Category Archives: Memoir

Review: The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin

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The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin

The Genius Under the Table
Eugene Yelchin
Candlewick Press
Published October 5, 2021

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About The Genius Under the Table

An Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Honor Winner

With a masterful mix of comic timing and disarming poignancy, Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin offers a memoir of growing up in Cold War Russia.

Drama, family secrets, and a KGB spy in his own kitchen! How will Yevgeny ever fulfill his parents’ dream that he become a national hero when he doesn’t even have his own room? He’s not a star athlete or a legendary ballet dancer. In the tiny apartment he shares with his Baryshnikov-obsessed mother, poetry-loving father, continually outraged grandmother, and safely talented brother, all Yevgeny has is his little pencil, the underside of a massive table, and the doodles that could change everything. With equal amounts charm and solemnity, award-winning author and artist Eugene Yelchin recounts in hilarious detail his childhood in Cold War Russia as a young boy desperate to understand his place in his family.

My Review

I read I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin last year, and then had the unexpected and amazing opportunity to interview him earlier this year. I’d wanted to read this book before the interview, and couldn’t make that happen, but I bought a copy to read at my earliest opportunity, and now, here we are.

It’s interesting to see the difference between the way that I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This, which is for an older audience, is written versus The Genius Under the Table. Each story has an underlying current of humor and playfulness. The young adult memoir brings some of the frightening aspects of living in Soviet Russia to the forefront, whereas they’re kept a little more in the background in the middle grade memoir, though they’re still present.

As a former ballet dancer, I found the descriptions of Yevgeny’s mom’s work and her connection to Baryshnikov really interesting. I felt deeply for Yevgeny, who internalized pressure from his parents to find his artistic talent in an artistic family at a time when that could mean a huge difference to a family. I loved how that talent made itself known.

It was cool to see Yevgeny’s mom and grandmother and the similarities and differences in their characters in both books. His grandmother is probably my favorite character.

All in all, I am really glad I read this book. I loved the pairing of the text and illustrations, and the narrative’s inquisitive tone.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Yevgeny and his family are Jewish.

Violent Content
References to persecution against Jewish people in Russia.

Drug Content
One character smokes cigarettes.

Spoiler (highlight the text below to reveal the spoiler.

Death of a parent. Yevgeny’s dad dies in a chapter late in the book.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book for my collection. All opinions are my own.

Review: Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian

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Until We Meet Again
Lily Kim Qian
First Second
Published April 21, 2026

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About Until We Meet Again

A poignant and vividly illustrated graphic memoir about a young woman’s search for belonging as her immigrant family moves between Canada and China.

Lily isn’t sure where home is anymore. Her family is constantly on the move, resettling in different towns across Canada and, eventually, in Shanghai, China. Her father plays the role of primary caregiver while her mother is absent for long periods of time. When she reappears, her strange behavior turns Lily’s life upside down. As Lily enters her college years, she strives to better understand her family and her place in the world. But can she escape the inherited trauma passed down by her immigrant parents?

My Review

This moving illustrated memoir follows Lily from early childhood to adulthood and shows her feelings about and relationship with her mom as she begins to witness and, later, understand her mother’s mental health issues.

A few lines of thoughtful narrative appear on each page, reflecting on a moment or experience from the author’s childhood. Graphic novel panels without dialogue illustrate the events described.

This storytelling style gives readers a chance to piece together for themselves what’s happening and how the illustrations intersect with the narrative statements. I really enjoyed the way those added up to more than the sum of their parts.

I think it’s also an important story. Kids who have parents with mental health issues may find some of the descriptions and scenes resonate with them or validate their own experiences. Other kids who haven’t had an experience like this may find Qian’s writing illuminating. The story also briefly addresses the harm of stigma surrounding getting a diagnosis or treatment for mental health issues, which is another important topic for discussion.

All in all, this moving story deserves space on the shelf next to Visitations by Corey Egbert and Messy Roots by Laura Gao.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 to 18.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to her mother throwing things and becoming very upset if confronted by someone or something she didn’t like.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters by Yevgenia Nayberg

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Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters
Yevgenia Nayberg
Holiday House
Published April 14, 2026

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About Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters

Strong-willed Genya sets her mind to attending art school in 1980s Ukraine, amidst the turmoil of Soviet control, the Cold War, and the unfolding Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Genya—the nickname of the book’s author and story’s protagonist, Yevgenia—knows from age five that she wants to be an artist. When she turns eleven, she’ll apply to the same prestigious art school that her mother attended. But making the cut won’t be easy, especially with the school’s open-secret rule that no more than 1% of the student body can be Jewish.

