Black Earth City: When Russia Ran Wild (And So Did We)

By Charlotte Hobson

Book Overview

A young woman's heady encounter with the new Russia, as she and the country thrill to their first taste of freedom It is September 1991 and the dismantling of the Soviet Union is under way. In... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312420617
• ISBN13: 9780312420611
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Picador
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.6" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Life in the back woods of the Soviet Union.

Although there is little history or sociology in this book, I enjoyed it for the viewpoint of Soviet society in a changing era. Hobson was a student of the Russian language studying at a local university. She describes life in the student hostel she lived in, along with all the interactions with other foreigners and Russian students. She said very little about the university. This book details all the interactions with other Russian students, and life in the USSR during this transition. After the New Year came, she experienced life in the Russian Federation. Society's mores certainly changed during this time. This book shows a personal experience of a society changing from Communist to Capitalist. It is interesting in how Soviet mores changed drastically during this time. The book had a good flow to it and reads easily.

Interesting account of the new Russia outside Moscow

This account of the author's year as a foreign student in Voronezh covers much of the same ground seen in othe memoirs of the new Russia (see, e.g., Casino Moscow). Unlike most other such books, though, the author is in the provinces, away from glitter and mob life in Moscow. Worth a read, although I wish it had been published sooner after the events described.

Catapulted straight back to Russia

I spent an academic year in Russia, just as Charlotte did, only two years later. I found this book really riveting, and could barely put it down until I had quickly finished it. My congratulations to the author for capturing so well the atmosphere of magical Russia and its warm countrymen, along with a glimpse into the country's painful history and current problems. I am so pleased I had the opportunity to read this book.