Little Failure

A Memoir

Biography & Memoir, Literary, Nonfiction, Entertainment, Humour & Comedy, General Humour
Cover of the book Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart, Random House Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gary Shteyngart ISBN: 9780812995336
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Publication: January 7, 2014
Imprint: Random House Language: English
Author: Gary Shteyngart
ISBN: 9780812995336
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication: January 7, 2014
Imprint: Random House
Language: English

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MICHIKO KAKUTANI, THE NEW YORK TIMES • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MORE THAN 45 PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • NPR • The New Yorker • San Francisco Chronicle • The Economist • The Atlantic • Newsday • Salon • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Guardian • Esquire (UK) • GQ (UK)**

Little Failure is the all too true story of an immigrant family betting its future on America, as told by a lifelong misfit who finally finds a place for himself in the world through books and words. In 1979, a little boy dragging a ginormous fur hat and an overcoat made from the skin of some Soviet woodland creature steps off the plane at New York’s JFK International Airport and into his new American life. His troubles are just beginning. For the former Igor Shteyngart, coming to the United States from the Soviet Union is like stumbling off a monochromatic cliff and landing in a pool of Technicolor. Careening between his Soviet home life and his American aspirations, he finds himself living in two contradictory worlds, wishing for a real home in one. He becomes so strange to his parents that his mother stops bickering with his father long enough to coin the phrase failurchka—“little failure”—which she applies to her once-promising son. With affection. Mostly. From the terrors of Hebrew School to a crash course in first love to a return visit to the homeland that is no longer home, Gary Shteyngart has crafted a ruthlessly brave and funny memoir of searching for every kind of love—family, romantic, and of the self.

**BONUS: This edition includes a reading group guide.

Praise for Little Failure**

“Hilarious and moving . . . The army of readers who love Gary Shteyngart is about to get bigger.”The New York Times Book Review

“A memoir for the ages . . . brilliant and unflinching.”—Mary Karr

“Dazzling . . . a rich, nuanced memoir . . . It’s an immigrant story, a coming-of-age story, a becoming-a-writer story, and a becoming-a-mensch story, and in all these ways it is, unambivalently, a success.”—Meg Wolitzer, NPR

“Literary gold . . . [a] bruisingly funny memoir.”Vogue

“A giant success.”***—Entertainment Weekly***

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MICHIKO KAKUTANI, THE NEW YORK TIMES • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MORE THAN 45 PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • NPR • The New Yorker • San Francisco Chronicle • The Economist • The Atlantic • Newsday • Salon • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Guardian • Esquire (UK) • GQ (UK)**

Little Failure is the all too true story of an immigrant family betting its future on America, as told by a lifelong misfit who finally finds a place for himself in the world through books and words. In 1979, a little boy dragging a ginormous fur hat and an overcoat made from the skin of some Soviet woodland creature steps off the plane at New York’s JFK International Airport and into his new American life. His troubles are just beginning. For the former Igor Shteyngart, coming to the United States from the Soviet Union is like stumbling off a monochromatic cliff and landing in a pool of Technicolor. Careening between his Soviet home life and his American aspirations, he finds himself living in two contradictory worlds, wishing for a real home in one. He becomes so strange to his parents that his mother stops bickering with his father long enough to coin the phrase failurchka—“little failure”—which she applies to her once-promising son. With affection. Mostly. From the terrors of Hebrew School to a crash course in first love to a return visit to the homeland that is no longer home, Gary Shteyngart has crafted a ruthlessly brave and funny memoir of searching for every kind of love—family, romantic, and of the self.

**BONUS: This edition includes a reading group guide.

Praise for Little Failure**

“Hilarious and moving . . . The army of readers who love Gary Shteyngart is about to get bigger.”The New York Times Book Review

“A memoir for the ages . . . brilliant and unflinching.”—Mary Karr

“Dazzling . . . a rich, nuanced memoir . . . It’s an immigrant story, a coming-of-age story, a becoming-a-writer story, and a becoming-a-mensch story, and in all these ways it is, unambivalently, a success.”—Meg Wolitzer, NPR

“Literary gold . . . [a] bruisingly funny memoir.”Vogue

“A giant success.”***—Entertainment Weekly***

More books from Random House Publishing Group

Cover of the book Clemmie by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Robotech: Before the Invid Storm by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book The Outlandish Companion Volume Two by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book CodeNotes for VB.NET by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Next to Love by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Order 66: Star Wars Legends (Republic Commando) by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Earth by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Perfect Nightmare by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Last Guardian by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Brief Encounters with the Enemy by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book The Crêpes of Wrath by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book Miss Vera's Cross-Dress for Success by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book The Palace of Tears by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Gary Shteyngart
Cover of the book The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook by Gary Shteyngart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy