I mean, the painful courage it took to include the sleepover must've been tremendous. So I was glad to see it delve deeper with It's these intimate moments of struggling to belong and navigating your own culture that stood out to most when I read Anya’s Ghost back in 2016. She's trying her hardest to assimilate as smoothly as possible by pulling together a sleepover (by replicating her friend's version), but then her mother gives her Russian twist on it.Īs a child of Russian Jews (like I mention in my review for Natasha and Other Stories), I know all too well that you're donzo if your third-grade classmates see those Russian letters on the cake. All the more painful to relive it through Vera's young eyes. I'm gonna jump right into discussing the book by highlighting the dreaded sleepover scene that still gives me chills. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range-Russian summer camp. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Having adored Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol, I was keen on checking out her spin with this gripping and hilarious middle-grade summer camp memoir.Īll Vera wants to do is fit in-but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Summer Camp, Russian Culture, and Belonging
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |