Red stars

the long version

"Red Stars traces the history of Soviet popular song after 1955 by looking at the careers of the singers Edita P'ekha, Iosif Kobzon, Lev Leshchenko, Sofiia Rotaru, Valerii Leont'ev, Alla Pugacheva, and Irina Ponarovskaia. Their songs, played frequently on Soviet radio and purchased in the hundreds of millions, tell the story of Soviet popular culture since the death of Joseph Stalin, David MacFadyen discusses national identity, gender, and the development of celebrity in a socialist state, ultimately tackling the question of whether it is possible for artists to achieve genuine self-expression while under continuous political scrutiny."--BOOK JACKET.