Eugene Yelchin grew up where street tar was a substitute for chewing gum, "asking questions was considered not patriotic" and all the walls had ears--even those of your own home. Despite these challenges, he blossomed into an award-winning writer and illustrator. In this splendidly entertaining memoir of a bleak childhood in Cold War Russia, Yelchin turns a dark, drab world into a kaleidoscope of humorously enlightening anecdotes about a boy with a stolen pencil and a lot of questions.
The Genius Under the Table offers a fascinating glimpse into life in the USSR through the eyes of an artistic, imaginative and very funny child. Yelchin adorns the pages with his distinctive art, so each flip of the page brings a better understanding of this complex boy--his sense of humor, his understanding of the world and his struggles--by perfectly complimenting the text. Simply beautiful! --Jen Forbus, freelancer