The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

Bibliographic Data

Fleming, Candace. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia. Schwartz & Wade, 2014. Print.

Summary

Kings have been exiled, poisoned, overthrown, and beheaded throughout history, but rarely has one been gathered with his wife and children in a dank cellar to be shot to death.  In her informational book The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, Candace Fleming has written a well-documented, interesting narrative history of Tzar Nicholas II and his rule over the Russian Empire until his and his family’s assassination at the hands of the revolutionary Bolsheviks in 1918.  Readers may be familiar with the doomed family’s ultimate fate; however, Fleming takes the reader in the fabric of Imperialist Russia to trace the rule of a Tzar and the lives of his people who revolted against oppression.  Would the revolt ultimately result in Russian freedom or just a shift in oppressors?

Analysis

Candace Fleming’s information book, The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, manages to walk a fine line between historical fact and humanizing interpretation. 

Fleming includes the Romanov family’s daily and special events, the political personages who create the Bolshevik unrest culminating in revolution and testimonies of individual peasants as to how their lives were impacted by the upheavals occurring in Russian society during the early 1900s.  This combination presents the reader with a more rounded picture of the times.

To accomplish her work, Fleming includes several informational tools and writing techniques. The book begins with a very illuminating table of contents whose titles intrigue the reader, followed by a note to the reader giving her quick overview of difficulties which a reader may encounter while reading about Russian history.  A detailed, two-page family tree provides reference for the reader should he want to remind himself “Who’s Who.”  A map is also included which orients the reader to the geographical details about the Czar and his family’s journey from St. Petersburg to Ekaterinburg.  Among the pages of her story, Fleming inserts shaded boxes which give individual comments from peasant stories to diary entries by Lenin of the time.  Before some chapters are quotes and poems attributed to famous people.  The chapters themselves contain helpful section headings.  There are more than ten pages of black and white photographs to accompany the information Fleming presents.  After the Acknowledgments, Fleming again talks to the reader about her motivations for writing the book and lists her sources which are in print and online.  She includes notes for each chapter, giving validity to the quotations, details, and explanations she uses.  Finally, there is a detailed index for the reader’s convenience.

The strengths of Fleming’s The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia are in the storytelling and consideration of her readers.  She flows between three sets of perspectives, seamlessly integrating quotes from sources which she documents at the end of the book in her notes for every chapter.  Those quotes appear as conversation between Romanov family members and observers during the political upheavals.  She has definitely prepared her book to be reader-friendly.  The inclusion of ancillary material is impressive and satisfying.

To identify weakness in Fleming’s book is difficult.  Only a reader who had previous knowledge about the Romanovs and Russian history of the times might find something is missing.  The young adults for whom this book is an introduction will probably agree that they have an information book which tries to provide answers to any questions they might have while reading.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia would appeal to young adults because of its humanizing aspects.  The Imperial Family of Tzarist Russia goes on picnics and the children are shown misbehaving at times.  Nicholas is a typical father who enjoys his family, sometimes to the exclusion of his royal duties.  Alexandra dotes on her son Alexei, the heir, absorbed in constant prayer about his health.  The four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia are portrayed as loving sisters.

Fleming’s informational book on the Romanovs is developmentally appropriate for all young adults.  Perhaps the description of the execution scene, because it is not imagined but documented, might be very graphic for younger readers.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia has a definite place in Young Adult literature.  It has been recognized as a 2015 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist, the 2015 Robert F. Sibert Nonfiction Book, a NCTE Orbis Pictus Award winner, the 2014 Cybils Award in Nonfiction for Young Adults, the 2015 ALSC Notable Children’s Books, Older Readers, the 2014 Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book, a SCBWI Gold Kite Award for Nonfiction, and the 2014 School Library Journal Best Book.

Activity

Who, What, Where Trivia

For this activity, teens would be divided into teams which will compete in identifying the who, what, and where of pictures, words, and items mentioned in the novel, The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia.   The librarian could use an overhead projector displaying a Web 2.0 tool, a PowerPoint presentation, or a video which she has created to make the game interactive.  The game would be a mixture of pictures being revealed piece by piece, a series of questions asked, and/or physical items displayed.  The top three teams with the most correct answers could win prizes consisting of copies of the book, Russian chocolates, and/or Matryoshka dolls (nesting dolls).

This activity should be announced before reading the book to encourage the teens’ participation.  With this program, teens will increase their cultural literacy and historical knowledge, while learning to collaborate with team members.

Related Resources

Because teens will be reading a lengthy and involved informational book, related resources available to teens would be especially interesting in the formats of pictures and films in addition to other novels on the Russian Revolution.

1. Nastia Dashaiov collection of videos uploaded on her YouTube channel shows photos and home movies of the Romanov family.  Nastia created these videos in tribute to the Romanov family.

Romanov Family

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Romanov Family: The Flame is Still Alive (1613 2013).” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/y-M-UsV3-zY>.

Dashaiov, Nastia. “A special tribute dedicated to the Romaov You have not gone because you are still here.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/gqSOz_0RDtk>.

Tatiana

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Tanushka Nicolaievna Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/-MuXNyUvp2I>.

Alexei

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Alyosha Nikolaevich Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be?HAdKxfIaf5I>.

Marie

Dashaiov, Nastia. “Mashka Nicolaievna Romanov’s birthday.” YouTube. Web 17 July 2015. <https://youtu.be/EwKJkqljYR0>.

Works Cited

“Nastia Dashaiov.” YouTube. Web. 17 July 2015. <https://www.youtube.come/channel/UC-BRIMEp0CEQXuHFxLnWInQ>.

2. Russia’s Last Tsar 

Narrated by Jeremy Irons, this National Geographic Special presentation of Russia's Last Tsar, brings to life the reign of Nicholas II in Russia of the early 1900s.  Being able to visualize the events and people described in Fleming’s informational book creates a realistic dimension for teen readers and viewers.  This movie is also available on YouTube in four 15-minute segments, which could be integrated into a teen programming series.

Russia's Last Tsar. National Geographic Video, 1995. DVD.

Published Review

Cruze, Karen. Rev. of The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, Candace Fleming. Booklist 111.7 (2014): 63. Web. 17 July 2015.