Soviet-Jewish American writers come of age

. Sasha Senderovich is a master analyst of an exciting literary wave fomented by Soviet-Jewish American authors who came here as children and teens. Their contemporary twists on the immigrant experience dominate bestseller lists, pile high on nightstands and are Kindle-devoured near and far. Each book offers revelatory insights that both delight and discomfort American Jewish readers. It began with Gary Shteyngart’’s The Russian Debutante’s Handbook (2002) and the birth of Vladimir Girshkin, “one of the most original and unlikely heroes of recent times,” critics hailed. Soon other writers penned their interpretations of Soviet life and American transplantation: David Bezmozgis, Ellen Litman, Alina Simone, Lara Vapnyar and Anya Ulinich. “Most of them are the same age, “at least a chunk of them,”” says the 34-year-old […]