'Siberian Haiku' is a graphic novel about a deported Lithuanian family that can be found echoing thousands of other family stories from the 20th century.

'I am Algis, but they often call me Algiukas. I always dreamed of traveling. But it didn't happen quite the way I imagined. At dawn on June 14, 1941, soldiers burst into our house and ordered us to pack for the journey. Leaving our native Lithuania, we had no idea that hard work, hunger, and vicious, biting parasites awaited us in a cold barracks – our new home in Siberia. What will our lives be like here? Dad taught us to notice the wonders of the world, to support each other. And we try: we organize the 'Apples' choir, learn to play musical instruments, and even fall in love. And we never stop hoping to return home.'

5 reasons to buy the book 'Siberian Haiku':

• A comic book like a haiku is short but profound, touching, but doesn't speak directly;

• The theme of deportation, which is extremely little explored in Russian-language literature;

• A unique visual embodiment; Lina Itagaki used many documentary photographs in her illustrations;

• The book is a winner of numerous awards and is included in the lists of the International Board on Books for Young People;

• One of the author's inspirations was the film 'Life is Beautiful'. After all, one of the main ideas was: something beautiful can be found even in something sad and scary.

About the history of the book:

Yurga's father and grandmother, deported to Siberia, inspired the author to write this book. Yurga's father, who lived in the village of Kalmanka, a suburb of Barnaul, said that he remembered almost nothing about the times in Siberia. One day, Yurga found her grandmother's notebook, a thin little notebook. Grandmother made entries after returning to her homeland, they were not as scary and sad as many other books about that time. Her diary contained many details, such as notes about the beauty of nature and all sorts of little things that we often don't even notice. And so Yurga realized that she wanted to write a book. Much here is true, some of it is made up...

Quotes

'Did you know that apples don't grow in Siberia? I didn't know that.'

'Soon our house was out of sight. Along the way, the soldiers picked up Kadagene, our neighbor, and then the Jonikaitis family with a baby in their arms.'

'All three of them—Vova, Lyova, and Zhora—started singing
in our choir. And they really liked it. They sang
in Russian about what was in their hearts. And they even learned a little Lithuanian.'