that the World is flat, the World is flat during school hours. The very real problem about the Stalin era in question and the places they happened in that accurate records are difficult to come by and so statistics and stories may often contradict one the other. For those with an agenda, they can have a field day with Stalin. The history of the Mandate of Palestine/Israel is much more straightforward and look at the field for historical propaganda which has emerged. The problem for those of us on the outside who are not historians can be solved by reading a lot of material on the subject. Things become clearer when many writers are consulted. The problem for most people is that they don't, or can't, take the time to be knowledgable about such matters. That's normal, we are not all interested in all things, but we want to hear about more stories than we have the time to ferret out. Professionalism is so important in history, but even that can be attacked from both sides successful when the audience is the casual reader or when agendas become at cross-purposes. The currents and counter-currents of the cultures which once comprised the Soviet Union are complicated beyond belief when it comes to the history of their interactions and competitions and hostility towards one another. Context, and as much as possible, is so important here. But who can give the full context in a single book? This era and place of history