ely ▁fun ny " ▁in ▁the ▁Washington ▁Post , ▁explaining , ▁"' K oba ▁the ▁D read ' ▁is ▁not ▁easy ▁to ▁forget . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁the ▁laugh ter ▁it ▁offers ▁the ▁reader ▁un famil iar ▁with ▁St alin ' s ▁legacy ▁a ▁number ▁that ▁is ▁the ▁first ▁step ▁in ▁understanding ▁Russia ' s ▁modern ▁tra ged y . ▁That ▁number , ▁once ▁again , ▁is ▁twenty ▁million ." ▁In ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁Book ▁Review , ▁writer ▁and ▁critic ▁Paul ▁B erman ▁called ▁the ▁work ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁odd est ▁books ▁about ▁St alin ▁ever ▁written , ▁ind ign ant , ▁angry , ▁personal ▁and ▁str ang ely ▁touch ing ... [ Am is ' s ] ▁book ▁car ries ▁a ▁p unch , ▁art fully ▁delivered — a ▁p unch ▁that ▁comes ▁from ▁looking ▁at ▁death ▁and ▁finding ▁in ▁it ▁nothing ▁but ▁pain , ▁cruel ty , ▁sad ness , ▁point less ness ▁and ▁loss , ▁a ▁p unch ▁that ▁comes ▁from ▁gaz ing ▁at ▁the ▁ind es cri bably ▁hor r ific ▁prison ▁cam ps ▁of ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union , ▁or ▁that ▁comes ▁from ▁watching ▁one ' s ▁father ▁and ▁sister ▁die ." ▁The ▁book ▁received ▁sc ath ing ▁reviews ▁in ▁the ▁UK . ▁Histor ian ▁Or lando ▁Fig es ▁critic ised ▁Am is ▁for , ▁amongst ▁other ▁things , ▁comparing ▁the ▁cry ing ▁of ▁his ▁six - month ▁daughter ▁with ▁the ▁c ries ▁from ▁But yr ki ▁Pr ison ▁in ▁Moscow ▁during ▁the ▁Great ▁T error .