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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  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: October 2004
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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.

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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" L (0.69 lbs) 416 pages
Themes:
- Cultural Region - Russia
- Cultural Region - Asian
Features: Price on Product
Review Citations: New York Times 12/05/2004 pg. 83
Kliatt 03/01/2005 pg. 41
 
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.
 
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