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A Graphic Memoir
by Eugene Yelchin
In a stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchin's graphic memoir depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrad's underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum—and to eventual safety in the US.
No longer the creative little boy under his grandmother's table, Yevgeny is now a young adult, pursuing his artistic dreams under the constant threat of the KGB's stranglehold on Russia's creative scene. When a chance encounter with an American woman opens him up to a world of romance and possibility, Yevgeny believes he has found his path to the future—and freedom overseas. But the threat of being drafted into the military and sent to fight in Afghanistan changes everything in a terrible instant, and he takes drastic measures to decide his fate, leading to unthinkable consequences in a mental hospital. With bold art bringing a vivid reality to life, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin's sequel to the acclaimed memoir The Genius Under the Table returns to Yevgeny's saga, balancing the terror and oppression of Soviet Russia with the author's signature charm and dark wit. I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This shines a stark spotlight on history while offering a poignant, nuanced, and powerfully resonant look at growing up in—and ultimately leaving—Cold War Russia in the early 1980s.
"The young leads make a particularly engaging couple...Yelchin has such a gift for depicting faces with distinctive character that everyone here, from struggling artists to scowling soldiers and functionaries, will leave as strong an impression on readers as the oppressive setting. An exceptional work: atmospherically illustrated and underpinned by strong but restrained feelings." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[An] effectively standalone piece... . This proves a detailed, poignant, and gut-wrenchingly relevant elucidation of life under a government whose autocratic practices are particularly oppressive for the humanitarian pursuits of art and love." —Booklist (starred review)
"It is a compelling story, and Yelchin tells it with grace, sympathy for his younger self, and a clear pain that lingers...The powerful intersection of art style and carefully chosen text is especially stunning...The illustrations are ultimately a demonstration of his considerable talents and make it clear why he felt compelled to develop his art even though it put him at significant risk." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
This information about I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Eugene Yelchin is the creator of The Genius Under the Table, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book that earned seven starred reviews and mention on numerous Best of the Year lists. He is also coauthor and illustrator of the 2018 National Book Award Finalist The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, co-written with M. T. Anderson, and he received a Newbery Honor for his novel Breaking Stalin's Nose. Born in Leningrad, Russian-American Eugene Yelchin now lives in Topanga, California, with his family.
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