The Book Thread

[Ollie_H]

I'm searching for a book which focuses on the Russian Revolution, Stalin's reign and post-Stalin communist Russia - most preferably from a neutral or non-extreme perspective. Any recommendations would be great.

If you fancy some fiction which is supposed to be fact-correct check out Tom Rob Smith's books. Child 44, The Secret Speech and I can't remember the title of the last one.

They are incredible books, which are supposed to be factually correct and show the view of that sort of a society through Leo Demidov, one of the citizens who works for the government.

 

[Varun]

Fiction would do, but I would fancy a non-fiction more.

 

[Varun]

There are a plethora of books on Amazon.com, but most covering only specific periods or specific people (Stalin, Trotsky, Lenin) or specific questions related to only the specific periods (the why, whats). The only one book I found worth my interest, besides Colin's suggestion (not really a suggestion, though), is this. The reviews applaud the book's succinctness, but I'm not quite sure how succinct I would like it to be, keeping the cost reasonable as well. A book worth more than around $20-23 might be outside the limit I can spend. In that case, fiction might well be the way to go towards.

 

[barmyarmy]

Are libraries any good? I can't find any of the Russia books I used at uni so I probably got them all from the library.
Will try to find a reading list somewhere...

 

[Varun]

I will check out if my school library has any books on history of Soviet Union. But I am sure they won't have an extensive amount of them. But perhaps just what I need.

 

[barmyarmy]

Otherwise if they don't they might have an arrangement with a library elsewhere or be able to order something in.

 

[6ry4nj]

My Google search suggests: Martin McCauley, The Soviet Union 1917-1991. From the little bio I could find, he seems relatively ideology-free... Try a Uni library, or the central public library of the city.

However, now that I think about it, the anti-Stalinist perspective is so widely available, you might benefit from reading something with a Stalinist slant...?

 

[puddleduck]

Neutral history, funny idea.

If you want to understand a time period, you are more often than not better served reading fiction. By peeling back the layers you can start to understand the social realities and frictions that drove a time. If you'd like a factional look at Charles Darwin and the boat that carried him, The Beagle, as well as the criminally forgotten Robert Fitzroy. I'd strongly recommend This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson.

He is better known for being the man behind programs like 'Have I Got News for You' and writing another excellent book that I assume anyone who claims to enjoy cricket has read Penguins Stopped Play.

Whilst Penguins Stopped Play is a fantastic and often comical look at club level cricket and a genuine love of the game, This Thing of Darkness is an incredibly revealing, very interesting look at one of the most important men in our history and some bloke called Charles Darwin.

 

[thedon5]

Read my first book for a couple of years. The Great Gatsby. Thought it was decent, but I don't think it's something someone who dosen't read books can properly appreciate.

 

[puddleduck]

@ The don. Most definitely dude! I would strongly recommend that you pick up Penguins Stopped Play if you haven't read it. It's about cricket, and mixes a lot of genuinely funny stories with some rather emotional segments.

I am not ashamed to admit, that reading the epilogue, I was moved to tears.

 

[King Cricket]

Has anyone here read it? I've heard it's too long with too few chapter and sentence breaks. Length doesn't matter, as long as the plot is interesting, and an account of the last days of a monstrous Caribbean dictator trapped in his own inner world does seem riveting. Haven't read much Latin American literature, so looking forward to the experience.

 

[puddleduck]

I have not King Cricket. Something I have read though is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez. Certainly a Latin American classic, and worth a read if you're interested

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Gradually making my way through A Brief History of Time. Fantastic book for anyone interested in Physics. It's really easy to understand and great if you're doing A Level Physics as it goes over a lot of concepts that you go through, and if you're like me it's easier to understand it in class if you know where it comes from.

 

[Varun]

Unfortunately, our library doesn't have any books on Russian communist history. Although, my former history teacher's going to recommend me the books, although she says that internet sources might be better.

 

[swacker]

All Hell Broke Loose by Max Hastings: An excellent one book history of World War 2, well worth the read.

I have read a fair bit about this war, but discovered lots I wasn't aware of.