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Little Failure
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
9 posts | 7 read | 9 to read
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 Yorks 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 failurchkalittle failurewhich 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 lovefamily, 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 . . . Its 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 [Little Failure] finds the delicate balance between sidesplitting and heartbreaking.O: The Oprah Magazine Should become a classic of the immigrant narrative genre.The Miami Herald As vivid, original and funny as any that contemporary U.S. literature has to offer.Los Angeles Times The very best memoirs perfectly toe the line between heartbreak and humor, and Shteyngart does just that.Esquire Touching, insightful . . . [Shteyngart] nimbly achieves the noble Nabokovian goal of letting sentiment in without ever becoming sentimental.The Washington Post [Shteyngart is] a successor to no less than Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.The Christian Science Monitor
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ImperfectCJ
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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Pickpick

Shteyngart's memoir is as self-indulgent as most memoirs are, but it's refreshing that the author is aware of this and calls it out repeatedly. It's an interesting look inside the identity issues that come up for a child born in a different country from the one where they grow up. I mean, all of us have identity issues growing up, but to also be between two cultures and two languages seems really to turn the dial up.

#doublespin for November

ImperfectCJ As a side note, I find it interesting that, had Oberlin (my first-choice school) offered me financial aid, I'd have been there at the same time as Shteyngart for one year. Not that I think it's likely I would have liked him, given how he describes himself, but then I'd have been to junior high, high school, and college with moderately famous authors. But I also wouldn't have met my spouse, so I suppose it's all worked out for the best. 2y
44 likes1 comment
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ImperfectCJ
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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When the pie is gone but there's still coconut whipped cream left, difficult choices must be made. I enjoyed this embellished decaf while listening to the tagged audiobook today.

Clare-Dragonfly Bravely making the best of the situation 😂 2y
60 likes1 comment
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Esin
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
Mehso-so

Sweet, nostalgic, and self-deprecating - worth reading for the end.

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Samplergal
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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I haven‘t finished one of these this month. I‘m going to try to finish at least one before month‘s end. #failure😂

jmofo I believe in you. The only one I have read is There There and it‘s one of my favorites. 6y
79 likes1 stack add1 comment
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erinreads
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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I accidentally reset my time this morning, but luckily I had a feeling I would screw up at some point over the course of 5 days and decided to make sure I capture the time for each day. Now I can reset each morning to get an accurate daily time without worrying about it. Still have a ways to go, so now I just need the work day to be over to get going. #25infive

Andrew65 It‘s a good start. 😊 7y
sprainedbrain Smart! I seem to reset mine all too frequently during these readathons. 🙄 7y
Cityofamber I reset mine last night too, so had to guess 😂😬😔 7y
59 likes3 comments
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VanChocStrawberry
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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Well, considering I was very busy and had to work, this isn't so bad, but certainly not 24 hours! 😂 #reademandeatathon Thanks @Read.Em.And.Eat for the motivation!

Read.Em.And.Eat 😘💕 7y
16 likes1 comment
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LauraBeth
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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Although I'm not a Millennial - can I still get a participation trophy? 😀

