The Big Red Dog: American Mistrust of Russians

The Big Red Dog: American Mistrust of Russians exposes the dual realities that exist in the United States today: the reality experienced by Russian Americans and the one experienced by everyone else. Without mincing words, author William Lachowsky exposes the deep prejudice in the United States-and around the world-towards those with Russian heritage. Drawing on his own personal experience as a United States-born American with Russian heritage, Lachowsky shares examples of the bigotry he has experienced, including being assaulted and almost killed outside of his apartment. He then explores the political history of this discrimination over the last 150 years and provides examples of how this deep-rooted bias has permeated American culture, the media, and Hollywood.

The Big Red Dog is a thought-provoking examination of why a nation has come to think of a whole ethnic group as "other" and the "enemy," and it is a good reminder to us all to not fall victim to propaganda or stereotypes. It is also a book that every Russian American should read to help them understand that they are not alone in what they are experiencing. Made ever more relevant by the Russia-Ukraine war and an era of biased reporting in many media outlets, this book is a warning about what can happen in society when people become conditioned to believe they are better than other groups and give up thinking for themselves.