The Road (Vasily Grossman, various dates 1930s - 1950s)

I really like this guy's writing.  I also like stuff set in Russia, including this dark era with Stalin, WWII, Nazi invasion, 1937 liquidations, kulaks, etc. - compelling settings. Grossman in trouble with the authorities from time to time while also having success with Russian army as writer for "Red Star". As mentioned elsewhere - his masterpiece was denied publication by the Soviets and had to be smuggled out.

This is a collection of Grossman's short stories plus a few essays and letters.

"The Old Teacher" - the ending where the young girl in a maternal way consoles the teacher who was waiting for words of love. Compare to Life and Fate scene with the (female, unmarried) doctor going into the gas chamber taking care of someone else's child. I liked this.

"The Hell of Treblinka" - read only a few pages plus skim. A topic on which I feel pretty well informed so not wanting to slog through the grim detail again.  This is notable because it’s one of the first accounts. 

"The Road" - two mules working with German army, then the younger mule with mare with Russian army. I see that this was about the Italian army invading Ethiopia; but it felt in many ways like a metaphor for folks slaving away in the labor camps. 

"Mama" - a key figure in the 1936-38 liquidations adopts an orphan, who then becomes an orphan again when this person (Yeshov) is himself arrested and taken away (also his wife).

Interesting throughout; recommended.

Animal Farm (George Orwell, 1946)

It's such a good book. Orwell "gets" it. Worth an occasional re-read.

I feel pretty much the same about the book as when I wrote this summary on this blog back in 2011:

"The story is familiar.

The inevitable end-point of centralized political/ideological control:  "All animals are equal.  But some are more equal than others."  Boxer's death - compelling. 

I haven't read this since high school.  I'm sure it was quite interesting in high school - but (as often when I think of books read back then) - I wonder what I then thought of it.  I pretty much read it in an information vacuum.  Now - nigh 40 years later - have had the benefit of much more reading about Russia, Communism, the Spanish Civil War, political environment when this was written in the 1940s.  Maybe I get half of Orwell's allusions now?  What percentage did I get in high school (when I wouldn't have even known about Leon Trotsky)?  What percentage if I read this again in 20 years?

Another thing I hadn't realized was the extent of Orwell's commitment to socialism - given the nature of the book, I would have assumed he opposed.  But the foreword to this edition indicates that he was then a true believer - had fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Soviet-supported government against the Nazi (fascist)-supported rebels - but left after seeing the murderous nature of the Russian "support."  Animal Farm was supposed to debunk the myth of the Russian version of socialism, to help prospects in other socialist systems. 

Good.  Short.  Effective."