Soviet Central Asia: an exotic region of harsh deserts

and rugged mountains shut off

by communism since 1917, mysterious

lands that still evoke images of the an-

cient Silk Road caravans. Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tatarstan, and

Azerbaijan are primarily inhabited by

Muslim peoples of whom we know

very little.

Now that the long winter of communism

has ended and these new republics slow-

ly open to the West, syndicated colum-

nist and television personality Georgie

Anne Geyer has taken it upon herself to

learn more. A modern-day Marco Polo,

she shares her eye-opening personal ex-

periences in Waiting for Winter to End.

Join her as she sets out from Moscow for

Kazan and Alma-Ata, Bishkek and

Tashkent, Samarkand and Baku. Sit in

on her interviews with nascent political

leaders about the post-Soviet situation,

in which possible dangers for the United

States are revealed. Travel with a witty,

observant, and knowledgeable compan-

ion to a resources-rich region that will

become more and more important for

the world. Georgie Anne Geyer s latest

book is a lively, multifaceted account of

her adventures in places to which few

Westerners have gone before. Part travel-

ogue, part history, part insider s political

briefing--an entirely enjoyable and en-

tertaining read.