5 comments about Return to Ukraine (Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Tex.).

1. As a foreigner to the subject of Eastern European Studies, I found Ms. Savage's book to be a noteworthy introduction to Ukraine. Documenting a compelling journey through time, Ms. Savage invites her readers to travel with her round Ukraine. Her passage titled Ukranization of a Ukrainian American, is an effectual commentary, through which any immigrant can relate to the trepidation and awe that overcome us as "strangers" in our homeland. Return to Ukraine recites a compassionate tale of Ms. Savage's personal expedition to identify with her birthplace amidst the historical and political struggles of the post-Soviet lands to independence.



2. Having taken a trip in 1990 for a pilgrimage to my grandparents' graves and to see my roots I was really interested in reading Ania's book to see what her impressions were. I had reservations about the ability to stomach reading the boring diary of someone else's trip. Boy was I surprised. I couldn't put the book down. Ania has a very interesting writing style. I didn't have to read dry trip recounting by a "wanna-be" author. I read a professionally written "story" with interesting scenes from her travels. These were presented complete with flashbacks and interspersed with historical facts that helped me understand the situation.

   I think that anyone interested in understanding that period of time should read this book. Additionally one of the best uses of the book would be to make it required reading for all the second generation (+) children of Ukrainian parents in North American. Many attend evening or Saturday schooling in Ukrainian and struggle to understand what it's all about. This book would be easier for them to read and comprehend, and could help them immensely.




3. Excellent book. It gives the reader a mixture of a travelogue and bits of history.Highly recommended for persons that intend to travel to Ukraine, conduct some business and especially for the diplomats, not familiar with Ukraine. There are some minor historical inaccuracies, but in general it is an excellent source for people not familiar with that part of the world.



4. Anna Savage left Ukraine as a little girl during the chaos of World War II and returned as an American journalist shortly after Ukraine became an independent country in 1991 These bookends of her life provide the context for a detailed portrait of life in post-communist Ukraine, historical background necessary to understand that portrait and one family's search for its roots. Ms. Savage is able to combine her journalist's eye for a story with her family's stories about a homeland she scarcely recalls. She is also very honest in depicting the reactions of herself, her mother and her aunt upon return to a homeland that is now less than idyllic.



5. This is an excellent book, beautifully written and presented. I have not (yet) visited Ukraine, but it is my intention to visit Lvov and Kiev (I have spelt them the 'old way' not the Ukrainian way) in the near future. Mrs. Savage's book conveys a real 'feel' for Ukraine and a real love. Even without interest in Ukraine, her story is a most interesting and compelling one for any lecturer or teacher living in a strange country.

No comments about Russian Intellectual History: An Anthology.

1 comments about Russia's Heritage Cities Map by ITMB (Travel Reference Map) (Travel Reference Map).

1. This map is an essential aid to those planning to travel to the "Golden Ring" of monastery towns northeast of Moscow. Specific monuments are all clearly marked on easy-to read street maps, as well as other travel advice. It would have been better to title the map "Golden Ring" because that is all it covers.

No comments about Russia - A Menu Guide for Travelers: An indispensable gastronomic dictionary, phrasebook, and guide (How to Eat Out) (How to Eat Out).

No comments about Russia and the former Soviet Republics (A survey of world cultures).

2 comments about Crossing Borders--Confronting History: Intercultural Adjustment in a Post-Cold War World.

1. Johnson's grasp of the difficulties of adjusting to a foreign culture is excellent and moving. This is based on his experience as a community consultant in Armenia, during one of that countries most difficult periods in history--immediately after the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

   Through his journals and thorough analysis, I felt like I was there with him! Anybody preparing to travel abroad, or professionals training in social work or other services should read this before going on.




2. This book is an honest and straight-forward account of one American's experience. The journal entries within the book provide vivid images of Armenia and the "tourist" struggling with the erosion of his cultural safety net.

No comments about Georgia: A Rebel in the Caucasus.

2 comments about On Horseback through Asia Minor.

