The book is a collection of short stories about what it was really like to live in Moscow, USSR in the mid-1980s. The focus is on different aspects of everyday life, such as shopping, reading books and newspapers, going to work, church, cinema, watching movies and TV etc, shedding light on some of the frequently bizarre problems we faced. This book is written from a first person perspective, with me being the main character. The first part of each story is narrated in a very personal and emotional style, and there are elements that can be sad, funny, ironic, optimistic or pessimistic. The conclusion of each story is written in a scientific style by way of an update of how matters have progressed in the last 25 years, i.e. up to the present time, to find a picture quite different from the official party line as well as common Western perception. The book will appeal to the broad Western public with an interest in aspects of Russia and other Communist or developing countries.