Stepchildren of Mother Russia

In this fascinating family memoir, Draznin reconstructs the experiences of his and his wife’s families under Soviet rule. It’s a dramatic, event-filled history that exemplifies many of the experiences of Soviet Jews throughout the 20th century. Draznin’s paternal grandfather, Moshe, was a Communist Party aide—but that didn’t save him from eventual arrest on the charge of being a spy for the West. The horrors of growing up Soviet are exemplified by Draznin’s father, Nahum, who saw a schoolma...