In the tradition of Prague and White Teeth， This Is Not Civilization is an inspired， sweeping first novel that hopscotches from Arizona to Central Asia to Istanbul with a well-meaning， if misguided， young Peace Corps volunteer. Jeff Hartig lies at the center of this modern take on the American-abroad tale， which brings together four people from vastly different backgrounds， each struggling with the push and pull of home. Young Apache Adam Dale forsakes the reservation for the promise of a world he knows little about. Anarbek Tashtanaliev， of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan， operates a cheese factory that no longer produces cheese. Nazira， his daughter， strains against the confines of their village’s age-old traditions. Ultimately the lives of these four collide in a crowded apartment in Istanbul on the eve of the 1999 earthquake. There this unlikely group discovers hope， friendship， and the power of human connection. With captivating insight， realism， and humor， Robert Rosenberg delivers a sensitive story about the cost of trying to do good in the world. He also brilliantly explores the relationship between America and indigenous peoples， the need to find morality amid corruption， and the responsibility of people to their homeland.