Emil Draitser: Shush! Growing Up Jewish Under Stalin April 11, 2012

Years after immigrating to America from the Soviet Ukraine, award-winning author Emil Draitser made a startling discovery: every time he uttered the word “Jewish”—even in casual conversation—he lowered his voice. Shush! Growing Up Jewish Under Stalin is a compelling memoir that takes the reader back to Draitser’s childhood and provides a unique account of mid-twentieth-century life in Russia. Lively, evocative, and rich with humor, the book presents a sweeping panorama of two centuries of Jewish history in Russia through life stories of the author’s ancestors.

An award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction, Emil Draitser has been a professor of Russian at Hunter College in New York City since 1986. A Q&A and book signing follow the program.

Advance tickets: Available on site at the Skirball, online at www.skirball.org, or by phone at (877) SCC-4TIX or (877) 722-4849

Official Website: http://www.skirball.org/programs/readings-talks/emil-draitser