Postcards from Stanland

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, Postcards deserves a wide audience, from high school students to secretaries of state. -EurasiaNet The contribution of the book is in its individual stories and the empathy that Dr. Mould has for his wide-ranging cast of characters, from coal workers in the north of Kazakhstan to grandmothers raising vegetables at a dacha. -Martha Merrill, Kent State University Postcards from Stanland 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 An engagingly written exploration of a remote, multifaceted, strategically vital and intriguingly complex region of the world. -Eric Freedman, coeditor of After the Czars and Commissars: Journalism in Authoritarian Post-Soviet Central Asia 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 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