But neither cold nor unjust imprisonment nor sadistic guards can break Ivan's spirit. The book's publication in 1962 was a first blow in the struggle against the communism of Soviet Russia. It helped make Solzhenitsyn, a Christian, one of the most important writers of the 20th century. This book is part of the Little House series, which tells the story of the Ingalls family and its life on the Great Plains. Cattle's breath turns to ice.
Little girls sleep under piles of quilts as an endless blizzard howls outside.
The family burns hay in the stove because there is no more wood. Trains bury themselves in drifts, and snow covers the house. But the Ingalls family and their neighbors survive on guts and grit. This book will make you wonder whether the pioneer spirit is dead in America and hope that it still lives. Naked in the deep freeze.