Jennifer De Leon is author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Simon & Schuster, 2020) and the essay collection White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing(UMass Press, 2021), which is the recipient of the Juniper Prize. Register to join the event on Crowdcast here: ! This live event is free and virtual via Crowdcast - register to join at the link below. Brought to you by the alumni of GrubStreet’s Memoir and Essay Incubators. Witty, sharp and unflinching, I Named My Dog Pushkin will have fans of Samantha Irby and Jenny Lawson howling with laughter at Margarita’s catastrophes, her victories and her near misses as she learns to grow as both a woman and an immigrant in a world that often doesn’t appreciate either.Join Porter Square Books for Tell-All Boston 9: We’re Doin’ (Mostly) Fine, with special guest Jennifer De Leon, author of the 2021 essay collection White Space, Wise Latinas, and Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From. Most importantly, she finds that no matter how hard you try not to become your parents, you end up just like them anyway. She finds herself changing her name to fit in, disappointing her parents who expect her to become a doctor, a lawyer, an investment banker and a classical pianist – all at the same time, learning to date without hang-ups (there is no sex in the Soviet Union), parenting her own daughter ‘while too Russian’, and not being able to let go of old habits (never, ever throw anything away because you might use it again). But she soon learned that finding her new voice was harder than escaping the Soviet secret police.

When they arrived in the US, Margarita had a clearly defined objective – become fully American as soon as possible, and leave her Soviet past behind. Despite her father's protestations that they'd get caught and thrown into a gulag, she convinced her family to follow that plan. That was the gist of every Soviet-Jewish immigrant’s plan in the 1980s, Margarita’s included.

Really, how difficult could it be?įake an exit visa, fool the Soviet authorities, pack enough sausage to last through immigration, buy a one-way Aeroflot ticket, and the rest will sort itself out.

‘Hilarious…Thought-provoking’ California Bookwatchīuy a pair of Levi’s, lose the Russian accent, and turn yourself into an American.

I named my dog pushkin