To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
$78.88
FREE delivery January 22 - 29
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: Lot savings
$78.88
FREE Returns
FREE delivery January 22 - 29
Or fastest delivery January 20 - 26
$$78.88 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$78.88
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$38.47
FREE Returns
FREE delivery January 22 - 31
Or fastest delivery January 22 - 29
$$78.88 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$78.88
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine Hardcover – October 10, 2017

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,065 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$78.88","priceAmount":78.88,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"78","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"88","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"rLlwL6ZCsTjoCbxKWFb6bjKM761EKAL%2BWK2S0uCJkkPrsXPobt5L314kOKudVoRleoGnifqCZ91vu15mmjLw9NEyopDNKaBVXXnfQ93x4cdfCIPTpkiHOis%2F%2Blmen3e4UmoIMaoL%2B6ipEMxJCZ1RTC1pGbhlHKvEinPBdVaqVdbv5uszjnn%2BJt5ZL731A8yK","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$38.47","priceAmount":38.47,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"38","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"47","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"rLlwL6ZCsTjoCbxKWFb6bjKM761EKAL%2BjrDNPvCXcDNf%2FuLe35ZIp0no%2FRfxIvMpZVNinb%2FXie0vcxLEQ3gLUcmqSTVgrWT6leERlYuRrVDaBcMEUbEykXhvB3dklBhiphjl8gYqjQtpjw9Nij4A4zFGAiG%2BYLu6UL0InoCVnTlNBZWr3RQqAuLG%2FdqhcZY5","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning
Gulag and the National Book Award finalist Iron Curtain, a revelatory history of one of Stalin's greatest crimes—the consequences of which still resonate today

In 1929 Stalin launched his policy of agricultural collectivization—in effect a second Russian revolution—which forced millions of peasants off their land and onto collective farms. The result was a catastrophic famine, the most lethal in European history. At least five million people died between 1931 and 1933 in the USSR. But instead of sending relief the Soviet state made use of the catastrophe to rid itself of a political problem. In
Red Famine, Anne Applebaum argues that more than three million of those dead were Ukrainians who perished not because they were accidental victims of a bad policy but because the state deliberately set out to kill them.

Applebaum proves what has long been suspected: after a series of rebellions unsettled the province, Stalin set out to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry. The state sealed the republic’s borders and seized all available food. Starvation set in rapidly, and people ate anything: grass, tree bark, dogs, corpses. In some cases, they killed one another for food. Devastating and definitive,
Red Famine captures the horror of ordinary people struggling to survive extraordinary evil.

Today, Russia, the successor to the Soviet Union, has placed Ukrainian independence in its sights once more. Applebaum’s compulsively readable narrative recalls one of the worst crimes of the twentieth century, and shows how it may foreshadow a new threat to the political order in the twenty-first.
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

This item: Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine
$78.88
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 22
Sold by Lot savings and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$55.69
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 21
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by figo place and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$33.28
Get it as soon as Friday, Jan 17
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by NEZIR LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Applebaum's account will surely become the standard treatment of one of history’s great political atrocities . . . She re-creates a pastoral world so we can view its destruction. And she rightly insists that the deliberate starvation of the Ukrainian peasants was part of a larger [Soviet] policy against the Ukrainian nation . . .  To be sure, Russia is not the Soviet Union, and Russians of today can decide whether they wish to accept a Stalinist version of the past. But to have that choice, they need a sense of the history. This is one more reason to be grateful for this remarkable book."
—Timothy Snyder, Washington Post

“Lucid, judicious and powerful . . . The argument that Stalin singled out Ukraine for special punishment is well-made . . . [An] excellent and important book.”
—Anna Reid, Wall Street Journal

“Applebaum chronicles in almost unbearably intimate detail the ruin wrought upon Ukraine by Josef Stalin and the Soviet state apparatus he had built on suspicion, paranoia, and fear . . . Applebaum gives a chorus of contemporary voices to the tale, and her book is written in the light of later history, with the fate of Ukraine once again in the international spotlight and Ukrainians realizing with newly-relevant intensity that, as
Red Famine reminds us, 'History offers hope as well as tragedy.'”
—Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor

