I have recently begun digging deeper into the history of communism in the Soviet Union. I know there are many worthwhile books that document the atrocities in the form of memoir, such as the Gulag Archipelago, but I was looking for something intended to be a comprehensive historical survey of what happened under communism. Thus, I came across The Black Book of Communism. It appears that opinions are split on the book and its accuracy, with some critics claiming it manipulated and inflated numbers.

Anyways, my question is: do you recommend this book? Is there another book meant to be a true history of the communism of the Soviet Union that you would recommend?