“A true jewel. This book is hard to put down. It is funny, insightful, full of excellent dialogue and detail. It provides a window into everyday life of the author working within the Soviet publishing industry and offers insights on how the Soviet censorship system worked in practice.”

- Anna Shternshis, author of When Sonia Met Boris: An Oral History of Jewish Life under Stalin

“Draitser’s memoir is a compelling read—informative, passionately written, funny, and framed within the context of Soviet history. It is a great resource for anyone interested in Soviet Jewish culture and identity in the post-Stalin era, the perils of emigration, and the paradox of being a humorist in an authoritarian state where satire was tolerated but always suspected of crossing a line into dissent.”

- Jarrod Tanny, author of City of Rogues and Schnorrers: Russia’s Jews and the Myth of Old Odessa