Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Eugene Yelchin himself grew up in a communal-style apartment in Moscow (just like Sasha). You know what they say about writing what you know… (Source.)
Speaking of which, Eugene Yelchin was also asked to be a "spy" (again, just like Sasha). Yelchin "played dumb" with the "Soviet secret policeman," and acted like he had no idea what he as talking about. Luckily, the guy got bored and let Yelchin go, otherwise we probably wouldn't be discussing this book right now. (Author's Note)
Publishing this book would have been a big no-no in Russia even only 10-15 years ago; it just wouldn't have been allowed. Not surprisingly, then, it's the first book to be published in Russia about Stalin for children. (Source.)
Yelchin was born in 1956 (so, after Stalin's death). That means that when he was growing up, Soviet society was a bit more liberal than what's depicted in the novel. It was after seeing The Magnificent Seven that Yelchin fell in love with American culture. (Source.)