I was adopted at 3 days old by a wonderful family. My adopted father's side immigrated to the United States, through Ellis Island, from Odessa, Ukraine in 1897. Growing up, I learned and sampled the wonderful ethnic foods that his family would prepare. My adopted father would tell us the stories of his family living in Odessa. One of the most interesting, was the escape of his father from Siberia, after shooting a cossack in self defense. His father returned to Odessa, and he and his wife and family left the country. Many relatives of my father, fled Russia, and most immigrated to other countries. Relatives can be found in Argentina, as well as Monterrey, Mexico.
As I got older, I wanted to learn more of the place called, "Mother Russia". I read Robert Massies's book, The Romanovs, The Final Chapter, and The Romanov Legacy, by Zoia Belyakova.
I also viewed various films, that not only centered on the Romanovs, but also classics like Doctor Zhivago (David Lean 1965), and the novel, by Boris Pasternak. This film, I can watch each Winter! The sleigh ride out into the country is one of my favorite scenes. Of course, I have also viewed "Russia, Land Of The Tsars", which is a History Channel documentary. I have a copy of it. I have also enjoyed learning about the famous AA, and have seen the fantastic film "Anastasia", starring Yul Brynner, made in 1956.
I am now reading two books written about the Grand Duke Mikhail. One is written by the Crawfords, and the other, Pauline Gray.