End of the Line: The Failure of Communism in the Soviet Union and China

Book

New York Times senior correspondent Wren has written a fine comparative narrative of his experiences in the Soviet Union and China. Those who have read Hedrick Smith's The Russians ( LJ 9/15/76; 1983. 2d ed.) or David Shipler's Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams ( LJ 9/1/83) will find some of Wren's anecdotes familiar. Nevertheless, the book offers a valuable corrective to works that emphasize distinctions between Soviet and Chinese Communism. To be sure, differences exist, but Wren reveals a common political culture of repression, cynicism, and corruption sustained by the "power of hope and hate." Wren's failure to emphasize the innovative character of Gorbachev's regime is either disappointing or predictable, depending on one's viewpoint, but his fine writing and array of subjects--from Russia's underground to the "new vitality" of Chinese Islam--offer enduring images. Recommended for subject collections.
- Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ., Erie
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