Alvah's Books

Continuing with the leftist theme, August offers reviews about….Communism and the Russian Revolution. Just like the Spanish Civil War there’s a vast number of books on the subject that can make anyone’s head spin like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. This month, we’ll try to recommend the books we like best. Some have been around for a long time like Richard Pipes’  The Russian Revolution,  Theodore Draper’s The Roots of American Communism, and other’s like  Archie Brown’s The Rise and Fall of Communism published this summer.

This month will also include some new fiction reviews as well as the weekly bestseller lists and cookbook reviews.

So to kick off August and get you in the spirit,  here’s a little song:

At Alvah’s Books we’re starting something new. Every month, I’ll have a “What’s Happening” in the beginning of the month and give readers a heads up of what to expect.

I thought I would kick this off in June because  it’ s a very special month here at  Alvah’s Books.  On June 4th, this site’s namesake, Alvah Bessie, was born in New York City in 1904, and on this day, I’m delighted to write that I’ll be posting  a lovely tribute written by Alvah’s eldest son, and my good friend and comrade, Dan Bessie—himself a writer, film director, animator, and all-around great guy.

During the entire month of June,  I will be reviewing several of Alvah’s  books, including his masterpiece Men in Battle, his memoir of his time in Spain as a volunteer of the Abraham Lincoln Brigades during the Spanish Civil War; Inquisition in Eden, Alvah’s autobiographyof his role as a Hollywood Ten member; his novel about the Blacklist, The UnAmericans; Spain Again his follow-up to Men in Battle nearly 30 years later, as well as his book of short stories.  In addition,  two books about the Spanish Civil War and the Hollywood Blacklist will be reviewed and will serve as an introduction to these two topics.

I hope the reviews pique your interest to learn more about this wonderful and idealistic writer and that they inspire you to seek out his books and read them.

Please visit often, and don’t forget to a leave a comment. I always enjoy hearing from my readers!

In keeping with this month’s theme. . .

In Struggle and Salut!