Driving Down Russia's Spine

On one level this book is the story of an epic 6000-kilometer road trip from the frigid shores of the Barents Sea to Sochi Russias southernmost tip on the Black Sea. Dubbed The Spine of Russia the adventure tasked a mismatched duo of Russian and American journalists with capturing a view of Russia from the ground to collect powerful images and honest human stories that offered a more subtle complex picture of the worlds largest country. But this book is far more than just a travel essay. For it intertwines fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. It is a story told with humor and with the insight derived from the authors three decades of intimate interactions with Russia. Among the many interesting stories in the book: An expedition to The Well to HellA music school in one of the most polluted towns on earthAn energetic youth activist branded as a foreign agentRussias largest manufacturer of barbells (who also makes cloudberry preserves)A roadside berry seller recently paroled from prisonA blacksmith who is a Jehovahs WitnessA bone-chilling trip to the foundation place of the Russian stateThe slightly off-kilter leader of St. Petersburgs Cossack communityA retired village doctor who cant stop working because he wont be replacedA piece of Nebraska transplanted into the middle of Russias Black Earth regionThere were also craft beer makers ballroom dancers policemen restaurant owners an opera student a priest a single mother an accessibility activist teachers docents a best-selling author soap makers journalists a sailor a winemaker and a woman taking on the male-dominated world of Russian hockey. And no trip to Russia would be complete without a run-in with security officials in leather jackets. So there is also that.Taken together the stories from this epic road trip create a compelling portrait of Russia and its people. The book could not be more timely; recent events show how vital it is for Americans to continue working to understand Russia.