Sign-In
Cart
Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey Into the Heart of Russia
Paperback
Travel GeneralTravel WritingGeneral Europe
ISBN13: 9780393351873
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: Oct 5 2015
Pages: 354
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.90 Width: 5.40 Depth: 8.10
Language: English
Far away from the trendy caf s, designer boutiques, and political protests and crackdowns in Moscow, the real Russia exists.
Midnight in Siberia chronicles David Greene's journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a 6,000-mile cross-country trip from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. In quadruple-bunked cabins and stopover towns sprinkled across the country's snowy landscape, Greene speaks with ordinary Russians about how their lives have changed in the post-Soviet years.
These travels offer a glimpse of the new Russia--a nation that boasts open elections and newfound prosperity but continues to endure oppression, corruption, a dwindling population, and stark inequality.
We follow Greene as he finds opportunity and hardship embodied in his fellow train travelers and in conversations with residents of towns throughout Siberia.
We meet Nadezhda, an entrepreneur who runs a small hotel in Ishim, fighting through corrupt layers of bureaucracy every day. Greene spends a joyous evening with a group of babushkas who made international headlines as runners-up at the Eurovision singing competition. They sing Beatles covers, alongside their traditional songs, finding that music and companionship can heal wounds from the past. In Novosibirsk, Greene has tea with Alexei, who runs the carpet company his mother began after the Soviet collapse and has mixed feelings about a government in which his family has done quite well. And in Chelyabinsk, a hunt for space debris after a meteorite landing leads Greene to a young man orphaned as a teenager, forced into military service, and now figuring out if any of his dreams are possible.
Midnight in Siberia is a lively travel narrative filled with humor, adventure, and insight. It opens a window onto that country's complicated relationship with democracy and offers a rare look into the soul of twenty-first-century Russia.
Also in
Travel Writing
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [50th Anniversary Edition]: An Inquiry Into Values
Pirsig, Robert M.
Paperback
Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America
McCarthy, Andrew
Hardcover
Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Steinbeck, John
Paperback
Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive
Stein, Eliot
Hardcover
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Rosolie, Paul
Paperback
Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest
Kroll, Danielle
Hardcover
East Coasting: The Ultimate Roadtripper's Guide to New England
Chitnis, Christine
Dorazewski, Monica
Hardcover
One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey
Proenneke, Richard Louis
Keith, Sam
Paperback
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Galloway, Joseph L.
Moore, Harold G.
Paperback
The Scenic Route: Following My Inner Compass Across 12 Countries in 12 Months
Aviram, Sarah
Paperback
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
Counting Penguins: How a Penguin Colony Stole My Heart and Changed My Life
Watson, Peter John
Paperback
Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond
McCoy, Cha
Hardcover
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Knighton, Conor
Paperback
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
Doerr, Anthony
Paperback
Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir
Warmedahl, Trevor
Hardcover
House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
Childs, Craig
Paperback
Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life
Schoenmaker, Noraly
Paperback
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Hardcover
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance American Classics Edition: An Inquiry Into Values
Pirsig, Robert M.
Paperback
Lonely Planet Women Travel Solo: 30 Inspiring Stories of Adventure, Curiosity and the Power of Self-Discovery
Planet, Lonely
Hardcover
Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America (Large Print Edition)
McCarthy, Andrew
Paperback
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy
McGinniss, Joe
Paperback
Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life
Schoenmaker, Noraly
Hardcover
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
Russell, Helen
Paperback
The Secret Knowledge of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert
Childs, Craig
Paperback
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Weiner, Eric
Paperback
Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth
Hoffner, Barry
Hardcover
Catch Me in the Kitchen: 195 Recipes: One Dish from Every Country in the World
Nabongo, Jessica
Hardcover
All You Need Is Flights: How Kintsugi, Moai, and Volcano Pizza Helped Me Make More Solo Travel Magic
Ruiz, Jen
Paperback
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
Wickenden, Dorothy
Paperback
Street Cats & Where to Find Them: The Most Feline-Friendly Cities and Attractions Around the World
Bogle, Jeff
Hardcover
Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier
Adams, Mark
Paperback
Lost on Planet China: One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation
Troost, J. Maarten
Paperback
A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee
Coyne, Tom
Paperback
The Brendan Voyage: Sailing to America in a Leather Boat to Prove the Legend of the Irish Sailor Saints
Severin, Tim
Paperback
Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth
Hoffner, Barry
Paperback
Long Lost: Three Trails, 8,000 Miles, One Unexpected Journey Across America's Triple Crown
Asars, Tami
Paperback
Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth
Finn, Adharanand
Paperback
Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan
Fatland, Erika
Paperback
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country: Traveling Through the Land of My Ancestors
Erdrich, Louise
Paperback
Very Charleston: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Lowcountry Charm
Gessler, Diana Hollingsworth
Hardcover
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
Troost, J. Maarten
Paperback
Gyoza: The Ultimate Dumpling Cookbook: 50 Recipes from Tokyo's Gyoza King - Pot Stickers, Dumplings, Spring Rolls and More!
Yamamoto, Paradise
Hardcover
Walking the High Desert: Encounters with Rural America Along the Oregon Desert Trail
Waterston, Ellen
Paperback