Behind the Border
by Nina Kossman
In charming and poignant vignettes, Nina Kossman tells of her childhood in the Soviet Union. Nina wants to become a heroine by awakening Grandfather Lenin during a class trip to his tomb, or by painting Moscow's Red Square really red. But she also finds herself fascinated with life in the forbidden world "behind the border."
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The Kindle e-book is a reprint of the original 1994 edition, published in both paperback and hardcover by Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard, an imprint of William Morrow, later acquired by HarperCollins.
From Publishers Weekly
13 short pieces...pungently convey the effects of growing up under a totalitarian regime.
From School Library Journal:
With poignant innocence, Kossman writes of her childhood experiences in Russia.... 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 simple, childlike style intensifies the impact of Kossman's words and is reminiscent of the fictional Friedrich (Puffin, 1987) by Hans Peter Richter. ...This unique book will serve to promote discussions of freedom. The commonality of typical childhood activities -- going to the beach, friendships, and school assignments -- makes the child very real. The endnotes further reveal the restrictions imposed on Soviet citizens.
From Booklist
Twelve vignettes focus on Kossman's early years in Russia before her family went "behind the border" and immigrated to the U.S. A few of the sketches, such as her first encounter with chewing gum, are amusing. Most, however, are chilling. It's difficult to decide who the audience for this book will be: the anecdotes are about a young child, and the format seems juvenile, but the situations and their implications demand a more sophisticated reader. Kossman's vivid picture of life behind the Iron Curtain and her notes at the end of the book will be useful discussion starters for classes studying political changes in Eastern Europe.- Chris Sherman
From Kirkus Reviews
In 13 self-contained vignettes, a spirited narrator, Nina, illuminates for readers the life of a young Jew in Moscow in the 1960s. Nina's father, permitted to travel ``behind the border'' (out of the Soviet Union) to visit family in England, brings back not only material proof of a different world but also the spirit of life beyond the boundary of Russia. He listens clandestinely to reports on the BBC so he will know the truth as the world sees it rather than the truth that the Politburo wishes him to know. Nina's behavior and observations reflect her parents' expanded awareness. She can be dangerously open, asking a sailor if he can take her to Turkey so she can retrieve her lost beachball. But she can also be guarded; she keeps her hand down when her teacher asks for a count of Jews in the class. ``I didn't know what all this was about. I just knew that there was something embarrassing about being a Jew: it was being different from everyone else.'' Young readers will identify readily with the impetuous Nina. (Nonfiction. 8+) - Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Jean Fritz
This child's eye view of Soviet Russia is original and...surprisingly perceptive both of Russian society and Nina, its engaging ... heroine. An unforgettable picture of life 'behind the border'...perfectly attuned to young readers.
Nina Kossman is a transdisciplinary artist. A writer and painter, she exhibited her paintings internationally, and her writing has been published in a dozen languages, including French, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, German, Persian, Chinese, Bengali, and Japanese. Nina Kossman’s 12 books include poetry (in Russian and English), short prose (in Russian and English), children’s poetry, an anthology she edited for Oxford University Press, two volumes of translations of Marina Tsvetaeva’s poetry, and a novel. Her English-language work has appeared in over ninety magazines and anthologies. Her plays have been produced in the US, the UK, and Australia. She received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, grants from the Onassis Foundation and the Foundation for Hellenic Culture, and the (now defunct) UNESCO/PEN Short Story Award. Born in the former Soviet Union, she lives in New York.
