4 comments about One Hundred Siberian Postcards.

1. Richard Wirick takes the literary sacred and the nonfiction profane and cracks them together, two eggs in a bowl. Someone needs to talk about what it means to adopt a child, someone needs to talk about Russia in what seems like its posthistorical phase, someone needs to talk about wildflowers, someone needs to talk about the distinct character of Siberia, and quietly through it all, that someone needs to talk about himself. Wirick does all this by skirting round the edges of narrative -- similar to Ben Marcus in his Notable American Women -- and the fact that there is fiber and marrow and heart beneath the words makes it that much more remarkable. A truly transformative book.



2. An adoptive father myself, I found Rick Wirick's book absolutely stunning. You really get to see the strangeness--from both sides (adoptive family and adopted child)--of transnational adoption. The book very sensitively deals with the politics of uprooting a child from her native culture, but it does so in its chosen form: lyrical, elliptical "postcards" sent with some urgency to the global world in which we all live. The writing is exquisite, both historically and culturally informed. Think of Rick Wirick as a poetic ambassador, the kind we ought to employ at the State Department. Do NOT miss this book. It is fabulous.



3. The vignettes of Richard Wirick's Siberian Postcards form a portrait of Russia's outback, a wilderness whose forests, steppes and decayed industrial cities are little known to Westerners fond of nouveau riche Moscow and St. Peterburg. Wirick, who adopted an infant daughter from a Siberian orphanage in 2005, has schooled himself in the region's history and folklore. He has studied the legends of Siberian shamans, the explorations and conquests of the Cossacks, the crimes committed in the aftermath of the Revolution. His visits to children's homes have given him compelling evidence of the "demographic catastrophe" that followed the fall of the Soviet Union, leaving nearly a million Russian children abandoned in decrepit orphanages. His impressions of Siberia are set down with poetic precision; in his often poignant stories, every word tells. The critical praise offered by English poet Hugo Williams is warranted in Wirick's case: this is, as Williams says, "a brilliantly executed masterpiece."



4. I thought this book was very poetic and interesting. I really like the way Wirick wrote short, inventive vignettes about a place most people think of as a frozen wasteland. His detailed descriptions of faraway people and places enables the reader to imagine life in a world far removed from anything they've ever experienced. He obviously did some extensive research and has captured the true spirit of Siberia, both past and present. His glorious command of the English language was imaginatively used to paint vivid pictures of fascinating distant cultures and lands.

5 comments about Enchantment.

1. This is a modern/fantasy romance tale. It is not as popular as some of Card's other books, but it is still a great story. Card sets the story in modern day and in medieval Russia. The evil witch in this story is Baba Yaga! Fans of Russian folktales will enjoy this story, too.



2. My wife kids and I have a great time sitting down and listening to this story in the evening. A wonderful twist on an old fairly tale.



3. This book has got to be one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read - and I've read tons. It ranks up there with my favorite series from Guy Gavriel Kay, The Fionavar Tapestry - This book is just as good as they are, or better. Very captivating story, will definitely keep you turning the pages. Its a fresh take on a fantasy novel and so not what you would expect from Mr. Card. I reccommend it to everyone and they never regret reading it.



4. "I'm ten years old, my whole life you've called me Vanya. My name is on the school records, on government papers as Ivan Petrovich Smetski. Now you tell me I'm really Itzak Shlomo. What am I, a Jewish secret agent?"
   
   Growing up in Russia isn't easy if you were Jewish. Ivan's parents wanted to get him to America, so he could grow up in a land of freedom. And the way they were going to do it was by declaring themselves Jewish, and applying for a Visa to Israel. From there, they were going to go to America. Ivan could grow up free, and Piotr Smetski could teach at a University. But declaring yourself Jewish in 1975 had it's drawbacks in Russia. After Professor Smetski lost his job, the family lost their apartment, and still no Visa was to be had. So the Smetski's moved to the country near Kiev to live with Cousin Marek and his wife.
   
