"A brilliant, stunning, magnificent book. One of the most important figures of the twentieth century, who had a lot to do with setting the stage for the twenty-first, Khrushchev finally has the biography he deserves--deep and detailed yet fast-paced, scholarly yet not stuffy, historical yet intensely human. Taubman brings Khrushchev alive in all his complexity, capturing both the humanity that somehow survived in him and became the bedrock for his political decency, and the cynicism that made him part of the brutality of the Soviet system. The book has the sweep of a Big Book about a Big Figure, yet its style is no-frills, no-nonsense, straight-from-the-shoulder, with judgments proferred judiciously. Taubman does a superb job of portraying the rogue's gallery of Soviet leaders while providing a colorful canvas of the country and its history. Having spent several years of my own life in Khrushchev's shadow, I couldn't be more admiring of what Taubman has accomplished." --Strobe Talbott, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, editor and translator of Khrushchev's memoirs "Monumental, definitive, rich in detail. Taubman pulls aside the curtain and shows us both a fascinating man and new facts about Soviet decision making during the most dangerous days of the Cold War. A highly readable, compelling story." --Anthony Lake, former U.S. national security adviser "The definitive account of Khrushchev's career and personality, this is also a wonderful page-turner about the deadly duel for power in the Kremlin. Altogether it is one of the best books ever written about the Soviet Union." --Constantine Pleshakov, co-author, Inside the Kremlin's Cold War "Few books in the field of Cold War history have been as eagerly awaited as William Taubman's biography of Nikita Khrushchev. Reflecting years of research as well as a keen sensitivity to culture, context, and personality, this extraordinary book more than matches the extraordinary character of its subject. It is a superb portrayal of one of the most attractive--but also dangerous--leaders of the twentieth century." --John Lewis Gaddis, professor of history, Yale University "A portrait unlikely to be surpassed any time soon in either richness or complexity. This volume, with its brisk, enjoyable narrative, succeeds in every sense: sweep, depth, liveliness, color, tempo. Each chapter shines with mastery and authority."--Leon Aron, The New York Times Book Review "Masterful and monumental...one should salute its author for a wonderful achievement....Starting with a juicy subject...Taubman has drawn on a huge body of material, much of it from newly available Soviet sources....He spent nearly twenty years on the book. The result is fun to read, full of insight and more than a little terrifying."--Robert G. Kaiser, Washington Post "Thanks to Taubman, one of the most important figures of the 20th century finally has the biography he deserves....In reconstructing a single paradoxical life, he helps us understand better the complexity of the human condition."--Strobe Talbott, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 03/17/2003
ISBN: 9780393051445
Pages: 908
Weight: 3.37lbs
Size: 9.28h x 6.30w x 2.58d
Award: ALA Notable Books - Winner
Award: National Book Critics Circle Award - Winner
Award: Pulitzer Prize - Winner

Review Citations: Library Journal 10/15/2002 pg. 80
Publishers Weekly 11/11/2002 pg. 47
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2002 pg. 1758
Booklist 11/01/2002 pg. 472
Atlantic Monthly 04/01/2003 pg. 113
New York Times 03/16/2003 pg. 8
New Yorker (The) 03/31/2003 pg. 99
Business Week 04/07/2003 pg. 20
Time 04/07/2003 pg. 78
New York Review of Books 05/01/2003 pg. 32
Booklist 06/01/2003 pg. 1734
New York Times 06/01/2003 pg. 23
Booklist Editors Choice/Adult 01/01/2004 pg. 773
New York Times 12/07/2003 pg. 59