“A magisterial and heartbreaking history of Stalin’s Ukrainian famine.”
—Simon Sebag Montefiore, London Evening Standard
 
"Powerful . . . War, as Carl von Clausewitz famously put it, is the continuation of politics by other means. The politics in this case was the Sovietisation of Ukraine; the means was starvation. Food supply was not mismanaged by Utopian dreamers. It was weaponised . . . With searing clarity, 
Red Famine demonstrates the horrific consequences of a campaign to eradicate 'backwardness' when undertaken by a regime in a state of war with its own people."
The Economist

“Anne Applebaum’s
Red Famine—powerful, relentless, shocking, compelling—will cement her deserved reputation as the leading historian of Soviet crimes.”
—Daniel Finkelstein, The Times (London)

“Chilling, dramatic . . . In her detailed, well-rendered narrative, Applebaum provides a ‘crucial backstory’ for understanding current relations between Russia and Ukraine. An authoritative history of national strife from a highly knowledgeable guide.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Author

ANNE APPLEBAUM is a columnist for The Washington Post, a Professor of Practice at the London School of Economics, and a contributor to The New York Review of Books. Her previous books include Iron Curtain, winner of the Cundill Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award, and Gulag, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction and a finalist for three other major prizes. She lives in Poland with her husband, Radek Sikorski, a Polish politician, and their two children.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (October 10, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385538855
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385538855
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.49 x 1.65 x 9.54 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,065 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Anne Applebaum
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Anne Applebaum is a historian and journalist. She is a staff writer for the Atlantic as well as a Senior Fellow at the Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of several history books, including GULAG: A HISTORY which won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction; IRON CURTAIN, on the Sovietization of Eastern Europe after the war, which won the 2013 Cundill Prize for Historical Literature; and RED FAMINE, on the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33, which provides the background to today's Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In 2020 she published the bestselling TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY, which analyzed the appeal of autocracy to Western intellectuals and politicians.

Her newest book, AUTOCRACY, INC, published in July 2024, examines the network of dictatorships - Russia, China, Iran, Norht Korea, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and others - who now work together to support one another, preserve their power and undermine the democratic world.

Anne has been writing about Eastern Europe and Russia since 1989, when she covered the collapse of communism in Poland for the Economist magazine. She has also covered US, UK and European politics for a wide range of American and British publications. She is a former Washington Post columnist and a former deputy editor of the Spectator magazine. She is married to Radoslaw Sikorski, a Polish politician and writer, and lives in Poland and the U.S.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
2,065 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They describe it as a great, enjoyable read with an accessible writing style. The writing style is described as authoritative and well-crafted, providing a comprehensive depiction of events surrounding the forced famine. Many readers find the story relevant to today's events. However, some find the subject matter too difficult to get interested in and the pacing disturbing and heartbreaking.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

75 customers mention "Information quality"72 positive3 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. It provides new insights into a period of history they previously knew nothing about. The book is described as detailed, accurate, and definitive.

"...It offers detailed records and moving oral histories of life in the Ukraine from 1918 to 1935...." Read more

"Definitely “like new”. Detailed discussion of the numerous times the lands now known as “Ukraine” have changed hands & been overrun & occupied by..." Read more

"...This book seems very good with presenting a solid historical overview of the Ukrainian nationalist movement of a century ago, and the years up to..." Read more

"A jewel to understand a part of ukraine- russia dynamics. It is well researched and detailed, full of quotes, historical documents and analysis." Read more

54 customers mention "Readability"54 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a great book for beginners, enjoyable, and educational.

