shelby1994's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Pairs Well With:
Potholes
Americans pointing fingers at other countries (pot, kettle, black)
Disappointing your religious mother
Believe it or not, in the 1800s Russia and the US were BFFs and pledged eternal love and devotion to each other. One man, George Kennan, single handedly drove a wrecking ball through that brotherly love, by exposing the “perfect hell of misery” that was the Siberian exile system.
A fascinating topic, imperfectly executed. The actual journey through the SIberian prison system doesn’t begin until half way through the book, with the first half devoted to a biographical retrospective on Kennan's early life. Kennan’s brutal journey resulted in his publishing of the huge commercial and critical success, “Siberia and the Exile System,” - over 1000 pages, it detailed the extreme conditions and political corruption that enabled an archaic and extractive penal system to exist in America’s closest ally.,
One wonders what inspired Wallance to write this book, when the book that makes up most of his reference material is still accessible and has more emotional heft. It may lie in that this book is marketed as a singular “adventure story,” but is actually more of a standard biography of Kennan than it is a retelling of his most dare-devil journey.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for the copy - out everywhere now!
Potholes
Americans pointing fingers at other countries (pot, kettle, black)
Disappointing your religious mother
Believe it or not, in the 1800s Russia and the US were BFFs and pledged eternal love and devotion to each other. One man, George Kennan, single handedly drove a wrecking ball through that brotherly love, by exposing the “perfect hell of misery” that was the Siberian exile system.
A fascinating topic, imperfectly executed. The actual journey through the SIberian prison system doesn’t begin until half way through the book, with the first half devoted to a biographical retrospective on Kennan's early life. Kennan’s brutal journey resulted in his publishing of the huge commercial and critical success, “Siberia and the Exile System,” - over 1000 pages, it detailed the extreme conditions and political corruption that enabled an archaic and extractive penal system to exist in America’s closest ally.,
One wonders what inspired Wallance to write this book, when the book that makes up most of his reference material is still accessible and has more emotional heft. It may lie in that this book is marketed as a singular “adventure story,” but is actually more of a standard biography of Kennan than it is a retelling of his most dare-devil journey.
Thank you to St. Martins Press for the copy - out everywhere now!
lexiloveslit's review
4.25
Adventure-hungry journalist George Kennan set out to investigate Russia’s system of Siberian exile in 1885 with an open mind, even with some sympathies towards the regime’s practices. What he saw on his journey not only changed his views, but turned him into one of the fiercest detractors and critics of the system, ultimately playing a significant part in changes to US diplomacy with Russia over the issue.
I enjoyed this read a lot. It was a nice blend of some adventure elements as Kennan and his team traveled through the isolated regions, as well as the political and cultural history of the Romanov empire. It’s obviously very well-researched, but also very human at its core — the author takes the time to describe Kennan’s feelings, evolving opinions, and overall mental and emotional state throughout his demanding and harrowing career, as well as the individual stories of many political exiles of the time.
Even if you’re not a big nonfiction reader, if the subject matter sounds interesting to you I’d say give it a go! It’s fast-paced and engaging, and much more brief and narrowly focused than many similar books out there, which I think makes it a great choice for an “entry-level” nonfiction reader.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and the author for my gifted copy. Into Siberia is available 12/5!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and the author for my gifted copy. Into Siberia is available 12/5!
largeicedtea's review
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
As someone who gravitates toward nonfiction books about adventure, exploration, geography, history, and social justice, "Into Siberia" manages to cover all of these subjects and more. It also functions as a riveting memoir of a man whose personal and political beliefs are inverted over the course of many brutal months witnessing the Siberian prison system of the late 19th century.
The first chapters begin a bit slow as we are fed the necessary exposition. But once the story got going, it was a hard book to put down. Our subject Kennan begins a tortured expedition across Russia with artist colleague George Frost to document Russia's Siberian penal system. Before this trip, Kennan downplayed the exile of Russian prisoners to Siberia but what he saw on his journeys shook him to the core. Witnessing such torment and deprivation, along with a stressful, months-long overland journey across thousands of miles, brought both Kennan and Frost to a physical and emotional breaking point.
A fascinating and thought-provoking book. If you enjoyed "The Lost City of Z" or "In the Heart of the Sea," "Into Siberia" is the book for you.
The first chapters begin a bit slow as we are fed the necessary exposition. But once the story got going, it was a hard book to put down. Our subject Kennan begins a tortured expedition across Russia with artist colleague George Frost to document Russia's Siberian penal system. Before this trip, Kennan downplayed the exile of Russian prisoners to Siberia but what he saw on his journeys shook him to the core. Witnessing such torment and deprivation, along with a stressful, months-long overland journey across thousands of miles, brought both Kennan and Frost to a physical and emotional breaking point.
A fascinating and thought-provoking book. If you enjoyed "The Lost City of Z" or "In the Heart of the Sea," "Into Siberia" is the book for you.
therearenobadbooks's review
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book was a surprise because it presents a lot of information but in a very fast-paced way. It tells us the highlights of the life of George Kennan since he was a teen wanting adventure up to his death.
232 pages, plus notes and bibliography.I read it two afternoons.
It doesn't go deep into one single event but scratches all to give us a general idea. For example, at one point we know he has visited the studio of the painter Albert Bierstadt and found his paintings delicate then quickly moves forward to the next step. These little bits as he touches here and there, connect to this personality or the next help the narrative move in History. It is a narrative of facts, in a journalistic style, possibly closer to what he did when he visited Russia.
These moments of his personal life and the time he took breaks from Russia helped to balance the rawness of the last 100 pages where he goes as a journalist to see the exile system for himself to write about it. It was a very interesting read teaching me about many things I had no idea of. It is not just raw. I love how we know he wrote love letters to his wife saying he kissed her heart.
One of my favorite parts is the description of him staying with people in a village for the night, then the culture shock of a gesture misunderstood, and the value of life at that time in that location.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, my opinions are my own and honest.
232 pages, plus notes and bibliography.I read it two afternoons.
It doesn't go deep into one single event but scratches all to give us a general idea. For example, at one point we know he has visited the studio of the painter Albert Bierstadt and found his paintings delicate then quickly moves forward to the next step. These little bits as he touches here and there, connect to this personality or the next help the narrative move in History. It is a narrative of facts, in a journalistic style, possibly closer to what he did when he visited Russia.
These moments of his personal life and the time he took breaks from Russia helped to balance the rawness of the last 100 pages where he goes as a journalist to see the exile system for himself to write about it. It was a very interesting read teaching me about many things I had no idea of. It is not just raw. I love how we know he wrote love letters to his wife saying he kissed her heart.
One of my favorite parts is the description of him staying with people in a village for the night, then the culture shock of a gesture misunderstood, and the value of life at that time in that location.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, my opinions are my own and honest.
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