When I landed at West Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport just over 43 years ago, it marked the beginning of a 12-year exploration of life behind the Iron Curtain. As a photojournalist for Western news outlets, I had unique access to both daily life and historic events across what was then known as the Soviet Bloc.

Upon first viewing of the classic, black-and-white, observe-and-capture images in Grace’s book, one familiar element is the public displays of larger-than-life portraits dotting the bland concreteness of the cities Grace traveled through. Stern visages of elected officials and members of the various politburos who maintained the status quo of communism overlaid on society created a sense of menace, as if Big Brother was watching everyone’s every move.