Do not cross me off the list.

"My own family was wild and diverse. Devilishly diverse in terms of escapades, phobias, moral violations, and brazen claims against each other. Not a bunch of scorpions in a jar, but certainly not the Lord's tears, oh no. With each member of my family, my grandmother used to say, 'you can only talk to them after eating a mouthful of peas!' 'Don't cross me off the list...' is a collection of family stories that includes familiar works as well as new stories and tales. Dina Rubina writes about relatives and close people with humor, self-irony, optimism, vividly and emotionally. She recalls her numerous relatives and shares stories about her husband Boris Karafyolov, her sister Vera, her grandmother Rahil, and even her beloved pet Kondrat. The central place in the book is dedicated to Dina Ilyinichna's parents - her mother and father. ' 'Don't cross me off the list!' - suddenly I remember, and I stand stunned, not wiping away tears, under blooming trees, under the lightest clouds, - in the midst of life, spring, sunny spots on the sidewalk, birds chirping in the almond tree crowns..."