The years before Genya’s eleventh birthday bring plenty to distract her. Nothing in Soviet Ukraine is quite as it seems; adults mock the government, but only in private; and her classmates are terrified of American bomb strikes. And that’s all before April 26, 1986, when Genya’s police officer neighbor gets called to an emergency in a town she’s never heard of: Chernobyl.

A graphic memoir account of creator Yevgenia Nayberg’s childhood, Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters is both deeply personal and a glimpse into broader Soviet intelligentsia experiences. Young readers curious about life elsewhere, particularly in the face of disaster, will find ample details to devour, while those dreaming of a creative life will take inspiration from Genya’s perseverance. Salient and yet often slyly funny, this is a must-read for any graphic memoir fan.

My Review

Genya wants to go to art school, but while she’s preparing, a reactor at Chernobyl explodes, upending her life. I really appreciate that, though her memories about the Chernobyl disaster are striking, the story is framed by her larger childhood goals and experiences.

In some ways, this story made me think of what it must have been like for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The news was often shocking and riddled with more questions than answers. In the absence of information, people tried to protect themselves however they could (microwaving their groceries before putting them away, for example).

Though it’s a completely different situation, I suspect that some readers will identify with Genya’s experience. She tries to live her normal life and balks at the strange requests that adults make, even when those turn out to be decisions that keep her safer.

The writing and illustrations pair in very clever ways, playfully examining how children interpret what’s happening around them and discover hard truths about life.

This book was a lot of fun to read. Fans of Eugene Yelchin‘s work will not want to miss this.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
One panel shows a friend telling Genya that parents have sex to make a baby. Later, Genya reads a human biology book, and is horrified to discover that menstruation is actually a thing that many women experience every month.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Fear and rumors about potential American bomb strikes. References to prejudice against Jewish people. References to the oppressive government regime. References to deaths caused by radiation exposure and fears about spreading contamination.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: El Deafo by CeCe Bell

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El Deafo
Cece Bell
Amulet Books
Published September 2, 2014

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About El Deafo

Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school — in the hallway… in the teacher’s lounge… in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different… and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

This funny perceptive graphic novel memoir about growing up hearing impaired is also an unforgettable book about growing up, and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way.

My Review

I read this book as part of a search for graphic novels for my littlest, who is seven and already beginning to read middle grade books. She loved this one. It brought up a few questions about what being Deaf means, which is great– it was a good thing to talk about. For the most part, she took the story at face value and easily engaged in the story about Cece’s quest for friends, her embarassment about the ways in which she is different, and her shyness about her first crush.

The writing has the perfect balance between kid sensibilities and adult reflection. There are a few scenes that made me laugh. The scenes captured how kids are but with a nod to the adults reading the book or acknowledging the irony or silliness of the situation from an adult perspective.

Cece discovers over and over that people react differently to her hearing aids and her hearing impairment than she expected. Sometimes this is annoying, as with her friend Ginny, who overpronounces everything and refers to Cece as her “deaf friend.” At other times, this is a welcome difference, like when her classmates learn about Cece’s ability to hear where her teacher is at all times.

This is one of those books that I hope finds its way into classrooms everywhere. I really enjoyed the smart, poignant writing. The illustrations are charming, with a simplicity that keeps the focus on Cece’s emotional journey. I loved this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 7 to 10.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Cece has a crush on a boy in her neighborhood.

Spiritual Content
Cece imagines herself as a superhero named El Deafo. Her superhero alter ego can bravely confront others who make her sad or uncomfortable.

Violent Content
One panel shows a dog biting a girl’s lower leg while she frowns. Another shows a girl hit in the face with a stick. She covers her eye with one hand, but there’s blood on her face.

Drug Content
One mom smokes cigarettes. One scene shows moms with wine glasses.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

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Night (Night Trilogy #1)
Elie Wiesel
Translated by Marion Wiesel
Hill and Wang
Published January 16, 2006 (Orig. 1956)

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About Night

Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. 

Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man.

This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel’s testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.

My Review

I first read this memoir years ago, but Wiesel’s words have stayed with me since. It’s been on my list to reread this book for a long time. This year seemed like the right time.

The author describes some horrifying things in plain language, describing a situation and reflecting on how he felt in the moment or immediately afterward. A few of the descriptions are hard to read, especially those involving children. While Wiesel doesn’t graphically describe these cruelties, his words are shocking, and we feel his own shock as he witnesses them firsthand.

This isn’t a long book. In less than 150 pages, the author briefly describes the small town where he grew up, his family, and the closing in of his world as his family and his Jewish neighbors are forced into ghettos and then deported to concentration camps in other countries. There, they face torture, starvation, and neglect. Elie Wiesel was fifteen when he entered Auschwitz.

