Review of Tale-Two-Systems-Comparison-Capitalism-ebook

[Gavice Victoria]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tale-Two-Systems-Comparison-Capitalism-ebook" by Ian Williams.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Tale of Two Systems: A View of Ordinary Life in Communist USSR and the West - the United States of America by Ian Williams will transform you and make you appreciate the things you have. It will make you reflect deeply and be grateful for the things you once considered common.

Ian Williams is a computer engineer from the United Kingdom. The company we worked for assigned him and two of his colleagues to install an old computer in the Soviet Union. When the team received the news, they were anxious and excited at the same time. The western life they were used to would be significantly different from that of the east. Although they knew the history of the east and revised it before their movement, they were still unsure of what to expect. When they arrived at the airport in Moscow, the amount of police and surveillance they encountered was terrifying. The default belief was that all foreigners were spies, so it didn't matter that they were engineers. Their visit lasted three months, but he observed quite a lot about these people. Secondly, he was assigned to work in California in the United States a few months after returning from the Soviet Union. These two trips helped him observe the sharp contrast between life in America and the Soviet Union.

There were some things I liked about this book. Ian Williams first gave a background on the USSR, which was refreshing. I revised stuff I learned in high school about protectorates, bourgeoisies, world wars I and II, the USSR, etc. After reading this book, I greatly appreciated freedom and democracy. I found life in the communist society of the Soviet Union interesting but restricted. This book is rich in the history, lifestyle, and descriptions of the environment of the Soviet Union. I learned the Russian word "zavtra," meaning "tomorrow." I learned that it was illegal to leave the Soviet Union while carrying Soviet currency, among many other things. This book was both educational and entertaining, and I loved every bit of it. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which Joshua Mount narrated. His narration was clear and made the reading experience an enjoyable one for me. Whenever I paused the audiobook to do something else, I always looked forward to when I could return to it. Aside from high school, when I learned about these things, this book is by far the most comprehensive book I have read about the Soviet Union. This book is special and unique because it is told from a personal experience point of view. This is the kind of book I would love to read all over again. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for the above reasons.

The only negative aspect I noted in this book is its different titles. The book has conflicting titles, which should never be so. The title of a book is its first and most crucial identifier and should not be written to confuse the reader. In OBC, the title of this book is Tale-Two-Systems-Comparison-Capitalism-ebook: Journal of a comparison of everyday life in communist USSR and the west. In Audible (the format I read), the book cover says A Tale of Two Systems: A View of Ordinary Life in Communist USSR and the West - the United States of America. I went further to search for it on Kindle for clarification. On Kindle, the book cover says A Tale of Two Systems: Comparison of Communism and Capitalism in everyday life. I was really confused as to which one I should use in my review. This negative aspect did not affect my reading experience nor the book's content, as the book was excellent in all ramifications. Therefore, it did not affect my rating. I will, however, admonish the author to resolve the title issue so that readers looking to read this wonderful book can easily find it.

If you want to learn about living conditions in the Soviet Union and the communist operations there, then you should read this book. The most exciting thing about it is that it is written in a simple language. Apart from the Russian names, words, and phrases ( which were translated into English), everything else is written in layman's language, making the book suitable for a wide variety of readers. Those who love to read historical books and those interested in politics and economics will love this book too. I did not notice any errors while listening to this audiobook, which means it was exceptionally well edited.

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Tale-Two-Systems-Comparison-Capitalism-ebook
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[Chimereucheya Okoroafo]

I guess the two systems are the old computer system and the modern one, which they are used to. This book doesn't seem so appealing to me at the point. I'm not really the mood for reading books involving the USSR but I must commend your beautifully written review.

[Elendu Clement Ekechukwu]

Ian Williams' life in the east is not one of those smooth lives you enjoy in the west. Imagine being seen as a spy when you are just an ordinary engineer

[Victoria Ukamaka]

This book sounds like it is going to be very educational. This is the kind of book I would love to read. It is however bad that the author couldn't decide on a specific title for this book. This is going to confuse a lot of people when they want to get it. The author should try and resolve this title issue.

[Judy O]

Since this book is non-fiction, it must mean that the tales discussed in these book would be realistic. I look forward to knowing more these contrasts he noticed between life in Russia and that in America.

[Famzi Ken]

This sounds like a book on politics. Though I find books such as this educational, I'm not always keen to read them. But I'd try this one out sometime. It sounds interesting. Great review.

[Gavice Victoria]

I guess the two systems are the old computer system and the modern one, which they are used to. This book doesn't seem so appealing to me at the point. I'm not really the mood for reading books involving the USSR but I must commend your beautifully written review.

Not the computer systems. The two systems are the systems of government in the Soviet Union and that in the US. The author told how their different systems of government affect the citizens and the scenery of the country in general.

[Gavice Victoria]

This sounds like a book on politics. Though I find books such as this educational, I'm not always keen to read them. But I'd try this one out sometime. It sounds interesting. Great review.

It does have a political corner. It majorly talks about the system of government in the Soviet Union (which is communism) and the system of government in the United States. Having lived and worked in both East and West, the author compared and contrasted both environments.

[Wash William]

Looking forward to resting this book. From the well-detailed reveiw i already know what to expect. I also loved the organisation of your review it was awesome I must say.

[Azuka Jessica]

It's very obvious from your review, the book's title and cover page that it contains a lot of politics. I love politics, but I'm not cut out for these types. So, I think I am going to pass. Amazing and we'll detailed review though.

[Success Azuka]

This review sounds interesting. The author did a nice job in presenting the book to be interesting and easy to understand. Thanks for a wonderful and intriguing review. But this book is not really my thing. I will get bored easily.

[third agbata]

I am so captivated by your review. I think this will be a great read form me.

[Christabel Egbeama]

The aspect of valuing what you have is very intriguing but from what I've read in this, it doesn't seem to be a book that I'm excited to read. I'll pass on this one. Thanks for the review.

[kensgarment odogwu]

This seem to be a book on politics. I am not so into this kind of books. However, I found your review to be so interesting and detailed. I love your honesty. The title of this book is very catchy, I am still in doubt if I should check out this book.

[E Daves]

I would love to know how these two systems differ. I like how detailed this review of A Tale of Two Systems: A View of Ordinary Life in Communist USSR and the West - the United States of America by Ian Williams is. I appreciate you for taking your time to share your thoughts on this book with us. Nice one.