:

For over 300 years, the Romanov family ruled over Russia. Its glittering Tsars and Tsarinas were autocratic despots, who between them embraced all the vices (and too few of the virtues) of absolute rulers. Their name has become a byword for excess, avarice and cruelty, they have aroused intrigue and horror in equal measure.

Virginia Cowles offers a portrait gallery of the outstanding members of this incredible family — from Alexis (a Tartar in his wrath) and Peter the Great (a terrifying giant) to the nymphomaniac Catherine and the doomed Nicholas II, last of the Tsars. Their domination of Russia was brought to an end in March 1917, as a result of the February Revolution. Of the 65 family members, 18 were killed by the Bolsheviks and the remaining 47 were exiled abroad.

Delving behind the mass of obscure and unfamiliar historical detail, she reveals the characters and personal ties behind these strange, and often daunting, figures. She looks beyond what is written about them in the history books and explores how their family lives and secrets affected the entirety of Russia and its many citizens.

Why I'm thankful:

Russia has always been of vague interest to me, from a ring with Cyrillic letters on it that my grandfather wore to the movie Anastasia. I didn't really think too much on this curiosity, never nurturing it past its infancy when I was a young child. Then I found this book.

This was one of the first history books I read cover to cover as a kid. The tattered, orange hardcover was marked down to bargain price in my local used bookstore. When I grabbed it off the shelf I didn't know that it would spark a craving for knowledge or that I would tear through the pages in a matter of days.

The lives of this royal family ignited a passion to learn more in me that I still have to this day. In high school I chose to challenge myself and learn Russian over one of the more commonly offered languages at my school and took Russian culture classes while working towards my BA. Then while I was in grad school working towards my MA in International Security I decided to focus on Eastern European studies and my voracious appetite for knowledge as a child served me well.

Reading this book helped develop a lifelong interest and push me to move beyond my comfort zone and strive for knowledge where I otherwise would not have known to look. I am grateful for the path this book led me down.