{"product_id":"around-the-bloc-9780812967609","title":"Around the Bloc","description":"Desperate to escape South Texas, Stephanie Elizondo Griest dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent. So she headed to Russia looking for some excitement—commencing what would become a four-year, twelve-nation Communist bloc tour that shattered her preconceived notions of the “Evil Empire.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003cb\u003eAround the Bloc\u003c\/b\u003e, Griest relates her experiences as a volunteer at a children’s shelter in Moscow, a propaganda polisher at the office of the Chinese Communist Party’s English-language mouthpiece in Beijing, and a belly dancer among the rumba queens of Havana. She falls in love with an ex-soldier who narrowly avoided radiation cleanup duties at Chernobyl, hangs out with Cuban hip-hop artists, and comes to difficult realizations about the meaning of democracy.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e is the absorbing story of a young journalist driven by a desire to witness the effects of Communism. Along the way, she learns the Russian mathematical equation for buying dinner-party vodka (one bottle per guest, plus an extra), stumbles upon Beijing’s underground gay scene, marches with 100,000 mothers demanding Elián González’s return to Cuba, and gains a new appreciation for the Mexican culture she left behind.","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"STANDARD","offer_id":58339712008579,"sku":"9780812967609","price":24.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0907\/8456\/3587\/files\/9780812967609.jpg?v=1782501114","url":"https:\/\/shopcomics.eu\/products\/around-the-bloc-9780812967609","provider":"Shop Comics EU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}