About this item
**One of Bustle's 17 of the Best Nonfiction Books Coming in January 2017****One of Men's Journal's 7 Best Books of January**Lisa Dickey traveled across the whole of Russia three times -- in 1995, 2005 and 2015 -- making friends in eleven different cities, then coming back again and again to see how their lives had changed. Like the acclaimed British documentary series Seven Up!, she traces the ups and downs of ordinary people's lives, in the process painting a deeply nuanced portrait of modern Russia. From the caretakers of a lighthouse in Vladivostok, to the Jewish community of Birobidzhan, to a farmer in Buryatia, to a group of gay friends in Novosibirsk, to a wealthy "New Russian" family in Chelyabinsk, to a rap star in Moscow, Dickey profiles a wide cross-section of people in one of the most fascinating, dynamic and important countries on Earth. Along the way, she explores dramatic changes in everything from technology to social norms, drinks copious amounts of vodka, and learns firsthand how the Russians really feel about Vladimir Putin. Including powerful photographs of people and places over time, and filled with wacky travel stories, unexpected twists, and keen insights, Bears in the Streets offers an unprecedented on-the-ground view of Russia today.
About the Author
Lisa Dickey, author of Bears in the Streets (January 2017, St. Martin's Press) , is a a longtime author and book collaborator. She has helped clients write 17 published nonfiction books, including eight New York Times Best Sellers. Lisa began her writing career in 1994 in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she wrote articles for The Moscow Times, Russian Life magazine and USA Today. Upon returning to the United States in late 1996, she worked with then-Washington Post reporter Kara Swisher on her first book, AOL. COM. From that initial collaboration, she launched a career as a ghostwriter and book doctor. Over the next two decades, Lisa worked with high-profile clients such as Patrick Swayze, Gavin Newsom, Cissy Houston, Herbie Hancock, Cathie Black, and Whitewater partner Susan McDougal. Her collaborations have spanned a vast array of topics, from politics to business to entertainment to international relations. Lisa is also an accomplished storyteller on stage, appearing at live events such as the Moth Story Slam, the Moth Grand Slam, Don't Tell My Mother, Eat Your Words, and Drunk on Stage at Akbar. She has been a guest on the Barfly podcast and is a credited writer on the award-winning documentary film Letter to Anita. Prior to her writing career, Lisa worked as a Russian translator and, for nine glorious months, as a lounge singer in Japan. She has served as a juror for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Journalism Awards and for the Goldman Sachs Global Leadership Program, and she is a member of PEN America. A 1988 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature, she lives with her wife, the TV and film writer Randi Barnes, in Los Angeles.