   One day when Ivan was out running, he came across a clearing in the woods. The canopy of leaves overhead was "so dense that it was perpetually dusk at ground level". The ground was covered with leaves. When a slight breeze stirred the leaves, young Ivan could see something at the center. It was a woman: a beautiful, sleeping woman on a pedestal. And when the leaves moved, it wasn't just ground that it covered, but a wide chasm. Then something moved, and Ivan realized that he wasn't alone with the sleeping woman. There was some sort of creature hidden in the leaves. For a ten-year-old boy, this was too much. He ran off as fast as he could. But he never got a chance to tell anyone about what he saw (if he REALLY saw anything at all). Because when he returned to the country house, the family's Visa had come through and everyone was hurrying to get ready.
   
   The plan worked, and the Smetski's immigrated to New York, to a small town close to Syracuse. And this is where Ivan grew into a man. He became a track star and a scholar. Fourteen years later, Ivan was working on his dissertation for his graduate degree. He was studying Russian Folklore and Ancient Languages, and figured the best way to finish his work would be to go back to Russia. At least that's what he told himself. Because in the back of his mind, he knew that he wanted to see if the woman, the clearing and the beast under the leaves was real.
   
   The story of the Sleeping Beauty in most fairy tales ends once the Prince or Knight awakens the Princess and they live "Happily Ever After". But in this story it is only beginning. The best part of this tale is what happens after the beauty is awakened. Katerina is a 9th Century Princess who was hidden in time by the evil witch Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga's powers were so great because she had bound the Russian God, the Great Bear to her and was feeding off his power. What did she want? She wanted to rule to land of Tania, Katerina's land. So she hid Katerina away.....not knowing that Ivan would find her and lead her back to the 9th Century.
   
   I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled with Katerina for a very long time in this book. She was so headstrong (which I usually like in a female character) that she wouldn't listen to reason. She had no sympathy for Ivan coming to a new place and time....and having no idea what the customs were or how he was supposed to act. But when fate sends the couple back to the modern time, she realized just how hard life was for someone who didn't have a clue.
   
   Ivan, however, was a pure soul and I just fell in love with him right from the start. Far sooner than Katerina, that's for sure. Card did an incredible job of intertwining the lives of 2 people from different eras and making a fairy tale come to life. He truly is a gifted writer! On top of the fairy tale, he mixes in Russian folklore and creates a cast of characters that will stay with me for a long time. This was really a remarkable book, with a great story to tell. If you are a fan of Card, or just a fan of fairy tales, this is one book that you must be sure to read!!



5. The story starts off by explaining the background of the main character. It talks about various kinds of folklore and how the story begins. Once Ivan transfers to the other world, the story really starts. Ivan has to go through many embarrasing and fun experiences throughout the book. Orson Scott Card made love real in this book. It wasn't love at first sight, but something requiring better storytelling which Orson pulls off quite well.
   
   The book has a few twists here and there, making fine surprises. Intresting Background detail often comes into play making the story come into full circle. This story is also very exiciting and it feels like the world is actually realistic, despite delightful bits of magic involved. Orson creates very life-like characters in this book while switching viewpoints without disapointing readers.
   
   This book has all that you need. It has love, tension, suspense, happiness, and uses all aspects of the book to make a story you will be glad you read.

5 comments about Playing the Moldovans at Tennis.

1. I really enjoy Tony's humor, the way he writes and the fact that he actually goes through with his totally wild bets. A fun read!



2. As a die-harder on CIS traveling, I do my best in ready every travelouge written on the former Soviet republics - some works, some do not work and some are great. Tony Hawks book is - against all odds - in the 2nd category.
   
   The reason why Hawks has the odds against him for writing a travelouge that works (and under no circumstances is capable of writing a great travelouge) is that is simply doesn't have a clue about Moldova. As anyone that succedes with making a living out of something he doesn't have a clue about, he does not try to behave like he is an expert, he chooses a subject most other people don't have a clue about either and of course it does not hurt that he has a great humour and a lot of good spirit.
   
