Ordering Information
$29.95, 6 x 9, PB, 184 pages, 37 b/w images, index
ISBN: 978-1-963714-11-1
Publication date: January 6, 2026
To order copies, please visit CasemateIPM.com or give them a call at (610) 853-9131.
A Refusenik’s Odyssey
A First-hand Account of Life in Soviet Russia During the Cold War
by Glenn Schwarcz and Lina Levit Haber
The remarkable story of a young girl in Moscow, raised to be a staunch communist and atheist, who was denied entrance to medical school because she was Jewish. This dashed her dream of becoming the third-generation physician in her family. She applied to leave the Soviet Union but was refused, thus becoming a “refusenik”. A Refusenik’s Odyssey details her complex journey to leave Russia, go to medical school in America, and eventually discover what it means to be Jewish. And yes. Everything is true!
Readers’ Comments
“A compelling, honest, and thoughtfully written narrative—appealing in the way it embraces the unexpected turns life presents us. It is the best book on refuseniks that I have ever seen.”
—Ilya Raskin, Refusenik, and Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology, Rutgers University
“A first-hand account of what it was like growing up in Soviet Russia during the Cold War, the challenges of applying for emigration and being refused, and the arduous but often humorous adjustment to a free society. The interweaving of political events makes the complicated history of the period come alive. A must-read!”
—Robert Sidlow, historian and Associate Professor of Medicine, Cornell University
“Captures in living detail the often-paradoxical outcomes that result from choices people find themselves forced to make during periods of major historical upheaval.”
—Roger Gocking, Professor of History Emeritus, Mercy College
About the Authors
Lina Levit Haber, MD and Glenn Schwarcz, MD, both psychopharmacologists Board Certified in Psychiatry, are a married couple. Dr Haber, born in Moscow, is the subject of this book. Dr Schwarcz is a historian and a writer, with 26 scientific publications. Dr Haber was trained at Stern, Brandeis, and Mt Sinai School of Medicine. Dr Schwarcz was trained at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. They live in the scenic Lower Hudson Valley of New York.
