Heritage Speakers of Russian

The inheritors of Russian who live abroad are incredibly lucky, though they themselves don’t always understand why. As the first generation in their family to grow up in a new society, they sometimes feel an overwhelming need to act, talk, and look like friends their own age in the new country. (In fact, the same could be said of almost all young people, with or without parents who speak another language.) Of course, they must learn their new language, how to speak, how to act. Their lives have changed after all. But do they realize how rich they are if their parents have continued to speak Russian with them? The aim of our book is to show them their great inheritance, to show them enough of their background that they can go on and investigate on their own. We talk about it in English, and give it to them in Russian. The society is different. But that is not a reason to reject its art, its literature, its music, its language. Accept the wealth instead.