here is what people are saying about "around the bloc":

"Opening Around the Bloc is rather like popping the cork off a
champagne bottle. This book fairly brims over with a refreshing zest and sparkle, which, one imagines, is probably an apt description of its author, as well. Stephanie Elizondo Griest, who embarked on her own Pilgrim's Progress around the world's greatest former (and current) communist capital cities, has written a delightful account of her curious journey. Full of humour, compassion and a great degree of personal candour, Around the Bloc is clearly just the beginning for this gifted young writer."

-- Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, The Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan, and Guerrillas: The Inside Stories of the World's Revolutionaries

"A stunning first. Stephanie Elizondo Griest's memoir is a coming of
age odyssey every American should read. Around the Bloc does more than tell a story. It vibrates with humor, insight and honesty -- a rare gem."

-- Anchee Min, author of Red Azalea, Katherine, Wild Ginger, Becoming Madame Mao, and Empress Orchid

"A Chicana in China y mas! Who wouldn’t want to partake in Stephanie Elizondo Griest’s ongoing love affair with adventure? Unlike some travel stories where a smug author painfully tries to convince themselves (and their readers) how well they can adapt to foreign soil, Miss Stephanie, my dear beige sister, confesses full frontal vulnerability. She is the awkward tourist, the savvy
traveler and… one hell of a writer! As long as there are books like this, one never needs to redeem mom’s frequent flyer points to experience true adventure!"

-- Michele Serros, author of How to be a Chicana Role
Model and Chicana Falsa

"Stephanie Elizondo Griest has the soul of an adventurer, the heart of a child, the wit of a jester, and the mind of a wise old woman. Lucky for us, she also has a pen."

-- Deborah Copaken-Kogan, author of Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War

"Forget about J-school. Stephanie Elizondo Griest practices journalism the way it should be practiced. I wish I could have been hiding in her suitcase at each stop along her remarkable journey."

-- Tom Miller, author of Trading with the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Castro's Cuba

"A delightful and saucy romp through strange places and even stranger states of mind. Griest is not only an inspiration as a traveler and observer—she is darn funny too."

-- James O'Reilly, publisher, Travelers' Tales

"Around the Bloc is a page-turner. I was hooked by the second paragraph… Griest is a witty raconteur with an acute eye and amazing ability to connect with a rich collection of characters, through drink, dancing and dinning. Her four-year journey through communist capitol cities is an absorbing tale of political, social and personal discovery. She is a gutsy woman, a talented journalist and a fun travel companion. Please take me along next time!!"

-- Marybeth Bond, author, Travelers' Tales: Gutsy Women; editor, Travelers' Tales: A Woman's World