What struck me most about this book was the numbing similarities between the plight of the people in the stricken lands visited by the author. Tyranny is not a very original or creative form of government, and must resort the same horrors wherever it appears around the world. A very insightful and entertaining book. Read it. ( )

Daniels/Dalrymple's account of visiting the last communist hold-outs -- Romania, Albania, North Korea, Vietnam -- in 1989 and 1990, as the edifice of state Marxism was collapsing world-wide. Enlightening, but not up to the standard of his shorter journalism. Memorable for Daniel's musing on the Enver Hoxha library, and his absolute rage that this solipsistic tyrant died in his bed. Later, in the midst of his write-up of his experience in Romanian, Ceaucesceu is overthrown and killed. Stopped in the middle (6.10.06, perhaps?)