{"product_id":"around-the-bloc-my-life-in-moscow-beijing-and-havana-9780812967609","title":"Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana","description":"Desperate to escape South Texas, Stephanie Elizondo Griest dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent. So she headed to Russia looking for some excitement--commencing what would become a four-year, twelve-nation Communist bloc tour that shattered her preconceived notions of the \"Evil Empire.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cb\u003eAround the Bloc\u003c\/b\u003e, Griest relates her experiences as a volunteer at a children's shelter in Moscow, a propaganda polisher at the office of the Chinese Communist Party's English-language mouthpiece in Beijing, and a belly dancer among the rumba queens of Havana. She falls in love with an ex-soldier who narrowly avoided radiation cleanup duties at Chernobyl, hangs out with Cuban hip-hop artists, and comes to difficult realizations about the meaning of democracy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e is the absorbing story of a young journalist driven by a desire to witness the effects of Communism. Along the way, she learns the Russian mathematical equation for buying dinner-party vodka (one bottle per guest, plus an extra), stumbles upon Beijing's underground gay scene, marches with 100,000 mothers demanding Elián González's return to Cuba, and gains a new appreciation for the Mexican culture she left behind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stephanie Elizondo Griest\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ballantine Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/09\/2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812967609\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2004 pg. 23\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/05\/2004 pg. 48\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePoder Hispanic\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2004 pg. 62\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2004 pg. 96\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2004 pg. 1127\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSTEPHANIE ELIZONDO GRIEST\u003c\/b\u003e has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, Latina, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Travelers' Tales\u003c\/i\u003e. As a national correspondent for \u003ci\u003eThe Odyssey\u003c\/i\u003e, an educational website for kids, she once drove forty-five thousand miles across America, documenting its history. She now runs an anticensorship activist organization called the Youth Free Expression Network out of New York City. Visit her website at www.aroundthebloc.com.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Group","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45073518887027,"sku":"9780812967609","price":28.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/files\/img_8c4d2d35-ed24-4ed6-8c46-d45f04c3654f.jpg?v=1780703281","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/around-the-bloc-my-life-in-moscow-beijing-and-havana-9780812967609","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}