For a Few Canards More: Counter Inquiry on Stalin and the Soviet Union

by Aymeric Monville

Genres: History, Politics

100 pages, Paperback

Published August 14, 2024

Reviews

[Matthew O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering it is now 2024 it's time for everyone to actually read about Stalin. The vast majority of people either think he killed 10, 20, 40 300 or however millions of people, which is completely wrong or that he was the greatest leader to ever exist, also wrong, Stalin was a leader and like any leader he made many mistakes but that does not mean we just cover our eyes and ears to new information that helps us understand stalin better. This book is great because it doesn't say stalin was a saint who did no wrong it gives proper criticism of him but puts it in the context of the time and it also refutes numerous anti-communist nonsense.

[Nick Girvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this enough for those curious about nonsense we hear of the USSR. for A Few Canards More is quite literally a short 76-page book dispelling what’s complete myth, what’s truth, and context behind it with comparisons to western countries. Never is the aim here to make Stalin or the USSR sound flawless, but just to myth bust nonsense that’s otherwise taken as “fact” with no prove, or counter proof staring us in the face. Works are cited all over the place, drawing from all sorts of different source types and author backgrounds.

If you read only one book on myths and terror around the USSR or Stalin, this is it.

[maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

short but i didn’t watch half of what he’s talking abt so i have literally 0 context but that’s def on me 💀💀

[alexanderalava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a funny ass book. 2.5 stars if I could.

It is essentially:

40% the author going in guns blazing to debunk documentaries and articles surrounding the 1933 Ukrainian famine, to which I credit, is fairly well sourced and interesting to read through; I had previously read Grover Furr’s paper on the matter which is referenced repeatedly, and there is a number of additional details in this book which I hadn’t been aware of prior;

40% the author beefing with Trotskyists, which is the main source of me calling this a funny ass book, because it literally just diverts fully into an artillery barrage against said Trotskyists and their schemes, particularly French ones, to which I cannot comment too thoroughly on as I’m not very acquainted with the nuances and happenings of French marxist publications.

and 20% assorted other pot shots against written pieces and the like to which the author has varying degrees of personal experience; It almost reads like I’m browsing through the comments section of a forum post in some niche part of the internet.

Admittedly, this is mentioned from the outset: the introduction says the book is moreso a compilation of notes and essays than a cohesive work. In reading, this is clearly the case.

All in all, the first half is probably worthwhile if you are specifically interested in discussions surrounding the Ukranian famine of 1933, the second half is only really for anyone looking to delve into leftist infighting of the academic (and French) persuasion, or perhaps looking to get an introduction to the nefarious schemes of Leon Trotsky and their modern European inheritors.

[Toskayair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts are very decent and useful. Others are french people bickering with other french people about somethin', I dunno. Barely any context to the other things not involving the canard part. Not some value can be taken of seen as a broader talk rather than a simple feud between french authors, but that's me, if you know the broader context, I can't not recommend it, read it. Do yourself a favor. It's not hard to read, but I had trouble getting the smaller points made when the author attacks another authors. Recommend one skims through a pdf rather than buying the book if one doesn't know the context.

[Robert Roys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book helps to debunk some of the more persistent lies about communism invented by Nazis and the Cold War era West, however imo it would serve better as a companion to the comprehensive works by Losurdo or Furr, rather than as a standalone resource.

[Flipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work - short, well-written and provides enough evidence and sources for the reader to go into further investigation on the matter.

[Eoin Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good bits are good but somewhat tarnished by ramblings.