DaniRa 🏆....🤗 8y
Bookworm83 I'm not going to make mine either 😭 8y
Flaneurette I only made my Goodreads goal because I set the bar low ( in true Generation X style!) I've been in an epic reading slump- over a year now😩 8y
See All 68 Comments
ephemeralwaltz I fear I won't be making it either.... 8y
MicheleinPhilly I'll give you this instead. 🍷Grownups' trophy. 😉 8y
eanderson Hahaha! This is cute! The only reason I made it was I had a couple of shortie books in there! :) 8y
Bookish.Heart I'm glad there's lots of other people who didn't make their goal either! I started the year off so well too! 8y
Handmade_Redhead I made it. I like to set my goals low so i always make them. 😉 8y
MyNamesParadise I've read 59 this year and my goal was 70. I'm most likely not going to make it unless I read a lot of comic books or something 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Not a fail! Just reading is a win. Screw the number. 🖕(how's that for being opinionated?!) YOU WIN BY READING! YOU WON! 🍾 8y
DeborahSmall I set mine low as I was way below last year, my father in law passed away last August and had been sick all year so I had good reason. So this year I put 52 but I'm at 71 I think. I've had another shitty year with my mother in law diagnosed as terminal in April. I read a good lot when I'm looking after her though. Hopefully next year will better' 📚💞 8y
josie281 Every page turn is a win! You get a book! You get a book! Everyone gets a book! 😉 🎉 8y
moranadatter 🏆 8y
MemoirsForMe You're a winner in my book! 👏🏻🎉🍾👑🏅🎯 8y
Vblancsbooks Im not making it neither! So I'm right there with you! 🎖 8y
Scurvygirl Me neither...life goes on! 8y
Amandajoy Can you go in & change the number? And remember, some people didn't read any books this year 😉 8y
Michelle_mck You are reading! That's winning! 8y
bitterbear @Flaneurette I hate reading slumps bookriot had a great article about ways you can get over it.. 8y
bitterbear @Amandajoy I have done that before lololol!!!! 8y
Mimi28 I agree with everyone else. The fact that you are reading at all is a great accomplishment 📚💗😉👍😎🎂🎉 8y
jessdean Never a fail if ur reading📚💙 8y
sprainedbrain Yes, you can! 🏆 8y
Coleen I don't do reading goals. I read what I read & do my best to be happy with whatever number that happens to be. I sometimes have to keep reminding myself it's not a contest & everyone's a winner. Although it's hard on Litsy sometimes. I feel so inadequate......😳 8y
Tanner Ehh, it's just a number. It's not like we get a medal or crown for reaching that goal. Just read whatever amount makes you comfortable, and that's when you really win! 8y
Cortg Best thing I've seen on Litsy yet! Just remember, some books are bigger or better than others. Read what you read and enjoy the journey! 8y
britt_brooke Love the Millennial comment. 🏆👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 8y
monkeygirlsmama This is why I don't set reading goals for myself much anymore. I've down many different reading challenges over the years, and found that the more pressure I put on myself to meet the goals make me enjoy the whole process less. I am a bookaholic by nature, always have been. So something that sucks the pleasure out of reading is not cool. Haha I say, if you wanna shoot for a bookish goal or challenge that's awesome, but say no to pressure & stress. 8y
monkeygirlsmama **Please ignore the typos above. 🙄😫** 😝 8y
myellenbee Unless there is a miracle 30 extra days this month I won't make it. 2 down 8 to go. I have NEVER read 10 books in a month. I will actually read less than last year, not sure what happened. 😕 8y
Belles I'm on book 72 of 85 on my goodreads challenge. I've already decided to not do one next year. In fact I'm giving all of goodreads a break next year. I'm just going to use Litsy and a little notebook to jot down my read books. 8y
LauraBeth @DaniRa I humbly accept your trophy 😂 8y
LauraBeth @Bookworm83 we should start a Goodreads group about it! 8y
LauraBeth @Flaneurette as a fellow gen-xer, I approve of your slacker, low bar-setting! 😂 8y
LauraBeth @ephemeralwaltz - that's okay - this is a safe place for those of us who won't make their goal 😂 8y
LauraBeth @MicheleinPhilly oohh - Grownups' Trophy! I'll take the bottle - save the glass 😀 8y
LauraBeth @eanderson if there's one thing that I've learned from Litsy - throw in some graphic novels to reach your goal! 😀 8y
LauraBeth @Bookish.Heart I was cocky in February 😂 8y
