Customer Reviews

Running With Reindeer: Encounters In Russian Lapland

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this book some time ago and I did enjoy it, but upon learning now that Richard Took used his time in Russia while researching this book to abuse young children, including extremely young children/toddlers, I don't feel we should promote or buy a book that lines his pockets. Amazon should ashamed that they are still selling this book.

He has been jailed in the UK (search on the Roger Took article in The Spectator newspaper), and as the crimes were so severe he may never get parole, but reading the passages in the book where he lived amongst the people to get his story while abusing their children, sickens me.

Roger Took's abuse went much wider than just these Russian children, and involved serious abuse of children worldwide including his grandchildren, step grandchildren and a disabled child.

Before you purchase this book, I strongly recommend you google him for the Spectator and BBC articles, and then decide if you really want to buy it.

As the previous reviewer points out, Roger Took is a convicted pedophile. See Spectator article (although be warned, it is hard to stomach the details of his atrocious activities). Amazon should withdraw this book from sale. I gave the book one star because this system doesn't allow you to give no stars.

No doubt an interesting book, but I feel any prospective reader should be aware that Roger Took as been sentanced to 9 years in prison for numerous offences of the most appauling child sexual abuse, it is quite possible that he was pursuing and committing this kind of crime whilst in the process of travels which provide the source material for this book. I suspect that most people would have no wish to give any kind of support to someone who as committed such crimes. Anyone wanting to inform themselves further can do so through BBC women's hour of 10th July or The Spectator of the same date.

Touted as Europe's "last true wilderness", Russian Lapland (which goes by a number of names, including the Kola Peninsula and Murmansk Region) lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle and is generally unknown to the West. This combination of undeveloped wilderness and mystery proved to be an irresistible destination for British art historian and fisherman Took, who made a number of trips there during the early to late 1990s. This book is the result of these trips he took to the region as well as a capable synthesis of the literature available on its inhabitants. It follows no distinct narrative pattern, hopscotching around in time and subject matter, as Took weaves his own travel narrative in with the history of the place.

Although a glance at a map might lead one to think otherwise, this is no arctic tale. Due to a surprisingly beneficent gulf stream, the climate is much more temperate than one might expect. Which is why a great deal of Took's travel involved backpacks, camping, and industrious plodding through wildernessónot to mention decrepit planes, trains, and automobiles, and the odd helicopter or ex-Army tracked vehicle. Indeed, despite the title, he actually spends very little time with reindeer herders, as most of his visits involve trekking to remote villages and hanging out with the locals. As Took recounts, the traditional nomadic reindeer herding culture underwent profound system shocks under Soviet rule, when the Saami (the correct term for Laps) were forced to settle and their herds were collectivized. The parallels to the American conquest of Native American tribes all too striking, right down to the forced education of Saami children at boarding schools where they would be beaten if they used their native tongue. And just as in many Native American communities, modern Saami settlements have extremely high rates of alcoholism. His encounters and friendships with these native fishermen and foresters is engrossing, especially when he delves into the issue of fishing rights, which are tightly regulated. There's a very illuminating chapter on the establishment of luxury fishing camps for wealthy Westerners.

Took's presentation of the area's history is quite fascinating as well, and he tries as much as possible to link it to people living there today. The region first came to prominent attention in the West in the 16th century, when trade routes were established, primarily seeking furs. Just after the turn of the century, an amazing wealth of minerals were discovered there, and mining became a large concern. Still, like Alaska, the area mostly remained a hinterland ó although it was a popular locale for gulag work camps. World War II saw the establishment of a front against German and Finnish troops, and the enlistment of thousands of native Saami to the Soviet Army ranks. Following the war, it acquired strategic significance with the advent of the Cold War, and much of it was militarized and placed off limits as numerous naval bases were built, and much of the Soviet nuclear submarine fleet was housed here.

Which brings me to the book's one problematic area. In his zeal to explore every square mile of the peninsula, Took continually butts up against restricted military zones. Now, these areas are generally little more than crumbling decommissioned bases, many housing nuclear submarines that area literally falling apart into the sea. Still, they are patrolled by special services, and they are explicitly no-go areas. Took repeatedly scoffs at the notion that these areas are still off-limits, and finally deliberately crosses into one for a period, going so far as to get close enough to a base to observe its workings. This strikes me as the height of Western arrogance as well as the height of stupidity. First of all, he's lucky not to have gotten shot by some nervous conscript, or trigger-happy patrol. Second, his actions immediately endanger everyone who assisted him on his various trips, placing them under suspicion. Thirdly, I wonder what he would make of a Russian adventurer who decided to poke his nose around some military zones in the UK? Yes, the rules about these areas may appear stupid and arbitrary, but it incumbent on all who travel to respect the laws of the country we are traveling in. Otherwise, we not only endanger ourselves, but those travelers who come after us. This is the one aspect of the book that really upset me.

By the end, Took has done much to dispelling the mystery of the region with his exhaustive travels and research. Ironically then, it is the sudden appearance of wealth in the go-go days of the late '90s that confounds him. In less than a decade, the Murmansk he first came to, with virtually no consumer culture or tourist infrastructure, is transformed into a fashion-concious city with boutiques aplenty, and heartbreaking child prostitutes. And upon reflection, this bleak end to the book is fitting for a region which, despite it's natural beauty, has seen a great deal of human and environmental catastrophe over the last century.

Who frequently tresspasses into closed military zones in Russia - sometimes for the purpose of viewing the wildlife and wilderness, other times for the purpose of viewing closed military and nuclear facilities? Roger Took, that's who. I'm certainly glad that he did, as it allowed for the creation of the fabulous book that is Running With Reindeer... but seriously, the man's got to be a tad nutty. I've done my share of crazy things in Russia, but did I ever sneak into any closed military zones? No. However, I suppose whether or not Took's actions have a bearing on his sanity doesn't really affect the outcome here, which was his creation of a stellar book.

Running With Reindeer chronicles Took's adventures in the Kola Peninsula, a frigid bit of land in the northwest corner of Russia, over the course of a decade. Took interacts with the remnants of the native Saami (Lapp) and Komi tribes. Took addresses in detail their force relocation during collectivization, and the impact it had on their formerly nomadic lives. He traces the influx and impact of ethnic-Russian settlers in Tsarist and Soviet times - and the effects of their post-Soviet exodus from Kola. He examines the Allied invasion of Russia at the end of WWI (this chapter is actually one of best accounts of this occurrence that I have read; most historians have a tendency to gloss over this for some reason). Took addresses the enormous problem of pollution in the once pristine Kola Peninsula and its impact on the neighboring countries of Finland and Norway. He also spends a significant amount of time discussing the environmental and geopolitical impact of the decay of Russia's Northern (nuclear) Fleet. Apparently, the Kola Peninsula is full of nuclear products and biproducts just ripe for the taking - which is quite distressing given the current fears over what would happen should nuclear materials fall into the wrong hands.

All in all, this book was fabulous. It provided an excellent glimpse into the lives and histories of the people of the Kola Peninsula, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Russia. My only complaint with the book was that I wish there had been more photographs!