Recent Reading

I recently finished reading The Russian Far East: A History by John J. Stephan. It is a very well written and concise history of the eastern most regions of what is now the Russian Federation. Unlike a great many academic books it is not dry and boring. Instead it presents a compelling narrative of political, diplomatic, military, social and economic developments in the Russian Far East. It does a particularly good job of describing the events and changes from 1917 to 1956. Stephan writes with wit and in plain English rather than academic jargon. I highly recommend this book.