{"product_id":"a-backpack-a-bear-and-eight-crates-of-vodka-a-memoir-paperback","title":"A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka: A Memoir - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLev Golinkin\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compelling memoir--\"hilarious and heartbreaking\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e)--of two intertwined journeys: a Jewish refugee family in Ukraine fleeing persecution and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the twilight of the Cold War (the late 1980s), nine-year old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border, leaving Ukraine 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is the vivid, darkly comic, and poignant story of Lev Golinkin in the confusing and often chilling final decade of the Soviet Union, and \"of a Jewish family's escape from oppression ... whose drama, hope and heartache Mr. Golinkin captures brilliantly\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e). It's also the story of Lev Golinkin as an 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten 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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLev Golinkin is the author of \u003ci\u003eA Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka\u003c\/i\u003e. Mr. Golinkin, a graduate of Boston College, came to the US as a child refugee from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov (now called Kharkiv) in 1990. His op-eds and essays on the Ukraine crisis have appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eTime.com\u003c\/i\u003e, among others; he has been interviewed by WSJ Live and HuffPost Live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 13, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51755598217504,"sku":"9780345806338","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/6abc1eb5c9c2c95676f682473b3204eb.webp?v=1780063214","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/a-backpack-a-bear-and-eight-crates-of-vodka-a-memoir-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}