So acute are the descriptions of Soviet life in cold war Russia in this highly memorable memoir, there were times when I had to put it aside for a while. The author describes her childhood until managing to leave for the United States in her mid-twenties. The measures taken do so are drastic, but...
WeddingFOR THE THREE MONTHS before our scheduled wedding, I’m not planning anything because I don’t believe it is really going to happen. In my mind, I’ve played out everything that could go wrong: Robert will come to his senses; the Soviet Embassy will refuse to issue a visa on learning that he’...
She fills out an application once a year as the rules allow. Each time, she makes sure I buy a money order for a hundred dollars, the price of the petition, and write the name of the U.S. State Department on the front. Then she walks to the post office and gives the envelope to the clerk in perso...