Behind the Border - Softcover

Kossman, Nina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688147429 ISBN 13: 9780688147426

Publisher: Beech Tree Books, 1996

Synopsis

In charming and poignant vignettes, Nina Kossman tells of her childhood in 1960s Moscow. Nina wants to become a heroine by awakening Grandfather Lenin during a class trip to his tomb, or by painting Red Square really red. But she also finds herself fascinated with life in the forbidden world "behind the border." B&W photos.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7-With poignant innocence, Kossman writes of her childhood experiences in Russia in the '60s. 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 book concludes with this Jewish family's hopes to emigrate to America. The simple, childlike style intensifies the impact of Kossman's words, and is reminiscent of the fictional Friedrich (Puffin, 1987) by Hans Peter Richter. The reading level and format are appropriate for elementary-grade students, but some of the content may elude them. However, this unique book will serve to promote discussions of freedom. The commonality of typical childhood activities-going to the beach, friendships, and school assignments-make the child very real. The endnotes further reveal the restrictions imposed on Soviet citizens.
Carrol McCarthy, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Beech Tree Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0688147429
• ISBN 13: 9780688147426
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 95