by John Reed
First published 1919
American journalist John Reed arrives in Petrograd in November 1917 as revolution erupts around him. He watches Lenin and the Bolsheviks seize power from the crumbling provisional government. Reed moves through the chaotic streets, recording speeches from revolutionary leaders and casual remarks from ordinary citizens caught in historic upheaval. Soldiers abandon their posts, sailors join the cause, and workers storm government buildings. Reed documents each dramatic moment as it unfolds. He captures the voices of peasants and proletarians who believe they are overthrowing centuries of oppression. The journalist becomes more than an observer. He befriends Lenin himself and embraces the revolutionary fervor sweeping the city. Reed writes with the passion of someone who believes he is witnessing the birth of a new world. His account preserves both the grand speeches and small human moments of ten pivotal days that transformed Russia forever.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, non-fiction, journalism, russian-revolution
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: eyewitness-account, first-hand-experience
Setting: Petrograd, Russia
Period: 1917
368 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics