Ten Days That Shook the World

John Reed’s Ten Days that Shook the World represents one of the 20th Century’s greatest political-literary achievements, being one of the first book length eye-witness accounts of the great Russian October Revolution.

John Reed, active in the left wing of the Socialist Party of America, went on to found the Communist Party, USA, along with James P. Cannon and William Z. Foster after returning from his participation in the October Revolution. This book firmly establishes the importance of the Revolution in the history of the 20th Century. It allows the reader to almost be a participant, along side Reed, Lenin and Trotsky, in this momentous and history shattering event. Reed brings you to the meetings, marches and battles of the Russian working class. When a speaker argues for insurrection, you are ready with anticipation waiting to confront the Czar’s troops, when Reed takes you to a workers demonstration, you duck along with Reed with the sound a rifle shot aimed, it seems, for YOU and when the workers seize power at the climax of book you feel the victory in your blood as it brings shivers to your body with the realization that you are there with Reed at the beginning of the World Socialist Revolution…. There are no other books of non-fiction that I am aware of that involves the reader such as Ten Days that Shook the World does.