{"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 Eli n Gonz lez's return to Cuba, and gains a new appreciation for the Mexican culture she left behind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ballantine Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/09\/2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812967609\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\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","brand":"Stephanie Elizondo Griest","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45316463820981,"sku":"9780812967609","price":20.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_dafbff27-7287-40ad-b772-7356463cba5a.jpg?v=1745331358","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/around-the-bloc-my-life-in-moscow-beijing-and-havana-9780812967609","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}