Raisa Gorbachev.
I hope.
Translated by David Floyd. London, 1991

...My book I hope is not a book of memoirs or an autobiography with its scrupulous attention to chronology and detail. Still less is it a systematic exposition of my views and beliefs. although they are present in the book. It is a book of straight speaking, probably at times inconsistent, emotional and patchy. It is a story about myself in the past and in the present, about events and impressions gained on the spot. It is a spontaneous and particularly presonal response to what is happening around me and to the dramatic conflicts, shocks and, nevertheless, accomplishments that now distinguish public life in my country. For me this book provides an opportunity to express myself, to explain certain things and to put the rest certain misunderstandings. It also enables me to share my problems, my anxieties and my hopes. If that finds a response in your hearts, I will be happy.

Raisa Gorbachev