Replete with images and based on archival documents that have never before been published, 'Belomor: Criminality and Creativity in Stalin's Gulag' explores the dark history of one of the most infamous labor camps in Stalin's Gulag. By focusing on denizens of the criminal realm-privileged prisoners during the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal-the book unearths the customs and qualities of this vastly understudied portion of the Gulag population. Through a vicious cycle of destruction and creation, the labor camp assumes the lofty task of re-forging human consciousness, a task that mirrors that of the larger Soviet project. A sustained exploration of Belomor themes ultimately illuminates key features of Stalinism in the artificial yet believable performance of reality.