   As a consequence of his approach though, the book is probably more interesting AFTER you have visited Moldova (or as entertainment for you that have no intention what so ever to go there - a marketsegment I suspect to be much bigger) than as preperation before you go.
   
   2 other CIS travelogues come to my mind after reading Playing the Moldovans at tennis. Hennighan's Lost Province and Bissel's Chasing the Sea. Hennighan does not work, Bissel has written a great travelouge. The reason why Hennighan's book does not work is that as he as Hawks does not have a clue about Moldova nad the CIS, totally lacks the humour and - more important - the self irony and conciousnes about his own ignorance that it takes to write a good travelogue from this startingpoint. It should be stated that if you can live with the anoyments this creates, Hennighans book is quite worthwhile as the period of time he spends in Moldova, the fact that he speaks the language and the fact that he works there, give insights that Hawk's book can not provide. The reason why his travelouge is not great as Bissel's, is exactly because he does not even try to get a clue about the subject before he started writing. One can very well argue though that Hawk never intended to write a travelouge in this tradidtional sense.
   
   Funny book - good observations!



3. As someone who takes a great interest in the former Soviet Republics, I'm always interested in personal travelogues throughout the area. This book didn't disappoint. His perspective is great for a country so rarely visited. And he shows respect and deference to Moldavians and the progress they've been working towards. The pictures are great as are the descriptions of each soccer player.



4. Highly amusing sports journalism, if you want to call it that, not to mention a travelogue.
   
   A writer, who also happens to be your A-grade pennant sort of standard type of tennis player thought it would be interesting to see if he could get one of the worst national football team's players to each play him in a short tennis match.
   
   Not being the most open or easy to get by in country this presents some challenges, and some bemused players, although most are pretty good sports.
   
   Some eye-opening local stuff about the country he comes across, especially with some of the less athletically skilled inhabitants.
   
   A good read, especially given nobody knows anything about the place.
   
   
   3.5 out of 5



5. If the Moldovan football team may not reach notoriety on the playing field, it certainly reaches notoriety on the tennis court. After watching a football match, Tony Hawks---not the skateboarder---makes a bet with his friend that he can defeat the entire Moldovan football team ... in tennis.
   
   Masterfully done by a leading British comedian, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is a perceptive novel about the struggle, bureaucracy, kindness and hospitality in Moldova. Describing the good and the bad of a country so remote from the private eyes, Hawks' insights reveal a beautiful land with its share of problems - tensions in Transnistria, ethnic relations with the Roma community in Soroca, and the corruptive measures of a green organized crime. Yes, there are those references of which a Moldovan may not be proud. But in the heartiest of lights, the book opens a window into the intrinsic splendor of a country that even its people choose to ignore in today's daily struggles.
   
   Filled with laughter, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is the best comedic piece to emerge in the West about transitional economies. Highly recommended!

5 comments about The Road To Kosovo: A Balkan Diary.

1. I felt like I was there with Campbell as he tried to sort out the good guys from the bad guys without getting shot by either. His analysis of the Balkan quagmire, while presented in clear, logical language, does not give me much hope for a happy ending anytime soon over there. I understand Campbell is going back over there shortly. I look forward to reading what his take is on the changes that have occured since his last visit.



2. I have never read a more cynical writer than Campbell. He shows no restraint in his description of Kosovo,in his opinion,nothing more than ugly brown hills with "ragged" natives. He spends much of his time ridiculing albanians and where they live.I used to live in Kosovo,and i can assure you it wasn't that bad. As for the serbs,they get treated a bit differently. Apparently,the serbs aren't really bad people,just led by manipulative leaders. Utter nonsense. Serbs might not agree with Milosevic on most things,but they agreed with him on Kosovo. Blaming evil leaders is far too convenient.



