Meet Ivan Rastofsky. Ivan wants what most boys his age want to go to college, get a good job, marry and have kids. But in October, 1962, as the uncertainty of the Cuban Missile Crisis holds America in its grip, anti-Russian sentiment runs high at Ivan's school. Faced with his mother's shame of her son's Russian heritage and the open hostility of his classmates, Ivan has almost given up hope on the American Dream.
And then he meets Veronica, a flower who has blossomed despite the fate she was dealt at birth. For a brief, shining moment, Veronica offers Ivan a glimpse of hope for the future.
But destiny has other plansfor both of them.
A Thousand Paper Cranes contains strong language which some readers may deem offensive. It is 21,000 words in length.