The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin; Candlewick Press; © 2021; ISBN 9781536-225526; 201 pages; PJ Our Way
LA MESA, California – Yevgeny lives with his grandmother, mother, father, and older brother in a very small apartment during the Cold War in Russia. At night, they all sleep in the kitchen with Yevgeny sleeping under the large kitchen table. Every night, his father asks who has taken his pencil, which he uses to write poetry, but no one knows. The grandmother, who is always angry, tells him to go to sleep. While everyone sleeps, Yevgeny draws on the underside of the table every night.
During the Cold War, people wanted to develop their talents so they could emigrate from Russia and lead a better life. Yevgeny’s father writes poetry, his mother is obsessed with ballet, especially Mikhail Baryshnikov, and his brother Victor was a talented ice skater. The story focuses on finding a talent that Yevgeny can focus on so he can live a better life.
Yevgeny auditions for the ballet to please his mother and begins a year of understudying with the ballet company. During this time, his parents discover the intricate drawings under the table and invite an artist friend over to see them. Yevgeny starts art lessons with this friend and does very well.
Yevgeny’s father dies of pneumonia, which he caught while waiting in line to receive a book voucher for a poetry book he wanted. Questions arise if his grandfather was involved in the KGB, since pictures of him have been cut out of old family albums. Yevgeny never finds out.
This story was funny and also thought-provoking about living in Russia during this time, and living in so much uncertainty about the future. This book is recommended for children ages 10-13 years old.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.