As it happens, this book was written by a good friend's brother. But it's also about a couple of questions close to my heart: what of the ideals of communism can be salvaged from the horrors of 20th century "Actually Existing Socialism" as practiced, and how can we be appropriately critical of those horrors without throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

It's perilous ground, and I've already found things to argue with in the first chapter. But he's a good writer who clearly knows the field deeply, and I am interested to see where he takes it.