Jacek Hugo-Bader

This book is supposed to be the travelogue of Hugo-Bader, a Polish journalist who decides, for his 50th birthday, to drive from Moscow to Vladivostok. In winter.

And while there is definitely some of the travel in here--distances, times, gas, breakdowns--mostly this book is about the people he meets in a few particular people. We meet the native Evenk; the people living near Semipalitinsk, Kazahkstan, who were exposed to nuclear testing in the 1950s/60s; Kalishnikov who designed the gun named for him; Miss HIV and others dealing with the disease; former residents of state farms; Shamans; alcoholics and drug users; prostitutes; and the residents of a religious sect who strile him as very happy. Hugo-Bader very much focuses on the bad in Siberia--drugs, alcohol, poverty, AIDS. He does discuss how the Native people struggle with alcohol and meets with a Native doctor who discusses metabolisms, loss of culture and language, poverty. But this book is called "White Fever"--which is apparently how Russians refer to delirium tremens (severe alcohol withdrawal). I thought it was referring to Siberia in winter. It feels a little flippant and disrespectful, because that is certainly not all the book is about.

But while he largely focuses on those struggling to get by in the new Russia, or those who have "reverted" to older ways of living (comune, shamansim) he largely glosses over the clever mechanics who keep his car running without the proper parts, the doctors and nurses, the teachers, the motel owners and cooks. Presumably there are lots of people living their lives, raising their families, going about their days, who are largely boring regular people. It's hard to see if they really exist with this book.… (más)