Russian Revolution book recommendation

[Amethyst]

DH and I just finished watching Doctor Zhivago. It has me thinking about the Russian Revolution. While I know the basics, I'm wanting to dig a little deeper. But not too deep that it's so thick and boring and academic. Haha. I think I'm looking for something like I used to read with my kids when we homeschooled. I learned so much history when I was a homeschooler. I'm not looking for a textbook and I'm not looking for historical fiction. Any recommendations?

TIA

[Lady Florida.]

The only one I can think of is a biography of Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie. It's not specifically about the revolution but obviously if it's about them, the revolution is a part of it.

He also wrote biographies of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great if you want to go further back in Russian history. As with any revolution it didn't happen in a vacuum so understanding more Russian history than just the era surrounding the revolution will give you a better idea about how they got there.

His biographies are long but I've read all three. I took my time with each one and took a break between each one. It was worth it. Start with Nicholas and Alexandra if it's the revolution you're most interested in. Start with Peter the Great if you want to go in chronological order. But really, you can start with any of the three and still learn a lot without getting bored.

ETA: Trivia - Massie first wrote the Nicholas and Alexandra bio after his son was born with hemophilia. That sparked his interest in the Romanovs. So even he didn't go in historical order when he wrote the books. 🙂

Edited April 13, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Farrar]

The Russian Revolution by Fitzpatrick was the short book I had to read about it in college that I remember finding illuminating if not super gripping - well summarized, very clear. You could also read one of those A Very Short Introduction volumes. I think those are great for things like this.

[chiguirre]

I liked this biography of Lenin:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34319725-lenin-the-dictator

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by chiguirre

[SereneHome]

The thing is - the whole revolution thing can be summarized in about one paragraph. And while I never looked for books on the subject, especially ones written or translated to English, I highly doubt that you could find any books that are accurately describe the situation from all the sides. There were sooooo much censorship in that country up until very recently, that I would think good books about it would be really hard to find.

I will say this - if my grandmother was alive today, she would most likely think that US is very much heading that way, even though there is no czar to get rid off.

 

[gardenmom5]

now that you've watched the movie - read the book.  There's a lot more detail.  It was written by a Russian who lived through the revolution, and it was banned in the USSR.  (The communist party was incensed he received the Nobel Prize for Literature for it.)  His characters might have been fictitious - but the background was not.

- he smuggled the draft to Italy to have it published.  The soviets would have happily burned it.

Edited April 14, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Amethyst]

Thank you for all these suggestions! I’ll go looking at Amazon now. 

[Lady Florida.]

2 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

now that you've watched the movie - read the book.  There's a lot more detail.  It was written by a Russian who lived through the revolution, and it was banned in the USSR.  (The communist party was incensed he received the Nobel Prize for Literature for it.)  His characters might have been fictitious - but the background was not.

- he smuggled the draft to Italy to have it published.  The soviets would have happily burned it.

I'm currently reading The Secrets We Kept, which is a fictionalized account of the CIA's hand in getting it translated back into Russian and smuggling back it into the Soviet Union so Russians could read it. They also pushed hard for the Nobel Prize for Dr. Zhivago. While it is fiction, the author did her research on some of the things they did. It's a really interesting story. 

[LMD]

My dh recommends this one: A brief history of 1917 

[KrissiK]

This book is fascinating, but it’s not an easy read.  https://www.amazon.com/Young-Stalin-SIMON-MONTEFIORE-2007-08-01/dp/B01K3LAC9E/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2DRJTDGBG54RQ&dchild=1&keywords=young+stalin+by+simon+sebag+montefiore&qid=1586840597&sprefix=Young+sta%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-3

It’s actually the first of two (I think) volumes of his biography, but it really gives the down and dirty of Stalin, the Revolution and what Russia. Life was like at that time.

[Violet Crown]

Russia in Revolution, from the Horizon-Caravel series, is aimed at the secondary school level (which is about my own level for history) so may fit your "like I used to read with my kids when we homeschooled" criterion. Bookfinder lists it at $9.

[Amethyst]

10 hours ago, Violet Crown said:

Russia in Revolution, from the Horizon-Caravel series, is aimed at the secondary school level (which is about my own level for history) so may fit your "like I used to read with my kids when we homeschooled" criterion. Bookfinder lists it at $9.

This sounded perfect. Until I went to Amazon and it said $951 !!! Lol. I’m guessing something is not right. Is this by any chance the same Russia in Revolution by SA Smith that is also on Amazon for much less? 

[Lady Florida.]

3 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

This sounded perfect. Until I went to Amazon and it said $951 !!! Lol. I’m guessing something is not right. Is this by any chance the same Russia in Revolution by SA Smith that is also on Amazon for much less? 

I don't know but it can be had used for just over $10. Scroll down a little and it shows a used version for sale. 

[Violet Crown]

3 hours ago, Amethyst said:

This sounded perfect. Until I went to Amazon and it said $951 !!! Lol. I’m guessing something is not right. Is this by any chance the same Russia in Revolution by SA Smith that is also on Amazon for much less? 

That's why I mentioned Bookfinder. Go to bookfinder.com, type in Russia in revolution for title and Horizon for keyword, and see the cheap copies from various booksellers. 

(There's no copy actually being sold for $951. That's a placeholder listing; if you tried to actually buy it they'd tell you it's out of stock.)