Description
Book Synopsis A sequel to the author''s autobiographical trilogy--Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin, In the Jaws of the Crocodile, and Farewell, Mama Odessa--this book is part memoir and part cultural study about the challenges of immigration and American accculturation. With self-deprecating humor, the author, a former Soviet satirist who was punished for trespassing the boundaries of public criticism, recollects his growing pains as he overcame his indoctrinated upbringing in a totalitarian society to embrace America''s defining values.
Trade Review“Part memoir, part comparative psychology, part humor anthology,
Laughing All the Way to Freedom is a fascinating delight. While recalling his early and lasting impressions of his adopted country, Draitser subjects his own formidable oeuvre as a satirical author--both pre- and post-emigration--to an insightful re-examination. While revisiting these wonderful texts, he gives us a sincere and illuminating retrospective account of the immigrant experience, including the mixed joy and apprehension of unexpectedly being able to visit his homeland (and beloved city of Odessa) again, after having found the courage to leave it forever. The recent and ongoing terrible events in Ukraine and Russia give the book an additional, almost unbearable poignancy.” - Dr. Seth Graham, University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies
“Everything about this remarkably engaging collection of essays--by turns poignant and funny, and deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking throughout--rings true, because it is true. At the heart of it, these keen ruminations on the nature of exile and an emigre's discovery of America are unwaveringly authentic.” - Mikhail Iossel, Concordia University, Montreal (Canada)
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Notes on Transliteration and Translation
- Foreword by Konstantin V. Kustanovich
- Preface
- Part I. Farewell, Step-Mother Russia
- 1. My Inner Emigration
- 2. "Lessons of Montreal"
- 3. "Dust"
- Part II. Discovering America
- 4. "Increditability"
- 5. Buying a Used Soul
- 6. "He Won't Make It"
- 7. Forbidden Laughter
- 8. Looking for an American Friend
- 9. "On the bumpy road to love"
- Part III. Discovering Self in America
- 10. Law as a Carriage Drawbar
- 11. Blacksmiths of Happiness
- 12. "Save Kisa!"
- 13. "How Much for a Dozen of Insults?"
- 14. "Footmall"
- IV. The Road to Americanization
- 15. "Comrade Millionaire"
- 16. "Disappearance"
- 17. Who Are You?
- Afterword
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
