I think the main problem with T-34 history is the fact, that during Soviet times, any official criticism of Soviet made weapons and weapon systems, was prohibited.
(I'am from Poland, and although I born after SU collapse, I know from stories, and other sources how life behind Iron Curtain looked back then)
But let's take a look at some facts. Many Guard Units, considered as Elite in the Red Army, was not using T-34's but M4's.
Even from technical point of view M4 was more advanced, more realiable tank than T-34. I strongly recommend here to read Aberdeen Procing Grounds tests report, where engine, transmission and filtres design and reliability was called a "sabotage", and that was a real issue with T-34's, If I remember correct, engine service life at some point was calculated to be only 100 motohours.
And there were many more problems, in Dmitriy Loza memoirs, he says, that when M4 was hit, it was preatty safe tank, You could get out and hid under a tank, if there was such nececity on the battlefield, and even when ammunition get cook off, You could only hear some sort of "poof", while in case of T-34, You should run like hell as far as possible from tank, because when ammunition started to cook off, the whole thing just blow off in to pieces.
When I read such sources, confronted them with popular opinions about T-34, I get a conclusion that T-34 status is in fact based on a myth, on Soviet propaganda, not on reality.
I think that even designers involved in to T-34 project were fully aware of problems with it's design.
We should remember that T-34 designer was Koshkin, but the most famous, and most briliant soviet tank designer was Morozov, at that time younger engineer and protege of Koshkin. IMHO Morozov who took a lead of T-34 designing team after Koshkin death (and here is really interesting theory, there is official version how Koshkin died, and there is a theory that Koshkin was murdered on Stalins order, after one of T-34 presentation where tanks both gearboxes burned out when tank was driven by one of aparatchiks to show how "easy" it is in driving, of course it is non official) had not very good opinion about it's design (Morozov itself was in tank designing ahead of it's times), this iw hy T-34 in it's original form was not even meant to be manufactured in such numbers as it was, instead designing team was working on T-34M that was deeply redesigned. However the war demanded a simple tank that could have been manufactured in incredible numbers... however M4 was manufactured during war in much greater numbers, while it had been vehicle much more reliable, manufactuer as high quality product, and what is important, it was somehwat ahead of it's times, from simple for our standards but then advanced gun stabilization system, to safe ammunition storage in later M4 variants... something that today, in reality only M1 Abrams have (other tanks have less safe ammunition storage systems... or none of such).
So the very important question is that T-34, deserved to be called best medium tank of WWII... and there are many more question about WWII military technology, like if the German Tanks deserved to be called best AFV's of WWII... I know that for some people it might be a historic revisionism, but if such questions are not justified after more detailed and closer look at many sources?
Of course memoirs are also in English.