ALL THE BAD GIRLS WEAR RUSSIAN ACCENTS: POEMS OF A UKRAINIAN JEWISH REFUGEE GRANTED ASYLUM IN THE U.S.

By Jane Muschenetz

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

February 14, 2024 (San Diego) -- Written with humor as well as heart ache, Jane Muschenetz touches on her raw feelings of becoming a refugee. At the age of 10, during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of her home country, Ukraine, she was transplanted to San Diego. 

Muschenetz reflects on themes that connect to identity. She then shares her growth as she acclimated to her new country, went to MIT, married, and became a mother. 

All the Bad Girls Wear Russian Accents offers depth into the author’s experiences. Like the best of poets, she is a critic of her old and new countries. Her use of unstructured prose makes the collection read like a series of stories.

One poem, most of my friends can relate to, is entitled “Guest Ready.”

          “In the clean part of the house

I can sit and pretend my life

Is well-organized and dust free

Some people have drawers or closets

Where messes get shoved out-of-sight

Amateurs 

I have whole rooms,

Corridors, not ready for company

Just this summer,

I bought an entire house

So I can vacation from the one I keep too full”

Muschenetz’s debut poetry chapbook, a Five Stars Readers’ Favorite, has charm, wit, as well as raw feelings. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is donated to organizations that support Ukrainian refugees. 

Jane Muschenetz and her family live in San Diego. Today, she is a fully grown MIT nerd, California gardener, mother, artist, and writer. Connect with Muschenetz’s work on her website at PalmFrondZoo.com.