Ellen Litman

The Last Chicken in America

A Novel in Stories

Twelve linked, wryly humorous stories about an unforgettable cast of Russian-Jewish immigrants trying to assimilate in a new world.

Masha is just out of high school when her family arrives in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. With touching lightheartedness and tremendous humor, these stories trace her struggles and those of other Russians in the community to find their own place in the new society—seniors alienated from their children, spouses trying to hold their families together while grappling with unemployment and depression, young adults searching for love. In “Dancers” the home of a married couple is invaded by a pair of hedonistic and financially unstable performers. The hero of “The Trajectory of Frying Pans” falls for a coworker who may or may not be trapped in a green-card marriage. In “About Kamyshinskiy” a man, living under the scrutiny of his daughters and neighbors, is trying to start over after the death of his wife. This is an impressive debut about the sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious collision of cultures, religions, and generations in contemporary America.

Ellen Litman has received a Rona Jaffe Award and earned her MFA from Syracuse University. She immigrated to the United States from Moscow in 1992 and currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.