Publication Date August 1, 2023

I have not read Lydia Kiesling’s book Golden State, so that wasn’t what prompted me to want to read Mobility. And it wasn’t a desire to learn about Azerbaijan (doubt I could find it on a map), or interest in the oil and gas industry. Nope, TBH it was learning that the publisher was Crooked Media Books (Zando). I’ve been a Crooked fan since the pre-Crooked days (the Keepin’ It 1600 podcast was my first real intro to Favs, Lovett, Tommy and Dan – now perhaps best known for the Pod Save America podcast). Thanks to Crooked Media Books and NetGalley, I received a copy of Mobility in exchange for this honest review.

This combo coming-of-age novel/geopolitical tale/female empowerment saga starts in 1998, featuring Bunny Glenn. Her father is in the Foreign Service in Azerbaijan at the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union. Bunny is in a unique position to learn about another culture, and as she viewed the area’s attractions, she “longed to explore them with a friend.” She meets Charlie, introduced to her as the …”most hated American in the former Soviet Union.” Charlie tells Bunny “There’s basically never been a better opportunity for graft in the history of the wold than right here, right now.”

For a reader like me, lacking extensive (or even minimal) knowledge about the region and/or its history, it was helpful to have relevant info inserted seamlessly into the story: “Azerbaijan is a Shiite country, like Iran, but not like Iran,” and “Kazakhstan was the real prize at first, just ungodly amounts of oil underground.” Greed brings people and corporations flocking to the area, “during the rush for oil and pipeline access,” and we watch Bunny evolve from teen to  middle age, through her career and an eventual return to the U.S., following along as she learns and grows into a fascinating woman. Throughout it all, the reader views the U.S. participating both overtly and behind the scenes with the twin forces of complicity/greed and inertia, as the region becomes more and more important both politically and economically.

My favorite books are ones that manage to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. That’s exactly what Mobility was for me. Thanks to Crooked and NetGalley, this is my honest FIVE star review!