Sergey Grechishkin

Wow that was a good book! Everything is normal is about a boy growing up in Soviet Russia in the '70's and 80's from his own perspective. This memoir recounts the reality of life for a Soviet citizen during that time, which at times, contrasts or confirms what the western nations of heard, and how all of its hardships was considered a normal way of life for him. Any slight glimpse of life outside the iron curtain nourished a desire to escape from life as he knew it. The author has a sense of humor too, beginning each chapter with a little joke that was common in Russia at the time which gives a bit of funny take on a topic that the general public would have understood. I felt sad too for the author as a child that so many things that we take for granted, like bubblegum or deodorant, were foreign to him and also what things he considered normal, like cockroaches in meatballs or having to constantly hide one's feelings or opinions for fear of being hauled away. No human should have to live like that, and what a tragedy that people do. It was very poignant for me, as the author seems to be roughly my age, so that while I was growing up here, enjoying all that I did, he was growing up without all of what I enjoyed and to a large extent, couldn't have imagined my much nicer life. The contrast of comparing what he and I were experiencing was sharp indeed.
It really also shows in a real way why socialism/communism will never work apart from all the Utopian ideals one hears about that philosophy, which never seems to take into account real humans and their behavior.
I would recommend this book to everyone that enjoys memoirs, history or learning about life in other countries. I received this book from the author in exchange for a free honest review. Thank you!… (altro)

An amazing story of growing up in the Soviet Union during the 1970-80's. The author very capably describes what it was like to be a child and teenager during this time.
I was surprised to read that his childhood was much like mine (in the U.S.) in some ways. School, friends, crazy hijinks. But different in so many other ways. Shortages of food and other goods, standing in lines, and limited news to mention a few. He describes how the country dealt with the death of Brezhnev, and on through the next several short lived rulers, to the freshness of Gorbachev.
For example, a few lines stood out to me.....
"She got me an awesome present: a piece of chewing gum. Had I been given such a thing several years later, I would have squirreled it away to share with my friends on some meaningful occasion".
"Many foodstuffs Westerners take for granted didn't exist in the Soviet universe even as a concept. There was no such thing as breakfast cereal, peanut butter, or ready-made-and-eat meals of any kind. We had never heard of yogurt, burgers, french fries, marshmallows, tea bags, popcorn, cookies with fillings, or a hundred other delicious items".
I was surprised at the rigors of their schooling. "In fifth grade, we began to study organic and inorganic chemistry, astromony, physics and ever more advanced math. These were mutli-year courses, and none of them were optional".
There was also "basic military training", taught in grade school. It was taught in the classroom, and "taught us simple and useful life skills, such as how to assemble and disassemble a Kalashnikov, an AK-47 assault rifle, in less than thirty seconds".
As far as basic rights, the author described it well when he stated, "In the Soviet Union, there is freedom of speech. But it's not written anywhere that one should be free after his speech".
I found this book to be fascinating, enlightening, and easy to read. I really hope that it is a big success, so others can learn about what it was like growing up in the Soviet Union.… (altro)