Evan Gershkovich (on surviving a Russian prison)

Evan Gershkovich (This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-American Story) is a foreign correspondent and memoirist. Evan joins Armchair Expert to discuss his mother sewing gold earrings into her skirt to get them out of the Soviet Union, why the Soviet spies on The Americans felt more familiar than most Russians he’d seen in Hollywood, and watching teenagers snatch his mom’s friend’s purse on his first day in Russia. Evan and Dax talk about hearing state TV count him as a bargaining chip, taking papers from a source after his editors told him to take nothing, and getting a 16-year sentence just weeks before a prisoner swap brought him home. Evan explains what makes danger addictive, why he blamed himself for what his family went through, and what changed when he realized his investigator really thought he was a spy.Check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds: https://www.allstate.com/ This holiday season, NOBULL encourages people stay “Stronger Than the Season.” Head to https://www.NOBULLProject.com all holiday season to shop new deals every week and checkout products like the Drive 2, a versatile hybrid training shoe built for mixed workouts, helping listeners move through the season their way.The Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal now $8 for a limited time. Only at McDonald’s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.