rohit khare kharealumnicaltechedu ill assume general principle youve gone bought copy fellow forker alexander blakelys new book review broadly fair admit criticisim little facile key writing software take away detail add even map would helped details vast xander natasha maxs territory best rohit ps feel free drop sf tonight readingsigning monday august 19 7 pm alexander blakely siberia bound comingofage account life entrepreneur new wildandfreemarket russia early 1990s alexander blakely uses gift storytelling describe four years spent living working toward american dream former soviet union clean welllighted place books opera plaza 601 van ness avenue san francisco ca 94102 digits phone 415 4416670 fax 415 5676885 email booksbookstorecom httpwwwwashingtonpostcomwpdynarticlesa244282002aug15html siberia bound chasing american dream russias wild frontier alexander blakely reviewed david tuller sunday august 18 2002 page bw08 siberia bound chasing american dream russias wild frontier alexander blakely sourcebooks 320 pp 2295 judging siberia bound alexander blakely seems like pretty cool guy adventurous engaging fun hang chroniclers russian life base tales moscow alternately st petersburg livable russias notverylivable cities deciding instead settle former academic community outside novosibirsk one siberias major cities blakely set pursue books subtitle declares american dream russias wild frontier blakely moved siberia finishing college economics degree breezy writing style although book flawed many respects include sharp observations life russia usually construction tells us instance two choices 1 quickly 2 right soviet construction worker takes time things wrong anyone spent time siberia knows inhabitants breed apart disdain compatriots countrys western regions pride perhaps excessively courage strength inner fortitude siberia fact occupies space russian national psyche similar wild west american mythology efforts throughout 16th 17th centuries settle siberias vast expanse exploit natural resources still resonate russians regions role convenient dumping ground criminals political dissidents czarist centuries home cruel network gulags soviet times unfortunately little rich brew history myth makes appearance siberia bound neither lots pertinent facts russians often say russia anything happen usually easy believe two young men could establish chocolate business little hope smarts chutzpah blakely describes establishing cocoabean importing business friend sasha never learn met first place believes sasha trustworthy associate two strike deal sell beans local chocolate factory yet find virtually nothing chocolate factory produces tasty disgusting talking chocolate bars chocolate truffles chocolate syrup details would go long way author makings terrific story even though siberia bound includes frequent humorous episodes blakely generally fails transform pungent ingredients satisfying meal constant descriptions encounters conversations ultimately differ little one another people forever winking smirking slapping one another back slamming shots vodka making sentimental toasts women friendship play inevitable role account russian life reading occasions becomes tiresome 20th 30th repetition blakely also given facile comments meant sound smart often fall flat democracy free market best institutions west offer stormed borders ran deep russia tells us like foreign armies throughout history quickly spread thin became diluted theres summation time russia four years left lifetime rabid ambivalence chew ive got teeth left blakely manages include unpleasant wholly unnecessary laughs expense chinese workers gays although like wordplay much next guy jarring nonenglishspeaking characters make puns english pinch says one character chocolate factory director warns blakely store extra cocoa beans site im afraid would probably take pinch faults wouldnt matter siberia bound picaresque novel account didnt aspire authenticity effect undermine readers faith narrators reliability reduce characters stock figures encountered dozens accounts russian life end believed broad contours blakelys story found hard take seriously many particulars ultimate conclusion capitalism material comfort wealth bring happiness hardly qualifies revelation david tuller contributing writer saloncom author cracks iron closet travels gay lesbian russia 2002 washington post company httpxentcommailmanlistinfofork mon 19 aug 2002 140534 0700 washington post review xanders book _siberia bound_