2 0 ▁million ▁death s ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁during ▁St alin ' s ▁rule ▁due ▁to ▁star v ation , ▁tort ure , ▁g ul ags , ▁and ▁the ▁p urg es ▁and ▁conf essions ▁of ▁St alin ' s ▁Great ▁T error . ▁The ▁estimate ▁of ▁death s ▁under ▁St alin ▁comes ▁from ▁Robert ▁Con quest ' s ▁work , ▁a ▁key ▁source ▁for ▁Am is . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁The ▁book ▁received ▁a ▁mixed ▁reception . ▁In ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times , ▁critic ▁Mich iko ▁K ak ut ani ▁described ▁the ▁book ▁as , ▁" The ▁n arc iss istic ▁mus ings ▁of ▁a ▁spo iled , ▁upper - middle ▁class ▁l itter ateur ▁who ▁has ▁never ▁known ▁the ▁kind ▁of ▁real ▁suffering ▁St alin ' s ▁vict ims ▁did ." ▁Publish ers ▁Week ly ▁found ▁that ▁Am is ▁ ▁" rel ates ▁passion ately ▁a ▁story ▁that ▁needs ▁to ▁be ▁told , ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁a ▁regime ▁that ▁murder ed ▁its ▁own ▁people ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁better ▁future ▁for ▁them ." ▁ ▁Author ▁Anne ▁Apple baum , ▁writing ▁in ▁S late , ▁claimed ▁that ▁" K oba ▁the ▁D read ▁is ▁not , ▁in ▁fact , ▁a ▁compet ent ▁account ▁of ▁St alin ' s ▁reign ▁but ▁rather ▁a ▁mud d led ▁mis render ing ▁of ▁both ▁Soviet ▁and ▁Western ▁intellectual ▁history ." ▁The ▁L ening rad - born ▁American ▁writer ▁Gary ▁Sh te y ng art ▁called ▁K oba ▁" h arrow ing ▁and ▁str ang