Being Grounded in Love (Primary Translator, 2023)

Being Grounded in Love: A History of One Russian Family, 1872-1981 (ISBN: 978-089357-517-5) is a true story of a couple coping intelligently with major events which shaped modern Russia, including the Stalinist purges, the bloody fight between the Red Army and the Nazi military, and the postwar struggle to realize the "Soviet Dream."

Gruzdev family members penned hundreds of letters and diary entries which Maria A. Shelyakhovskaya (Gruzdeva) used to tell a story that reads like a novel in letters. Replete with references to Russia's best poetry and prose, her book shows the toll of wartime separations and other trials, and reveals values that thoughtful Russians continue to hold dear. The text also offers readers a unique first-hand perspective on Soviet historical developments that continue to influence aspects of governance and society in the Russian Federation in the 21st century.

Утверждение в любви (the original Russian version) was issued in St. Petersburg by Zvezda Press in 2010. Christina and Maria, who had become friends during Christina’s stay in St. Petersburg in 2003, translated this 200,000-word work into English. Christina added substantial chapter endnotes and a short glossary for foreign readers.

Following Maria’s sudden death in 2018, her daughters and Christina secured the publication rights. In November 2021, Being Grounded in Love was longlisted for Dzanc Books’ 2021 Nonfiction Prize. In August 2022, Christina and Maria’s daughters signed a contract with Slavica Publishers (Bloomington, IN) to publish the English translation. Being Grounded in Love was published in August 2023 and is available directly from Slavica (and they offer volume discounts, so if you’re buying more than one copy, call them to get these) and from Amazon.

A portion of the translator’s proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to charities working in Ukraine, as that country resists the Russian invaders.