LauraBeth @Handmade_Redhead 2017 goals: set the bar way low! 😂 congrats on making it! 8y
LauraBeth @MyNamesParadise you're almost there! You can read 11 comic books 😂 8y
LauraBeth @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled.com I ❤️ your comment. You're my kind of people 8y
LauraBeth @DeborahSmall the universe dictates that you cannot have three crappy years in a row - two is the maximum allowed. So sorry to hear that about your in-laws 💕 go ahead and set your bar high in 2017 8y
LauraBeth @josie281 I will now have Oprah's voice in my head every time I turn a page 😂 8y
LauraBeth @kmdartist I humbly accept your trophy on behalf of slackers everywhere 😀 8y
LauraBeth @UwannaPublishme awww - thanks 😊 I'm going to count your book that I'm a winner in towards my goodreads goal 😂 8y
LauraBeth @Vblancsbooks this is a safe place for all of us who won't make it 😀 8y
LauraBeth @Scurvygirl there's always next year to set the bar low! 8y
LauraBeth @Amandajoy oohhh - i like your recommendation to cheat the Goodreads system! I may do that 😀 8y
LauraBeth @Michelle_mck this is true - I'm reading! I just wish that I could read faster 😀 8y
LauraBeth @bitterbear I need for you to be my personal cheerleader! 😀 I'll pay you 8y
LauraBeth @Mimi28 I'm distracted by your comment because you put a cake in it 🎂 8y
LauraBeth @jessdean we're all winners here 😂🎉⭐️👏🍾 8y
LauraBeth @sprainedbrain I accept your trophy on behalf of underachievers everywhere 😂 8y
LauraBeth @Coleen awww - don't feel inadequate! I realize that since I'm not a fast reader, I'm never going to be someone who can read 200 books a year - and that's okay 😀 8y
LauraBeth @Tanner so true! Although if we actually got a crown... 8y
LauraBeth @Cortg 😊😊 I like your quality over quantity approach! 8y
LauraBeth @britt_brooke I feel badly that millennials get such a bad rap because the last team I managed consisted of mostly millennials and they were so sharp, had an amazing work ethic, nice, intellectually curious and just all-around bright. There was a guy in his mid-20s who understood business strategy better than any seasoned exec I had ever worked with. Although the husband manages a team of millennials and says his experience isn't like mine 😂😂 8y
LauraBeth @monkeygirlsmama I like your approach - reading shouldn't put stress or pressure on anyone! 8y
LauraBeth @myellenbee you came close to your goal though - you can be proud of that! 😀 8y
LauraBeth @Belles I sort of abandoned Goodreads when I found Litsy. And I've done a terrible job this last half of the year of remembering to actually go there and log a book I've finished. I'm not sure I have a need for it anymore - I like your idea of using Litsy and notebooks 😀 8y
britt_brooke @LauraBeth I know, haha! It is unfortunate that they get lumped together. 8y
Cortg @LauraBeth @britt_brooke The millennials working for our library system are amazing! They have such great ideas, have started some fabulous programs and generally love their work and are wonderful to work with. My husband in the gov't sector has a completely opposite feeling towards that age group. 8y
LauraBeth @Cortg that's interesting to hear! The people who you work with sound like the ones I've worked with @britt_brooke 8y
Tanner @LauraBeth After almost 7 years of working with one account manager, I finally got him to buy me a tiara! 8y
bitterbear @LauraBeth I'm cheap!! 8y
Nelinator Just gonna point out that I do not know a single person who ever got a participation trophy 8y
LauraBeth @Nelinator really? I used to coach my daughter in sports and we always had to hand out a trophy at the end of the season (per the "rules" of the athletic association). Once they were in last place - but they got a trophy ? but I was just kidding with my millennial comment - didn't mean to offend you and if I did I apologize 8y
149 likes68 comments
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Carissa-Green-Reads
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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A certain irony in attending a seminar to improve your career and bringing along this title to read during breaks . . .

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Fridayfilms
Little Failure: A Memoir | Gary Shteyngart
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Favourite bookshop - Muswell Hill Bookshop, London. #getindie