A Russian proverb I heard growing up translates to something like “Those who recall the past will lose an eye.” Dwelling on bygone events, it suggests, is dangerous. My family of post-Soviet refugees seemed to believe it, and mostly passed down their history in loose, cinematic anecdotes. I’d piece together what their lives were like before we immigrated to Los Angeles from images of barbed-wire obstacle courses, ransacked apartments, and sudden deaths. Lore was rarely presented in a matter-of-