Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia , By
“Midnight in Siberia” is a non-fiction book by David Greene that tells the story of his train journey through Russia, from Moscow to Vladivostok. Greene, an American journalist and correspondent for NPR, provides insights into the lives and experiences of ordinary Russians he meets along the way. He explores topics such as Russian culture, history, politics, and social issues, while also sharing personal anecdotes and reflections on his own journey. Overall, the book paints a vivid portrait of contemporary Russia and its people, while also highlighting the challenges the country faces as it navigates its place in a rapidly changing world.
A journey with NPR host David Greene along the Trans-Siberian Railway captures a distinctive, forgotten Russia in the Putin era.
Far from the trendy cafes, designer boutiques, protests and political repression in Moscow, Russia really does exist. Midnight in Siberia chronicles David Greene’s journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a 6,000-mile cross-country trip from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. In three-story cabins and stopover towns dotted around the country, Greene talks to ordinary Russians about how their lives have changed in the post-Soviet years.
These trips offer a glimpse of the new Russia―a nation that prides itself on public elections and nascent prosperity but continues to suffer from oppression, corruption, population reduction and severe inequality. We follow Greene as he finds opportunity and difficulty manifest in his train companions and in conversations with residents of towns across Siberia.
We meet Nadezhda, a businessman who runs a small hotel in Ishim, who has to contend daily with layers of corrupt bureaucracy. Greene spends a fun evening with a group of babushkas, who have come to international attention as runner-up in the Eurovision singing competition. They sang covers of the Beatles, alongside their traditional songs, finding that music and friendship could heal past wounds. In Novosibirsk, Greene drinks tea with Alexei, who runs the carpet company his mother founded after the fall of the Soviet Union and has mixed feelings about a government his family has done quite well. And in Chelyabinsk, a hunt for space debris after a meteorite landed leads Greene to a young man who was orphaned as a teenager, forced into military service, and now is trying to figure out if any of his dreams can come true.
Midnight in Siberia is a lively travel tale filled with humour, adventure and insight. It opens the door to that country’s complicated relationship with democracy and offers a rare glimpse into the soul of 21st-century Russia.
A very interesting book about cross-country travel on the famous Siberian Express, but with stops in between where the author meets many different people and tells their stories. I visited Russia in the “bad old days” and found the Russian people warm, friendly and generous. They are keen to know what life is like in the West, especially young people. Usually contemplating a journey on this famous train, maybe one day I will do it after reading this very good book. Really well written.
