Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven: Symphony for the City of the Dead

I'd been meaning to listen to M.T. Anderson's non-fiction book Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dimitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad for a while now, and I'm so glad I finally did, and that I listened specifically, since the audiobook includes snippets of the Shostakovich's seventh symphony, written in Russia during the Second World War.  I was even inspired to borrow a recording of the symphony and listen to it (which I'd also recommend doing).  I had vague, high school history notions of Soviet Russia during WWII, so I really appreciated an opportunity to learn more about this dark corner of history--fair warning: if you want an upbeat story, this book is not for you.  But if you want a fascinating and well-researched glimpse into both one man's life and its broader historical, political, and social contexts, then this book is definitely for you.  I particularly appreciate how Anderson explicitly evaluates the many sources he presents, explaining the potential merits and deficits of each, and then leaving it to listeners (or readers) to draw their own conclusions, or to concede that there are some things that must remain unknown.  Even so, this is not a dry compilation and presentation of the evidence: Anderson masterfully creates a narrative of the whole that kept me rapt.  I can't recommend this book highly enough.