In this Ukrainian folk tale, a kid wants white gloves. However, these are hard to find in the snow. He loses the glove and a small animal finds it a cozy place to go. Increasingly bigger animals go in until a bear joins them. Then a small mouse causes the bear to sneeze and the glove flies back to the kid. The glove sure can stretch!
Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide by Darmon Richter (Author), FUEL (Author), Damon Murray (Editor), Stephen Sorrell (Editor)
The exclusion zone where the Chernobyl nuclear disaster took place is now frozen in history. Radioactive material sinks into the ground, so digging is prohibited. It has now become a popular tourist attraction. The official way to visit the area is through an organized tour group. Tours are limited to certain areas and must be appropriately checked for radiation. The other route to explore the area is "stalking". This involves sneaking into the zone through back routes and hiding out from police patrols.
The author primarily explored the region via "official" means. However, he did go on one "stalker" trip. He had a guide that helped him through the area. They would camp in abandoned buildings and hide out when police were expected. The stalking trips allowed seeing areas that are off limits to regular tourists, though it did have some dangers. There were also some in-between trips where he would go in with people that would have have some rights, and just go off the beaten path for a bit.
The author also explored the area from Belarus. They are more strict about visitors and have fewer tourists. Belarus also has helped maintain Soviet monuments, while Ukraine has had a de-communization policy that has let old monuments decay.
The book is filled with many pictures of the zone and monuments.
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
An American Jew goes back to Ukraine to find more information about his ancestors. He has a picture with a name on it and some maps. He recruits some Ukrainian guides and after much searching they finally find somebody that recognizes people in the picture. However, it is not exactly what they think it is. Interspersed with this story is the background of the ancestors and their village. They were not exactly perfect moral citizens, but had plenty of foibles.
What makes this story interesting is the narrative style. It is told from the point of view of the tour guide. He is an optimistic young guide who speaks English and would love to travel abroad. However, his family have done the same things in Ukraine for multiple generations, so he will stay put. He sees things from a hyper-local point of few, while trying to be more global. There is a huge amount of humor that pops out mostly unintentionally. He wants to present himself as the hypermasculine person that he thinks he should be, but is not. He has plenty of knowledge, but little understanding of social situations, especially with foreigners. Yet, in spite of this, he is an optimist and helps the American to complete their quest - even if the dog Sammy Davis Junior Junior keeps causing trouble.
The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Shuster
Volodymyr Zelensky was a Jewish entertainer who ascended the presidency of Ukraine. Russia has not been too fond of Ukrainian independence and has tried to chip away at the territory. Issues have been ongoing for many years, but really heated up when Russia declared a full scale invasion. As a president, he stayed put and kept in the conflict zone. His entertainment background became useful as he put on a good show to rally the strength and identity of his countrymen.
This book provides a good background of the conflict in Ukraine as well as of the current president. It feels somewhat like the US Civil War. Russia had invested a lot of resources in its state of Ukraine and felt it is part of its territory. Ukraine feels more like Texas - they were independent, joined together, and now want to be back again. The Ukrainian desire to join NATO and EU were especially offensive to Russia.
Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson
As the Nazis were coming through Ukraine, the Jewish families were in danger. In the case of two girls, their family had sacrificed themselves so that they could live. The girls assumed new identities as orphans so they could get papers that would not identify them as Jewish. They fled from their town and were close to safety. However, the Nazis heard their talent playing instruments. They ended up performing for officers and were afraid of being identified. Luckily they survived the ordeal and ended up moving to the United States after the war. They kept their story to themselves until one grandchild asked them for their story. That ended up resulting in this book. This is concise personal account of the holocaust in Ukraine.
