{"product_id":"postcards-from-stanland-9780821421765","title":"Postcards from Stanland","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCentral Asia has long stood at the crossroads of history. It was the staging ground for the armies of the Mongol Empire, for the nineteenth-century struggle between the Russian and British empires, and for the NATO campaign in Afghanistan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An illuminating travelogue through Central Asia…. As a genial travel guide, Mould, an academic who doesn’t write like an academic, shows how one should resist the temptations to stereotype a culture too easily and understand it too quickly.” * Kirkus Reviews *\u003cbr\u003e“Mould is the ideal author to demystify the region and its people…. (An) accomplished tome that covers topics ranging from culture and politics to history, the environment, economics, and human rights. Of particular interest are sections that probe national identity; the literary landscape of Semay, Kyrgyzstan; and his overall impression of Central Asia. VERDICT: With a sense of humor, Mould’s memoir will…stimulate interest in this lesser-known region.” * Library Journal *\u003cbr\u003e“Books providing\u003cbr\u003e  a stimulating, readable survey of the five countries that straddle Europe and Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—targeted at those with little or no existing knowledge are few and far between. David H. Mould’s \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Stanland\u003c\/i\u003e promises to be a notable exception. …The western traveler to Central Asia is rare. One with the patience, enthusiasm and attention to detail to provide a considered and mostly vivid portrait…is rarer still. For that reason, \u003ci\u003ePostcards from Stanland\u003c\/i\u003e is a valuable contribution to the literature on the region.” * New Eastern Europe *\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Stanland\u003c\/i\u003e is an ambitious undertaking, encompassing the history, politics, sociology and local color of a part of the world almost unknown and often misunderstood outside the territory. We would all do well to study and learn more from Mould’s observations.” * Book Reporter *\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003ePostcards from Stanland\u003c\/i\u003e is strongest when it discusses the subtleties of national and ethnic identity and the way the past affects the present.” * The Asian Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003e“An engagingly written exploration of a remote, multifaceted, strategically vital and intriguingly complex region of the world.”\u003cbr\u003e“The book’s mixture of personal anecdotes, political analysis, historical background, and cultural commentary makes it both an enjoyable and instructive read. … With its rich depiction of life in Central Asia and authoritative yet accessible style, \u003ci\u003ePostcards\u003c\/i\u003e deserves a wide audience, from high school students to secretaries of state.” * EurasiaNet *","brand":"Ohio University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49405998989655,"sku":"9780821421765","price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780821421765.jpg?v=1730494189","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/postcards-from-stanland-9780821421765","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}