Sasha Vasilyuk presents 'Your Presence is Mandatory': Reading, Q&A, Book Signing
Friday, Jun 07, 2024 6:00 PM
*Text in English below*
Дорогие друзья!
Приглашаем вас на литературную встречу с писателем и журналистом Сашей Василюк (Сан-Франциско), которая представит свой дебютный роман 'Your Presence is Mandatory' ('Явка обязательна').
Мероприятие пройдет на русском и английском языках.
Вход свободный с RSVP
Роман 'Явка обязательна' основан на реальных исторических событиях и рассказывает о тайне, которую главный герой, Ефим Шульман – украинский еврей и солдат советской армии, пронес через всю свою жизнь. Книга поднимает важные темы, такие как голодомор, холокост, репрессии и ужасы Второй мировой войны, и имеет актуальность для современной Украины.
Книга уже получила множество положительных отзывов у критиков и читателей. Мы считаем важным обсудить ее с нашей мультикультурной эмигрантской аудиторией, которая хорошо знакома с описанными событиями.
Ждем вас!
Dear Friends,
Globus Books is delighted to invite you to an in-person presentation by Sasha Vasilyuk of her debut novel 'Your Presence is Mandatory', published by Bloomsbury in April 2024.
Join us for reading, discussion, and book signing at our cozy store.
This event will be conducted in English and Russian.
Attendance is free with RSVP.
About the book
Ukraine, 2007. Yefim Shulman, husband, grandfather and war veteran, was beloved by his family and his coworkers. But in the days after his death, his widow Nina finds a letter to the KGB in his briefcase. Yefim had a lifelong secret, and his confession forces them to reassess the man they thought they knew and the country he had defended.
In 1941, Yefim is a young artillerist on the border between the Soviet Union and Germany, eager to defend his country and his large Jewish family against Hitler's forces. But surviving the war requires sacrifices Yefim never imagined-and even when the war ends, his fight isn't over. He must conceal his choices from the KGB and from his family.
Spanning seven decades between World War II and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, Your Presence Is Mandatory traces the effect Yefim's coverup had on the lives of Nina, their two children and grandchildren. In the process, Sasha Vasilyuk shines a light on one family caught between two totalitarian regimes, and the grace they find in the course of their survival.
Praise for 'Your Presence Is Mandatory'
"An absorbing historical drama that spans from WWII to the current Russian-Ukraine conflict. Vasiluk is tender and caring with her characters and her setting. Fans of All The Light We Cannot See will find the perfect historical novel with this book." – Debutiful, "Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2024"
"This extraordinary debut is the best kind of historical fiction–an emotionally complex and heartrending saga that takes us to unfamiliar places in unfamiliar times and makes them feel known and lived." – Meg Waite Clayton, internationally bestselling author of The Postmistress of Paris
About the Author
Sasha Vasilyuk was born in the Soviet Crimea and spent her childhood between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to San Francisco at the age of 13. She has a MA in Journalism from New York University, and her nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, BBC, The Telegraph, Narrative, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. She has won several awards, including the Solas Award for Best Travel Writing, NATJA award, and BAM/PFA Fellowship from UC Berkeley. She lives in San Francisco, California with her husband and children.