Family Matters and More: Stories of My Life in Soviet Russia

by Sol Tetelbaum

This book is recollections of a Russian emigrant about some the most memorable events related to the author s personal and family matters, and it is written in a form of separate life stories in chronological order. The author recalls some interesting episodes of his childhood in Siberia, his school years in Odessa, his marriage, and others. He narrates about his parents, some family and personal events, and he devotes a few pages to the family pet. With a smile, he describes hilarious incidents that happened to him, pranks and habits of his children, some of their school adventures, and events of his adult life in Russia. The author liked to travel and hike. He tells some funny and not-so-funny stories of those travels. His life stories are humorous and serious, joyous and gloomy, comical and tragic. What these stories have in common is that they are true and reflect the life in the USSR; all of them made an impression on the author and are engraved in his memory.

Paperback

First published August 6, 2007

About the author

Solomon (Sol) Tetelbaum, a Research Engineer in Nuclear Engineering, was born in the city of Odessa, Ukraine (formerly USSR) where He lived for over 50 years. After earning his PhD degree, he managed a research sector and became an associate professor. In 1989, he entered the USA under refugee status. His first book was published in 2007; his second book was published in 2009. Both books were written in English which he started to learn coming to the USA in 1989 when he was well over 50.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family Matters and More is a series of vignettes of the author's life in Soviet Russia before he and his family immigrated to the United States in the late 1980's. I thoroughly enjoyed this intimate glimpse into one family's day-to-day life under the Soviet system. The family endures many trials, but through them all Mr. Tetelbaum exhibits an unstifled entusiasm for life that I couldn't help but find inspiring. I especially loved the stories involving "His Doggy Majesty," Tvel, and the accounts of road trips through the USSR that the family undertook against all odds. Mr. Tetelbaum's family was not so different from an American family in its desires, but he had to work doubly hard to provide them with a trace of the opportunity which is so freely available in the States. I applaud him for an admirable life lived and a book well-written.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads giveaways from the author. I was particularly impressed by his friendliness and kindness as we exchanged a few emails. I think this shows through in his personal recollections. I tend to be a harsh reviewer and wondered whether this book actually deserved four stars, but I decided to err on the side of generosity.

Here are my complaints about the book. First, there are a few missed typos or misuse of words in the book, which could have used slightly better editing. Most were minor and didn't interrupt the flow so I don't really remember where they are. Second, the book is not in chronological order. These are small vignettes that occasionally jump a little in history. I can't complain too loudly about that, since the introduction warns about that, but I did find it a little confusing at times. Third, I wish there had been more detail; at times it felt a bit like reading an outline of a book yet to be completed (more about this later).

Now what I liked about the book:
First, it's a simple and easy read. I read it as I was extremely busy getting ready for Christmas, and it was easy to read one chapter about an experience and then put it down without feeling like you were interrupting the flow--I guess that mitigates the fact that some of the experiences jumped around a little bit.
Second, the book is heartfelt and interesting. The vignettes are small little glimpses into everyday life in the USSR. Issues that don't even exist in the U.S. became huge problems on a regular basis. I was particularly struck by the problems with living arrangements and sometimes food. Some of them are humorous, and some are heartbreaking and made me feel extremely blessed and prosperous. At the same time, it struck me how similar people are all over the world as they struggle to do their best and raise a family. The situations may have been different but the worries a parent faces were the same.
Third, I was just fascinated by the experiences as I felt I got a little bit inside of his head. I kept wanting to ask questions (and this is where I wanted more detail) about the experiences. What he felt; why they made some of their decisions; little details I wish were there--because I was interested enough to want to know more. The one that left me especially wishing I could know more was their immigration to the U.S., both why and more of what happened to them.

It's certainly not a book that will sell a lot of copies, but I don't know if that was the author's aim. I do know that it shows the worth of each life--that we each have something interesting to say and share no matter where we are or where we came from. I guess I rated that more than I rated the weaknesses in writing, some of which I think came from writing in an adopted language.

[Sylvie · Rating 2 out of 5]

After exchanging emails with the authors (who is SOOOOOOOOOOO nice) I think my expectations were a bit too high !

This is a very convivial book. The author is really telling us stories of his life and we can sense the feelings of what he is going through.
However, this is a good example why some people should have a professional writer do their bio. The book is sort of an easy read, but at times it is hard to follow time and events.

The authors jumps from periods and sometimes goes back and forth with ideas ... in the same chapter ... chapters do not follow necessarily a sequence of events ... sometimes the kids are born, then they are not, then they are again, not to talk about Tvel. There are also some repetitions that are not necessary.

Also in today's time if you are referring to a book ... even of it is not in English ... you write the title in the original language and look on the internet for the translated title, if it does not exit then you do a verbatim translation, but if it as been translated you can find the title and do not have to apologize to not have the right title... sometimes the choice of words is so precious ! certainly not american! Love that part, it reminded me home.

Another thing worth mentioning ... the text may be hard for an English (American) reader to follow. English being my second language (French is the first) and I can sometimes see/read the "translation". I understand how he is thinking, and what he is trying to tell us, but it is not necessarily interesting. On the last chapter, Sol (the author) tells us that his accent, his way of saying thing had brought some comments ... it is "cute" in a conversation but when you read a book it can be tiresome. You can keep the flavor of a country, a language, a culture and not necessarily have to butcher the text.

The stories are correct, but I was expecting to hear more about "life" in the Soviet Union not only the author's life in the S.U. … what Sol is describing could sometimes be the life of about any parents in the '60s … ok the search for tires is something else! There could have been so much more. It is not the first time that I read a life story that people around the author find fascinating, that people want a father, a grand-father, an uncle to write about how it was about back in the days … but it is not all that interesting for us who do not know personally the author … great life, great book for the keeping of souvenirs that had to be left behind, destroyed prior to an emigration journey.

For writng this first book in English: a 4
But this is not a review on merits and gusts... but on books so ... sorry, I have to give a 2.

Sol if you want to discuss further, just email me.
Love. S.-

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Matters and More is an inspiring memoir. The sincerity and the many lessons Solomon learns are among the most uplifting. "The Compromise," absolutely delightful to read as well. Loved that solidly grounded principled story. "A Couple of Drunkards," ...just hilarious. Loved that one too. The new frantic parents and the trouble Dina caused them...typical, though I couldn't help but laugh picturing it. "The antidote that cured Vova (his son) of bronchitis," simply invaluable. And not just the remedy itself, but the message behind the remedy.

Also, I can't recall where in the book the Stalin newspaper `usage' was, but the suspense leading up to what frightened people from using the public stall, is one of the best examples to describe the encompassing nature of this enduring family story. Like the cure for Vova's bronchitis, some of the simplest things in life are not only the purest, but simply the most enduring. Lovely.

[Chrissie]

Now, having read a small portion of the book available at the author's site and having enjoyed the humor, I have moved this book to my must - memoir shelf and to-read shelf! Originally I shelfed this under maybe rather than to-read simply b/c I could not find any bit of the text to test read. The writing style of a book is very important to me! Sounds interesting, but will I enjoy how it is written? Now I think so.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting stories from a former Soviet Jew. Easy read. Stories that most of us can identify with and chuckle over; however, it also offers an insight to life as it was in Soviet Russia.