RJ's Interview Reflection with Eugene Yelchin

       In our interview with Eugene Yelchin on May 6, 2014 my group and I asked him questions about his book Breaking Stalin's Nose, and questions such as what inspired him to write it. Looking back and reflecting on the interview, I gained a greater understanding of the book and what it symbolizes to Eugene and what its purpose is as a children's novel.
       To first understand how he relates to his book you first must know a bit about his past and where he comes from. Eugene Yelchin was born on October 18, 1956 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Life for Eugene was very hard in this time period and they did not receive the same luxuries my blog members and I receive today. With that being said he felt that books helped raise him and get him through tough times in Russia when no one else was there for him. This is one reason why he is now a children's book author, to give back and help kids like himself going through tough times. This idea of books raising him relates to how in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Liesel's love for books helped her and those around her whom she was reading to in the bunker during the bombings get through tough times in Germany during Hitler's rule.This common idea of books raising and helping these kids along shows a deeper relationship between the two stories. This relationship could be caused by intense or unfair dictatorships such as Stalin's, Hitler's and Putin's rule. Putin is current evidence that these dictatorships will not go away and that childrens need for books will not go away. Mr.Yelchin is currently working on a new book called Arcady's Goal which will hopefully be as successful as Breaking Stalin's Nose, to help him continue his goal of giving back to other children in need.
      With both this new insight and a new point of view I will never look at books the same and I thank Eugene Yelchin for giving my group members and I this amazing opportunity to interview him!