The Predestination of Aleksandr... A Life of Isms (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798295556128)

In the summer of 1924, a young man named Aleksandr sits on a riverbank in Siberia, leaving a suicide note for his sister before intending to drift away from a world that has offered him nothing but turmoil. But this is not just the story of an ending; it is the beginning of a remarkable survival odyssey that spans the most volatile decades of the 20th century.

Born in 1900 in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains, Alek's life is quickly upended by the "isms" that ravaged his homeland. Through his eyes, we witness the brutal evolution of Russia: from the terrifying anti-Semitic pogroms of his childhood to the hunger-filled protests of the 1917 Revolution, and his eventual conscription into the Communist Red Army.

Alek's journey is a vivid map of displacement and hope. He survives paratyphoid fever, famine, and the constant threat of the firing squad. Forced into exile, he makes a daring, silent swim across the Amur River to China-a crossing that serves as his gateway to freedom. From the soybean plants of Tsitsihar to the vibrant yet precarious refugee communities of Harbin and Shanghai, Alek navigates a world of Gypsies, Theosophists, and fellow exiles, all while clutching the sewing skills his mother taught him as a child.

Spanning Russia, China, France, and eventually the United States, The Predestination of Aleksandr is a sweeping memoir that explores the thin line between fate and choice. It is a testament to the "tiny and brilliant light burning in the heart of man" that refuses to go out, no matter how dark the world becomes