March 2015 - A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka: A Memoir by Lev Golinkin

[Lindsay]

This is where we will talk about Vodka, I mean... this book. But we can talk about vodka as well, if you want.

[Lindsay]

I want so hard for this stuff to not be true.

Besides bringing to light this incredibly messed up society, this memoir has me googling all kinds of stuff. I'm learning so much about this culture between this and Child 44. It was just a coincidence that we decided to read both of these at the same time, but it's painting a really solid picture in my head of what it was like to live here.

[Marianna]

Lindsay wrote: "I want so hard for this stuff to not be true.

Besides bringing to light this incredibly messed up society, this memoir has me googling all kinds of stuff. I'm learning so much about this culture b..."

I feel like between those two books you're going to be adequately prepared for The Master and Margarita's satire on the Soviet reality :)

[Tatiana]

Yes! That's perfect. Cause even though you can enjoy M&M without that knowledge, having it will make the book awesome on that more levels.

[Lindsay]

I just finished this book and I have so many feelings right now. I kind of want to crawl into bed and just go to sleep OR go out and start helping the world. One or the other.

Feelings aside, Lev's writing is so great. I love the structure of this memoir and how seamlessly he transitions from memories to present time and back to memories.

I learned so much reading this, it compelled me to research a lot of the events, words, and places he was talking about. I'm glad he didn't explain every little thing, because it made me want to look it up myself. That said, I really appreciated when he did add in little footnotes to explain little pieces further.

I think he did an amazing job of balancing the frustration of the complete intolerance he encountered growing up in Ukraine and compassion and selflessness of the people who he and his family relied so heavily on to get out of the U.S.S.R. It's amazing that anyone would get out of this situation and not let themselves be so weighed down by cynicism. His story is filled with the realness of the situation, but still has so much hope intertwined in his words.

[Marianna]

Oh man, I started reading this last night (finally), and I already am feeling it. It's so good!

[Marianna]

Finally got my thoughts together after reading this amazing memoir.
Review on my blog :)