After two years as NPR's Moscow bureau chief, David Greene traveled 6,000 miles across Russia by rail, from Moscow to the pacific port of Vladivostok. Along the way, he interviewed everyday Russians to discover how their lives had changed in the post-Soviet years. Despite being a nation with elections and prosperity, oppression and corruption continue to flourish. Greene investigates how the people of 21st-century Russia look at both the past and the future.

"Travels with NPR host David Greene along the Trans-Siberian Railroad capture an overlooked, idiosyncratic Russia in the age of Putin. After two and a half years as NPR's Moscow bureau chief, David Greene travels across the country--a 6,000-mile journey by rail, from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok--to speak with ordinary Russians about how their lives have changed in the post-Soviet years. Reaching beyond the headline-grabbing protests in Moscow, Greene speaks with a group of singing babushkas from Buranovo, a teenager hawking 'space rocks' from last spring's meteor shower in Chelyabinsk, and activists battling for environmental regulation in the pollution-choked town of Baikalsk. Through the stories of fellow travelers, Greene explores the challenges and opportunities facing the new Russia--a nation that boasts open elections and new-found prosperity yet still continues to endure oppression, corruption, and stark inequality. Set against the wintery landscape of Siberia, Gre

"After two and a half years as NPR's Moscow bureau chief, David Greene traveled along the Trans-Siberian Railway to capture an overlooked, idiosyncratic Russia in the age of Putin-style democracy. On his 6,000-mile train journey from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok, Greene meets a group of singing babushkas from Buranovo, a teenager hawking "space rocks" from a meteor shower in Chelyabinsk, and an activist battling for environmental regulation along Lake Baikal. He finds ordinary Russians conflicted about the future of their country--a nation that boasts open elections and newfound prosperity but continues to endure oppression, corruption, and stark inequality. Midnight in Siberia offers a rare glimpse into the soul of present-day Russia."--Page 4 of cover