"An erudite and perceptive book. Required reading for all those who want to fathom the relationship between national identity, nation-building, political traditions, and cultural yearnings in one of eastern Europe's least known and understood countries. King uses historical, political, economic, and cultural approaches to challenge old stereotypes and to propose a novel, original perspective on the peoples of Bessarabia and Transnistria."

--Vladimir Tismaneanu, Professor of Government and Politics University of Maryland (College Park)

"Thoroughly researched, engagingly written, and completely up to date, this is a definitive book that will long serve as the best study of Moldova in any language... Its strategic and precarious location between the Balkans and the former Soviet Union and its complex ethnic composition make Moldova a fragile new nation well worth knowing about."

--Daniel Chirot, Professor of International Studies Jackson School of International Studies University of Washington