What do you know about the Romanov Dynasty? The family? The Romanov family was the wealthiest ruling monarchy in the world; They ruled over all of Russia, which was about “130 million people and one-sixth of the earth’s land surface” (Fleming, The Family Romanov). Candace Fleming, in her exposé The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia, discovers and reveals the truth about what truly happened to the last imperial family, the Romanovs. She delves into the true story of the Romanovs, from the marriage of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra to the downfall of their empire and finally to their devastating murders. The question now becomes - Should The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia …show more content…
In an interview with Candace Fleming, she was asked “What was the first spark of inspiration for your latest book?” and she replied, “The Family Romanov is my answer to those [many] middle school students questions based off of the movie Anastasia: What is the truth?” (Anderson). To write this story Fleming’s first step was to find primary sources. She looked into “ … firsthand accounts and eyewitness testimonies of those who lived through a historical event… [she found multiple] reminiscences written by the children’s’ tutors, by Alexandra’s ladies-in-waiting, by Nicholas’ courtiers…[and also the royal family’s letters and diaries and other personal papers]. [Along with the memoirs, Candace Fleming] read Yakov Yurovsky’s chilling account of the murders; statements from the guards; depositions from the priests and cleaning women who visited the Romanovs in their last hours” (Fleming, “Guest Post”). With all of this information, Candace Fleming started constructing the outline for her book which then led her to the secondary source material. In this step, she read dozens of books about the Romanovs and the Russian Revolution written by scholars leading into the third part of her research - experts. At this point, she worked with other writers, scholars, and historians especially Dr. Mark D. Steinberg, who helped her in writing an accurate story about the Romanov