"...This is an excellent book which analyzes how the 1932 – 1933 drought in Ukraine was the result of Soviet policies...." Read more

"...An excellent and well researched book. A must-read for those who want a better understanding of Ukraine & their current motives." Read more

"...This book seems very good with presenting a solid historical overview of the Ukrainian nationalist movement of a century ago, and the years up to..." Read more

"...sources not available to Conquest, tells the story again in another great book...." Read more

51 customers mention "Writing style"40 positive11 negative

Customers find the writing style accessible and authoritative. They appreciate the author's thorough research and synthesis of archival materials. The book provides a realistic insight into the individual suffering, as well as an understanding of Stalin's thinking and motivation. Readers describe it as a workmanlike account of Ukraine's 20th century, centering on the famine.

"...It is well written and so important for anyone who wants to understand today's struggles the Ukrainians are going through...." Read more

"I beg you to read this long, beautifully written but very difficult book. Why is it difficult?..." Read more

"...Anne Applebaum does an excellent job of outlining the events that led to the famine, as well as the impact that it had on the people of Ukraine...." Read more

"...The book is extremely readable...." Read more

48 customers mention "Interest"35 positive13 negative

Customers find the book interesting and pertinent to today's events. They appreciate the well-researched depiction of the events surrounding the forced famine. The book provides a true history of the mindless atrocities, with an interesting first chapter and comments at the end. Readers find the story coherent, with details on the unfolding of the famines and how the world responded.

"...of all peasant food stuffs in the winter of 32-33, the story is stunning in its brutality...." Read more

"Truly enjoyed this book which gives the reader a true history of the mindless atrocities of the soviet regime towards their " Ukrainian cousins"...." Read more

"In spite of my disagreement with the author’s politics, her first chapter is interesting and her comments at the end about trying not to weaponize..." Read more

"...Stalin refused aid for everyone, there were also issues with Ukrainian nationalism and states that there were fears that Ukraine wanted to somehow..." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's pacing good. They describe it as heart-breaking, infuriating, and fascinating. The account sheds light on horror and is not for the faint-hearted.

"...This book is not for th faint-hearted, describing the historical background & awful ways many millions of countrymen died at the hands of occupiers...." Read more

"...up to the famine, as well as the famine itself, are detailed and harrowing...." Read more

"...And the reader feels that indifference in graphic and disturbing detail that stuck with me for hours and days after I finished reading...." Read more

"...Stalin proves them wrong. Readable and horrific." Read more

7 customers mention "Difficulty level"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the book difficult to read and uninteresting. They mention it's repetitive, academically stiff, and rigorous.

"I beg you to read this long, beautifully written but very difficult book. Why is it difficult?..." Read more

"...and researched but somehow much too depressing and tedious to really get interested in...." Read more

"Good writer, difficult subject, possibly better suited for a Ph.D thesis" Read more

"Hvery hard to stay interested" Read more

Shocking Famine
4 out of 5 stars
Shocking Famine
Book ordered is a great read. Very interesting stories, and shocking truth stories.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2018
    Detailed history of the brutal communist imposed artificial famine which decimated Ukraine
    This is an excellent book which analyzes how the 1932 – 1933 drought in Ukraine was the result of Soviet policies. It offers detailed records and moving oral histories of life in the Ukraine from 1918 to 1935. The first third of the book is a little dry as it is dealing with places, names and events that I wasn’t familiar with. However, by the time the book starts to describe the campaign against the “kulaks” (small landowners who employed 2 or 3 farmhands) to the brutal collectivization of the early 30s to the forced confiscation of all peasant food stuffs in the winter of 32-33, the story is stunning in its brutality.

    The Ukraine famine is rarely mentioned in the retelling of brutal 20th century genocides (20th century should probably be known as the “death century”) as the retelling of it would go against the prevailing leftist cultural stranglehold which propagates the idea that socialist/communist societies are magical wonderlands where humanity flourishes. As AOC and Bernie Sanders and a generation of university educated morons assure us that this time the promise of socialism (now rebranded as “democratic “) will magically meet the needs of mankind, this book is a brutal reminder of what power in the hands of ideologically inspired, class conscious, “do gooders” actually looks like.

