Poverty is regarded to be one of the lowest statuses of life of people living in the world. Most individuals are not privileged enough to be of equal status as compared to those of higher status in life; thus, usually they are treated with contempt and they end up living miserable lives. In some cases, they have ended up serving as slaves because of they are considered not to be human beings. Usually, the poor are forced to depend on those of higher status quo in life for them to earn a living and this makes them to be unfortunate individuals living in the world. This practice was more prevalent in the past though it is still a norm in some places around the world. During the late nineteenth century in Russia, “peasants were deprived of the light of knowledge, and they suffered an oppressive poverty” (Tian-Shanskaia, 169). In the book, Village Life on Late Tsarisat Russia, the authors , Olga Semyonova Tian-Shanskaia and David L. Ransel, depict the poverty situation in Russia before the revolution. In writing the book, the authors had a desire to represent the life story of peasant life in Russia. The life background of Tian-Shanskaia reveals that he had this interest beforehand. She was born in 1863 into one of the very famous and scientific families of that time. Her father, Pytor Pertovich Semyonova, was a prominent geographer, explorer and statistician; thus, he instilled these skills to his children from an early age, Tian-Shanskaia included. Worth mentioning, through the investigations he championed, he was recognized by the nation’s authorities and given many titles. Most importantly, Pytor Pertovich Semyonova role was instrumental in the life of the peasants living before the revolution since he championed the passing of rules that were intended to guarantee the Russian peasants of their freedom. Thus, one of his children, Olga Semyonova Tian-Shanskaia, had the desire to continue doing this by illustrating the deplorable condition of peasantry life during the late Tsarist Russia. The social history of peasants in Russia during the pre-revolutionary period is detailed in the book. Tian-Shanskaia, an ethnographer and a painter, vibrantly illustrates the harsh living conditions of the Russian peasant families. She spent close to four years during the 1890s studying the way of life of the people in a central Russian province before coming up with one of the best ethnographic portraits of this situation. The author describes the common practice at the turn of the twentieth century in which women and children were not treated with respect (Tian-Shanskaia, 142). She also tackles some other issues such as marriage engagement, sexual habits, child mortality, giving of birth, raising of children, employment issues, dietary customs, and investments among the people. In direct opposition to the habit of depicting peasant families as living a good life by most high-class observers, the book, which is a firsthand portrait of peasant family life, illustrates the deplorable living conditions of the peasants. In addition, the book also indicates that there is usually brutality in the peasant families (Tian-Shanskaia, 148). One element of the peasant life that is wo