A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka

A Memoir

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Russia, Jewish, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka by Lev Golinkin, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lev Golinkin ISBN: 9780385537780
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Publication: November 4, 2014
Imprint: Anchor Language: English
Author: Lev Golinkin
ISBN: 9780385537780
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication: November 4, 2014
Imprint: Anchor
Language: English

**"[A] hilarious and heartbreaking story of a Jewish family’s escape from oppression."--The New York Times

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 more 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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

**"[A] hilarious and heartbreaking story of a Jewish family’s escape from oppression."--The New York Times

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 more 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.

More books from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Cover of the book A Guide to The Odyssey by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Consolations of Philosophy by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book Lidia's Italy in America by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Complete Plays by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Living and the Dead by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book Choice of Evils by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book 31 Days by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book Blue Sky Dream by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Rules of Attraction by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Big Book of Science Fiction by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book LITTLE GLORIA by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book The Peopling of British North America by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book Life Class by Lev Golinkin
Cover of the book Dear Mr. President by Lev Golinkin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy