The first part of Gennady Cherkasov’s book “Vovka’s Stories” tells the story of how the boys grew up, whose childhood and adolescence occurred in the difficult post-war years. The author tells without embellishment how ambiguous the time was, without false pathos conveys the atmosphere in which the country lived, without idealizing the criminal world, shows its influence on the education of the personality of the hero who chose the right path in life. The second part of the collection “There is Always a Choice” is mainly devoted to the dashing 90s of the last century, when our country was going through difficult trials, which the hero Gennady Mikhailovich had to go through. “About friends and comrades” - this is how he titled the third part of the book, where he talks about people who left a noticeable mark on his fate and memory .