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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Trigger warnings: death, famine, starvation, cannibalism, death of a child, violence, stabbing, genocide, animal death, graphic descriptions of death, starvation and famine.
Oof. I mean, I'm glad I read this because if nothing else, it puts the current Russia situation into a new light and makes Putin's "we're all one people" bullshit even more intolerable. But oof. This is definitely not an easy read, as you would expect. But the level of dedication Stalin had to essentially wiping the Ukrainian people off the map completely was...wild. And then the gaslighting from the west (and western scholars through until the 90s!) claiming that the famine never happened and that there was plenty of food the whole time OH MY GOD I CAN'T.
Anyway. This was occasionally drier reading than I would have liked, but I'm very glad I read it.
Oof. I mean, I'm glad I read this because if nothing else, it puts the current Russia situation into a new light and makes Putin's "we're all one people" bullshit even more intolerable. But oof. This is definitely not an easy read, as you would expect. But the level of dedication Stalin had to essentially wiping the Ukrainian people off the map completely was...wild. And then the gaslighting from the west (and western scholars through until the 90s!) claiming that the famine never happened and that there was plenty of food the whole time OH MY GOD I CAN'T.
Anyway. This was occasionally drier reading than I would have liked, but I'm very glad I read it.
The Harrying of Ukraine
Anne Applebaum’s Red Famine is an excellent and important work on the Bolshevik’s theft and then war on Ukraine. Covered up and denied by the Soviets and Western Left-leaning commentators until the late 1980s this is an important scholarly work to place the Holodomor in memoriam.
I was drawn to this book following the recent events in Ukraine and the recommendation of the great historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. It did not disappoint. There is so much information blocking into here, I learnt a lot about a country and a period of history that I am completely not familiar with. Ukraine (meaning ‘borderland’) is a place, has a history, a people and an identity. Although under the Russian Empire and breaking free in the revolution of 1917, the worst was to come after capitulation and then harrying by the Bolsheviks. Their hatred, jealously and incompetence is shown as they drove a people and a nation into the ground through collectivisation and persecution. Then the cover up began with its equally terrifying results. Only such an oppressive and cruel could have gotten away with this, as Applebaum even states they weren’t even sorry for it in later years. It’s all here, a poignant story which only gets worst with Nazi invasion.
I have discussed recently with socialist friends this episode in history and I would argue that I did not find this book biased, it simply presents the facts, which are backed up. Others such as my friends my disagree. However, for me this is history at its best.
My criticism would be the book continues just too long as Applebaum toes up the narrative. I felt the point was made about the impact, denial and the coverup and how it effects modern Ukraine and Russia way before the book concluded. However, more facts are better than less. There’s a lot to be learnt and it has definitely peaked my interest in the area and the period. Great work.
Anne Applebaum’s Red Famine is an excellent and important work on the Bolshevik’s theft and then war on Ukraine. Covered up and denied by the Soviets and Western Left-leaning commentators until the late 1980s this is an important scholarly work to place the Holodomor in memoriam.
I was drawn to this book following the recent events in Ukraine and the recommendation of the great historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. It did not disappoint. There is so much information blocking into here, I learnt a lot about a country and a period of history that I am completely not familiar with. Ukraine (meaning ‘borderland’) is a place, has a history, a people and an identity. Although under the Russian Empire and breaking free in the revolution of 1917, the worst was to come after capitulation and then harrying by the Bolsheviks. Their hatred, jealously and incompetence is shown as they drove a people and a nation into the ground through collectivisation and persecution. Then the cover up began with its equally terrifying results. Only such an oppressive and cruel could have gotten away with this, as Applebaum even states they weren’t even sorry for it in later years. It’s all here, a poignant story which only gets worst with Nazi invasion.
I have discussed recently with socialist friends this episode in history and I would argue that I did not find this book biased, it simply presents the facts, which are backed up. Others such as my friends my disagree. However, for me this is history at its best.
My criticism would be the book continues just too long as Applebaum toes up the narrative. I felt the point was made about the impact, denial and the coverup and how it effects modern Ukraine and Russia way before the book concluded. However, more facts are better than less. There’s a lot to be learnt and it has definitely peaked my interest in the area and the period. Great work.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Red Famine is a dense, informative recounting of the Ukrainian Holodomor (hunger + extermination) and its historical context in the larger tale of Stalin's regime. It is a difficult read, both in terms of the amount of information, but of course the descriptions of abject horror brought up. This also provides some insight into Putin's thinking around the Ukrainian and Russian relationship- both how Russia thinks Ukraine should be part of it, and the fierce independence that Ukraine feels. Applebaum charts the different political waves that went through Ukraine and the propaganda spread throughout the country. The sheer scope of the famine is hard to wrap one's head around, and the covering up/minimizing it is tragic. It is such an important inflection point in history, but one that many (including me) had not heard about. This would have been an interesting historical book to read anyway, but considering the current climate in the world, it is quite important.
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
The first third or so felt a bit repetitive (just a lot of policy setup), but wow was this informative. If you, like me, are trying to learn more about overlooked countries and events in world history, this is a must read.
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
challenging
informative
slow-paced
This seems like a relevant book to read in this current age, considering Russia's Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This book examines the Soviet Union's treatment of Ukraine, from it's takeover of Ukraine in the 1910s to one of the worst famines in all of history in the 1930s. It is a truly sobering book to read, and while I knew of the incident in general, to read the details of how horrific it was to live in the Soviet Union is pretty sobering. It is truly sad how Stalin tried to cover up just how horrific the Ukrainian people were treated, with even their language being obliterated. I also appreciated how this book is written in an accessible way, making it not simply a book for scholars. Saying that, it does get repetitive at times, making it a slow read. But I appreciate this book bringing a mostly unknown moment of history into the public eye.
dark
informative
fast-paced