Travels in Siberia

What do you know about Siberia?  That it is a distant land where dissidents and convicts were sent to and that it is famous for its prisons and sub zero temperatures? Oh ye and where polar bears roam free from shore to mid continent of Asia.  Hmmmm. And that the place is barely noticeable on a world map.  Yep, a tiny little region that is hardly known to anyone younger than age 50.

My faithful readers, please don't feel bad if you nodded to all of those statements.  I was born in Siberia but know so little.  But...

I want to tell you about a book that I had whole  fourteen days (thanks to the limit of days put on by local library) to read.  I first read about it in Reader's Diagest magazine and couldn't wait for my library to buy a copy.   When it arrived I was the rightful first borrower and really enjoyed the first 90 pages that I was able to get through before returning it.  I really really enjoyed reading this book.  Not only because Ian Frazier talks about his travels in a land I was born in, but because he also writes about Siberia's history, natural resources, current events all from a perspective of a foreigner with a sense of humor.  

While my short description of its content might sound dry to someone, I guarantee you that it is not at all boring or over descriptive.  It is descriptive enough that I imagined my self right there traveling with him (although I doubt I would ever have enough courage to travel to Siberia's s far Far East to the land of Chukotka or eat fried seal liver). 

Again, I enjoyed reading this book even at the expense of not staying up on my reading the textbooks.  I AM growing tired of textbook reading  and even if reading this feeeeels wrong, the Siberian in me says that it is definitely worth my time!  So, to Barnes and Noble I go where it is on sale now as by the amount of holds my library has on this book it is evident that I might not get the book back in one piece.  Heather, Juliya, Luba, other book worms let me know what you think of this book if you ever get your hands on it!