First Papers

Two Russian socialists emigrate to the United States and begin the long process of becoming American in this novel by a #1 New York Times–bestselling author.

Stefan and Alexandra Ivarin emigrated to America at the end of the nineteenth century. Russian Jewish socialists, the Ivarins are now established in a Long Island home designed, somewhat haphazardly, by Stefan. Despite their attempts at assimilation, the Ivarins find themselves still struggling to find a balance between their Russian roots and their American lives, between their past and their future—and those of their children.

Based in part on Laura Z. Hobson’s own childhood, First Papers is a tender portrait of the tension involved in embracing a foreign culture full of opportunity while longing for a lost homeland, and “a warm-hearted novel” by the author of Gentleman’s Agreement (The Sunday Herald Tribune).