In a stunning sequel to The Genius Under the Table, Eugene Yelchin's graphic memoir depicts his harrowing journey from Leningrad's underground art scene to a state-run Siberian asylum--and to eventual safety in the US.

No longer the creative little boy under his grandmother's table, Yevgeny is now a young adult, pursuing his artistic dreams under the constant threat of the KGB's stranglehold on Russia's creative scene. When a chance encounter with an American woman opens him up to a world of romance and possibility, Yevgeny believes he has found his path to the future--and freedom overseas. But the threat of being drafted into the military and sent to fight in Afghanistan changes everything in a terrible instant, and he takes drastic measures to decide his fate, leading to unthinkable consequences in a mental hospital. With bold art bringing a vivid reality to life, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin's sequel to the acclaimed memoir The Genius Under the Table returns to Yevgeny's saga, balancing the terror and oppression of Soviet Russia with the author's signature charm and dark wit. I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This shines a stark spotlight on history while offering a poignant, nuanced, and powerfully resonant look at growing up in--and ultimately leaving--Cold War Russia in the early 1980s.

Author: Eugene Yelchin
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/16/2025
Pages: 432
Weight: 1.25lbs
ISBN: 9781536215533


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025
Booklist 07/01/2025 pg. 49
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2025 pg. 92
School Library Journal 09/01/2025 pg. 95

About the Author
Eugene Yelchin is the creator of The Genius Under the Table, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book that earned seven starred reviews and mention on numerous Best of the Year lists. He is also coauthor and illustrator of the 2018 National Book Award Finalist The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, co-written with M. T. Anderson, and he received a Newbery Honor for his novel Breaking Stalin's Nose. Born in Leningrad, Russian-American Eugene Yelchin now lives in Topanga, California, with his family.