A review by markgmcd
The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine by Robert Conquest

5.0

Conquest clearly explains the precursors to famine, the tragedy itself, and its aftermath. Many first-hand accounts are quoted, often at length, from both victims and government "activists," allowing for an intimate understanding of specific people's experiences in context. Conquest also writes of the West's knowledge of and reaction to the famine, including a description of Stalin's tactics of obfuscation. Statistics are offered frequently. Harvest of Sorrow reads as a relatively objective account of the relevant event and its context. It is accessible to readers with limited background knowledge of Soviet history, though many names of officials, which go unintroduced in the book, will be unfamiliar.