Anastasia, Czarina or Fake?

This book, written by Leslie McGuire, is part of a series called the “Great Mysteries” series, which attempts to provide opposing points of view on controversial events and phenomena. It is a biography of Anastasia, Czarina of Russia. I chose this book because I have always been intrigued by the Russian royal families; I loved the movie “Anastasia”. The book tells the story of Anastasia and her family, chronicling what is known and what isn’t about their disappearance. It follows the story of a woman, Anna Manahan, who claimed that she was Anastasia. She was found in a canal in Germany, badly injured and without much of her memory. An already difficult journey to finding her identity was made even more difficult by the fact that she refused to cooperate with authorities and even members of her supposed family.

The book presents evidence that there may or may not have been a murder of the entire family, or just a few family members. Where did this murder occur? Did any of the family members escape, like Anastasia herself? Was the woman who presented herself as Anastasia really Anastasia? If not, who was she? These are just a few of the questions this book raises and provides evidence for.

The book had so many great photographs, but the one thing I wish was different about it was that I wish the pictures had been in color. I know that this isn’t always possible due to monetary issues, but it would have been nice had there been color. The photographs that I thought were the most helpful were the ones comparing known photographs of Anastasia to the woman claiming to be her. It was really interesting to compare the two women for myself and to see what the authorities were talking about when they were referencing photographs of the two women.

This book is great to use in a classroom when teaching about different perspectives and points of view. It encourages readers to take evidence and draw their own conclusions. There are quotes in the margins of many of the pages that present different points of view. For example, two quotes are “[Anastasia Tschaikovsky] is an absolute fraud” and “Well, it is Anastasia” (23). While the author never provides strong evidence for both sides, no conclusion is ever reached. This bothered me to some extent because I wish that the book had definite closure, but it’s good because it allows the reader to think for him or herself. Additionally, this book would be an excellent starting point for students who are just starting to research Russian history or royal families. It really piqued my interest in Russian history, and I would love to read more books about the period in time or about Anastasia and the other members of the royal family.