Kara Swisher, thank you for persuading me I could write for a living (and for talking me out of applying to law school). To my parents, thank you for the example of traveling fearlessly, and for all you’ve done over the years to help me make this project happen. To my Uncle Pitt, thank you for a lifetime of encouraging me to keep writing and stop worrying. And to my wife, Randi Barnes, thank you for believing in me, and for offering your unwavering support when I decided to disappear to Russia for three months. I’m grateful every day to be able to share my life with you.
Finally, this project would never have been possible without the incredible generosity and candor of the many Russians described in these pages. To all of you who welcomed me into your lives, fed and housed me, shared your stories, and never blinked an eye when I just kept showing up, thank you. I can never adequately express what your trust has meant to me over these many years. I’m very grateful to you all… and I’ll see you in 2025.
About the Author
LISA DICKEY is an author and ghostwriter who has helped write seventeen published nonfiction books, including eight New York Times bestsellers. Dickey began her career in St. Petersburg, Russia, writing articles for The Moscow Times and USA Today. She is an accomplished storyteller, appearing at live events such as the Moth Grand Slam. She lives in Los Angeles. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Copyright
BEARS IN THE STREETS. Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Dickey. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Map of Russia by Amy Turner
Cover photographs: front © Alexei Fateev/Alamy Stock; back © Lisa Dickey
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available at the Library of Congress.
Hardcover ISBN 9781250092298
e-ISBN 9781250092304
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First Edition: January 2017