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Usually ships in 1 business days | | Only 2 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | "Goltz does it again, this time serving up a rollicking personal account of the formation and crisis of independent Georgia." -- Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Washington
"He is an open-eyed observer and compelling storyteller." -- Kenneth M. Jensen, Executive Director, American Committee on Foreign Relations
"The latest, highly entertaining installment of Thomas Goltz's rip-roaring travels around the Caucasus." -- Fiona Hill, The Brookings Institution
"The third installment in Thomas Goltz's Caucasian diary series is arguably the best written of the three." -- Svante Cornell, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, John Hopkins University
"Written by a true friend of the region, a brave soul, and a heck of a good story-teller. -- EurasiaNet | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Thomas Goltz | | Hardcover: | 262 pages | | Publisher: | M.E. Sharpe | | Publication Date: | 2006-06 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0765617102 | | Product Width: | 1.62 centimeters | | Product Height: | 0.18 centimeters | | Product Weight: | 0.01 pounds | | Package Length: | 9.0 inches | | Package Width: | 6.2 inches | | Package Height: | 1.1 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 7 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 History and adventure Jul 30, 2008
By J. D. Hartzell
Knowing little about the country, I was looking for some background reading on a recent visit. This book served a both a great introduction to the country/region and was very entertaining. I found myself having a hard time putting it down. The history could be a little more developed but that may take away from its overall readability. I have already bought and recommened this book to others traveling to the area.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 In This Case the Micro IS the Macro... May 12, 2009
By Richard Schaan
For a few years, a friend of mine (who happens to be an old friend of the author) has been recommending this book (and the other two in the trilogy) and I've been meaning to read it, but I always set it aside for another time.
Another time finally came and I was blown away. Before reading it, I had no clue how important -- strategically maybe but symbolically definitely -- Georgia is in the geopolitical chess match. What I thought would be the story of a small nation turned out to be the story of all the world.
It's been less than a year since Russia and Georgia fought a brief war at the start of the Olympics, yet it seems like much longer because the news cycle rolled over and past Georgia long ago. The one question I had last summer, the one that CNN either could not or would not answer, was: What exactly are they fighting for?
After reading "Georgia Diary," I might forgive CNN because the situation is so complicated (but fascinating) that they would still be trying to explain it today. I highly recommend this book; you will not only learn the answer to the question, but you will also walk away with so much more.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Excellent book - extremely informative and highly enjoyable Apr 13, 2009
By Matthew Devlin
Incorporates a vast wealth of detail into a narrative that nevertheless remains lucid, engaging, and highly entertaining. Plenty to offer both the specialist and the general reader. Great preparation for anyone traveling to Georgia.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great insight Apr 26, 2010
By Sean Alexander
"Sovietologist"
I first saw this book whilst on holiday in Tbilisi at Prospero's Books (which gets a mention in the book). I thought the cost prohibitive, so I put off buying it until recently when I "needed" to get my hands on just about every book imaginable regarding post-Soviet Georgia. There is a saddening lack of English language books written about Georgia in the 1990s which would make this book exceptional for that alone. Beyond that, though, I found the book very engaging and insightful as the author spends all this time in a country he knew very little about, somewhat mirroring my own knowledge of Georgia before I went there. Every page seemed to envelope the joy, tension, and frustration of experiencing the Georgian civil war, making me appreciate the book all that much more. It was definitely worth the wait.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
History + Travel + the Incredibly Complex World of Georgian Politics Made Palatable = Georgia Diary Jan 11, 2010
By Daz
This book is a great start for anyone unfamiliar with this (relatively) tiny country in the Caucasus, whose history and politics recently reached the crossroads of world politics.
It is a book with broad historical sweep, taking the reader from the mind-blowing complexity of Georgia's history and ethnic cocktail, to the tumultuous world of post-Soviet Georgian politics. After reading this, not only can I pronounce the names Gamsakhurdia and Shevardnadze (I hope), but I understand who these figures were, and what they did.
A riveting read, part-travelogue, part-modern history monograph, I highly recommend Georgia Diary. Some of the author's arguments may be controversial--such as his revisionist perspective on, and partial rehabilitation of Lavrenti Beria. Apart from this oddity, though, there is not much to complain about. Some passages are tragicomic, such as his vivid description of a toilet cubicle which resembled an upright coffin, and had me laughing out loud. Other parts will have you gripping the book. For example, the reader will learn such handy conflict-zone tips, including how to break into the back of a (Soviet-era) helicopter--if the need ever arose--and how to manage a horde of scared refugees.
The epilogue to the expanded hardback edition is especially helpful in coming to terms with what the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 was about, and what it means for Georgia and for international security in general. Georgia Diary wholly deserves five stars out of five.
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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