| Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia Contributor(s): Bissell, Tom (Author) |
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ISBN: 037572754X ISBN-13: 9780375727542 Publisher: Vintage OUR PRICE: $20.90 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2004 Annotation: In 1996, Tom Bissell went to Uzbekistan as a na-ve Peace Corps volunteer. Though he lasted only a few months before illness and personal crisis forced him home, Bissell found himself entranced by this remote land. Five years later he returned to explore the shrinking Aral Sea, destroyed by Soviet irrigation policies. Joining up with an exuberant translator named Rustam, Bissell slips more than once through the clutches of the Uzbek police as he makes his often wild way to the devastated sea. In Chasing the Sea," Bissell combines the story of his travels with a beguiling chronicle of Uzbekistan's striking culture and long history of violent subjugation by despots from Jenghiz Khan to Joseph Stalin. Alternately amusing and sobering, this is a gripping portrait of a fascinating place, and the debut of a singularly gifted young writer. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Travel | Asia - Central - Political Science - Travel | Russia |
| Dewey: 915.8 |
| LCCN: 2003042032 |
| Series: Vintage Departures |
| Physical Information: 0.86" H x 5.24" W x 8.06" (0.69 lbs) 416 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Russia - Cultural Region - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In 1996, Tom Bissell went to Uzbekistan as a na-ve Peace Corps volunteer. Though he lasted only a few months before illness and personal crisis forced him home, Bissell found himself entranced by this remote land. Five years later he returned to explore the shrinking Aral Sea, destroyed by Soviet irrigation policies. Joining up with an exuberant translator named Rustam, Bissell slips more than once through the clutches of the Uzbek police as he makes his often wild way to the devastated sea. In Chasing the Sea, Bissell combines the story of his travels with a beguiling chronicle of Uzbekistan's striking culture and long history of violent subjugation by despots from Jenghiz Khan to Joseph Stalin. Alternately amusing and sobering, this is a gripping portrait of a fascinating place, and the debut of a singularly gifted young writer. |