Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union [Hardcover]

Robert Robinson (Author), Jonathan Slevin (Collaborator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Robinson, a Jamaican-born Ford Motor toolmaker who sought economic security, engineering training, and an escape from racism, was recruited to work in the Soviet Union in the mid-1930s. Never a Communist, Robinson walked a tightrope while living in the Soviet system, not completely accepting or being accepted by it and recognizing that there was racism, repression, and regimentation around him. Finally, after 24 years of unsuccessful effort, Robinson "escaped" to the United States via Uganda. He provides firsthand accounts of the Stalinist purges, sacrifices of World War II, and economic and political tensions of the Cold War. A rare look at Soviet life. John R. Sillito, Weber State Coll. Lib., Ogden, Ut.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 435 pages
• Publisher: Acropolis Books Inc; First edition (May 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874918855
• ISBN-13: 978-0874918854
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book. Couldn't put it down!, September 21, 2006

By 

Avid Reader "Pam ~avid reader" (Salem, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union (Hardcover)

You have to read this book. All I can say is, WOW! I really could not put this book down and it is a large book with approx 400 pages in the hardback form. While reading this book, I laughed and I cried. It was so powerful and so moving. I have actually traveled to Russia while it was still a communist country so I thought this book would be a nice addition to what I already knew. Let me change that statement to, "What I thought I knew". Reading this book helped me to really understand the Soviet system. It really put everything in perspective for me. I also learned a great deal about the United States and our relationship to the Soviets. I wish I could speak to Robert Robinson and I wish there was something that someone could do to give him back the years that the Soviet system took from him. I truly wish the book would have been longer. I wish all of Robert Robinson's memoirs were available to read. And Jonathan Slevin did an excellent job putting everything together to make it one of the best books I have ever read! Don't wait another minute-----READ THIS BOOK!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous memoir!, June 19, 2007

By 

Tanya Katzenmeyer "tkatz" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union (Hardcover)

I found this book probably 15 years ago in my local library and I still remember the title, the author, and the story. It's an amazing "inside" view of real day to day living in the Soviet Union over a period of four decades. Mr. Robinson's memoir relates not only what it's like to be an American in the Soviet Union but also what it's like to be a black man in a "perfect" socialist society. We see from his first hand experience that it is not as perfect as originally advertised to him by the recruiters! But, he was able get his engineering degree which is something he would never have been able to achieve in the USA during the 1930's. I highly recommend this book!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those interested in the former Soviet Union, October 13, 2008

By 

Luis Rodriguez (Uppsala, Sweden) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union (Hardcover)

Robinson's book is an excellent account of 44 years inside a prison called Russia. He writes how Russians discriminated blacks while giving the image abroad of being an open and racially tolerant society. This book is both a memoir and a history book. It warns the West against the manipulative ways of Russia and cautions that Russia will never really transform into a western-style democracy. This is very relevant today, as the policies of Putin have so far demonstrated. Also, it cautions the reader against Russian chauvinism and racism. Indeed, racism is running rampant in Russia as it is evident from the frequent murders of black foreign students residing in the country. This book is a great read. I give it a FIVE.