3. The Road to Kosovo A Balkan Diary was a good fast read. I found his experiences similar to a "road trip" I had taken through the R.S. and Croatia with Bosniak License Plates while on vacation during my year working for the U.N. The book gives you a good feel for a foreigner's impression of the area.



4. Well,first of all I must admit that I'm halfway the book now but I'm already able to recommend this book. I had a library copy at home when I bought this book and to be honest I was sorry I did that because I could read the book for free BUT in the very first pages thanks to the writing of Mr.Campbell I have congratulated this book for getting a place in the bookshelf of mine called "Only the best books I've ever read in my life". This book is so good as it tells things as they were.Mr.Campbell tells the truth and doesnt sympathise anybody except the justice. His writing is amazing and you wouldn't be surprise when you get transfered so easily into a strange world full of mysteries. I try to buy every single book about my country and I have plenty of those but "The Road to Kosovo" is the best one. I'll finish by saying -Even if you read 100 books in this subject you wont be able to find as much true information as in this one. And YOU'LL GET TO KNOW THE BOSNIA,KOSOVA AS YOU KNOW YOUR OWN COUNTRY - AND THAT'S ALL THANKS TO GREG CAMPBELL



5. I think this book details why politicians and large political / military organizations like NATO have such a difficulty in successfully performing low level military conflicts like the peacekeeping effort in the Yugoslavia region. This book details by representing the destruction and ongoing fighting, just how ineffective the peacekeeping process was at the start due to a half-hearted commitment by the political leaders. The military in the conventional sense, is not a police force or social working group, the purpose of the military is to destroy the enemy. When asking this force to go about a job they are not designed for with one hand tied behind their back and the constant fear of every decision being second-guessed, is there any surprise that the effort did not work for some time.

   I think this book provides one with a good start to understanding the civil war in Kosovo. I think one would need more details to have a better understanding of what will need to take place for this area to live in peace. A good follow up would be to read Waging Modern War by Wesley Clark.

5 comments about Trekking in Russia and Central Asia.

1. I spent 5 weeks this summer traveling and mountaineering in Central Asia, primarily in the Tien Shan Mountains. Maier's guidebook, Trekking in Russia and Central Asia, was extraordinarily helpful for planning my travels and choosing destinations while travelling. It provided the essential information I needed to get into mountains. The maps and trek descriptions were almost always accurate, and the glossary in the appendix was very useful for breaking down language barriers. I'd rely on it again for future trips.



2. Traveling Russia is like nowhere else in the world, and Maier is uniquely qualified to help make sense of it. This book was the most interesting and useful of the required reading for Peace Corps volunteers going there.



3. This woman has managed to see things that some of us, Russians, are unable to notice, for the reality we live in is too close to our eyes. This book gave me a rare pleasure to see our people and places in a new, clearer, nearly stereoscopic, light.



4. Now that I've been to Central Asia, I understand why the Lonely Planet guidebook refers to Maier's book so often. This is a unique perspective on getting off the beaten path. Her advice is inspiring and practical. Recommend it for anyone who wants to get out of the cities.



5. While this book may be interesting to those who have not been to Russia/CIS yet and have no other sources of information, those who have and were expecting more detailed practical info on trekking will be sorely dissapointed.
   It does have lots of background information on various regions that are of interest to hikers, but unfortunately it is EXTREMELY thin on practical details.
   It tends to write pages about how interesting a region is in general, before finally moving on to "describe" a single trek of several days' length in maybe 10 lines or so! This is particularly bad in the sections about Asian Russia - the European part is covered a bit better.
   The maps and trail descriptions are all but useless for those planning to attempt the hikes on their own.
   Finally, the general advice on travel/hiking in Russia in the introductory section is so out of date now - having been written more than a decade ago - that it is of very little help either.
   All in all, if you want to read about how nice places await discovery out there, you will get your fill. Just don't expect this book to be of much help in actually trying to "discover" them!

