To Catch a Tartar: Notes from the Caucasus – Chris Bird

Another great book about another culture and another part of the world. Chris Bird’s book tells the twin tales of his family’s experiences of living in the Caucasus and his experiences reporting on current affairs in the region over the course of 3 (4?) years at the end of the 20th century – notably the various wars in and about Chechnya. The personal descriptions are supplemented by Chris Bird’s own account and analysis of the region’s history, and the complexities of Chechnya, the Caucasus, and indeed many of the republics that formed the USSR, Russia in particular.

I’d love to know how Chris Bird is getting on with his career change – the book says that he was studying medicine in London at the time of publication.

Buy it: Amazon link