Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stalin, Marrin writes, was "among the two or three worst men who ever lived." The numbers bear this outStalin was directly or indirectly responsible for 14 million deaths in the famine of the 1930s, 12 million deaths in the gulag and 20 million deaths in World War II (an "unnecessarily high" price for victory). This biography of Stalin is gripping, however, because of its complexity and boldness as well as its horrors. The author of numerous books for young adults, Marrin explains the rise of Bolshevism, describes the tenets of socialist thought and shows Stalin's role in the creation of a totalitarian state. Stalin himselfhis battered youth, his incapacity for expressing gratitudeis vividly presented. This is an agile history of a complicated subject, a breakthrough for readers not yet ready for the tomes on adult shelves. Bibliography; index and photos not seen by PW. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10 This excellent biography of Stalin follows the same pattern as Marrin's outstanding Hitler (Viking, 1987). He chronicles Stalin's early life and then turns to the history of the USSR and the influence Stalin had on it, emphasizing that Stalin was the USSR during his long regime. Marrin provides exceptional historical background, explaining how czarist Russia was ready for revolution and how the communists were able to seize power. He spends some time on Lenin and the communist consolidation of power, but most of the book is about the will of Stalin and how he imposed that will on the revolution and the entire country. His manipulations and purges are described in detail, as is his struggle with Hitler and Germany. Throughout the book, Marrin does a superb job of conveying the sheer horror of Stalin's totalitarian regime, describing for readers how one man can be the cause of millions of deaths and enormous suffering. He uses quotations, primary sources, statistics, and excellent writing to make a difficult subject understandable and interesting for intermediate readers. As the USSR enters the age of glasnost, this title is very timely and fills a need for material for this age group. It is better than Joseph Stalin (Watts, 1969; o.p.) by Liversidge and completely replaces older titles such as Appel's The Age of Dictators (Crown, 1968; o.p.). Stalin is an outstanding biography. It deserves a place in all libraries serving intermediate and young adult readers. Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, Mo.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Beautiful Feet Bks (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893103099
• ISBN-13: 978-1893103092
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #241,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A short course in modern Russian history . . . , February 14, 2009

By	Grandma "Robin" (NH, USA) - See all my reviews

If you teach history to the middle grades or have a child of that age interested in history, you know that reading material more advanced than the 40-page survey intended for third graders yet not quite so heavy as to be called a "tome" can be very hard to find. Marrin's work fills the bill.

I first learned of Marrin when I acquired The Yanks are Coming: The United States in the First World War for a unit on WWI for my homeschoolers. A life-long history buff, I found that book to be the single best thing I've read on WWI.

Albert Marrin, chairman of the history department at Yeshiva University, is not only knowledgeable about his subject matter, he has the ability to write about history in a way that makes the reader want to keep reading and is adept at providing the big picture view of things. Readers of Stalin: Man of Steel are presented with a decent history of the rise of the USSR along with Stalin's biography.

One note: Stalin was written in 1988, before the fall of the USSR. Educators will want to make mention of that, as a couple of things Marrin speaks of as "continuing to this day" have since changed.