Why Communism failed
Fiction, but interspersed with true stories and enough notes so that you can tell truth from fiction if you like. This book mentions but doesn't focus on the brutalities of the system but rather on the inherent absurdities of a non-market system, the weaknesses of the cleverest plans. Parallel stories with various people popping up again and again, with a guide to help you keep them straight. An illuminating but easy read.