Lenin's Tomb Book Summary

In 'Lenin's Tomb', David Remnick takes readers on an evocative journey through the final days of the Soviet Union, exploring the political chaos and emotional upheaval that marked this pivotal moment in history. Through vivid storytelling and personal narratives, he uncovers the human stories behind the headlines, revealing the struggles, hopes, and dreams of those who lived through the collapse. Remnick's keen insights bring to life the cultural and historical significance of a superpower in decline. As the remnants of communism fade away, what emerges is a rich tapestry of resilience and transformation. Will the echoes of Lenin's legacy haunt the new Russia, or will a fresh identity emerge from the ashes?

By David Remnick

Published: 1994

"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

Book Review of Lenin's Tomb

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times From the editor of The New Yorker: a riveting account of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which has become the standard book on the subject. Lenin’s Tomb combines the global vision of the best historical scholarship with the immediacy of eyewitness journalism. Remnick takes us through the tumultuous 75-year period of Communist rule leading up to the collapse and gives us the voices of those who lived through it, from democratic activists to Party members, from anti-Semites to Holocaust survivors, from Gorbachev to Yeltsin to Sakharov. An extraordinary history of an empire undone, Lenin’s Tomb stands as essential reading for our times.

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The past is never dead. It's not even past.

Lenin's Tomb

By David Remnick