Synopses & Reviews
Travel to postSoviet Siberia and the Russian Far East with author Sharon Hudgins as she takes readers on a personal adventure through the Asian side of Russiaand#151;an area closed to most Westerners and many Russians prior to the 1990s. Even today, few people from the West have ridden the TransSiberian railroad in winter, stood on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, feasted with the Siberian Buryats, or lived in the "highrise villages" of Vladivostok and Irkutsk.
One of the few American women who has lived and worked in this part of the world, Hudgins debunks many of the myths and misconceptions that surround this "other side of Russia." She artfully depicts the details of everyday life, set within their cultural and historical contextand#151;local customs, foods, and festivals, as well as urban life, the education system, and the developing market economy in postSoviet Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Hudgin's prose shines in her colorful descriptions of multicourse meals washed down with champagne and vodka, often eaten by candlelight when the electricity failed. The author's accounts of hors d'oeuvres made of sea slugs and roulades of raw horse liver will fascinate those with adventuresome tastes, while her stories of hosting Spanish, French, and TexMex feasts will come as a surprise to anyone who thinks of Russia as a gastronomic wasteland.
Readers of The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East will find themselves among the guests at Christmas parties, New Year's banquets, Easter dinners, and birthday celebrations. They will experience the challenges of living in highrise apartment buildings often lacking water, heat, and electricity. Above all, Asian Russia's natural beauty, thriving cities, and proud people shine from the pages, proving it is not only a land of harsh winters and vast uninhabited spaces, but also home to millions of Russian citizens who live and work in modern metropolises and enjoy a rich cultural and social life.
Review
and#8220;Like Hedrick Smithand#8217;s The Russians, Sharon Hudginsand#8217; The Other Side of Russia, takes the reader inside Russia, to the daily life of people, and the economic and political realities in the post-Soviet era. It goes well beyond being a travelogue, and provides insight well beyond the confines of Siberia. A great read.and#8221;--Helen Hundley
Review
andldquo;Sharon Hudgins has written a vivid and engrossing book about a part of the world thatandrsquo;s both geographically and ethnically complex. Sheandrsquo;s done much to make the unfamiliar familiar.andrdquo; --Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Review
and#8220;Sharon Hudginsand#8217; perceptive memoir of survival in modern Siberia is full of anecdote, conversation, humor, food, friendships and hardships. In a society that, she reports, and#8220;placed little value on truth,and#8221; she kept her eyes and notebook and mind open. The result is an animated examination of grim, grimy, and unpredictably gracious ordinary life in the extraordinary place she calls Absurdistan.and#8221; --Alfred Friendly, Jr. Co-author, Ecocide in the USSR, and former Newsweek Mosc
Review
andquot;Chapter 7, entitled 'The High-Rise Village,' is an instant classic in the literature on Russia. This is a wonderful book that has something for all...it will entertain everyone from lay persons to Slavic scholars.andquot;--Victor L. Mote, University of Houston and author of Siberia: Worlds Apart
Review
andquot;As an eyewitness portrayal of Russia's East during the first years of the post-communist era, this book is destined to become a key primary description of social change in an often forgotten region of the world.andnbsp;Highly recommended.andquot;--E. J. Vajda, Western Washington University
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [297]-312) and index.
About the Author
An award winning food and travel writer, Sharon Hudgins taught for the University of Maryland University College in Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan, Korea, and Russia. She served as an administrator for the university's two undergraduate degree programs in Siberia and the Russian Far East. Hudgins currently resides in the United States with her husband, Tom.
Table of Contents
The road to Russia -- Vladivostok : capital of Russia's wild east -- Riding the rails : the Trans-Siberian railroad -- Irkutsk : the Paris of Siberia -- Lake Baikal : the sacred sea of Siberia -- Among the Buryats -- The high-rise village -- Feasts and festivals -- The market economy -- School days -- Farewell to Russia.