Anne Garrels' Putin Country: A Journey into The Real Russia | Summary

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Study Aids, Book Notes, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book Anne Garrels' Putin Country: A Journey into The Real Russia | Summary by Ant Hive Media, Ant Hive Media
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ant Hive Media ISBN: 9781370338108
Publisher: Ant Hive Media Publication: August 20, 2016
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Ant Hive Media
ISBN: 9781370338108
Publisher: Ant Hive Media
Publication: August 20, 2016
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

This is a Summary of Anne Garrels' Putin Country: A Journey into The Real Russia

More than twenty years ago, the NPR correspondent Anne Garrels first visited Chelyabinsk, a gritty military-industrial center a thousand miles east of Moscow. The longtime home of the Soviet nuclear program, the Chelyabinsk region contained beautiful lakes, shuttered factories, mysterious closed cities, and some of the most polluted places on earth. Garrels’s goal was to chart the aftershocks of the U.S.S.R.’s collapse by traveling to Russia’s heartland.

Returning again and again, Garrels found that the area’s new freedoms and opportunities were exciting but also traumatic. As the economic collapse of the early 1990s abated, the city of Chelyabinsk became richer and more cosmopolitan, even as official corruption and intolerance for minorities grew more entrenched. Sushi restaurants proliferated; so did shakedowns. In the neighboring countryside, villages crumbled into the ground. Far from the glitz of Moscow, the people of Chelyabinsk were working out their country’s destiny, person by person.

In Putin Country, Garrels crafts an intimate portrait of Middle Russia. We meet upwardly mobile professionals, impassioned activists who champion the rights of orphans and disabled children, and ostentatious mafiosi. We discover surprising subcultures, such as a vibrant underground gay community and a circle of determined Protestant evangelicals. And we watch doctors and teachers trying to cope with inescapable payoffs and institutionalized negligence. As Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on power and war in Ukraine leads to Western sanctions and a lower standard of living, the local population mingles belligerent nationalism with a deep ambivalence about their country’s direction. Through it all, Garrels sympathetically charts an ongoing identity crisis. In the aftermath of the Soviet Union, what is Russia? What kind of pride and cohesion can it offer? Drawing on close friendships sustained over many years, Garrels explains why Putin commands the loyalty of so many Russians, even those who decry the abuses of power they regularly encounter.

Correcting the misconceptions of Putin’s supporters and critics alike, Garrels’s portrait of Russia’s silent majority is both essential and engaging reading at a time when cold war tensions are resurgent.

Available in a variety of formats, this summary is aimed for those who want to capture the gist of the book but don't have the current time to devour all 240 pages. You get the main summary along with all of the benefits and lessons the actual book has to offer. This summary is not intended to be used without reference to the original book.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This is a Summary of Anne Garrels' Putin Country: A Journey into The Real Russia

More than twenty years ago, the NPR correspondent Anne Garrels first visited Chelyabinsk, a gritty military-industrial center a thousand miles east of Moscow. The longtime home of the Soviet nuclear program, the Chelyabinsk region contained beautiful lakes, shuttered factories, mysterious closed cities, and some of the most polluted places on earth. Garrels’s goal was to chart the aftershocks of the U.S.S.R.’s collapse by traveling to Russia’s heartland.

Returning again and again, Garrels found that the area’s new freedoms and opportunities were exciting but also traumatic. As the economic collapse of the early 1990s abated, the city of Chelyabinsk became richer and more cosmopolitan, even as official corruption and intolerance for minorities grew more entrenched. Sushi restaurants proliferated; so did shakedowns. In the neighboring countryside, villages crumbled into the ground. Far from the glitz of Moscow, the people of Chelyabinsk were working out their country’s destiny, person by person.

In Putin Country, Garrels crafts an intimate portrait of Middle Russia. We meet upwardly mobile professionals, impassioned activists who champion the rights of orphans and disabled children, and ostentatious mafiosi. We discover surprising subcultures, such as a vibrant underground gay community and a circle of determined Protestant evangelicals. And we watch doctors and teachers trying to cope with inescapable payoffs and institutionalized negligence. As Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on power and war in Ukraine leads to Western sanctions and a lower standard of living, the local population mingles belligerent nationalism with a deep ambivalence about their country’s direction. Through it all, Garrels sympathetically charts an ongoing identity crisis. In the aftermath of the Soviet Union, what is Russia? What kind of pride and cohesion can it offer? Drawing on close friendships sustained over many years, Garrels explains why Putin commands the loyalty of so many Russians, even those who decry the abuses of power they regularly encounter.

Correcting the misconceptions of Putin’s supporters and critics alike, Garrels’s portrait of Russia’s silent majority is both essential and engaging reading at a time when cold war tensions are resurgent.

Available in a variety of formats, this summary is aimed for those who want to capture the gist of the book but don't have the current time to devour all 240 pages. You get the main summary along with all of the benefits and lessons the actual book has to offer. This summary is not intended to be used without reference to the original book.

More books from Ant Hive Media

Cover of the book Gary Keller and Jay Papasan's The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Jim Collins' Good to Great Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey’s An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Ron Chernow’s Washington: A Life | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist: A Novel Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Dan Harris' 10% Happier: How I Tamed The Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works - A True Story | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Kate Andersen Brower’s First Women The Grace and Power of Americas’ Modern First Ladies | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Gary Vaynerchuk’s #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Gavin de Becker’s The Gift of Fear Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Mark H. McCormack's What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-smart Executive Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Stephen King's Finders Keepers Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Barrett & Allison's Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Chris Ducker’s Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business | Summary by Ant Hive Media
Cover of the book Steven Johnson's How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World Summary by Ant Hive Media
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy