Where the West Ends
Stories from the Middle East, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus
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Narrated by:
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Steven Roy Grimsley
About this listen
Prize-winning author Michael J. Totten returns with a masterpiece of travel writing and history in this journey through 13 nations - all but two formerly communist - just beyond the edge of the West where few casual travelers venture.
His work as an independent foreign correspondent takes him deep into the field beyond the sensational headlines, from his hilariously miserable road trip with his best friend to Iraq to the Wild West of Albania, the most bizarre country in Europe; from the killing fields in Bosnia and Kosovo to a Romania haunted by the ghosts of its communist past; from the front lines in the Caucasus during Russia's invasion of Georgia to the otherworldly post-Soviet disasterscape in Ukraine. Where the West Ends is high-octane adventure writing at its finest and is Michael J. Totten's most entertaining work written to date.
©2012 Michael J. Totten (P)2013 Michael TottenListeners also enjoyed...
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Is it really possible to love one's enemies? That's the question that sparked a fascinating and, at times, terrifying journey into the heart of the Middle East during the summer of 2008. It was a trip that began in Egypt, passed beneath the steel-and-glass high-rises of Saudi Arabia, then wound through the bullet-pocked alleyways of Beirut and dusty streets of Damascus, before ending at the cradle of the world's three major religions: Jerusalem.
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Over the top great book
- By Robert on 07-22-10
By: Ted Dekker, and others
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Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn
- A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran
- By: Jamie Maslin
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jamie Maslin decides to hitchhike the entire length of the Silk Road, he decides to travel first and plan later. Then, unexpectedly stranded in Iran - a country he's only read about in newspapers - he wonders whether he'll make it out alive. After crossing the border on foot from Turkey, Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into the subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are happy to show him the true Iran as they see it....
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Entertaining & Informative
- By Bella Bates on 04-18-14
By: Jamie Maslin
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The Naked Don't Fear the Water
- An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees
- By: Matthieu Aikins
- Narrated by: Nick Nikon
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In this extraordinary book, an acclaimed young war reporter chronicles a dangerous journey on the smuggler’s road to Europe, accompanying his friend, an Afghan refugee, in search of a better future.
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Great story, horrible narration
- By AB on 02-25-22
By: Matthieu Aikins
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Lost on Planet China
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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When the travel bug bit, J. Maarten Troost took on the world's most populous and intriguing nation. As Troost relates his gonzo adventure - dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) - he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think.
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I love Troost but...
- By Abigail on 02-25-09
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Children of Jihad
- By: Jared Cohen
- Narrated by: Jason Collins
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Classrooms were never sufficient for Jared Cohen; he wanted to learn about global affairs by witnessing them firsthand. While studying on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, he took a crash course in Arabic, read voraciously on the history and culture of the Middle East, and in 2004 he embarked on the first of a series of incredible journeys to the Middle East. In an effort to try to understand the spread of radical Islamist violence, he focused his research on Muslim youth.
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Awakens hope
- By Diane on 09-23-08
By: Jared Cohen
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The Taliban Shuffle
- Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan
- By: Kim Barker
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Kim Barker is not your typical, impassive foreign correspondent—she is candid, self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud funny. At first an awkward newbie in Afghanistan, she grows into a wisecracking, seasoned reporter with grave concerns about our ability to win hearts and minds in the region. In The Taliban Shuffle, Barker offers an insider’s account of the “forgotten war” in Afghanistan and Pakistan, chronicling the years after America’s initial routing of the Taliban, when we failed to finish the job.
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Warring Your Way to Peace Does Not Work
- By Sue on 09-01-12
By: Kim Barker
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Dancing Bears
- By: Witold Szabłowski, Antonia Lloyd-Jones - translator, Claire Bloom - director
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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For hundreds of years, Bulgarian Gypsies trained bears to dance, welcoming them into their families and taking them on the road to perform. In the early 2000s, with the fall of Communism, they were forced to release the bears into a wildlife refuge. But even today, whenever the bears see a human, they still get up on their hind legs to dance. In the tradition of Ryszard Kapuściński, award-winning Polish journalist, Witold Szabłowski uncovers remarkable stories of people throughout Eastern Europe and in Cuba who, like Bulgaria’s dancing bears, are now free but who seem nostalgic for the time when they were not.
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Intelligent, entertaining, & insightful
- By Kait on 07-23-19
By: Witold Szabłowski, and others
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On Wings of Eagles
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: Marcia Hyde, Larry Robinson, Ralph Williams, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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When two of his American employees were held hostage in a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran, one man took matters into his own hands: American businessman H. Ross Perot. His team consisted of a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of his corporation, hand-picked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer. To free the imprisoned Americans, they would face incalculable odds on a mission that only true heroes would have dared.
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Was the narrator in a hurry?
- By Tammy on 06-19-08
By: Ken Follett
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Inside the Jihad
- My Life With Al Qaeda, A Spy's Story
- By: Omar Nasiri
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Inside the Jihad is the story of a double agent operative working for UK and French intelligence by infiltrating Al Qaeda training camps. During his time in the camps, Nasiri met all of the top terrorist leaders, including Osama bin Laden, and engaged in a wide range of illegal activities. Strikingly well-written and gripping, Inside the Jihad is a terrifying, suspenseful read.
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Waste of time
- By Andy Webber on 07-17-07
By: Omar Nasiri
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The Monk of Mokha
- By: Dave Eggers
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Mokhtar Alkhanshali grew up in San Francisco, one of seven siblings raised by Yemeni immigrants in a tiny apartment. At age 24, unable to pay for college, he works as a doorman. Until: a statue of an Arab raising a cup of coffee awakens something in him. He sets out to learn the rich history of coffee in Yemen and the complex art of tasting and identifying varietals. He travels to Yemen, collects samples of beans, eager to bring improved cultivation methods to the farmers. And he is on the verge of success when civil war engulfs Yemen in 2015 and he is trapped in Sana'a.
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MOVING THE NEEDLE
- By Dog Fish on 02-20-18
By: Dave Eggers
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Spies of No Country
- Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
- By: Matti Friedman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The four spies at the center of this story were part of a ragtag unit known as the Arab Section, conceived during World War II by British spies and Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Intended to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations, the unit consisted of Jews who were native to the Arab world and could thus easily assume Arab identities. In 1948, with Israel's existence in the balance during the War of Independence, our spies went undercover in Beirut, where they spent the next two years operating out of a kiosk....
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Absolutely brilliant
- By David Mane on 06-23-19
By: Matti Friedman
What listeners say about Where the West Ends
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- LennysCopilot
- 11-20-15
A good travel narrative
I also wanted to write a review contradicting the assertion that the author is a right-wing nut or even necessarily a Republican.
This is a good listen. It helped remind me of how good we have it in this country. It was also interesting to learn that there are parts of the world where the United States is actually respected and liked. Perhaps this is why another reviewer thinks this guy is a right-winger.
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- Nina S-G
- 06-04-16
May you live in interesting times...
The author gives new meaning to the ancient eastern cursze: "may you lice in interesting times," by plunging headlong unto the most politically interesting p?aces on earth 😱=-O
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- Love
- 12-11-13
Not a right wing fanatic
I just have to comment on one of the earlier reviews which state that Totten is a right wing fanatic, it almost put me off from reading this book. This is far from true, sure he is pro-Israeli and has an American perspective but he could very well be a Democrat. There is nothing fanatical or even extreme about his views.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Andrea Starrett
- 05-27-20
Great Story Great Info
Just loved the storytelling and the information about these lesser known regions. Well told well narrated. Wish there was a part two.
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- Heather A. Lowman-Starkey
- 10-09-17
Loved it!
A great story both informative and enjoyable! A great fun perspective not often heard.
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- Jeremy
- 08-08-13
Loved this book
If you could sum up Where the West Ends in three words, what would they be?
Riveting Travel Essay
What did you like best about this story?
Was looking for more information about the Balkans and this was not only informative, but very entertaining and would call it a page turner except I listened to it. Would definitely listen or read to other books by him just because I liked the author and his style of delivery. If you have any interest in this area of the world, this would be a good read/listen.
Any additional comments?
Solid book. Wish he had more about this area and I could find more like this.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Fred
- 12-18-18
Good for Political insight at the local level.
Good for political insight at the local level in the countries the author visits. Medium story quality, but it's more because nothing that crazy happened to the author. What he does experience, he tells about in solid form. Good for political science nerds or intelligence about regional issues. The book won't age well, as it is mostly about current issues, and will be less relevant 10 years from now to anyone not looking to read history.
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1 person found this helpful
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- John R. Blackburn Jr.
- 05-21-15
Like being there
Totten's retelling of his journeys through the Mideast, the Balkans, and former Soviet republics is very entertaining and informative, always against the backdrop of recent history and the people who live there.
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4 people found this helpful
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- O. D. S
- 04-21-16
Interesting travels
A very interesting book about parts of the world you don't really hear much about. Partly travelbook, but mostly about the places itself. Highly recommended
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2 people found this helpful
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- Andrew R Clay
- 07-30-16
Where ever you go there you are
A very good book if you're someone curious about a region, as he aptly points out, that is somewhat lost between East and West. Totten is clearly up to the challenge of trying to write about a road trip where nothing happens. In fact several road trips. This is magnified by the fact that someone decided that because nothing happened that the book was too short and that he should try to make it as long as possible.
All that aside, his descriptions are enticing and his insights penetrating; his thoughts on the Ukraine are eerily prescient. And because nothing happens we are left with the country itself, a remarkable book
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