vaguely_academic 's review for:

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, 1921-1933 by Anne Applebaum

3.0

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An important book on its own merits, this is also newly relevant for those looking to understand the long and storied history between the countries that are now Ukraine and Russia. While perfectly readable, this book falls just on the far side of the line between an academic and a lay person’s nonfiction, making it a bit difficult to engage emotionally in some places. It is careful to exhaustively cite in minute detail, which would be a boon for someone using it as a guide to primary and secondary sources, but really just feels like clutter to someone reading for the sake of personal edification.