In the tradition of Prague and White Teeth, This Is Not Civilization is an inspired, sweeping debut novel that hopscotches from Arizona to Central ...
read full description
reviews
Feb 16, 2009
Karen
rated it: 
What I liked best about this book is the character development of the 4 main characters over the course of time - the American nomad, the Native American teenager becomes young adult, the Kyrgyzstan woman & her father. The cultures weave in & out - the narrative allows you to become absorbed in each of the characters thoughts & lives to explore their complexities. Your feelings for the characters change over the course of the book. And of course the descriptions of where the story takes place -
More...
Apr 22, 2009
Callie
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 10, 2011
Tanya
rated it:
Loved how the author managed to successfully weave an intricate story about relationships & cultures that span 3 countries - the US, Kyrgyzstan & Istanbul. The characters were well developed and the ending seemed sad, but I really liked it - life doesn't always have neat, happy endings ... even though I wouldn't mind that either.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 09, 2010
Kim
rated it: 
A book focusing on the stories of lost souls and the unlikely intersection of the lives of three very different people. Takes place in the US, post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. Did not make me interested in ever visiting Kyrgyzstan - sounds like the armpit of the earth.
May 26, 2009
Pamela
rated it:
The idea of using porn films to encourage the dairy cows to breed was a poor one. And so goes the first line of this unique book. Although this first line borders on whimsy, the story does not. If I were to describe this story I might say it is one of a bunch of cultures bumping into one another and trying to make sense of that contact with each other. It takes a tragedy to illustrate that deep down we hold the same things in high regard: security, family, and friends. The writing is neither sta
More...
May 23, 2011
Jonas
rated it: 
Bizarre. Can you inspire milk cows to reproduce by screening bad pornography in the barns? It worked with Chinese pandas but it might take more than that and more than an American Peace Corps volunteer to change the post soviet culture of a tiny Kyrg village.
Dec 26, 2008
Julie
rated it:
A novel- interesting and engaging. I liked reliving a peace corps volunteer's life experience. I share many of the character's idealistic values and also the bittersweet experiences of the world of development work. A good vacation read!
Nov 06, 2009
Sheila
rated it:
Arizona, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey
Highly unlikely, withonly one admirable character - Nazira
Highly unlikely, withonly one admirable character - Nazira
Oct 19, 2007
elizabeth
rated it:
Of the crop of "young western idealist goes to the third world/i joined the peace corps and wrote a novel" books, this one stands out. Perhaps it is the humor that allows Rosenberg to confront the complications of doing good works without resorting to cynicisim or naivite. And, while the geography of the book follows the autobigraphical trajectory of the author, the book aspires to, and achieves, telling a larger and more expansive story from multiple points of view. More props to Rose
More...
Jul 20, 2009
Julia
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 09, 2010
Autumn
rated it:
This book definitely told the story of "doing good" and how it sometimes doesn't work out the way that we expect it to. I enjoyed the book, but it was slow moving at times. None of the characters end up the way that you would expect, which I guess could be a good thing, but it is also a sad way to end the story. An interesting read and good way to look at our "good works".
Dec 12, 2007
Lucile
rated it:
I loved this book for it's adventure, its realism and its honesty. I would never recommend it as an "uplifting" story, but it's a slightly humorous look at a very interesting slice of "life sucks". If you like traveling and reading about far off places that are different from your little corner of reality, you'll definitely enjoy this story, and its very human characters from Arizona, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.
Oct 27, 2007
Kate
rated it:
I read this a while ago (will probably be the intro on many of these reviews) so I don't recall all of my opinions except that I really enjoyed the humor which is all too rare among the books I read. This is fiction that travels the path of the author's own peace corps and other service stays at a native american reservation, turkey and some -stan in EAstern Europe. He also has some really bad luck.
Oct 12, 2008
J
rated it:
Perhaps because I live the expat life and perhaps because I grew up among the Apaches in N. Arizona, but I felt a hollowness, a surface-skimming at the heart of this book. With the modern communications (available since at least the late 1990's in all parts of the world dicussed in this book), the ending rings a bit falsely.
Oct 20, 2008
Jen
rated it:
great book by former peace corp member who's tour was based in kyrgyzstan, fiction but obviously based on actual accounts...a little slow in parts but overall great read; probably more for me having an interest in that part of the world...
Feb 23, 2011
Madeline
rated it:
This book was ok, but not at all what I'd expected. I found the stories of Nazira, Anarbek, and Adam interesting but Jeff irritated me. The ending was satisfying although not "happy".
Mar 12, 2008
Itumeleng94
rated it:
As an RPCV myself and a former teacher on the White Mountain Apache Reservation- I really enjoyed Robert's book! I loved how his characters' lives became so intertwined.
May 05, 2010
Diane
rated it: 
Switching to my stash of southwest fiction. I couldn't get into. A cynical downer when I wasn't in the mood.
Dec 16, 2009
Ashley
rated it:
This book helped me accept that going back to my home town wasnt a bad thing.
Jan 24, 2012
Jan 01, 2012
Dec 24, 2011
