White on Black [Hardcover]

Ruben Gallego (Author), Marian Schwartz (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2006

This is an extraordinary personal testament, the story of one boy's triumph in the face of impossible obstacles. Born with cerebral palsy in Moscow, Ruben Gallego was hidden away in Soviet state institutions by his maternal grandfather, the secretary general of the Spanish Communist Party in the 1960s. His was a boyhood spent in orphanages, hospitals, and old-age homes, a life of emotional deprivation and loss of human dignity. And yet, there is no self-pity here, no bitterness, only an unfailing regard for the truth. Gallego's story is one of neglect and mistreatment but also of shared small pleasures, of courage, of the power of the human will, and of a child's growing fascination with books and the worlds he finds in them. Winner of the 2003 Russian Booker Prize, White on Black is "one of those rare books one can call revolutionary" (Corriere della Sera, Italy).

(20060108)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To be a crippled orphan anywhere is a sad thing; worst, undoubtedly, in the Third World, but no picnic in the Soviet Union. Gallego, a brilliant boy born with cerebral palsy, with hands and feet so twisted that though he could crawl he could use only his left index finger, was abandoned to state institutions by his grandfather in the 1960s. That he survived this "cruel and terrible" childhood is a tribute to a remarkably strong will. The most atrocious fact of many that readers learn is that eventually, usually at age 15, institutionalized boys, Gallego included, were transferred from children's wards to the "old folks' home," where they lay in their own urine until they died; in one month, seven out of eight perished. Amazingly, Gallego lived to marry, have children and write this extraordinary book of "stories," spare, elliptical, often fierce vignettes centered around remembered figures and events: "a bite of lard, a salami sandwich, a handful of figs, a blue sky, a couple of books, and a kind word." These glimpses of adversity and triumph are quirky, sometimes appalling, often funny and touching without being sentimental. The book won the 2003 Russian Booker Prize and should receive similar acclaim here. (Jan.)
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Review

PRAISE FOR WHITE ON BLACK

"This book is today's Gulag Archipelago, a plea to ordinary people not to close themselves off to the truth."--The New York Times

"An uncomplaining account of the harshest imaginable upbringing, it is a tribute to the resilience of the individual will."--The New Statesman (London)

"Mr. Gallego''s little book is deeply moving, his triumph a joy to read about."

(Steve Goode Washington Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Tra edition (January 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015101227X
• ISBN-13: 978-0151012275
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,405,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring, February 9, 2011

By 

pumpkin123 "oh!" (the moon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White on Black (Hardcover)

This book is about a young man who is disabled in the URSS and how he grows in orphanages and makes a life for himself. I do not want to describe his story because it is stranger than fiction. But what impressed me throughout was his humanity and how even in the worse of circumstances he saw humanity in others. A very humbling and inspiring read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book, June 22, 2010

By 

Gulka - See all my reviews

This review is from: White on Black (Paperback)

I read, i cried, i continues reading. Ruben Gallego is incredible strong human being. The book is easy to read, however heartbreaking at times.
Thank you Ruben!