Thankful Reads Day 6 & 7!

Title: Stiff
Author: Mary Roach
Page Count: 303
Format Read: Paperback
Genre: Non Fiction
Keywords: Death, Science, Research
Kid Appropriate: ...debatable, older kids

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

Why I'm thankful:

I read this book when I was in eleventh grade, already fairly certain that I wanted to go into the morbid study of forensic anthropology. It was fascinating, had me laughing at times, and brought me a new understanding of the breadth of studies that involve human cadavers and how they have helped advance other field that you would never assume were involved.

Now, why I'm thankful is that this book brought a nice sense of acceptance from the person that lent me the book. To be clear, my immediate family was encouraging and pushed me to pursue whatever field would make me happy, but others were less encouraging. Teachers and fellow classmates often thought it was too weird.

That changed when I was sitting in my AP Studio Art class right after lunch when a younger student came in asking the teacher where I was. He had brought a book with him, a note stuck to the front on a yellow Post It.

I no longer have the note but it was from my English teacher, saying that he thought this book would be interesting for me and right up my alley. While that doesn't sound too incredible, it was the first time I had experienced that encouragement for my interests without asking for it. It meant a lot and teachers that do this for their students are rock stars.

Title: Russia's Foreign Policy-Change and Continuity in National Identity 
Author: Andrei P. Tsygankov
Page Count: 217
Format Read: Paperback
Genre: Non Fiction
Keywords: Russia, Politics, International Relations
Kid Appropriate: might be a bit dense for kids

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Now fully updated and revised, this clear and comprehensive text explores the past thirty years of Soviet/Russian international relations, comparing foreign policy formation under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin, and Medvedev.

Challenging conventional views of Moscow's foreign policy, Andrei Tsygankov shows that definitions of national interest depend on visions of national identity and is rooted both in history and domestic politics. Yet the author also highlights the role of the external environment in affecting the balance of power among competing domestic groups.

Drawing on both Russian and Western sources, Tsygankov shows how Moscow's policies have shifted under different leaders' visions of Russia's national interests. He gives an overview of the ideasand pressures that motivated Russian foreign policy in five different periods: the Gorbachev era of the late 1980s, the liberal "Westernizers" era under Kozyrev in the early 1990s, the relatively hardline statist policy under Primakov, the more pragmaticstatist course under Putin, and the assertive policy of the late Putin and early Medvedev era.

Evaluating the successes and failures of Russia's foreign policies, Tsygankov explains its many turns as Russia's identity and interaction with the West have evolved. The book concludes with reflections on the emergence of the post-Western world and the challenges it presents to Russia's enduring quest for great-power status along with its desire for a special relationship with Western nations.

Why I'm thankful:

It has already been established in an earlier post that I am fascinated with Russia and have been for many years. Throughout my childhood and years as an undergraduate student I focused the majority of my attention on the language, history, and culture of the Eurasian country. 

When I began my MA I was one of the few students that did not have a political science background, instead I had been an anthropologist (heavily focused on forensics most of the time). That meant that I looked at things in often radically different ways than my classmates and this was most prevalent in Russian studies. In class debates I would frequently quote historical precedents or variations in cultural norms, concepts no one else seemed to care about. 

This book was an assigned text and I remember absolutely loving the way it was written, incredibly accessible with limited ethnocentrism. With the help of this book I was able to write essays and research papers I was genuinely proud of incorporating discussions of the history, culture, language, and now politics. With this additional knowledge my curiosity for politics grew. 

This book helped me see the world in a new way as well as led me down the path to admittance to a PhD program in International Relations and Political Psychology. I did choose to leave that program later on, but this book helped me accomplish life goals I had been too unsure of before.