A shocking expose of an extraordinary Siberian criminal underworld

By the age of six, Nicolai Lilin had been given his first 'pike knife' by an uncle, and by the age of twelve, he had been convicted of attempted murder . . .

Nicolai Lilin gained his 'education' as a member of the Siberian Urkas - a small and tight-knit community of 'honest criminals' in a forgotten corner of Eastern Europe . . .

Siberian Education is his tale of an extreme childhood - exotic, violent and completely unique.

With its exhaustive descriptions of ritual and tradition, Siberian Education at times resembles a work of cultural anthropology . . . Lilin has constructed Siberian Education as a Russian nesting doll, with stories unfolding inside of other stories, which yield yet more stories.