Curtis’s Reviews > Ten Days that Shook the World > Status Update

2nd Congress riveting. Rapid-fire debates as people side with/against Bolsh. Unwittingly displays prescient critiques from other leftists about how their rule will go while trying to make them look bad (denies other parties have tangible plans). Trotsky insists Bolsh=workers; many workers resist Bolsh just after (rail/post). On-spot depiction has drawbacks tho: too Petrograd-focused; threads intro'd w/o resolution.

Presumption of knowledge surprising; partly explained by how current book was. Still need strong prior knowledge; Russian terms used casually. Reed bold; going into armed defended areas, hitching rides w/ people he knows will be shot at; nearly getting killed. Biased; romanticizes. Plays up education of masses, downplays violence/looting, excoriates non-Bolsheviks. Immersive, especially political scenes. Engaging.

Quite immersive/engaging! Sometimes relying on primary sources, sometimes putting himself in the action. Feels like dropping into middle of story w/ Feb revolution already months past--then goes into why some want it to stop where it is, others want more. Great explainer to why provisional was bad--worse than I thought from reading other books. Notes a problem--crucial info not integrated, but pushed back in chunks.