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I was a bit skeptical at first. a long diary about the Bolshevik ideology that I already don't believe in from a writers whose magnum opus I liked but didn't feel was the best thing ever. But dang, I was wrong. I learned more about that period from a single book than I learned in decades. I even learned about stuff that I as a Jew should have already known of and was surprised to find out how shallow was my knowledge. The best way to know what the Russian revolution was like was to live through it. The second best way might genuinely be this book.

I mean it's almost obligatory for me to add Sonja Lang books to my list by this point

after the incredible recommendation from @GwenfarsGarden@weirder.earth I had to add it to the list.

Started listening to the podcast and got hooked, now I have to read the book as well.

Joining the trend as well 😅

strong beginning, a very weak middle, comes back to a strong ending. despite the flaws, it still contains some important insights, and I had my mind blown at parts.

Yes, I know, speaks toki pona fluently, never read pu. that's why it's joining the list!

Full disclosure, I was a fan of the podcast before that podcast turned into a book. And yet, this book is very strong on its own merits. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I didn't want to put it down so badly that I read it end to end in a just little bit over one month. The only thing I was missing was John Green's voice, and that can be achieved by the audiobook. Highly recommended.

Purchased it not long after it came out and still hadn't read it. Oops 😅

Sure, some parts are out of date. But so much of it remains true even today. There's a saying about lectures that say that the best questions a lecturer can get are the ones answered by the very next slide. Well, that is exactly what happened to me, again and again, with the chapters of this book. Most amazingly, a question a friend raised in a discussion we had about chapter 8 was answered by the very first sentence of chapter 9. Can't be better than that.

I didn't expect this book to be better than the first one, but it was. The different points of view, the build of tension, the somewhat existential take on modern society, the new perspective on the beauty that is humanity... What's not to like in this book?
My only complaint is that I had to deal with the fact I couldn't stop reading, and finished the book 9 days after I got it despite having worked for most of those days, and had to deal with having finished it so fast. But that's less of a bug and more of a feature.