Regretfully, Belarus' officialdom views modern history through the prism of ideology. An impartial approach, a key requirement for historians, can be found in few government-sponsored history books that have come out lately. This is a result of a split in society. Since the Soviet Union and up to present time, young researchers are prohibited from writing and defending dissertations on Stalin-era genocide, collectivization and nationalist movements. Naturally, under such circumstances, Yauhen Miranovich's Modern History of Belarus is not just an alternative version of recent history. This is a version that is much closer to the truth. The author highlights Moscow's Soviet-era policies with regard to the Belarusian language and culture -- topics largely unknown and still closed to the public in Belarus. He stresses that Poland's national interests conflicted with Belarusians' inspirations for independence. Modern History of Belarus is an insightful research that has the right to existence.