Quotes
“Outstanding, original, and deeply moving.” Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author
“Golinkin convincingly portrays the miseries, and rare joys, of his
bullied, furtive childhood, and the limits it put on him…Trauma and his attempts to deal with it give substance to his
book, although Golinkin supplements his memories with interviews and
research that add important context…Golinkin has
created a deeply moving account of fear and hope.” Publishers Weekly
“This atmospheric, touching memoir, whose
chapters begin with dates and locations to orient the reader, follows
the Golinkins as they escape the Soviet Union and land in America…Eye-opening for those who come to
the US and for those who help them do so.” Booklist
“An ex–Iron Curtain refugee turned American
citizen tells the emotional story of how he and his parents fled the Ukraine
two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union…A mordantly affecting chronicle of
a journey to discover that ‘you can’t have a future if you don’t have a past.’” Kirkus Reviews
“In Lev Golinkin’s skillful memoir, A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka, we share his
family’s traumatic flight to freedom from Soviet Ukraine, and then a young
man’s brave attempt to build a meaningful life in the United States.” Peter Eisner, author of The Pope’s Last Crusade
“There’s a gem on every page of A Backpack, A Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka. Lev Golinkin has the
skill and vision necessary to tell the story of a crumbling empire and the
soulfulness and flair to capture that story in the saga of one man. He’s an
alert, and witty, and humane storyteller. I will eagerly read anything he
writes.” Avi Steinberg, author The Lost Book of Mormon
“A soulful tale that is both incredibly beautiful and
wickedly funny, a tale of being lost, being found, and finding home.” Helene Stapinski, author of Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History