The book “Why Russia is not America” was published in 2001 and hit the bull’s eye of public expectations. 52 weeks on the bestseller list. It was eagerly purchased at the kiosks of the State Duma and the Presidential Administration; overt and covert (the latter is more common, and this is also a sign of post-Soviet culture, where plagiarism is the norm) Parshev’s quotes pop up every now and then in the speeches of people’s deputies and other leaders. He is recognized as the economic guru of the Nashi movement. Serves as a banner of patriotic political economy. In general, complete and unconditional success. But in fact, a human tragedy. An extraordinary personality, capable of thinking independently and clearly formulating, is trying to find a benign, from the point of view of Soviet patriotism, explanation for the failure of the socialist economy and its systematic backwardness. The more clearly and specifically he does this, the more obviously his reasoning contradicts either dogma or reality. The more fiercely he defends the Stalinist model of social life and economics, the more holes he exposes in it. Because he himself is the embodiment of a Soviet hole. Which, of course, is not his fault, but a misfortune. Common to millions of thinking fellow citizens. Spiritual drama of the transition period. About her, starting from the wonderful texts of A.P. Parsheva, I’ll try to speak out.