Jump to Comments
My Life at First Try
is the funnily told life of a Russian Jew who emigrates to the United States in search of freedom and a more comfortable life.The book is written in very short chapters that each give a snapshot of the hero, Alex, at a different point in time. Alex is an engineer and his tone is well-pitched: always factual, without much emotion, but always managing to tell the story behind the story. I particularly liked his description of being laid off, of feeling utterly useless and discarded as his wife, a physician, is busier than ever. A bittersweet story of a very ordinary life in which almost nothing happens (if emigrating can count as nothing.)
