The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East (Eastern European Studies (College Station, Tex.), No. 21.)

Award-winning author Sharon Hudgins takes readers on a personal adventure through the Asian side of Russia-from the "high-rise villages" of Vladivostok and Irkutsk to Lake Baikal and the Trans-Siberian Railroad route. Join her as a guest confronted with exotic dishes at Christmas parties, New Year's banquets, Easter dinners, and Siberian festivals-and discover what daily life is really like on Russia's "other side." "Sharon Hudgins has written a vivid and engrossing book about a part of the world that's both geographically and ethnically complex. She's done much to make the unfamiliar familiar."--Larry McMurtry "Rare is the person who can step into the wonderland of Siberia and capture the culture and the spirit of its people. Sharon Hudgins has done that and more. . . . This is a warm, considered, and completely engaging work from start to finish. For those seeking a window into the soul of Siberia, you need look no further."--James A. Cramer, President & CEO, World Learning ". . . an animated examination of grim, grimy, and unpredictably gracious ordinary life in the extrordinary place she calls Absurdistan."-Alfred Friendly, Jr., coauthor, Ecocide in the USSR, and former Newsweek Moscow Bureau Chief Travel To Post-soviet Siberia And The Russian Far East With Author Sharon Hudgins As She Takes Readers On A Personal Adventure Through The Asian Side Of Russia - An Area Closed To Most Westerners And Many Russians Prior To The 1990s. Even Today, Few People From The West Have Ridden The Trans-siberian Railroad In Winter, Stood On The Frozen Surface Of Lake Baikal, Feasted With The Siberian Buryats, Or Lived In The High-rise Villages Of Vladivostok And Irkutsk. One Of The Few American Women Who Has Lived And Worked In This Part Of The World, Hudgins Dispels 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 Context - Local Customs, Foods, And Festivals, As Well As Urban Life, The Education System, And The Developing Market Economy In Post-soviet Siberia And The Russian Far East. Hudgins's Prose Shines In Her Colorful Descriptions Of Multi-course 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 Tex-mex Feasts Will Come As A Surprise To Anyone Who Thinks Of Russia As A Gastronomic Wasteland.--jacket. 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. Sharon Hudgins. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [297]-312) And Index. "Travel to post-Soviet Siberia and the Russian Far East with author Sharon Hudgins as she takes readers on a personal adventure through the Asian side of Russia - an area closed to most Westerners and many Russians prior to the 1990s. Even today, few people from the West have ridden the Trans-Siberian railroad in winter, stood on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, feasted with the Siberian Buryats, or lived in the "high-rise villages" of Vladivostok and Irkutsk.". "One of the few American women who has lived and worked in this part of the world, Hudgins dispels 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 context - local customs, foods, and festivals, as well as urban life, the education system, and the developing market economy in post-Soviet Siberia and the Russian Far East.". "Hudgins's prose shines in her colorful descriptions of multi-course 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 Tex-Mex feasts will come as a surprise to anyone who thinks of Russia as a gastronomic wasteland."--BOOK JACKET. A vivid portrait of the Northeastern section of Russia depicts the diversity of its people while debunking many myths and misconceptions about Siberia and the Russian Far East in the post-Soviet era. (Social Science)