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'Astronaut!' is a coming-of-age story set against the fall of the Iron Curtain
Posted
September 2, 2026
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September 2, 2026
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9:57Now PlayingIt’s 1989 in Romania and the country is living under a totalitarian regime. In the new novel Astronaut!, an 8-year-old girl craves bright colors among otherwise gray surroundings as she comes of age during the fall of the Iron Curtain. Simultaneously, a serial killer is on the loose, but the government denies any criminal activity. Instead, they blame a bear. In today’s episode, author Oana Aristide talks with Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon about communist humor and how her upbringing in Transylvania helped shape the novel.
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