I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This: A Graphic Memoir

ISBN: 1536215538

Author: Yelchin, Eugene

Condition: New

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Childrens and Young Adult Literature"An exceptional work: atmospherically illustrated and underpinned by strong but restrained feelings." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)In a stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchins graphic memoir depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrads underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum-and to eventual safety in the US.No longer the creative little boy under his grandmothers table, Yevgeny is now a young adult, pursuing his artistic dreams under the constant threat of the KGBs stranglehold on Russias creative scene. When a chance encounter with an American woman opens him up to a world of romance and possibility, Yevgeny believes he has found his path to the future-and freedom overseas. But the threat of being drafted into the military and sent to fight in Afghanistan changes everything in a terrible instant, and he takes drastic measures to decide his fate, leading to unthinkable consequences in a mental hospital. With bold art bringing a vivid reality to life, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchins sequel to the acclaimed memoir The Genius Under the Table returns to Yevgenys saga, balancing the terror and oppression of Soviet Russia with the authors signature charm and dark wit. I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This shines a stark spotlight on history while offering a poignant, nuanced, and powerfully resonant look at growing up in-and ultimately leaving-Cold War Russia in the early 1980s.