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jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a lot. I'm glad I read it and I did learn quite a bit. I definitely benefited from reading a fiction book about the Holodomor before reading this. If I hadn't, I think I would have gotten lost several times. Having that story to constantly refer back to help me keep track of things.
tablereader234's review against another edition
5.0
There's a kind of sanity to Appelbaum's description of the utter madness of Stalin's regime and the lengths people would go to eat in the midst of famine that makes the unimaginable become comprehendible. She presents the facts and narratives simply, allowing the suffering to generate grief and rage in the reader. It is well-researched, well-written, and a good case study for those looking to enter into Stalinist history.
kir1072's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Child death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Slavery, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Cursing, War, Suicide, and Antisemitism
shannon_jayne1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
4.25
Well written and informative without feeling dense. I feel I gained a lot from reading this book.
mj470's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 ⭐
This was not my first Anne Applebaum history nor my first experience with the Holodomor genocide in Ukraine, but this really stands out as an excellent journey through the terrible history. It always takes me a few weeks to feel whole again after reading about the Soviet atrocities of ethnic cleansing. This story informs the entire struggle for sovereignty that still plagues Ukraine. It ends on a positive note that is hard to feel currently as all the trouble is once again stirred up.
I really appreciated the stories of Canadian resistance against the Soviet erasure of Ukraine. I didn't know those stories but they are powerful. The Holodomor is one of the least talked about genocides but one of the worst crimes of the modern age.
This was not my first Anne Applebaum history nor my first experience with the Holodomor genocide in Ukraine, but this really stands out as an excellent journey through the terrible history. It always takes me a few weeks to feel whole again after reading about the Soviet atrocities of ethnic cleansing. This story informs the entire struggle for sovereignty that still plagues Ukraine. It ends on a positive note that is hard to feel currently as all the trouble is once again stirred up.
I really appreciated the stories of Canadian resistance against the Soviet erasure of Ukraine. I didn't know those stories but they are powerful. The Holodomor is one of the least talked about genocides but one of the worst crimes of the modern age.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
I will come back to this one someday, but for right now, it's too raw, too difficult.