2 comments about Silverland: A Winter Journey Beyond the Urals.

1. I have read Dervla Murphy for years and enjoyed her usual open mindedness about people and places,
   which did not include polemics. Perhaps it is her age (I am 10 years older) but she seems disenchanted
   and possibly depressed by today's world. I do not like US politics, multinational corporations' callous use
   of people and the environment, and the abuses of capitalism which are the bete noires throughout her
   enjoyable vignettes of the people and experiences of her Siberian travels. But her opinions were not
   necessary--one could draw their conclusions from her observations. Her historical background was
   excellent and needed. I kept thinking that we of the WW 2 generation are very sad at how the world
   has turned out and maybe her exposes were needed for younger readers, but they were superfluous
   to my enjoyment.



2. If you are thinking of traveling through Siberia by slow train in winter, this book is a 'must pack.' Dervla Murphy's account of her second swing through parts of the Russian hinterlands is replete with useful traveler's details. And it is clear that she researched her topic: the pages of 'Silverland' are peppered with long excerpts from European travel accounts (going back even to Roman times).
   
   The most engaging sections involve the author's interactions with various Siberians and her sometimes harrowing depictions of mishaps and hardships.
   
   'Silverland' also documents the severe environmental damage still being done to a landscape so recently pristine--particularly around Lake Baikal--and the resultant damage to human beings who breathe foul air and drink polluted water.
   
   Dervla Murphy strikes a somber note in this book. Her angst at the way the world is run is obvious and blatant. She is long on criticism and short on solutions, not that any reader would expect them. (Not that there are any.)
   
   Having had a long acquaintance with Dervla Murphy's experiences as related in her many books, I can only thank her for her service and wish her well. Each book reveals as much about the author as the subject, and 'Silverland' is no exception.

No comments about America through Russian Eyes, 1874-1926.

No comments about St Petersburg City Map (Detail Map).

1 comments about Lost Russia: Photographing the Ruins of Russian Architecture.

1. This book not only met my expectations, but exceeded them. The author took me to places i will never get to see, as well as provide me amazing pictures of these sites for my artistic reference library. as well as explaining about the sites themselves. Most saddeinig is the state of dissrepair of these historical sites, and the lack of funding to keep them up.
   
   This book held many a haunting image, weither you buy this to learn about architecture of a past Russian time, or photographic reference, or the state of these amazing landmarks fallen into disrepair... or if you have an explorer's streak within.. you will not be dissapointed. Worth every penny.

4 comments about Where the Sea Breaks Its Back: The Epic Story of E.

1. Excellent story of the discovery of Alaska by the famous explorer,Vitus Bering and naturalist, Georg Steller. Combines text from Steller's extensive notes and observations of the author.



2. A true account of Vitus Bering's voyage from Russia to discover what is now Alaska. Anyone interested in the history of Alaska should start by reading this book, or someone looking for an actual true life adventure story that makes one appreciate the dangers encounted in the 1700's by these amazing explorers. This book is written from the journals of Georg Stellar, the naturalist on-board the boat that discovered Alaska. The first written account and identification of many species that Stellar discovered and writes about in his journals. One of which is extinct today and his writings are the only account of the massive Stellar Sea Cow. A fabulous account of these adventurors and their interaction with the beautiful, but deadly, Alaska coast and it's native people.



3. This was a terrific story about the quest to find what is now Alaska. It gives insight into just how courageous these early exployers were. I can't comprehend of enduring those sort of hardships. Ford is also a good biologist and gives interesting commentary on the animal life. He also describes what may have been the first observation of a diving reflex in a marine mammal, the now extinct Northern sea cow. If you read this, it would be hard to complain about our current quality of life.



4. Great historical read of the Russian Bering/Stellar voyage to Alaska. Corey Ford's writing is vivid, flowing, has first hand knowledge of the Bering Sea islands, gifted nature writer. I've given this book as a must read to several friends.