{"id":40530,"date":"2022-02-05T00:28:21","date_gmt":"2022-02-05T04:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=40530"},"modified":"2022-02-05T00:30:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T04:30:28","slug":"review-of-the-genius-under-the-table-by-eugene-yelchin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=40530","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Genius Under the Table, by Eugene Yelchin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Genius Under the Table<\/p>\n

Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain<\/em><\/p>\n

by Eugene Yelchin<\/p>\n

Candlewick Press, 2021. 201 pages.
\nReview written December 2, 2021, from a library book
\nStarred Review
\n2022 Capitol Choices<\/a> selection
\n2022 Sidney Taylor Honor Book<\/p>\n

Eugene Yelchin tells us his story of growing up in Leningrad under the Soviet regime. The characters in his story are larger than life, whom we meet on the first page, loudly complaining about American tourists cutting in front of them in the line to get into Lenin\u2019s mausoleum.<\/p>\n

Yevgeny was only six years old in that incident and was somewhat overwhelmed by seeing Lenin\u2019s mummy. Their family lived in a cramped one-bedroom apartment and the only place for Yevgeny to sleep was under his grandma\u2019s big table. He liked the private space under the table, and used the bottom of the table to draw pictures.<\/p>\n

His mother worked for the Vaganova Ballet Academy, and was obsessed with Mikhail Barishnikov, the academy\u2019s most famous graduate. This obsession gets woven through the book, as his mother wishes Yevgeny had talent like Misha. And their family\u2019s discussion of the likelihood of him defecting gets their own building\u2019s spy appointed to accompany him on his trip to Canada.<\/p>\n

Yevgeny\u2019s big brother Victor has talent \u2013 he\u2019s a champion figure skater. But what can Yevgeny do? He fakes interest in ballet to please his mother, but that\u2019s not going to work out very well.<\/p>\n

Then propaganda starts coming on the radio and even among their neighbors against Jews. Eugene\u2019s child\u2019s perspective of all these events is both funny and poignant. And all of it is illustrated with his drawings \u2013 which he tried to reproduce from what he drew under his grandma\u2019s table.<\/p>\n

The book ends rather abruptly, after a very sad event. He tries to make it hopeful, and I know he ended up leaving Soviet Russia, but I wish the book had given a hint of how he got there.<\/p>\n

Overall, this book is packed with humor and insight. A fun look for kids at a different world \u2013 behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.<\/p>\n

candlewick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/genius_under_the_table.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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