What do You think about Ten Days That Shook The World (Value Edition) (2006)?
هذا العنوان الذي أعطاه الصحفي الأمريكي جون ريد لكتابه "عشرة أيام هزت العالم" يعتبر الكتاب من أهم الوثائق والمراجع للثورة البلشفية في روسيا عام 1917 فهذا الكتاب بحدة وكثافة مدهشتين يسترجع لنا أحداث الثورة والمشاهد المعاشة الصادقة تجعلك كأنك عايشت الثورة بكل أحداثها وتفاصيلها جون ريد رسم لوحات مرسومة من مشاعر الجماهير بدقة وتجعلك تفهم مختلف أطوار الثورة , جون ريد مع أنه أجنبي وشيوعي لكنه تكلم بحيادية عن الثورة فقد قال في نقدمة كتابه "لم تكن عواطفي على الحياد أثناء الصراع، ولكني حاولت، وأنا أصف تاريخ تلك الأيام العظام، أن انظر إلى الأحداث بعين الراوي الأمين المهتم بتسجيل الحقيقة"..في بداية الكتاب قبل سرد وقائع الأحداث أعطى للقارئ مقدمة إيضاحية تقوده إلى قلب الثورة ووضع أيضا رؤية واضحة للتركيبة السياسية في روسيا من تنظيمات وأحزاب وإتحادات ولجان وجمعيات تعاونيات ..أعجبتني جدا لغته الأدبية العالية وسرده المشوق التي الذي منح للكتاب المتعة مقترنة بالمعلومة..بالنسبة لريد كانت روسيا السوفييتية عزيزة على قلبه ,وفيه قد أصيب بالتيفويد ودفن في الكرملين تكريما له,كما كتب مقدمة الكتاب لينين وترجمته زوجة لينين للروسية وكتبت في المقدمة "فالذي وصف جنازة ضحايا الثورة، كما وصفها جون ريد، يستحق مثل هذا الشرف...!!
—Mohammed
I just finished this one, after meaning to check it out since college. Sometimes you know a book is great even if you yourself have a hard time reading it. That was the case for me in the very well written and detailed personal account of the October Revolution in Russia, as experienced by American reporter and Communist sympathizer, Jack Reed.The excellent movie Reds is based in large part on the accounts in this book. (Warren Beauty producing, directing, writing, and starring as the author, Reed.) I love that film, and assumed I would love the book. I certainly admire the book, and can see why a movie was made of it; Reed's descriptions of moods, sights, sounds and smells, his overall description of environment is immpeccable. The reader feels as if they are right there with Reed as he surveys the war front, walks dark streets, and experiences the unspecified yet palpable unrest that was so pervasive in all parts of Russia during that historical time. I loved these parts of the book.But the book is just as much, if not more, Reed's account of the literally scores of factions, political parties, armies, navies, congresses, and commititees. Man alive, were there committees in revolutionary Russia! Hundreds! Everywhere! Even in the Army. There was even a Commitee of Commitees, and a Union of Unions. So horribly complex were the struggles of these inummerable political/governmental groups that one could very easily get lost trying to remember who was who, and who was against what, etc. There is a brief description at the front of the book for each of the parties, but flipping back and forth grew tedious, so I gave up. A reference card as one reads is required for most people not well versed already in Russian history of the early 20th century. While I am sure Reed breaks it down better than most, the chunks are still hard for a novice to swallow sometimes.He is also a victim of his meticulous collecting, whole pages sometimes being dedicated to verbatim accounts of speeches and articles and pamphlets set out all over Russia. Makes one's head spin.Yet even then, I admired the passion with which he wrote those part of the accounts. Not exactly as moving or intriguing as the mood pieces spread throughout the pages, Reed certainly leaves no stone unturned. Unfortunatley, one has to be a geologist to keep some of them straight.I will, in all liklihood, read the book again one day, when more of it has time to process. For though Reed himself confessed that he failed to be 100% objective, his first hand account of one of the most important social shifts in world history is invaluable to historians. And his prose, (and even some poetry) is a very rich feast for any wordsmith, such as myself.A book to be admired and remembered, even when confusing. Not for everyone, and sometimes, not for me. But when it did hit with me, I was quite glad to have finally, after about eight years, picked it up and read it.
—Ty
Reed actually lived through the Russian Revolution of 1917 in St. Petersburg so he knows what he's talking about. However, he was a member of the American Communist Party and this leads to a very biased view of events. He favors the Bolshevik; the book borders on propaganda as opposed to objective journalism. This being said, it is still a more nuanced view than official Soviet Party history. The reader gets a good sense of the chaos and uncertainty surrounding the events of November 1917: starving soldiers leaving the German front streaming back to the cities, various committee meetings with animated debate, workers taking up arms, and the beginning of the civil war when Kerensky resigns from the provisional government. Lenin is described as a calm, fatherly figure, speaking in even measured tones while Trotsky is portrayed as a fiery orator.
—Joe Strnad
