Georgian-born author, journalist, and activist Tsisnami "Sissy" Sakvarlishvili has seen her global platform rapidly expand since her book 'Georgia After the Collapse of the Soviet Union' was featured on a towering digital billboard in Times Square on Easter 2026. The campaign, which included her cinematic video trailer and book cover being played over 50 times, honored her as one of Franklin Publishers' "Top 5 Spring Authors," cementing her status as a premier global voice in political history and human rights.
Sakvarlishvili's journey is deeply personal and political. Rising from an abandoned child raised by blind adoptive parents to a migrant caregiver in Italy, she earned a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Florence and immigrated to the United States in 2013. She remains an active leader in the fight for Georgian democracy, having personally led protests against pro-Russian forces in her homeland.
"Seeing my story—and the story of my country—lit up in the center of the world is a profound honor," says Sakvarlishvili. "Georgia is an ancient, beautiful nation that has been tested by empire and has paid a very high price for its freedom. I wrote this book so the world will finally understand our history and our ongoing fight for democracy."
'Georgia After the Collapse of the Soviet Union' provides an emotionally detailed and data-driven account of the nation's first decades of independence. Sakvarlishvili weaves her own journey of resilience into a rigorous analysis of Georgia's transformation, examining the leadership of post-Soviet presidents and the sweeping reforms that followed the 2003 Rose Revolution. The book details the shift from a centrally planned command economy to a liberalized market system and confronts the structural realities of rebuilding a nation under pressure, caught between integration with Western institutions and systemic external pressure from Russia.
The book is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the official author website.
This announcement matters because it highlights the power of personal storytelling in geopolitical discourse. Sakvarlishvili's visibility in Times Square amplifies the ongoing struggle for democracy in Georgia, a nation often overlooked in Western media. Her book provides a firsthand account of post-Soviet transformation, offering readers insight into the challenges of building a democratic state amid external pressure. For the Georgian diaspora and those interested in Eastern European politics, this work serves as both a historical record and a call to awareness. The author's personal narrative of overcoming adversity—from orphan to academic—adds a compelling human dimension to complex geopolitical issues, making the book accessible to a broad audience. As her platform expands, Sakvarlishvili's message of resilience and freedom may inspire others facing similar struggles worldwide.