    The demonization campaign against the Kulaks reminded me so much of the current cultural currents surrounding straight white CIS men that it was eerie. (From chapter 4 )

    "public shaming played an important role in the campaign ……. to who knew them. Silence and terrify everyone. In the atmosphere of hysteria and hatred any criticism of the Communist Party (prevailing liberal ethos) could be used as evidence that the critic was a nationalist, a fascist (or the catch all racist)”

    Ever wonder why comedians aren’t so funny anymore?

    “The official dislike of the kobzar and he bandura was no surprise, like court jesters in Shakespeare’s day, they had always expressed impolitic (politically incorrect) thoughts and ideas, sometimes singing of things that could not be spoken. In the heated atmosphere of collectivization, when everyone was in search of enemies, this form of humor—along with the nostalgia was intolerable”

    After 5 million dead in just over a year, the Soviets yielded and stopped the confiscation of grains. By this time any resistance to the Soviet way was long evaporated. The only thing that remained was to insure the genocide was lost to history. Aided and abetted by such liberal luminaries of our “free” press such as NY Times journalist Walter Duranty, the real facts of this genocide lay hidden for 40 years.

    The history of the Ukrainian people is tragic and reverberates today. I have a co worker in his mid-20s at work whose family emigrated from Ukraine in the 90s. The other day he happened to ask me if I had read any good books lately. I said I’m reading “Red Famine”. He asked what that was about and I told him it was about the collectivization of the farms in Ukraine and subsequent famine. He said “Oh the famine of 32-33.” For a young kid, born in America to know the dates of that famine, when the typical millennial couldn’t tell you the date of Pearl Harbor, I thought was remarkable. It shows the psychic effect of Socialism 3 generations later.

    Read this book for the knowledge you will game, your humanity it will touch and use it to inspire you to resist the false promises of state run economies which a segment of our naïve, woefully mis-educated electorate is pushing.
    51 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
    Definitely “like new”. Detailed discussion of the numerous times the lands now known as “Ukraine” have changed hands & been overrun & occupied by other armies & their people subjected to the whims & tortures of the occupiers. Stalin considered Ukraine his “breadbasket” & subjected the people to the cruel & inhuman torture of famine to cover for his own poor management policies.

    I had to take frequent breaks from reading because the facts & torture were so disturbing. This book is not for th faint-hearted, describing the historical background & awful ways many millions of countrymen died at the hands of occupiers. But it helps to understand the current history & determination of the Ukrainians in their present struggle, for self-determination, freedom & democracy.

