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Books like Young Stalin

Young Stalin

This is Stalin before he was “Stalin.” While Montefiore's previous book, The Court of the Red Tsar, covers Stalin’s years in power, here we get a look into his childhood home and abuse, his questionable parentage, his career as a poet (who knew?!), his seminary schooling, his early crimes, arrests, exiles, his multiple girlfriends, his meeting with Lenin, his early rivalry with Trotsky, and his seemingly constant impregnating of teenagers and fathering of children he never met. Both his marriages are briefly explored, as are his mommy-issues. We get a sense of what might have created the detached, emotionless, egotistical, monstrous “Stalin” that we know. There’s a lot of “never before published” firsthand information and anecdotes from childhood friends, ex in-laws, old flames, acquaintances. Probably my favorite revelation was that Stalin’s lover later became his second mother-in-law and rumors went around that his much younger second wife was really his daughter (this was later debunked as the dates were a couple of years off). The book also includes some of his poetry, which was quite unexpected. Montefiore's writing approach is accessible and I loved reading it. I’ll definitely be seeking out his other book.
Picture of a book: Young Stalin

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