I totally agree with the recommedation of Red Plenty. It's really a lucid set of stories about the Soviet system. I can't say I really knew a lot going into it,

I totally agree with the recommedation of Red Plenty. It's really a lucid set of stories about the Soviet system. I can't say I really knew a lot going into it, but it doesn't fall into the trap of saying "damn commies" every few pages. The scene with the Gosplan planner trying to solve the problem of allocation of resources is a particularly damning indictment of central planning.