Great book, lively and readable. Eye-opening as to the state of the world in this region. Does a great job of laying down in broad strokes what is going on there, what has happened to lead us to this point, and possible future scenarios. Also, a darkly humorous, lively travelogue. After reading this book I have recommended it to many people and sought out other information on the region. Great book. ( )

It’s hard to classify Ted Rall’s new book, Silk Road To Ruin. The subject is clear: the central Asian countries ending in -stan. But the presentation doesn’t fit one single format. Part of the book is travel writing; Rall has made at least five trips to the region and each trip gets some coverage here. But another part of the book is a state of the region overview of each country, as well as a couple of chapters on the environment and geopolitical context. Not only that, sprinkled liberally throughout are some of Rall’s editorial cartoons and short graphical stories about the region and his trips.

(Full review at my blog) ( )