"The end of communism is still remote because communism, more than a political ideology or a method of government, is a state of mind." (xvi-xvii)

"No, this is not possible; this must be some terrible mistake." (5)

"But here Coke, like everything coming from America, is more of a symbol than a beverage." (13)

"In a totalitarian society, one has to relate to the power directly; there is no escape. Therefore, politics never becomes abstract. It remains a palpable, brutal force directing every aspect of our lives, from what we eat to how we live and where we work. Like a disease, a plague, an epidemic, it doesn't spare anybody." (17)

"In the five-year central plans made by men, of course there was no place for such trivia as cosmetics." (22-23)

"She lost all her hair in prison." (34)

"I concluded that what disturbed me was the fact that the reporter had...