The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories is a work of fiction by Ellen Litman

Ellen Litman

Ellen Litman is an American novelist.Born in Moscow, Russia, she emigrated with her parents in 1992 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a B.S. in Information Science. For six years she worked as a software developer in Baltimore, Maryland and...

 set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 during the 1990s.

The novel tells the story of Masha, just out of high school, when her family arrives from Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in Pittsburgh's Jewish neighborhood, Squirrel Hill

Squirrel Hill

Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...

. The stories trace her struggles and those of other Russian emigres in the community to find their own place in the new society—seniors alienated from their children, spouses trying to hold their families together while grappling with unemployment and depression, young adults searching for love.

External links

• Newton, Maud, Mysteries of Pittsburgh, New York Times.