The memoirs are in two series: Golit︠s︡yn's typescript "Vospominanii︠a︡" (453 p. in 17 notebooks), which cover his childhood and youth, his "period of social and political service (1900-1917)", in World War I, and the Revolution and Civil War; and a manuscript in two notebooks entitled "Vtoroĭ god Russkoĭ Revoli︠u︡t︠s︡ii: Bolśhevizm na Ukraine; Getmanskiĭ perevot; Petli︠u︡rovshchina" (410 p.), which discusses the Civil War in the Ukraine.

Typescript memoirs that primarily concern the First World War and the Revolution and Civil War. Also included is a series of autobiographical letters from Gersdorf to one Vladimir Vladimirovich, which apparently formed the basis for the memoirs.

The bound memoirs "Russian Experience 1910-1917" discuss Michael's adventures in Russia in 1910-1917. In 1910 he was hired by the Bessarabian provincial zemstvo to help landlords and peasants in that province improve their corn yields; he stayed there until 1916, when he returned to the United States. The first half of the memoirs covers these years, including extensive commentary on Bessarabian peasants, gentry, zemstvo politics, and some information on World War I. In 1917 he returned on a mission to study the Russian grain trade. He sailed across the Pacific with the American Red Cross Mission, spent August in Petrograd, and then travelled around Russia's Black Sea ports in September-November. In early November, he returned to Petrograd, and finally left Russia by the Trans-Siberian railroad in December. While the first half of these memoirs includes much first-hand information, the second half, on 1917, is more derivative in nature.