From Da to Yes

Since barriers to contact with Eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet bloc have fallen, opportunities abound for personal and business exchanges of great potential value. Remaining, however, is the challenge of mutual understanding as the East Europeans move from Da-subservience to the East-to Yes, cooperation with the West. Richmond begins From Da To Yes with a description of the way of life in East European countries and reviews the history they share, also making note of their past and ongoing struggles with alcoholism, ethnic cleansing, organized crime, and environmental degradation. The remainder of the book is devoted to individual chapters on each country and its inhabitants: Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians and Moldovans, Bulgarians, the people of the former Yugoslavia (Serbs, Croats, Slovenes and others), Albanians, Balts, Belarusians and Ukrainians. Within each of these chapters, Richmond looks at the country's history, the personal characteristics of its people, their attitude towards the West, their most esteemed values, and their styles of communication, as well as cultural aspects specific to individual countries. Peppered throughout the chapters are revealing epigraphs and proverbs from historians, politicians, writers, and others well acquainted with the Eastern European world. Together, they form a complete guide to Eastern Europe nations in the modern day, their similarities and differences from one another, and their connections to the West. "A refreshingly clear writer, without pretense. Our understanding of the Eastern Europeans is indispensable and I believe that Yale Richmond's book fits that need very well." -Max M. Kampelman, Former U.S. Ambassador Yale Richmond is also the author of From Nyet to Da: Understanding the Russians, and Into Africa.