An Improb­a­ble Life: My Father’s Escape From Sovi­et Russia

This book is a valu­able his­tor­i­cal resource for any­one intrigued by Jew­ish cul­ture and iden­ti­ty in the Sovi­et Union from the last days of Stal­in to the Brezh­nev era and the para­dox and per­ils of being out­cast — and pos­si­bly hero­ic — in that time and place. Beyond his­to­ry, the book is a sus­pense­ful nail­biter — stolen KGB type­writ­ers and prison pass­ports, res­cu­ing the love of one’s life from soli­tary con­fine­ment in the noto­ri­ous, inhu­mane Lubyan­ka prison, being part of both the Six-Day War and the Yom Kip­pur War and so much more — the list of thriller-esque moments is long and spell­bind­ing. Per­haps most impor­tant­ly, An Improb­a­ble Life is time­ly; with the return of anti­semitism across the globe and a total­i­tar­i­an, tyran­ni­cal, impe­ri­al­ist Rus­sia, this sto­ry is all too rel­e­vant to today’s strug­gles. Here is an improb­a­ble true sto­ry of what can indeed, be possible.