Golosa: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1 (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Use this book to start learning Russian
Review: This book series, in my experience, is the best way to start learning Russian. It is more helpful in conjunction with the workbook, and most helpful when combined with the written exercises in the workbook and oral exchange with other people (there's a tape series that goes with this, but if you have people who are learning with you to talk to, the tapes aren't really necessary). It covers all the basic conversational topics like greetings, weather, telling time, etc. And for the most part, the phrases in the book (even the colloquialisms) are still in use today. So if you want to start learning Russian, order this book and the workbook right away!

Rating:
Summary: Detailed but not very creative
Review: Unfortunately this one of the better text books for the Russian language available. Before you buy this product look at the author's names. Neither is Russian. I am American High School French teacher and fluent in French having learned it by textbook and real world exposure. Before buying any language program make sure at least one author is a native speaker of the foreign language and the other is a native speaker of your own language. Although this book has extensive explanations of how the complicated noun declensions change, it does not provide a sufficient amount of real world examples as to when or how to use them. Although present tense verbs are clearly explained, the perfect and imperfect for past and future are not presented clearly. Many sections are poorly conceived. For example, one chapter section which explains time of day, only instructs you how to tell time on the hour but not how to say any minute, quarter or half hour interval. The book's illustrations are the worst I have seen in any modern foreign language textbook. Picture examples in the book, which are supposed to inspire you to think, only serve to confuse the reader. I completed this course solo along with the lab manual. It was not a pleasant learning experience. I would only suggest this book to someone who is taking a course in a university and that a native Russian who speaks PERFECT English is teaching the course. I would not suggest this book to any one trying to go it alone. Good Luck to you all.