Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Russia

"A fine ethnography, and one whose reach extends far beyond a study of adolescents in post-Soviet Russia. Anyone interested in societies in transition, identity, or looking for an example of solid ethnography would be well rewarded for the time spent with this book." Christopher Kaplonski, American Anthropologist "Moving well beyond sensational accounts of Russia's 'lost youth,' Markowitz gives us a beautifully written portrait of post-Soviet life that provokes new thinking about the stabilities of the very concepts of culture, nation and the person." Bruce Grant, author of In the Soviet House of Culture: A Century of Perestroikas "In this compassionate, critically engaged, and eminently readable ethnography, Fran Markowitz brings us into the lives and concerns of Russia's young people, as they give voice to their hopes, expectations, and anxieties about the future and their places in the world. Offering a distinctive vantage point on processes of social transformation in Russia in general, this work also hints provocatively at ways Russian society might be reshaped by its younger generations, while giving us a poignant sense of the immense challenges Russia's young people face." Nancy Ries, author of Russian Talk: Culture and Conversation during Perestroika