Bears in the streets : three journeys across a changing Russia /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

**One of Bustle's 17 of the Best Nonfiction Books Coming in January 2017 and Men's Journal 's 7 Best Books of January**

"Brilliant, real and readable." --former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

**A USA Today "New and Noteworthy" Book**

Lisa Dickey traveled across the whole of Russia three times--in 1995, 2005 and 2015--making friends in eleven different cities, then coming back again and again to see how their lives had changed. Like the acclaimed British documentary series Seven Up! , she traces the ups and downs of ordinary people's lives, in the process painting a deeply nuanced portrait of modern Russia.

From the caretakers of a lighthouse in Vladivostok, to the Jewish community of Birobidzhan, to a farmer in Buryatia, to a group of gay friends in Novosibirsk, to a wealthy family in Chelyabinsk, to a rap star in Moscow, Dickey profiles a wide cross-section of people in one of the most fascinating, dynamic and important countries on Earth. Along the way, she explores dramatic changes in everything from technology to social norms, drinks copious amounts of vodka, and learns firsthand how the Russians really feel about Vladimir Putin.

Including powerful photographs of people and places over time, and filled with wacky travel stories, unexpected twists, and keen insights, Bears in the Streets offers an unprecedented on-the-ground view of Russia today.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

The title refers to Russians saying ruefully that Americans think they are so backward that bears roam their streets. Dickey proves this isn't so by portraying people from a variety of locations across Russia, from Vladivostok to Novosibirsk to Moscow, in 1995, 2005, and 2015. More than a neat conceit, this is a delightful depiction of passing time in a place many Americans and others fear, admire, or despise. Quite the storyteller and traveling companion, Dickey shares colorful anecdotes of teaching new Russian friends poker, slaughtering a sheep for dinner, and admiring how the setting sun plays off a Lenin statue. She also muses on how social media have made her travels and interactions so much easier. Filled with then-and-now photographs, Dickey's travelogue is truly heartwarming, drawing strength from the honesty and openness of the people she visits and revisits and opening windows on the opinions of the Russian people on nearly everything, from homosexuality to Putin. Fascinating and a balm to readers enduring the current xenophobic plague.--Kinney, Eloise Copyright 2016 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Adventures in Russia over three trips in 20 years.In 1995, Los Angelesbased ghostwriter Dickey ventured to Russia in her late 20sin order to perfect her Russian and ply her trade as a writer. A fortuitous advertisement and encounter with American photojournalist Gary Matoso resulted in a three-month trek from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg, where Dickey was based, meeting people in the Russian hinterlands and chronicling personal stories along the way. After her initial trip resulted in a blog, the author returned in 2005 to track down many of the same people the journalist duo had met in 1995. Finally, in 2015, Dickey returned alone to write this spirited account of regular Russians living in a vastly changed landscape from her 1995 visit. Moving back and forth to compare her earlier trips, Dickey witnessed the rise of tourism, once virtually unheard of; the flourishing of the once-vilified Jewish community in Birobidzhan despite the fact that many of the Jewish people she first met in 1995 had left; the rise of small entrepreneurs struggling in the wake of the ruble krizis such as in Chita, in eastern Siberia; the Buryat farmers of Galtai, who still slaughter sheep in the manner of Genghis Khan; the environmental damages to the magnificent freshwater Lake Baikal; the underground gay scene in Novosibirsk; and the travails of a Moscow rap star, among other stories. Now in middle age and married to a woman in LA, Dickey had to come out to many of her Russian acquaintances unfamiliar with lesbianism, and she dreaded their disapproval. However, despite the general anti-Western sentiment she enduredPresident Barack Obama was considered untrustworthy, while Ukraine was claimed as Russianthe author presents nuanced portraits. An affecting travelogue that reveals true Russian personality. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Lisa Dickey is an author and ghostwriter who has helped write seventeen published nonfiction books, including eight New York Times bestsellers. Dickey began her career in St. Petersburg, Russia, writing articles for The Moscow Times and USA Today . She is an accomplished storyteller, appearing at live events such as the Moth Grand Slam . She lives in Los Angeles.