Not nearly as interesting as his book “King Leopold’s Ghost”.

This is a very readable book, an excellent look at a "young" old country coming to grips with revelations of its past. The interviews conducted that made up this book come primarily from the early 1990s (some earlier, some later), after the fall of the Soviet Union and the phoenix of Russia rising from its ashes, when Stalin's atrocities finally began to surface through the release of KGB files, and the victims thereof finally felt comfortable speaking out about how the purges, arrests, and executions impacted them and their families. In addition, the guards, executioners, and those who stood silently by are interviewed as well. A great slice of time from a country's turbulent past.

What we don't get is a modern view of how Stalin is viewed; he has enjoyed a bit of a (temporary?) renaissance in Eastern Europe, giving rise to a startling number of atrocity deniers. I'd be interested in a revisit to those interviewed who are still around today, and get a feel for how they feel about the growing new cults of personality.

Good book. Doc says give it a read.

loved this book. great read and very informative. not as well written as king leopold's ghost, but still very readable.

I learned so much from this amazing book, and wrote a fascinating paper from it. Looking forward to reading it again in the future!!

This is the second Adam Hochschild history I have read. The first was King Leopold's Ghost. In both cases, I have really enjoyed how the author has made the topic accessible and engaging. I think I find this to be the case especially in The Unquiet Ghost, but perhaps that is only because in this history he includes extensive interviews with those who were actively involved within the period he is writing about. I also appreciate how Hochschild includes a very extensive bibliography at the end and accompanies the books he includes with brief descriptions and reasons as to why one should read the books he lists. I find the Soviet period of Russian history very interesting. I think this now makes the fourth history book I've read on the topic. So, having someone who I respect as a writer on the topic giving me reading recommendations is definitely an added bonus to the enjoyment I derived from reading his book.

I recommend this book.
It is an easy read, and very interesting due to the people along the way who tell their stories.
It is a study on a person’s ability to choose not to see. How neighbor became executioner during Stalin’s reign of terror. He was a mastermind of fear mongering and propaganda.
20 million people dead.
I recommend this book.

interesting... I learned a lot.