Matt's comments

Matt's comments from the Our History group.

Note: Matt is no longer a member of this group.

I read "Court of the Red Tsar" by Montefoire last year. A bio of Stalin. Truly a great bio, the author gets amazing access into files about Stalin's personal life and life as the leader of the USSR. He contrasts and compares the two facets of Stalin's life well. He discusses all of the people surrounding Stalin, their rise and eventual fall (all fell except for Khrushchev)and gets into their relationships with each other as well as with Stalin. The author does a nice job describing the events surrounding Stalin, including the famines of the 1930s, his relationship with Roosevelt, (and low opinion of Truman), and his movements behind the scenes during the "Big Three" negotiations. Unfortunately not much on his snubbing of Mao. His systematic purging of cities is mind-numbing, the author does a nice job showing Stalin's feelings that the purges were necessary to break the backs of his enemies and of the last remains of private wealth and ownership. This bio really made me want to explore Russian/USSR history in more detail.

A while back, I read "Angel in the Whirlwind" by Bobrick. Sort of a text on the American Revolution focusing on George Washington, although not entirely devoted to Washington.

I want to read "Truman" sometime... Any recommendations on the recent bio on Neil Armstrong "First Man"?