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    I’m looking for a Christmas book for my 13-year-old. He enjoys history and is specifically interested in the USSR and communism. He’s done a lot of reading on both subjects. I would like something with a nuanced view or story, not just Russia=bad or communism=bad. I’m mainly concerned about picking something a bit too dense. Historical fiction or non-fiction recommendations are welcome! Thanks

    by rockairglue

    5 Comments

    1. Between Shades of Gray by Rita Sepetys is about Lithuanians in Siberian work camps. The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman features girls in the USSR near the Chernobyl disaster, as well as characters during the German invasion of Russia.

    2. *Bloodlands* by Snyder is not anti-communism, but it is highly critical of the Soviet Union. It is however very readable. In fact, it was the first book my little brother managed to read all the way through as he preferred his history books to be in graphic novel form. It would be good for a sharp 13-year old. *Midnight at Chernobyl* is another very readable book-I would say that it is partially critical of certain aspects of the Soviet government, but again, it is not anti-communism or pro-US or anything.

    3. Gods of the Steppe by Andrei Gelasimov.
      It’s about life of a boy on Russian-Chinese border during WW2.

      The Train by Vera Panova. The story of a group of men and women travelling together on a hospital train during World War II.

      Both of these are fiction, without any horrors nor graphic descriptions.

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