    An excellent and well researched book. A must-read for those who want a better understanding of Ukraine & their current motives.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2019
    I read this book looking for history about Ukraine and the Holodomor. As someone very ignorant of the subject matter, I wanted unbiased information as to what happened.
    This book seems very good with presenting a solid historical overview of the Ukrainian nationalist movement of a century ago, and the years up to the famine of the early 1930s. Although I did not check all of the author's sources, her facts were footnoted and seemed to be backed up by other sources.
    What I did not like was that the book overall gave me a sense of one-sided approach, not the neutral approach of someone relating historical fact and letting the reader make a decision as to the motives of the characters. I have read enough history (and written some myself) to see through the author's bias, but did notice that she included historical facts that went against her bias, which is admirable. However, these tended to be smoothed over and rushed through, and the other side well combed and orderly. For example, while the author openly acknowledged that no direct evidence was found in her research that Stalin directly ordered the destruction of the Ukrainian people (nationalists, yes, but the people in general, no), that one sentence is soon buried under many others that use incrimatory remarks against Stalin for "purposely" murdering the Ukrainians.
    I would wish for more information, likewise, on the positive efforts made by the Stalin regime to alleviate the famine. These, again, are alluded to, but are not given much positive space. For example, surely there is archival evidence for the help given to the orphans, and for the distribution of the emergency aid. But these aspects are never detailed, only mentioned in passing. (I am not trying to say Stalin was a hero by any means, but simply want to see the whole picture, unbiased by present political sentiments.)
    If you can see through the author's obvious bias, this book has much good historical information. If you are looking for a neutral presentation of the information, you will have to look elsewhere. If anyone knows of such a neutral book (probably as rare as a stag with gold horns in the present political climate in Ukrainse), I would like to be informed of such. (I give only four stars, knocking one off for the biased presentation.)
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2024
    A jewel to understand a part of ukraine- russia dynamics. It is well researched and detailed, full of quotes, historical documents and analysis.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024
    Truly enjoyed this book which gives the reader a true history of the mindless atrocities of the soviet regime towards their " Ukrainian cousins". In this book one will understand why Ukraine suffered so much at the hands of the soviets and Germans. This is a book that is so valuable in order to understand today's conflicts between the two countries. It is well written and so important for anyone who wants to understand today's struggles the Ukrainians are going through. It is a sad historical account but one that needs to be remembered. Highly recommended
    12 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Michael Jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Things we should all know especially now
    Reviewed in Canada on May 13, 2022
    This book has reaffirmed my knowledge about Russia. I know there will be some that say this is only one person’s opinion, but after reading how the author gets her information by actually interviewing people that went through this hell I believe it will make you question what you think you know.We all have heard the stories about Stalins Russia and his heavy hand. This book gives you a new perspective on what happened in Russia and Ukraine 🇺🇦 between 1900 and 1960. This shows me that we need to be very careful when dealing with Russia going forward. History is replaying itself right now. I am so into the history of Europe and Russia a family of countries trying to live next door to each other and get along. Russia continues to show aggression to its neighbours and has no value of life. Not only other peoples but there own citizens. Maybe there is nothing we in Canada are able to do about what’s going on in Ukraine right now, but we are able to educate ourselves and see the world for what it really is. My hope is the more people know the more people talk which helps to bring on change . I decided to read the book after I read her book about gulag, fascinating account of the repression of peoples and just outright genocide. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read true accounts of what has happened in years past and what is happening right now. Great read, lots of reference points to confirm accuracy of testimony. By it read it and remember it May all happen again. Just my humble opinion though….
  • David W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ukraine's Holocaust
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2024
    Applebaum's forensic analysis of Russia's calculated starvation of nearly 4 million Ukranians is a damning indictment of Soviet Communism, Stalin and his apparatchniks.
    She writes powerfully, combining a wealth of detail with individual human accounts to produce a horrific examination of the origins and reasons for a State-orchestrated genocide.
    It is another masterful work from a great writer.
  • Orso
    5.0 out of 5 stars Che prima di parlare si dovrebbe sempre studiare.
    Reviewed in Italy on August 3, 2023
    Molto bello nella sua tragicità. Per me dovrebbe essere obbligatorio lo studio nelle scuole.
  • Carlos Vivanco Pastore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
    Reviewed in Spain on September 11, 2022
    Although it was difficult for me to follow some of the historical characters, it gave me a much better understating of today's events in Ucrania.

    Whilst reading the book I started to comprehend Russia's aggressive strategy towards the Ucrania as a nation.

    I hace certainly enjoyed and highly recommend to anyone who whish to know more about Ucrania history.
  • Marcos Luz
    5.0 out of 5 stars OMG
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 13, 2020
    A friend of mine has read this book and told me how disturbed he got because of it. Since Crimea episode(Russia invasion), I have been looking for some book that would bring in information about the relationship that connects Russians and Ukrainians and the barrier among then. The famine of 1932 to 1935 is a huge brick. Ukrainians starved to death by the millions not because they did not produce plenty of food but because of a stubborn (to not say radical and genocide) vision of Stalin and his peers towards the proletariat and communism doctrine. Like Chernobyl, the Communist Party also tried to cover it up and failed. Five stars for sure