The International Studies Shelf

Gorky, Russia; First man in
Donn G. Ziebell
Ziebell Associates, Incorporated
9780989474535, $14.95, PB, 168pp

https://www.amazon.com/Gorky-Russia-First-man-American/dp/0989474534

Synopsis: Russians needed internal visas to travel outside their place of r= esidence. It was rare for foreigners to get such travel permission. After 3=
0 years of corporate employment Donn G. Ziebell made an improbable career c= hange.

His new boss and two VP's were blacklisted by the KGB and could not enter R= ussia. Ziebell was asked to write a business seminar proposal for Russia to=
see if he could open a door and get in. One of the three Russians who rece= ived the proposal got approval nine months later by Moscow's Ministry of Ed= ucation and the KGB.

Surprisingly the seminars were designated to be held in Gorky, an exile cit=
y for political prisoners and closed to foreigners. The Russian Embassy in = Washington D.C. and the officials in Moscow would not issue a travel visa t=
o Gorky. So Ziebell took the chance to be driven 250 miles to Gorky without=
a visa.

The Russians in the city had never seen an American before. The seminar was=
attended by 60 top industrial personnel, including some suspected to be KG=
B. With the publication of "Gorky, Russia; First man in: Memoirs from being=
the first American allowed inside Russia's closed exile city", Ziebell des= cribes seminar incidents which reveal the thinking and unexpected responses=
by the Russians. He was taken to meet with many different people and visit=
ed many sites during his stay.

This unique memoir is comprised of memorable events and entertaining cross-= cultural experiences. From his time inside Russia, readers follow the many = twists, turns and surprises the author encountered which entertain and hold=
reader's attention. Gorky was not opened to foreigners until the year afte=
r all these events described in "Gorky, Russia; First man in" took place.

Critique: A simply fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally wel=
l written, and thought-provoking read from cover to cover, "Gorky, Russia; = First man in: Memoirs from being the first American allowed inside Russia's=
closed exile city" by Donn G. Ziebell (https://www.authorsden.com/donngzie= bell) is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional=
, community, governmental, college and university library collections in ge= neral, and supplemental curriculum Russians Studies reading lists.

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