"The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain" by Eugene Yelchin

I was skeptical going into this book. As someone who also grew up behind the iron curtain, I sometimes find that books catering to the western audience tend to be overly negative, sarcastic or just plain ridiculous. Some descriptions in this book do border on the absurd and many of the characters are caricatures of certain types rather than representations of real people. That being said, this is a great (and accurate) depiction of what life was like in late 1950s-early 1960s in the Soviet Union. 

My mother is only two years older than the author of this book, and her experiences were similar in some ways and very different in others. For one, she did not grow up in a big city. Eugene as a little boy had access to museums, art teachers, ballet, libraries etc. People in provinces did not enjoy the same privileges. So as you read and get horrified by the conditions his family lives in, just imagine that this is the lifestyle the majority of people in the USSR did not get to "enjoy". For example, the house my mother grew up in (and where I also spent the first three years of my life), had no central heat, plumbing, or running water. On the upside, my family had a small vegetable garden so at least we could grow potatoes. But dreams of trips to foreign countries or access to black market goods like blue jeans and records were definitely off the table for anyone living in the provinces. 

I also really appreciated that the Soviet state-sponsored anti-Semitism is such a big focus in this book. Viewed through the eyes of a six-year old boy, it is particularly horrifying and outrageous, and needs to be talked about. This book made me angry, outraged, sad. And even then, I kept thinking that this is a glimpse into the life of a Soviet family that was relatively successful (and was able to emigrate in the early 80s). For many people life was even harder. To sum up, I highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars.