Scan barcode
A review by shelby1994
Into Siberia: George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia by Gregory Wallance
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!