1. Who in their right mind would voluntarily undertake an expedition on horseback thru Asia Minor in winter...Frederick Burnaby did in the year 1876, a time of intrigue in the Ottoman Empire and Russia where the forces that shaped WWI and 20th century alliances took root. This is an opportunity to travel back into time and traverse Asia Minor prior to the invention of the automobile. You will meet people from all classes and cultures; Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Persian and more. Burnaby tells of his trip with dry humor and with a suprisingly enlightened view of women, considering the times. This is a good read and worth the price of the book. For adventure travelers with time and money on their hands, retracing Burnaby's route on horseback would be a challenge even today.



2. This book is a joy for the armchair traveler. It takes you back to a place and a time, to a Turkish winter in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Burnaby's style is immediate, and compellingly readable. He lets you feel the mud, the cold, the mood of the times -- and the exotic east. It's great stuff. Crossing Anatolia by horseback in the winter, trying to track down rumors then circulating in Europe of anti-Armenian sentiment among the Turks, Burnaby finds the rumors to be baseless. But through every step of his wild goose chase, while we follow him through village after village, Burnaby describes in colorful detail the environment, and the people he meets. The first three-quarters of this book read like fiction, like a good, rollicking adventure story. It doesn't have a crisis near the end, like an adventure novel would, but Burnaby's story is all the better for being true.

1 comments about French Art Treasures at the Hermitage.

1. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. I spent three wonderful days in the Hermitage and would have been content going back every day for the rest of my vacation. Although some museums surpass the Hermitage in their collections (surprisingly few), none has fewer visitors per masterpiece. It was not unusual to be alone in a room of Van Goghs for 30 minutes at a time. The lightly guarded museum does not even have a security guard in every room. So the experience of the museum is a wonderfully intimate one.

   If you never go to St. Petersburg, you must get and read this outstanding work about the French art from 1860 to 1950. Most of these works do not travel very much, so you won't see them otherwise. That would be a terrible shame, because many significant works, especially the Matisses and Gauguins, from this period are in the collection.

   How did such a great French art collection find its way to Russia? That's an interesting story, and the book begins with a long essay about that. Although the Czar and the nobility had always collected art, this period of French art was not very appealing to them. A new merchant class had grown up, and they embraced advanced art from France (beyond the salon portraits the nobles commissioned) that became known as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. After the Communists firmed up their hold on Russia, museums were consolidated and private collections were expropriated. You will enjoy seeing black and white photographs from the many private museums that these business people sponsored. The Shchukin and Morozov collections form an important base for this collection, as well as having provided important support for these French artists before they were well established.

   In most art books, not enough of the reproductions are in color. This book is the exception. The reproductions are essentially all in color. There are 433 of them in color. They are also done in large sizes in many cases, which makes it easier to appreciate them.

   The Hermitage is particularly rich is works by Matisse and Picasso, and these are presented in depth in this book. You will also find lots of Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, Degas, Van Gogh, Rodin, and Bartholome. Outstanding examples of works by lesser known artists round out the collection in a way that will give you a different sense of the period than you get at the Musee D'Orsay or the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

   Albert Kostenevich is by far the world's authority on these works, as their primary curator for over 30 years. No one else has had nearly as much access or incentive to study them. He has written several fine, detailed essays that relate the works to each other and explain the works. In fact, this is better than going to the Hermitage because you would not have him at your side to explain things there.

   And, naturally, if you have been to the Hermitage, this book makes a fabulous souvenir. Treat yourself today!

   After enjoying this wonderful book, ask yourself, what other outstanding art collections have I not yet seen? Even if you cannot visit them, there may well be a book on the collection that you can order from Amazon.com!

1 comments about Frommer's Budget Travel Guide: Eastern Europe on $30 a Day : Albania, the Czech & Slovak Republics, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia & Romania (Frommer's Eastern Europe from $ a Day).

1. The Frommer books are all great ways to plan your trip with the kind of information that makes it work for your greatest enjoyment.