Towers of stone

Based on years of experience reporting from Central Asia and the Caucasus, Jagielski brings his journalistic skills to bear on Chechnya, a war-torn region ruled, but never truly assimilated, by Russia. Focusing on rebel leader Shamil Baseav and Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, the book shows how the struggle between the forces led by these two men reflects larger differences between the centralizing Russian state and would-be independent ethnic regions such as Chechnya. Expertly translated, Jagielski's vivid account of the seemingly endless chaos in Chechnya will interest many readers. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).