Customer Reviews

Siberia Bound: Chasing the American Dream on Russia's Wild Frontier

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A Russian diplomat friend insisted I read this book, and even proudly lent me his own personally autographed copy.

I didn't have to read more than a page before recognising this as an excellently written book and full of accurate perceptions and truths - Blakely not only does an excellent job of describing the uniqueness of Russia from a foreigner's perspective, but also the uniqueness of the US from a Russian's perspective. Both sets of descriptions are insightful into both cultures.

As one that has also been closely involved in Russia (from 1995 onwards) I can confirm his description of the enormous changes that are under way in Russia, and of the bitter sweet fruits of the country's transition to 'freedom' and capitalism. His insightful comments about the US representing a communist ideal, and the USSR representing a capitalist ideal give one pause for thought.

His story seems to start in the middle, rather than at the beginning, and leaves a lot out that I'd love to have seen included. But what he does share with us is concentrated and high quality material, and enjoyable for all - for students of Russia, for students of economics, and for students of humanity. I take solace by the massive omissions from his book in the hope that they presage a second volume to follow.

I echo the Russian diplomat's strong recommendation. Buy this book.

The adventure story is riveting! The love story is endearing!
The language is sensory satisfying! The intellectual insights are surprising!

I skimmed the story in one weekend,and returned to read each chapter slowly, because I wanted to gather up all the rich nuggets of truth about both America and Siberia.

In the following weeks I found myself experiencing "my" America more intensely. Within the story, I found elements of America I wish to treasure, rather than take-for-granted. Sprinkled through the story, I found elements of Siberia that I wish to add to my own American life. Emerging from the story, I found my own questions about values undergirding our form of freedom, democracy, and capitalism. Many of my conversations these last weeks with friends and family have included questions stirred by this story.

This story is primarily about a young man, eager to create a life full of zest, deep love and real-life adventure. His willingess to learn with eagerness, decide with courage, and risk for desired goals takes him to a place few of us know anything about. His descriptions take us there - to see the landscape, to hear the daily life conversations of the people, to enjoy the warmth within homes and to gasp at the cold of the long dark winter nights.

In my opinion, the measure of this author is that he tells his lively, unique story in a way that guarantees reader enjoyment. In a subtle way, he also stired subtle thoughts within the mind of this reader. In my case, I wish for a back- porch conversation with this writer to hear more about his experiences and dialogue more about my questions.

I heard of this book via NPR's show "All Things Considered." They were sharing a list of book suggestions for winter reading. I took them up on Siberia Bound and was enthralled. This book imparted a true sense of Siberia through the eyes of an American. It displayed a sense of reality, not of watered down travelogue writing so commonly found today. Through the eyes of a somewhat skeptical and adventurous entrepreneur, an oppressed Siberian culture embraces both the good and the bad aspects of capitalism. Siberia Bound combines an overview of economic theory put into practice and subtle philopsophical views on the ritual of daily life, with an poignant dose of good old fashioned humor.

What a ride! I was hooked by the first page and the following few hundred pages were no dissapointment! I would ration myself to just a couple of chapters a night so I wouldn't "run out". I'm sending it to my father who is a tough critic in the literary world, I'm sure he'll identify with Alexander's search for living the hard yet simple way of life. Nothing can replace good people, good friendships, a challenge...not even a contact coziness that we have here in the US. Thank you!

I heard of this book via NPR's show "All Things Considered." They were sharing a list of book suggestions for winter reading. I took them up on Siberia Bound and was enthralled. This book imparted a true sense of Siberia through the eyes of an American. It displayed a sense of reality, not of watered down travelogue writing so commonly found today. Through the eyes of a somewhat skeptical and adventurous entrepreneur, an oppressed Siberian culture embraces both the good and the bad aspects of capitalism. Siberia Bound combines an overview of economic theory put into practice and subtle philopsophical views on the ritual of daily life, with an poignant dose of good old fashioned humor.

My wife, a Novosibirsk native, bought me this book for father's day. I have spent some time in Novosibirsk myself, so I was intrigued by the subject matter and location. I had some doubts after reading the dustjacket, thinking it might be a dry how-to manual on how to start a business in a hostile environment. I could not have been more wrong.
Mr. Blakely spins a great story about a few years spent in an interesting and exotic place, getting to know the local people and even falling in love. This is anything but dry. Read this book, it is money well-spent. And by the way, he is not kidding about the beauty of Siberian women, they are stunning. I know, I married one myself.

Wonderful book--great story telling. Interesting view of how the author changes and how his ideals are changed through his experiences. We all change after receiving our degrees--most of us don't do that in Russia! I feel like I want to know how the people in this book are doing now--could it be the beginning of something more? Hopefully so. You won't regret reading this one!

Alexander Blakely is an Everyman in post-soviet Capitalist Russia. Part philosopher, part economist, and all-entrepreneur, he gives a detailed description of life in a world where the rules were made up on-the-fly. Along the way, he learns a lot about human nature. It was a journey I'm glad he spent time documenting, and the result is exquisite.

This book was funny and had a lot of heart -- easily one of the best books I've read this year. I read it cover-to-cover in a sitting, and afterward I wanted to buy the author a drink. Perhaps even a condo. :)

How refreshing to be treated to a story of a modern adventurist. One of the rare living spirits in todays world who has the guts and passion to take a stab at striking out on his own. Lucky for us, he is also one of the rare individuals with a knack to be able to put it to pen. The author masterly balances his passion with a calm insight to produce subtle observations and quirky annedcotes that draw you in. Each of his varied stories is well told. A fun and engaging read that will leave you pondering.

This is a good book, generally, that suffers from the Sci-Fi Symptom, i.e. great concepts and details offset by crummy narration. Author Blakely is a bold, interesting, and honest man, but also an arrogant, self-enamored, and unfunny one who's prone to overwriting, dubious analogies, and dumb metaphors.

That said, Siberia Bound is insightful on a quotidian level and its details accurately and interestingly portray day-to-day Siberian life. It's filled with lively Russians (thank goodness for the rambunctious and lovable Sasha, who provides great humor where Blakely doesn't) and is as a list of experiences and intriguing facts a really great primer for those going to, living in, or coming home from Siberia. (For those who've been in Siberia, the book has many very specific, "oh yeah!" moments of recognition.)

Luckily, Blakely doesn't drown the book in history and politics--in other words, unlike most writers writing about Russia, he focuses on the Russians and not their headlines. He also has a nice conclusion about comfort being a matter of supply and demand--the more you have, the less its value. Overall, it's a very interesting book rich with details, it's just you have to struggle through some obnoxious, unedited writing to get there.