Budapest-born Sebestyen, a veteran journalist who reported extensively on the collapse of communism and the breakups of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, gives backstory to the significant events of the 20th century by turning in what is reportedly the first big biography of Lenin in two decades. Sebestyen explains how Lenin emerged from a backward and oppressive regime to produce his own brand of oppression, becoming "a mirror image of the Romanov autocracy" while also discussing his relationships with his wife and mistress, presenting a portrait of the man and not just the politician.

Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) had a populistic style that helped him gain political advantage in many situations. Here, journalist Sebestyen (Revolution 1989) attempts to show that the Russian communist leader was not a revolutionary by definition; rather, he was someone who happened to be close to the revolution. To create the first comprehensive study of Lenin in two decades, the author has gathered sources from diaries, letters, and personal papers that provide extraordinary detail about Lenin's personal life, including his relationships with his wife and mistress. Also described are the momentous decisions of the 1917 Russian Revolution, such as the decision to murder Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Lenin later become known for his challenges to intellectual freedom and purging libraries of books that were considered unacceptable. VERDICT This well-documented work will satisfy amateur and professional historians alike.—Harry Willems, Great Bend P.L., KS