In this eclectic treasure trove of adventures and characters, Guseynov shares his fascinating insight into some of the key personalities, events, and ideas that, as the twentieth century rose to its climactic finale, were destined to shape our world. Throughout the course of his long career in journalism, government, and politics, he has interviewed many Russians--Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Kosygin, Yeltsin, Andropov, Gorbachev, and Shevardnadze--but also many other major figures, including Kissinger and Rice, the Castros, Guevara, Ceausescu, and H necker. Away from the front line of conflict and politics, we meet the Gandhis, Pope John Paul II, Lech Walesa, Yuri Gagarin, and many others. Guseynov even takes us with him on trips to Cambodia, Vietnam, and North Korea, providing a fascinating window onto places that were largely forbidden at that time to the Western world.