Into Siberia

George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia

By: Gregory J. Wallance

Narrated by: Daniel Henning

In the late nineteenth century, close diplomatic relations existed between the United States and Russia. All that changed when George Kennan went to Siberia in 1885 to investigate the exile system and his eyes were opened to the brutality Russia was wielding to suppress dissent.

Over ten months Kennan traveled eight thousand miles, mostly in horse-drawn carriages, sleighs, or on horseback. He endured suffocating sandstorms in the summer and blizzards in the winter. His interviews with convicts and political exiles revealed how Russia ran on the fuel of inflicted pain and fear. Prisoners in the mines were chained day and night to their wheelbarrows as punishment. Babies in exile parties froze to death in their mothers' arms. Kennan came to call the exiles' experience in Siberia a "perfect hell of misery."

After returning to the United States, Kennan set out to generate public outrage over the plight of the exiles, writing the renowned Siberia and the Exile System. He then went on a nine-year lecture tour to describe the suffering of the Siberian exiles, intensifying the newly emerging diplomatic conflicts between the two countries which last to this day.

©2023 Gregory J. Wallance (P)2023 Tantor

Dry and boring

Learned that the new leader was as bad as the old one. It sounded like the book was written in 1895. Minimal research went into this book. It was if this is a book about Kennen's book.

Decent in-depth history

The history and description of the landscape was interesting. Unfortunately I had a hard time with the narration. It was a little too upbeat and cheery for the dark suffering that was going on. 4 for the story. 3, maybe 2 for the narration.

Fascinating story, but could use a better narrator

I noticed that some reviewers found this boring. I found it fascinating and was totally engrossed. I've read (or listened to) many of the Russian classics (in translation), particularly liked Resurrection by Tolstoy, and this book is like a non-fiction companion volume to that book. If you want a deeper understanding of the Russian psychology - to this day they have a very severe penal system - this book can definitely add to your knowledge. The narrator, unfortunately, is just not up to the task. The stall after each sentence was tedious. This book deserved better.

Amazing story - but annoying narrator

The story is extremely interesting, but I wish it was a different narrator. I’m sorry to say that. Something about his voice and the way he narrates that is very annoying. Also, sometimes he seems incredibly insensitive. For example, in chapter 5, after Kennan’s wife has experienced a very difficult childbirth, her sister writes him a sympathy letter and this narrator reads it with incredibly insensitive sarcasm. I have no idea why this narrator was hired. I would have enjoyed this book so much more with probably any other narrator. The story is rich and interesting.

The Cold and Cruel

Very good book. The narrator is very hard to get used to. Before you read this or even in the middle, look up GK. He had a long career after thet time covered in this book. If you like explorers,strange lands and differentsocieties, this is a must read!