Franeta, S. (2015). My pink road to Russia; Tales of amazons, peasants, and queers. Oakland, CA: Dacha Books.

Like so many ESL/EFL professionals, teacher, activist, author, and longtime TESOL member Sonja Franeta has a complex and fascinating life history. Her unusual CV includes degrees in Russian literature and a long stint as a machinist! Her new book, My Pink Road to Russia: Tales of Amazons, Peasants, and Queers, is an eclectic and compelling mix of essays, interviews, memoirs, stories, and even poetry.

Raised in the Bronx by Yugoslavian immigrants struggling not only with language and culture, but with serious past traumas, Franeta’s childhood was difficult. She writes beautifully about her challenges and her early experiences of being caught between worlds. She frankly discusses another boundary she struggled with as a teenager and young adult—discovering and finally embracing her lesbian identity.

Franeta shares not only her own stories, but those of her family members and of some of the colorful and compelling people she has encountered in her incredibly interesting life. Among the most memorable tales are her recollections of the meetings with several of her interviewees from her book Pink Flamingos: 10 Siberian Interviews (2004). She sat down with 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer people in the former Soviet republics shortly after the collapse and discovered how fluid gender and sexuality could be even within a repressive, conformist society. The very idea of identifying proved to be more delicately nuanced than expected; for Russians, sex was so private that even discussing preferences or experiences in an intimate interview was breaking a powerful taboo.

Memory is seldom strictly chronological, and this volume is presented in a way that speaks to the nature of remembering: The narrative bounces around in both time and place, and the tone can change abruptly. Franeta’s stories are alternately harrowing and heartwarming, painful and poignant, sometimes all at the same time. But isn’t that how life is—messy, complicated, and multilayered?

Highly, highly recommended.

Sara Keyes Ray is the Director for Provider Development for MDLIVE and has been a board member of Teachers Against Prejudice for seven years. She is an experienced ESL instructor, editor, and teacher trainer with more than ten years of experience.