David Remnick's Pulitzer-winning account of the collapse of the Soviet empire is not something to be chosen for casual reading. However, the author manages to keep it surprisingly readable by telling the story of the people via the words of the countless writers, bureaucrats, politicians, revolutionaries and ordinary people whom he interviewed during his extensive travels through Russia and the former U.S.S.R.

Remnick describes in vivid detail how the state-enforced illusion of utopia gradually dissolved as history returned. For under Stalin's repressive rule the regime quite literally controlled history, stamping the ugly elements it didn't like and crafting its own smoothed-over version for use as a propaganda tool.

"Lenin's Tomb" is for the reader who is interested in history but doesn't necessarily enjoy wading through traditional historical writings. It presents the collapse of the Soviet Empire as a many-faceted story which is best told by the people who experienced and influenced it as it was happening. It is the story of the triumph of truth over terror and greed. Remnick also offers insight as to the many challenges which the Russian people have yet to overcome, and as to where the new democracy might be headed.


Recommended: Yes