Book Review: Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick

 

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In the late 80s' and early 90s', journalist David Remnick lived in Moscow. These years were, as we all know today, to be the last attempt of the Soviet machine to utilize its power over its peoples. As Gorbachev came into power, promising a new openness that would reveal long-buried secrets and tragedies of unmentionable horror, it suddenly seemed that the opportunity to turn the Soviet Union into a new place was nearer than ever before. 

Although this book clocks in at a heavy 626 pages, there is nothing boring about it. Not only is it riveting because of Remnick's wonderful ability to weave a story, but because he was a firsthand witness to the madness that unfolded before the Communist Party of Russia collapsed. Because he was actually living in Moscow during these politically explosive times, the feeling of authenticity never wavers or changes. Every page is filled with fascinating anecdotes and interviews that give you the true feeling of what it was like for both the ordinary, every day worker and the member of the Politburo. 

Remnick was lucky enough to catch moments with the miners on strike across the vast country, as well as the men who wormed their way into Gorbachev's inner circle. He leaves no stone unturned, no detail left behind, but everything he puts onto the page seems both necessary and intriguing. In particular, his conversations with Bukharin's widow, Anna Larina, and his memories of Andrei Sakharov are wonderfully wrought. 

I was also moved and touched by the story of Yakov Rapoport, the only surviving victim of the so-called "Doctors' Plot," and his strong, incredibly clever daughter Natasha. His account of the antisemitism that plagued his life from beginning to end was both informative and terribly heart-breaking.

If you are at all interested in Soviet history, or Russia's struggle for democracy and freedom, I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Wonderfully researched, with real heart at its core, it saddened me to have to put it down after the last page.