The Genius Under the Table by Meira
Video review by Meira
Parent Guide
Narrating from a child’s point of view, Russian-American Eugene Yelchin (“Yevgeny”) recounts his years as a Jewish kid growing up in Cold War Russia. The “genius under the table,” he would draw pictures on the underside of the table he slept beneath in his family’s tiny living space. The short, episodic chapters are funny, kid-centered, and entertaining, and humorous drawings on almost every page help lighten the sobering facts of life for Jews in the former Soviet Union. A captivating autobiography of an artist’s young beginnings.
Parent Guide
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If you love reading about history, you will enjoy this book!
The Genius Under The Table is an interesting memoir about Russia during the Cold War written by Eugene Yelchin. It describes what life was like in Russia and how Russians barely had any freedom. Yevgeny is a boy living in Russia during the Cold War. There are spies everywhere and his mother is hiding a secret from him. His brother is a figure skater, and has the freedom to travel to other countries… his life is so much more exciting compared to Yevgeny’s. Yevgeny wants to show that he has talent too. After all, there must be something he can learn. Ballet? Poetry? Figure skating? He tries all of these, but none of them are a success. He needs to find something to be a master at, or else he will just live in his brother’s shadow. If you want to know what happens next, then you’ll have to read the book!