Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad

by M.T. Anderson

Book Overview

A 2016 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson delivers a brilliant and riveting account of the Siege of Leningrad and the role played by Russian composer Shostakovich and his Leningrad Symphony. In September 1941, Adolf Hitler's Wehrmacht surrounded Leningrad in what was to become one of the longest and most destructive sieges in Western history--almost three years of bombardment...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763668184
• ISBN13: 9780763668181
• Release Date: September 2015
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 5.9" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

A life changing book

Dimitri Shostakovich lived through the Russian Revolution, Lenin's reign, Stalin's Reign of Terror, and World War II. Mr. Anderson has poured a massive amount of research and time into this book. The book's layout is nicely done and he knows how to steady the flow of information to keep you engrossed but not overwhelmed. I never knew much about Russia until I read this book. The things that happened in Russia during that time. Reading about it while following Shostakovich's life was different from reading other books during this time. It made it more real, and painfully enlightening. It makes you love the USA and understand why many admire this country and still do. After reading this I felt inspired and blessed with opportunities. If you want to know more about Shostakovich, I would highly recommend reading this book. He is an incredibly interesting person. If what has been written about him is true, I would say he is an admirable person.