Kossman, Nina

Behind the Border

HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.

Item #24680
ISBN: 9780688134945

Hardcover, 96 pp.

A collection of moving, often funny vignettes about a childhood spent in the Soviet Union in the 1960s poignantly captures what life could be like behind the old Iron Curtain.
From School Library Journal:
Grade 4-7-With poignant innocence, Kossman writes of her childhood experiences in Russia in the '60s. Each chapter relates a memory tinged with the effects of the totalitarian regime that influenced every aspect of her and her family's lives. The opening vignette reveals the unexpected restrictions of the border when a beach ball floats out to sea and young Nina is told that she would never be allowed into Turkey to retrieve it. In the subsequent chapters, the author describes situations through the eyes of a 7-to-10 year old in which adults reveal either fear of authority or of autocratic bullying. Her parents try to protect her, but her experiences at school eventually result in surprisingly mature conclusions as she comes to realize, fear, and resent the strictures under which she lives. The book concludes with this Jewish family's hopes to emigrate to America. The simple, childlike style intensifies the impact of Kossman's words, and is reminiscent of the fictional Friedrich (Puffin, 1987) by Hans Peter Richter. The reading level and format are appropriate for elementary-grade students, but some of the content may elude them. However, this unique book will serve to promote discussions of freedom. The commonality of typical childhood activities-going to the beach, friendships, and school assignments-make the child very real. The endnotes further reveal the restrictions imposed on Soviet citizens.

Price: $15.00