A satirical Soviet coming-of-age book about an intimate friendship. Sasha Gorky is a bitter, sexist ten-year-old Soviet boy who’s obsessed with becoming a ‘man.’ But to become a real man in the Soviet Union, you not only have to smoke, swear, shave your head, be nice to random chicks, and not kick other guys in the groin (even if it’s a classmate that really deserves it)—but you also have to... Actually, what else is there that matters? Nah, that’s pretty much it. And Sasha follows these rules religiously, just like every other Soviet boy. So how is it possible that some goddamn American sissy like Luke can just show up one day, not having done any of those things, and still seem manlier than him? He needed to find out what the big deal was. The Boy Who Lit Up the Star is a poignant, satirical coming-of-age tale where Sasha Gorky reminisces about that exact summer of 1986—now five years ago—when he formed his first and only intimate bond, only to spiral. Not because it was with an American boy, but because he realizes he’ll never be as happy as he was then.