A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka

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A compelling story of two intertwined journeys a Jewish refugee family fleeing persecution and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past In the twilight of the Cold War the late 1980s , nine year old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border with only ten suitcases, 600, and the vague promise of help awaiting in Vienna Years later, Lev, now an American adult, sets out to retrace his family s long trek, locate the strangers who fought for his freedom, and in the process, gain a future by understanding his past.Lev Golinkin s memoir is the vivid, darkly comic, and poignant story of a young boy in the confusing and often chilling final decade of the Soviet Union It s also the story of Lev Golinkin, the American man who finally confronts his buried past by returning to Austria and Eastern Europe to track down the strangers who made his escape possible and say thank you Written with biting, acerbic wit and emotional honesty in the vein of Gary Shteyngart, Jonathan Safran Foer, and David Bezmozgis, Golinkin s search for personal identity set against the relentless currents of history is than a memoir it s a portrait of a lost era This is a thrilling tale of escape and survival, a deeply personal look at the life of a Jewish child caught in the last gasp of the Soviet Union, and a provocative investigation into the power of hatred and the search for belonging Lev Golinkin achieves an amazing feat and it marks the debut of a fiercely intelligent, defiant, and unforgettable new voice. New Read [ A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka ] author [ Lev Golinkin ] – kino-fada.fr Ideas arepowerful than guns We would not let our enemies have guns why should we let them have ideas Joseph StalinOn the cusp of graduating from Boston College, Lev Golinkin finds himself at a crossroads He can continue to alienate himself from the people around him in hopes that he won t ever have to disclose hi...My parents had lobbied hard to get me in School Number Three, which was known for being tolerant towards Jews Of course, I still received my share of beatings, but I suppose it was the school with the gentlest, most understanding beatings that a Jew could get.For Lev Golinkin, born in 1980 in Kharkov, Ukraine, life was unpleasant Everyone had a KGB horror story, and rampant anti Semitism led to miserable school days for the young boy In 1989, his family and hundreds of thousands of other Sovi My parents had lobbied hard to get me in School Number Three, which was known for being tolerant towards Jews Of course, I still received my share of beatings, but I suppose it was the school with the gentlest, most understanding beatings that a Jew could get.For Lev Golinkin, born in 1980 in Kharkov, Ukraine, life was unpleasant Everyone had a KGB horror story, and rampant an...Golinkin was only eleven when he with his father, mother, sister and grandmother fled the Ukraine Although they were a non secular Jewish family, persecution in the school, and society in general made this a must decision This takes place in the 1980 s, and although things are slowly changing in the Soviet Union, restrictions loosening just enough for many Jewish families to apply for permission to leave It was not easy and at times downright scary, but they and many others, persevere.They we Golinkin was only eleven when he with his father, mother, sister and gra...This was actually muchprofound and, ultimately, sweeter than I had expected I was prepared for difficult stories of this Russian Jew living in Ukraine during the final years of the Soviet Union, and I was prepared for funny and bitter stories of his family s flight, months as a refugee, ultimate resettlement in the US, and bewilderment and difficulties I was not expecting the raw honesty of the pain he experienced, the effects on his self esteem and self isolation And then I was delight This was actually muchprofound and, ultimately, sweeter than I had expected I was prepared for difficult stories of this Russian Jew living in Ukraine during the final years of the Soviet Union, and I was prepared for funny and bitter stories of his family s flight, months as a refugee, ultimate resettlement in the US, and bewilderment and difficulties I was not expecting the raw honesty of the pain he experienced, the effects on his self esteem and self isolation And then I was deligh...3 starsQuite by accident I have read a lot of books this year that deals with immigration to the USA.Whether they come from Mexico The Distance Between Us , Zimbabwe We Need New Names or the USSR, there are universal struggles faced by immigrantsThere is no such thing as a young refugee How can you be young when you already have one life behind you As a child Lev was routinely bullied by other children to the point where he would do anything to avoid school In Russia being Jewish was no 3 starsQuite by accident I have read a lot of books this year that deals with immigration to the USA.Whether they come from Mexico The Distance Between Us , Zimbabwe We Need New Names or the USSR, there are universal strug...I liked the title of this book I thought it was pretty creative This was an eloquently written autobiography of a young boy s escape from communist Russia and his immigration to America This was a fascinating read The author was personable as he talked about his family and his experiences, and fortunately it included the good and the bad It felt honest and because of that, I was really pulled into this This also felt well written.but I will say I did the audio He hopped back and forth I liked the title of this book I thought it was pretty creative This was an eloque...A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka, Lev Golinkin s account of his family s emigration from Kharkov to the US, made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think Sometimes all three in a couple of paragraphs, as when he describes the impact of the language barrier for adult immigrants Then you realize this is it This is not a vacation this is foreverYou re already old You will never work in your field againYou will never be seen as anythingthan an immigrant, or a moron, or A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka, Lev Golinkin s account of his family s emigration from Kharkov to the US, made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think Sometimes all three in a couple of paragraphs, as when he describes the impact of the language barrier for adult immigrants Then you realize this ...An exceptional memoir of the refugee experience, which is unfortunately all too common these days.This is one of the best memoirs I have read by anyone, ever Hilarious and heartbreaking, an adventure that is grounded in deep honesty and introspection I gained greater insight into Russia from this boo...Lev writes about his actual journey from the Ukraine to the United States while also expressing his personal journey from neglecting and denying himself to coming to embrace himself It s funny, it s thrilling, and it s an amazing story for anyone...

A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka
  • English
  • 08 February 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 307 pages
  • 0385537778
  • Lev Golinkin
  • A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka