Nikita Khrouchtchev (1894–1971)

Sometimes rambling, but consistently interesting memoirs by the leader of the USSR in the 50s and early 60s. There was a great deal of controversy in its time as to whether these were genuine or not, but it seems to have become settled that they were genuine. This is a follow-up to the first volume, which had more headline-grabbing discussions, but there's still a lot of interest here, particularly in regard to the famous 1959 tour of the United States. One does get the impression that Nikita Sergei'vich would have been rather fun to talk to. Recommended, though mostly for people interested in Russian history.… (mehr)

Very intriguing autobiography by the USSR's leader of the 50s and 60s. It was controversial in its day, owing to the provenance of the material, but it has, I believe, since been shown to be authentic. A number of intriguing insights, as well as some intriguing blind spots (and intriguing contradictions, which are pointed out by Crankshaw in a series of notes that alone are worth the price of admission). I think if you have a good grounding in Russian history, you're more likely to pull out the really intriguing details in the book, but even a general reader will find much of interest. Definitely recommended.… (mehr)