As I read, I kept having to pause and close the book. To think. To let the echoes of the author’s words ring out over me. I wanted to resist knowing the depth of the horrors he described, yet I needed to bear witness to his account.

This is a hard book to read, and an essential one, alongside Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl and Boy from Buchenwald by Robbie Waisman (who knew Elie Wiesel and was at Buchenwald with him when the camp was liberated).

If you want to know more about what happened to the teen boys who were liberated from Buchenwald, I highly recommend Robbie Waisman’s book for that as well.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27, 2026, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s meant to be a day that we honor and remember the victims of the Holocaust. Remembering what happened, understanding the route that led humanity to that dark place, is necessary not only to honor those who died but to prevent these atrocities from happening again.

We cannot prevent this from happening again without acknowledging the truth of history and carrying that torch forward.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One homophobic comment and a few uses of the G-slur.

Romance/Sexual Content
One vague reference to child trafficking within the camp. In one scene, Eliezer sees a camp officer having intercourse with a woman. The scene is quick and not detailed.

Spiritual Content
The memoir details Wiesel’s desire as a child to study his faith deeply. During his time in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, he wrestles with anger toward God for what has happened to him and others.

Violent Content
Brief, horrifying descriptions of the murder of children, including babies. Descriptions of cruel and inhumane treatment of those imprisoned in the camps. Brief descriptions of prisoners, including a child, executed by hanging. Wiesel describes deep shame as he makes decisions based on self-preservation rather than compassion for others, including his father.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Review: I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin

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I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This
Eugene Yelchin
Candlewick Press
Published September 16, 2025

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About I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This

In a stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchin’s graphic memoir depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrad’s underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum—and to eventual safety in the US.

No longer the creative little boy under his grandmother’s table, Yevgeny is now a young adult, pursuing his artistic dreams under the constant threat of the KGB’s stranglehold on Russia’s creative scene. When a chance encounter with an American woman opens him up to a world of romance and possibility, Yevgeny believes he has found his path to the future—and freedom overseas.

But the threat of being drafted into the military and sent to fight in Afghanistan changes everything in a terrible instant, and he takes drastic measures to decide his fate, leading to unthinkable consequences in a mental hospital.

With bold art bringing a vivid reality to life, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin’s sequel to the acclaimed memoir The Genius Under the Table returns to Yevgeny’s saga, balancing the terror and oppression of Soviet Russia with the author’s signature charm and dark wit. I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This shines a stark spotlight on history while offering a poignant, nuanced, and powerfully resonant look at growing up in—and ultimately leaving—Cold War Russia in the early 1980s.

My Review

I have not read The Genius Under the Table, so if there are references to that book in I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This, then I missed them. Despite that, I followed the story just fine as I read this memoir. I don’t know that I realized it was a sequel as I was reading it.

The story can be grim, which won’t surprise anyone familiar with Russian history in the early 1980s. Yelchin does a wonderful job incorporating art, joy, and humor into the story, though. Yevgeny’s relationship with Libby is halting and sweet. I loved watching them figure out how to communicate with each other and the jokes they developed. For instance, they would ask each other if the other was “mixed up” about them, meaning did they have romantic feelings for one another.

It was easy to feel the tension Yevgeny felt as an artist. He knew he could be imprisoned, or worse, for making art. Late in the book, he is confined to a mental institution. At one point, a scene sort of fades to black, with Yevgeny in pretty dire straits. When the narrative resumes, we learn that he still carries the trauma of his experience, but has been freed.

Throughout the story, the narrative stays appropriate to the audience. The illustrations don’t show gratuitous violence, though the characters reference a murder that happens off-scene. The story also notes Russia’s invasion of Afganistan, and the high cost to human life the war creates.

At 432 pages, this graphic memoir is a little longer than other similar books, but it’s so worth reading. I loved the expressions on the characters’ faces. The illustrations are brilliant. Readers interested in European or Russian history will not want to miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Yevgeny’s grandmother inquires that he and his wife will not have privacy while they sleep if she moves in with the family.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to political assassination and bullying. References to antisemitism. At one point, Yevgeny is in a medical facility, and the scene sort of fades to black with a vague reference to torture and mistreatment.

Drug Content
Yevgeny goes to a party and possibly gets drunk? He falls down dancing and then walks home alone. It’s hard to tell if there was alcohol involved. If so, it’s not pictured. Characters smoke cigarettes in some scenes. Someone injects medication into a person’s arm without their consent.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.