Reviews

"Stories I Stole reminds us of a truth Americans too easily forgot, globalized world or not: Our planet abounds with countries that don't work.... [Steavenson] demonstrates once again that we share this planet with countries we know almost nothing about."

Steavenson, a former journalist for Time magazine, left London to satisfy an inexplicable curiosity about Georgia by living in Tbilisi for two years. From that experience comes this captivating mix of personal and political anecdotes cleverly woven into an entertaining whole in which the bleak chaos of post-Soviet Georgia is related with warmth and a puzzled, often frustrated, affection. By living in Tbilisi rather than simply traveling through it, Steavenson was able to build a large and eclectic social circle whose unique, often fablelike stories she has "stolen" to create this book. Never stooping to pathos, the sometimes tragic but more often triumphant tales of refugees and impoverished Georgians surviving severe winters with little in the way of electricity, heat, or food are juxtaposed against the schemes and brazen corruption of power-hungry politicians. The prose is clean, crisp, and always frank, cleverly reflecting the nature of the Georgians that populate the narrative. This vivid portrait is recommended for public libraries.-Rebecca Bollen, North Bergen, NJ Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.