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Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster

by Svetlana Alexievich, Keith Gessen
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster

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ISBN13: 9780312425845
ISBN10: 0312425848
Condition: Like New


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Awards

2005 National Books Critics Circle Award in General Nonfiction

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Staff Pick

Alexievich has done something incredibly brave here, in seeking out and sharing the stories that no one wants to acknowledge surrounding the worst nuclear accident in history. These firsthand accounts of the disaster and its aftermath put a human face on something that feels like a very singular, distant historical event. Voices From Chernobyl exposed me to perspectives that I didn't know I was missing; it was very difficult to read, but I couldn't turn away. Recommended By Ashleigh B., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown — from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster — and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Comprised of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty.

Review

"Devastating...Essential, powerful, and brave." John Freeman, The Star-Ledger (Newark)

Review

"A chorus of fatalism, stoic bravery, and black, black humor is sounded in this haunting oral history....The result is an indelible X-ray of the Russian soul." Publishers Weekly

Review

"Shocking accounts of life in a poisoned world. And what quintessentially human stories these are, as each distinct voice expresses anger, fear, ignorance, stoicism, valor, compassion, and love. Alexievich put her own health at risk to gather these invaluable frontline testimonies, which she has transmuted into a haunting and essential work of literature that one can only hope documents a never-to-be-repeated catastrophe." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review

"This collection of narratives about the world's worst industrial accident reads like an apocalyptic fairy tale....The monologues...are exquisite in their plainspoken anguish. And as such, they are beautifully unbearable to read." Time Out Chicago

About the Author

Svetlana Alexievich was born in the Ukraine and studied journalism at the University of Minsk. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including a prize from the Swedish PEN Institute for "courage and dignity as a writer." Her books include Voices from Chernobyl, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

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Average customer rating 4.2 (6 comments)

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Alih , December 28, 2017
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Kristina , August 14, 2017 (view all comments by Kristina)
Investigative journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed over 500 eyewitnesses of the Chernobyl disaster over a period of ten years, and this book tells the stories of these people. It recounts the physical details of the nuclear accident as well as the psychological effect it had on those affected, and relates the tremendous impact that the event had on their lives. A beautiful, tragic, powerful, and moving work – at times funny, and often heartbreaking. The book was originally written in Russian, but this is an excellent translation. Alexievich has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time”.

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TeacherSteve , May 28, 2017 (view all comments by TeacherSteve)
For anyone concerned with the fate of the planet at a very troubling geopolitical time for our country and the world, this book is an excellent reminder that technological and scientific disasters harm real people. The stories here are powerful, poignant, sad, and harrowing. And they are real.

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James Orr , April 25, 2017 (view all comments by James Orr)
We might think of this terrible event as being removed from us, but in Portland I met a man from Chernobyl who had had six children, three of whom he had lost to radiation-induced cancer resulting from this disaster.

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Bonnie Anderson , April 19, 2017 (view all comments by Bonnie Anderson)
The subtitle of this book is The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster and the voices from this time in history in Chernobyl are powerful. At times they are touching, at times painful, at times darkly humorous, and throughout, they are voices of people who, for the most part, are innocent victims of a government that cared more for politics than people. The author interviews people from school age children to elders and never interjects her views. Although the nuclear disaster occurred in 1986, this book is timeless as the effects of Chernobyl continue and the potential for future nuclear disasters is very real.

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lydiaamber , March 24, 2011 (view all comments by lydiaamber)
Both terrifying and heartbreaking, this book chronicles the 1986 disaster in Chernobyl in detail. Written as a series of interviews or "monologues" with residents of Chernobyl and the surrounding areas, the author touches on many topics from the intimate details of death from radiation poisoning to the displacement people felt being permanently evacuated from their homes. "Liquidators" were sent to the nuclear site to clean up the mess, working in 45 second intervals in lead aprons. "Hunters" were ordered to go into evacuated towns to kill and bury all the animals to minimize the risk of spreading the radiation. The stories in this book are disturbing and haunting but they happened and by reading them we can honor the memories of many of the families and people who lost their lives and loved ones and the survivors who are still suffering today.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780312425845
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
04/18/2006
Publisher:
ST MARTINS PRESS
Pages:
256
Height:
8.5 in
Width:
5.5 in
Thickness:
.75
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
2005
Translator:
Keith Gessen
Author:
Svetlana Alexievich
Media Run Time:
B
Subject:
Chernobyl nuclear accident, chornobyl, ukrain
Subject:
Social aspects
Subject:
Environmental aspects
Subject:
Russia-General Russian History
Subject:
Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobyl', Ukrai

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