Cold War? What Cold War?

"Now, people from various walks of life attend...They include investment bankers, public relations specialists, managers of major advertising agencies, teachers from Moscow's expat schools and independent entrepreneurs. A significant portion of the club's membership is Russian. Yet I felt that Russian guests must have a very odd feeling at these meetings, for the idea of a book club is little known in this country; Russians are more prone to be united by their passion for writing than by their love of reading. Moreover, the very concept of a social gathering of this kind is distinctly American. We Russians know it from movies, not from firsthand experience. At the meeting in June, when a latecomer was introduced by the hostess, everyone said 'Hi, Mike' in unison and immediately laughed, reminded of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting."

- From Moscow, a report on the meeting of The American Book Club