Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 10 Up‘This collection of 10 short stories and 5 nonfiction essays, all published in the former Soviet Union since 1992, creates an informative mosaic of political views, literary preoccupations, and social observations among Russian republics. Each selection is prefaced by an author bio and a short introduction that provides social, political, and geographic background. Even so, YA readers may expect some rough going, as topics are mature and writing styles are sometimes oblique due to residual political paranoia. Of particular note are emigree Vladimir Kozlovsky's essay on Zhirinovsky and two short stories, Belarusan Andrey M. Fedarenko's ``Bliakha, or After Chernobyl,'' and Estonian Eeva Park's ``On the Other Side of Acheron'' (the only story concerning a teenager and the only one with a comic touch). Notable, too, is Anatoly Strelyany's ``Cinematic Ukraine,'' which is a series of vignettes about the filming of a documentary. Most of the entries are prefaced with a photo of the author, and all have a regional map superimposed over sectional title pages. A healthy interest in the area and careful reading can make this volume rewarding.‘Kellie Flynn, St. Teresa High School, Decatur, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.